Switzerland - World Trade Organization: where economic interests collide

2021-11-23 02:24:39

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) What will the next ministerial meeting at the WTO bring? Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Negotiating rules for free trade in agriculture, industrial products and services have been going on behind the scenes for decades and are not becoming easier. The World Trade Organization (WTO), which is holding a Ministerial Conference in Geneva starting November 30, must ensure that the rules reflect the rise of developing countries, an evolving digital economy, and of course, the Covid-19 pandemic.

This content was published on November 23, 2021 - 14:55 November 23, 2021 - 14:55

Born in Yokohama, Japan. I live in Switzerland since 1999. I hold a master's degree in international relations from Geneva. I am the Head of the Japanese section of swissinfo.ch since 2016. Previously, I worked for 15 years for Asahi Shimbun at the UN in Geneva, where I closely followed multilateral and Swiss affairs. I was secretary-general of the Foreign Press Association in Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 2015 to 2016.

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Helen James

Born in England, I've lived in Switzerland since 1994. I trained as a graphic designer in Zurich between 1997 – 2002. More recently I have moved on to work as photo editor and joined the team at swissinfo.ch in March 2017.

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Akiko Uehara (text), Helen James (photo editing)

Conflicts of interests between the developing and developed worlds, and considering consumer needs as well as the benefits to industry (or drawbacks) make reaching a compromise on new international trade rules difficult. Free trade is not simply a matter of lowering tariffs, increasing imports and exports, and making goods and services cheaper for consumers.

The elimination of subsidies on processed foods in line with a 2015 WTO decision led to a reduction in subsidies for the Swiss chocolate industry of CHF100 million ($108 million) a year. That's just one example of how a seemingly small change can negatively impact an entire sector.

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