RECENT WTO MEETING YIELDS NO RESULTS, U.S. STILL LACKING CLEAR TRADE AGENDA

News Date December 08, 2009

The World Trade Organization (WTO) met in Geneva from November 30 - December 2, 2009 for its 7th ministerial conference, but yielded no results.  Once again, negotiations at the WTO failed to move forward, with the main stumbling block being the unresolved Doha Round. 

The lack of a strong U.S. trade agenda is considered to be a contributing factor to the impasse.  Some argue that the Obama Administration has an opportunity to take a bold approach to trade, which could help direct the global trade discussion.  However, a specific trade agenda has proven elusive, certainly not made any easier without having a U.S. Ambassador to the WTO in place.  The Administration has nominated Michael Punke, but the Senate is yet to confirm him. 

As the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is pushing for market access, their approach to implementing critical trade agreements has been slow.  Before making a decision on how to move forward with the Colombia and South Korea free trade agreements, the USTR published a Federal Register Request for Comments.  Their report has received over 500 responses, which they will review and analyze.  This approach addresses concerns of Congressmen pushing for more market access, while also dealing with the apprehensions from labor unions unhappy with the outcome of current free trade agreements.  The result, however, has not created a strong approach to trade.

In the meantime, on December 2, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, introduced the Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment Act of 2009 (S. 2821), or the TRADE Act.  This legislation will require a review of existing trade agreements, a renegotiation of existing trade agreements based on the review, establish terms for future trade agreements, as well as express the sense of the Congress that the role of Congress in making trade policy should be strengthened.  (Contact: Amy Mann)