The WTO matters for businesses

The World Trade Organization (WTO) brings concrete advantages for companies, it provides legal certainty and stability in times of geopolitical tensions and increasing risks. At an event organised by BusinessEurope, the Confederation of Swedish Business and the US Chamber on the margins of the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), businesses from Europe and the USA highlighted the importance of the WTO in preventing non-tariff and tariff barriers and allowing for the development of more resilient value chains. The WTO needs to remain effective through enforceable rules, that support innovation and adjust to today’s digital and green transformation. The business community is keen to see an extension of the e-commerce moratorium, concrete actions to address the appellate body blockage, rules that protect intellectual property and address increasing subsidisation and advances in the plurilateral negotiations.