European Commission Directorate-General for Trade

Working with the WTO

Who represents the EU in the WTO

The EU speaks with one voice in the WTO. Every EU country is a WTO member in their own right but work together to act as a single block. The EU itself is also a member.

The European Commission negotiates at the World Trade Organisation on behalf of the EU. The Commission coordinates with the EU Member States through the Trade Policy Committee and conducts EU policy following guidelines set down by the Member States in the Council of Ministers.

The Commission also regularly informs the European Parliament of key WTO issues.

When an agreement is negotiated at the WTO, the Commission needs the formal authorisation of the Council and European Parliament to sign the agreement on behalf of the EU.

The Commission also consults with other interested groups (see Civil Society) in the formulation of policy.

The EU in the WTO

The WTO is composed of governments and customs territories (such as the EU). It is a member-driven organisation with decisions mainly taken on a consensus basis.

The WTO's highest decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference, which meets at least every two years. The EU Trade Commissioner represents the EU in this forum (see Commissioner for Trade De Gucht). The latest conferences were in Cancun (2003), Hong Kong (2005) and Geneva (2009).

The General Council of the WTO acts on behalf of the Ministerial Conference. The Commission represents the EU in the General Council as well as in the other formations of the General Council which meet on a regular basis such as the Dispute Settlement Body or the Trade Policy Review Body. The Commission also represents the EU in subsidiary WTO bodies such as the Council for Trade in Goods or the Committee for Trade and the Environment. The WTO has 153 members. To become a member requires compliance with the WTO rules in force and negotiations with the existing members on the acceding country's commitments.  These negotiations are concluded when there is a decision taken by the WTO Ministerial Conference.

Helping others participate in global trade

The EU supports the integration of all countries into the global trading system. As well as developing policies to help developing countries (such as the Generalised System of Preferences), the EU financially assists countries:

• In November 2009, the European Communities donated another EUR 2 million to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF). The donations will finance technical assistance programmes and training activities for developing and least developed countries as well as economies in transition. The aim is to better adapt their practices and laws to WTO rules and disciplines, improve the implementation of their obligations and enhance the exercise of their membership rights.
• Again in November 2009, the EC donated EUR 75,000 to the special trust fund established to finance the travel costs for the participation of the least-developed countries’ delegations in the 7th Ministerial Conference, which took place from 30 November to 2 December 2009.
• In February 2010, the EU announced a EUR 180,000 donation to the WTO Trade Facilitation Trust Fund. Overall, the EU’s contribution to the various WTO development trust funds amounts to more than EUR 7 million.