WTO Appellate Body Asks Members To Weigh In On Submission Limits

摘要

The World Trade Organization's Appellate Body has formally asked WTO members to weigh in on the idea of limiting written submissions during the appeals phase of a dispute in order to alleviate chronic delays, but this initiative seems unlikely to yield an agreement on procedural changes in the near term, according to Geneva sources. In an Oct. 23 communication, the Appellate Body said it "would like to initiate further reflection and discussion among and with WTO Members that may arise in connection with setting limits on the length of written submissions," claiming that "several" members have suggested limiting the length of submissions may aid the Appellate Body in sifting through a workload it claims has increased in both size and complexity over time.