Plurilateral Cooperation as an Alternative to Trade Agreements: Innovating One Domain at a Time

Authors

Bernard M. Hoekman, European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS)Follow
Charles F. Sabel, Columbia Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2021

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12923

Abstract

At the end of 2017 different groups of WTO members decided to launch talks on four subjects, setting aside the WTO consensus working practice. This paper argues that these ‘joint statement initiatives’ (JSIs) should seek to establish open plurilateral agreements (OPAs) even in instances where the outcome can be incorporated into existing schedules of commitments of participating WTO members. Designing agreements as OPAs provides an institutional framework for collaboration among the responsible national authorities, transparency, mutual review and learning, as well as alternatives to default WTO dispute settlement procedures which may not be appropriate for supporting cooperation on the matters addressed by the JSIs. In parallel, WTO members should establish enforceable multilateral principles to ensure OPAs are compatible with an open global trade regime.

Disciplines

Antitrust and Trade Regulation | Dispute Resolution and Arbitration | International Trade Law | Law

Recommended Citation

Bernard M. Hoekman & Charles F. Sabel, Plurilateral Cooperation as an Alternative to Trade Agreements: Innovating One Domain at a Time, 12(S3) Global Pol'y 49 (2021).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/faculty_scholarship/2746