EU Calls for Fairer Global Trade Rules

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 12 March 2026 that sets out the EU’s expectations for the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC 14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, 26‑29 March 2026. The resolution reaffirms the EU’s belief that a modern, rules‑based multilateral trading system is essential for global prosperity, peace and sustainable development.

Key points

• Modernisation of the WTO – The EU urges all members to adopt a comprehensive reform package that covers monitoring, negotiation, deliberation and dispute settlement. It calls for annual ministerial meetings instead of the current biennial cycle, and for new decision‑making tools that go beyond “consensus” to allow responsible vetoes and clearer accountability.

• Dispute settlement – The WTO’s Appellate Body stopped working in 2019. The EU wants a fully functioning, independent, two‑tier system restored. It welcomes the Multi‑Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), which 58 members (about 60 % of world trade) have joined, but stresses that MPIA is only a temporary solution.

• Fairness and subsidies – The EU says current subsidy rules are outdated and encourage overcapacity and unfair competition. It calls for stronger transparency, clearer disciplines and effective remedies. It also supports the 2025 WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which aims to cut about USD 22 billion per year of harmful subsidies that deplete fish stocks.

• Agriculture and food security – 258 million people were in acute food insecurity in 2022 (up from 193 million in 2021). The EU wants progress on public stockholding, market access, and reducing domestic support that distorts trade, while integrating food‑security and sustainability concerns into the talks.

• Digital trade – The EU urges the WTO to renew the electronic‑commerce work programme and to adopt the Agreement on Electronic Commerce, which would set global rules for digital trade, lower barriers and help small businesses. It also calls for cooperation on artificial intelligence and the creation of a WTO working group on AI.

• Development focus – The EU supports the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, which has the backing of 128 members (including 91 developing economies). It wants special and differential treatment to be more evidence‑based, regularly reviewed and tailored to the needs of the poorest countries.

• Calls to specific members – The EU urges the United States to stop unilateral tariffs and to engage constructively. It asks India to allow progress on e‑commerce, fisheries subsidies and other plurilateral issues, and it calls on China to align its state‑owned enterprises and subsidies with WTO commitments and to support a level playing field.

• Parliamentary and stakeholder engagement – The resolution stresses that Parliament must be kept informed and involved in MC 14, that civil society, businesses and trade unions should be consulted, and that the WTO should strengthen links with other international organisations.

In short, the EU wants the WTO to become more responsive, fair and inclusive, to protect the interests of developing countries, to modernise trade rules for the digital and green economies, and to restore a robust dispute‑settlement system that all members can trust.