Overview of Developments in the International Trading Environment: Annual Report by the Director-General (2018)

The Director-General’s annual overview on trade-related developments presented to members on 11 December at a meeting of the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) shows a significant increase in trade coverage of trade restrictive measures by WTO members from mid-October 2017 to mid-October 2018. While members continued to implement trade-facilitating measures, the trade coverage of the import-restrictive measures was more than seven times larger than that recorded in the previous annual overview. The report provides the first WTO-wide factual insight into the trade restrictive measures imposed in the context of current trade tensions and calls on WTO members to use all means at their disposal to de-escalate the situation.

Table of Contents

Overview of Developments in the International Trading Environment - Annual Report by the Director-General (2018)