Horizontal Mechanism Proposal for the Resolution of Non-Tariff Barrier Disputes at the WTO: An Analysis

On 3 February 2010, a group of countries representing 88 distinct World Trade Organization (WTO) Members presented a proposal for procedures for the facilitation of solutions to non-tariff barrier disputes. This proposal is in line with Paragraph 16 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration which provides for the reduction or appropriate elimination of non-tariff barriers, since they constitute barriers that affect market access opportunities for other WTO Members. This article analyzes whether the new procedures are properly designed to effectively meet their own stated goals, but also if they are compatible with the general objectives of the WTO and the Dispute Settlement Body. The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.