European Commission Directorate-General for Trade

EU & WTO

World Trade Organisation (WTO)

• Established in 1995
• 153 member countries
• Sets the global rules governing trade between nations

More information at the WTO website

Why does the EU participate in the WTO?

The EU is the world's largest trading block, which makes it one of the key players in the World Trade Organisation. In the WTO, the European Commission negotiates on behalf of the 27 countries of the European Union (see Working with the WTO).

The EU supports the work of the WTO on multilateral rule-making, trade liberalisation and, sustainable development.

Through the WTO, the EU seeks to:

• Ensure new markets for European companies
• Observe the rules and make sure others also play by the rules
• Promote sustainable development in trade, such as:
  • The Everything But Arms initiative – where all imports to the EU from the world's poorest countries are duty- and quota-free, with the exception of armaments
  • The special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance, known as GSP+. This offers additional tariff reductions to support vulnerable developing countries in their ratification and implementation of specified international conventions in the fields of human rights, core labour standards, sustainable development and good governance.
  • The work of the Trade and Environment Committee

What does the WTO do?

The WTO is a member-driven organisation that sets the framework for trade between its members. Its core activities are:

• Multilateral negotiations (see Doha Development Round)
• Resolving differences between States (see Dispute settlement)
• Setting the legal ground-rules for trade in the form of Agreements; and
• Monitoring Member's trade policy (see Trade Policy Review Mechanism at the WTO website)