Canada and several other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have decided to formally put in place the Multi-party Interim Arrangement [MPIA] for allowing appeals of panel reports in trade disputes.

The arrangement will be in place on an interim basis until the WTO Appellate Body can resume operation, following some kind of agreement between WTO members and the Government of the United States. The paralysis of the WTO Appellate Body is due to the blockage by the Unites States of any new appointments of judges, since 2017.

The MPIA will be open to all WTO members wishing to join. Building on the work of Canada and the EU, which led to the July 2019 Canada-EU bilateral interim appeal arbitration arrangement, the MPIA will restore access to a binding dispute settlement system, including the possibility of an appeal, to resolve any trade dispute between participating countries.

Trade ministers from the following countries have signed a Ministerial Statement to enforce the arrangement: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, European Union, Guatemala, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, and Uruguay.

Links:

- Ministerial statement on Multi-party Interim Arrangement

- Multi-party Interim Arrangement

   

 

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