World Trade Organization members on Jan. 31 held a knowledge building workshop to "inform the second wave of negotiations on fisheries subsidies," the WTO said. The workshop centered on data related to the state of marine resources and fisheries subsidies. Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard said that during a fisheries subsidies retreat held in October 2022 WTO members discussed wanting to wrap up the second round of negotiations by the 13th Ministerial Conference, which is set to take place in late February 2024.

The U.S. expressed some positive views on the first decision of the World Trade Organization's multiparty interim appeal arbitration arrangement (MPIA) concerning Colombia's antidumping duties on frozen fries from various EU countries. Speaking during the Dispute Settlement Body's Jan. 27 meeting, the U.S. said it welcomes the MPIA's "willingness to adopt an interpretation" it sees as consistent with the Anti-Dumping Agreement, "even and especially if the interpretation differs from the Appellate Body's erroneous views."

The U.S. will appeal a World Trade Organization dispute panel ruling that found its origin marking requirement for goods from Hong Kong violated global trade rules. Submitting its notification of appeal during the Jan. 27 meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body, the U.S. said it was taking the matter to the defunct Appellate Body concurrent with separate panel rulings that said the Section 232 national security tariffs also violated WTO commitments.

The U.S. filed appeals against four World Trade Organization dispute panel rulings that found the U.S. Section 232 national security tariffs on steel and aluminum violated global trade rules. The U.S. said during the Jan. 27 meeting of the dispute settlement body it will take the case to the Appellate Body -- the next tier of the WTO's dispute settlement system that stands defunct due to U.S. refusal to seat members on the body over reform concerns.

World Trade Organization members on Jan. 27 appointed new chairs for the Negotiating Group on Rules and the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session, the WTO announced. Iceland's Einar Gunnarsson will chair the rules group and Turkey's Alparslan Acarsoy the agriculture committee. Gunnarsson will head the "second wave" of fisheries subsidies talks following the fisheries agreement at the 12th Ministerial Conference. Acarsoy will "steer the process to build momentum on agriculture negotiations," the WTO said.

Indonesia on Jan. 26 circulated a request to set up dispute consultations at the World Trade Organization over the EU's antidumping and countervailing duties on stainless steel cold-rolled flat products from Indonesia, the WTO announced. Indonesia said the measures do not comport with the WTO's Anti-Dumping Agreement, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.

Switzerland became the first World Trade Organization member to submit its acceptance of the fisheries subsidies agreement struck at the 12th Ministerial Conference, the WTO announced Jan. 20. The agreement bars subsidies to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and bans subsidies for fishing overfished stocks and for fishing on the unregulated high seas. To take effect, the deal requires two-thirds of WTO members to accept it.

The EU and South Korea should continue discussions with the U.S. over industrial subsidies rather than turn to the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said during a Jan. 19 interview with Bloomberg TV. Speaking between events at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Okonjo-Iweala addressed the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which has sparked criticism from the EU over the bill's climate policies.

The World Trade Organization published the agenda for the Jan. 27 meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body. It includes U.S. status reports on the implementation of DSB recommendations on antidumping measures on certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan; antidumping and countervailing measures on large residential washers from South Korea; certain methodologies and their application to antidumping proceedings involving China; antidumping and countervailing duties on ripe olives from Spain; and Section 110(5) of the U.S. Copyright Act. A status report also is expected from Indonesia on measures related to the import of horticultural products, animals and animal products; and from the EU on measures affecting the approval and marketing of biotech products, and on safeguard measures on certain steel products.

Countries participating in the Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation submitted improved schedules of commitments to the World Trade Organization for certification of a set of disciplines meant to cut trade costs for service providers, the WTO said Dec. 20. The commitment schedules are the final step needed to give the disciplines legal effect. In all, 59 participants submitted new schedules of service commitments "accounting for" 87% "of world services trade." WTO members have 45 days to review the schedules.