Brussels, 6 September 2024
A delegation of seven MEPs from the European Parliament’s Trade Committee will meet with key officials, including WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The delegation of trade MEPs, led by Chair Bernd Lange, will travel to Geneva from 10 to 12 September to participate in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Public Forum, which aims to bring together those committed to enhancing the multilateral trading system and discussing the latest developments in global trade.
The seven MEPs are set to meet with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO, to discuss the state of world trade and the prospects for trade policy following the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference that took place earlier this year (MC13). They are also expected to meet key officials to discuss topics high on the WTO agenda, including e-commerce negotiations, fisheries agreements, dispute settlement reform and support for least-developed countries.
The delegation is led by INTA Chair Bernd Lange (S&D, DE), Co-Chair of the of the Steering Group of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, and include Jörgen Warborn (EPP, SE), Co-Chair of the PCWTO Steering Group, Inese Vaidere (EPP, LV), Brando Benifei (S&D, IT), Rihards Kols (ECR, LV), Karin Karlsbro (Renew, SE), and Lynn Boylan (The Left, IE).
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“Although the latest WTO Ministerial Conference, MC13, has not delivered the results we had hoped for, the European Parliament’s commitment to multilateralism and the WTO remains stronger than ever. We will continue to stress the urgent need for reform and the restoration of a fully functioning dispute settlement system as soon as possible. Our engagement with trading partners and civil society on issues such as the EU’s deforestation regulation and CBAM will help us find ways to work together effectively to achieve our shared goals,” Bernd Lange said ahead of the visit.
Background
The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest outreach event, providing a platform for interested parties from around the world to discuss the latest developments in global trade and work towards enhancing the multilateral trading system. The event brings together annually over 2,000 representatives from civil society, academia, business, government, international organisations and the media, according to the WTO.
MEPs have been calling for a comprehensive institutional reform package of the WTO and urged for a fully functioning dispute settlement system ahead of the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi last February. However, there has been no breakthrough on the dispute settlement issue at the meeting of the global trade organisation’s highest governing body.