Economic research and trade policy analysis
Observations finales
Une vaste coopération en matière de subventions est nécessaire afin d’accroître la transparence l’ouverture et la prévisibilité du commerce mondial. Les subventions semblent être largement répandues en augmentation et souvent mal ciblées par rapport aux objectifs de politique générale visés. En plus de soulever des préoccupations en matière d’efficacité économique cette situation incite à recourir à des mesures unilatérales de défense commerciale ce qui érode le soutien public en faveur d’un commerce ouvert et contribue à des tensions commerciales sérieuses qui entravent les progrès concernant d’autres priorités commerciales mondiales. Les gouvernements devraient oeuvrer rapidement pour clarifier et renforcer les disciplines internationales concernant les subventions tout en reconnaissant les rôles importants que des subventions bien conçues peuvent jouer dans certaines circonstances. Pour compléter et soutenir ces travaux il convient de poursuivre les efforts en établissant un programme destiné à améliorer notre compréhension des programmes de subventions existants et de leurs conséquences pour les partenaires commerciaux et le patrimoine commun de l’humanité. Ce document vise à lancer une discussion au sein de la communauté internationale sur la façon d’élaborer et de mettre en oeuvre un tel programme.
Introducción
Es necesario que los Gobiernos cooperen más en materia de subvenciones. Hay varias razones para ello. El uso generalizado de subvenciones afecta a la producción y el comercio. Han surgido nuevas cuestiones de importancia como la incidencia de las subvenciones en la lucha contra el cambio climático en las cadenas de valor mundiales en la transformación digital y en las emergencias económicas y sanitarias. Además han cobrado importancia nuevas formas de ayuda gubernamental. Pese a numerosos esfuerzos las prácticas de subvención resultan a menudo opacas. Las discrepancias en torno a las subvenciones son una importante causa de tensiones en algunas relaciones bilaterales clave y las disciplinas multilaterales en la materia son objeto de críticas en algunos sectores por su escasa eficacia; se han hecho llamamientos para reformarlas. Las políticas unilaterales adoptadas frente a las prácticas de subvención de países extranjeros no han logrado frenar dichas prácticas y aunque proporcionan alivio a algunas ramas de producción nacionales pueden perjudicar a otras que compiten a nivel internacional. Aunque puede parecer que estas cuestiones podrían solucionarse en el plano multilateral paradójicamente las acusadas diferencias que existen entre las prácticas de subvención contribuyen a crear mayores tensiones comerciales que pueden acarrear importantes costos macroeconómicos. Son también un factor clave que obstaculiza el diálogo sobre estas y otras posibles esferas de la reforma del comercio.
Global Landscape of Subsidy Measures
Our understanding of subsidies remains uneven and incomplete. There are important gaps in our knowledge of subsidy practices; while information for some sectors is relatively developed in others it remains at an earlier stage. At the global level we have a better picture of the number of subsidy measures than of their relative size or importance but numerical counts can be misleading—for example when one country reports many small subsidy measures while another reports only one (very large) aggregate program. The picture is also affected by the uneven transparency of subsidy measures across sectors and countries. Drawing on the available information this section sets out what we know—and don’t know—about the use of subsidies.
The Scope of the SCM Agreement: Definition of Subsidy and Specificity
WTO rules on subsidies are set out in the GATT (1994) and more specifically in the WTO Agreements on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement) and Agriculture (AoA) which are relevant for trade in goods. When the GATT entered into force in 1947 its references to subsidies and their potential trade impacts were limited and lacked operational detail. Even at that time however the importance of disciplining subsidies to secure the value of agreed tariff concessions was understood by the contracting parties hence the inclusion of Articles VI and XVI in the GATT. In particular a member can undermine its market access commitments by providing subsidies to import-competing industries. In addition subsidies given by one government to firms exporting to third economies can divert trade toward those exporters and away from those from economies that had relied on negotiated market access to the third economy market. As such consequences increased over time GATT Contracting Parties increasingly strengthened the disciplines on subsidies first through the addition of an export subsidy provision in GATT Article XVI then through the plurilateral Tokyo Round Subsidies Code and finally in the Uruguay Round. In this respect the negotiation of the SCM Agreement and the AoA both of which are part of the WTO “Single Undertaking” and therefore binding for all WTO members was a major step.
Final Remarks
Broad-based cooperation on subsidies is needed to bring greater transparency openness and predictability to global trade. Subsidies appear to be widespread growing and often poorly targeted at their intended policy objectives. Beyond raising economic efficiency concerns this situation is spurring the use of unilateral trade defense measures eroding public support for open trade and contributing to severe trade tensions that impede progress on other global trade priorities. Governments should work expeditiously to clarify and strengthen international disciplines around subsidies while recognizing the important roles that well-designed subsidies can play in some circumstances. To complement and support this work more effort is needed to draw up an agenda to improve our understanding of current subsidy programs and their implications for trading partners and the global commons. This paper aims to begin a discussion within the international community on how to develop and implement such an agenda.
El debate internacional en materia de políticas
Dialogar sobre normas nuevas y mejoradas que regulen las subvenciones es importante para aliviar tensiones comerciales y forjar un sistema multilateral de comercio más sólido. Las conversaciones están avanzando a un ritmo desigual entre distintos interlocutores con diferentes grados de urgencia y aspiraciones. Estas conversaciones abarcan las subvenciones a la pesca la agricultura y la industria y se centran sobre todo en determinadas esferas como las prescripciones de notificación de subvenciones en la OMC las empresas de propiedad estatal o las prácticas en materia de crédito a la exportación y los instrumentos de política de competencia desarrollados por la OCDE. También se celebran debates de carácter sectorial por ejemplo sobre las subvenciones a los combustibles fósiles o el acero en otros foros intergubernamentales en particular el G7 y el G20.
Executive summary
This co-publication by the World Bank and the WTO is motivated by a shared view that the structural changes associated with a more service-centric world economy and the central contribution that expanded trade and investment in services can make to economic growth and development warrant greater policy attention and revived international cooperation. An important aim of the publication and a key reason for its joint nature is to recall the benefits of advancing the negotiating agenda on trade in services and the opportunity costs of not doing so. Accordingly the publication aims to foster reflection on how best to mobilize additional support – and better assistance – for developing and least-developed economies in implementing services sector reforms and reaping the development gains from expanded trade and investment in services.
Introduction
La pandémie de COVID-19 est annonciatrice d’autres pandémies potentiellement plus graves. À maintes reprises les scientifiques ont averti que si nous ne renforçons pas considérablement les stratégies de prévention les menaces sanitaires mondiales émergeront plus fréquemment se propageront plus rapidement et feront plus de victimes. Avec la diminution de la biodiversité à l’échelle mondiale et la crise climatique auxquelles elles sont inextricablement liées les menaces de maladies infectieuses constituent le plus grand défi international de notre époque. Ce n’est pas être alarmiste que de reconnaître cette nouvelle réalité qu’est « l’ère des pandémies » mais plutôt une marque de prudence dans l’action publique et de responsabilité politique. Nous devons nous organiser au niveau national en impliquant l’ensemble de la société et repenser nos modes de collaboration internationale pour atténuer les conséquences profondes de cette réalité sur les moyens d’existence la cohésion sociale et l’ordre mondial.
Introduction
The World Tariff Profiles is a joint publication of the WTO ITC and UNCTAD devoted to market access for goods. This statistical yearbook contains a comprehensive compilation of the main tariff parameters for each of the 164 WTO members plus other countries and customs territories where data is available. Each tariff profile presents information on tariffs imposed by each economy on its imports complemented with an analysis of the market access conditions it faces in its major export markets.