Barriers to Universal Membership of the World Trade Organization
(2012) AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 97
19 Pages Posted: 12 Nov 2013 Last revised: 3 Feb 2014
Date Written: July 12, 2012
Abstract
This article examines the feasibility of achieving the World Trade Organization’s stated aspiration of achieving universal membership. The article first examines the requirements for accession, and argues that the commonly-used definition of universal membership — accession to the WTO by all members of the United Nations — is too narrow having regard to the accession provisions of the relevant WTO Agreements. A broader interpretation of the concept of universal accession reveals the true extent of the ‘accession issue’ by showing the number of accessions that may be negotiated in future. The article then considers the potential for truly universal membership of the WTO, and the obstacles to that being achieved. This broader potential membership includes a very high proportion of less- and least-developed countries, micro-states, and transitional economies, all of which face particular accession challenges that are examined in the final part of the article.
Keywords: WTO, world trade, accession, international trade law, developing countries, Azerbaijan, Laos, Vanuatu,
JEL Classification: K00
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation