ABSTRACT

With its dispute settlement system in peril, the role of the World Trade Organization in mitigating commercial conflict is more important than ever, but its working practices need reform. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade committees have developed a mechanism for members to raise ‘specific trade concerns’ about the laws, regulations, and practices of their trading partners, both proposed and already implemented. These specific trade concerns can mitigate sources of friction and help avoid recourse to formal dispute settlement. This article assesses experience with specific trade concerns and analyzes suggestions for reform of the process and its extension to all World Trade Organization committees. The important World Trade Organization reform question is whether procedural changes in Geneva can make specific trade concerns more effective for all members while facilitating enhanced participation by members who do not now make full use of the possibilities that such procedures offer.

中文翻译：

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改革WTO冲突管理：为什么以及如何改进“特殊贸易关注”的使用

摘要

由于其争端解决系统处于危险之中，世界贸易组织在减轻商业冲突中的作用比以往任何时候都更为重要，但是其工作方法需要改革。卫生和植物检疫措施及贸易技术壁垒委员会建立了一种机制，让成员们可以对拟议和已经实施的贸易伙伴的法律，法规和惯例提出“具体的贸易关注”。这些具体的贸易问题可以减轻摩擦的根源，并有助于避免求助于正式的争端解决。本文评估了特定贸易问题的经验，并分析了有关流程改革及其扩展至世界贸易组织所有委员会的建议。