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At present, it is possible to identify at least three challenges that
have an impact on the effectiveness of Argentina's participation in international
trade. They are related to the definition of a consensual and sustainable
strategy for the international integration of the country in the world
and in its own region.
One of the challenges relates to the country's own governance conditions.
Following last year's national elections this has become more evident,
especially in terms of their impact on the strategies and policies that
affect the functioning of the country's economy and its international
relations.
The other challenge has to do with the quality of the necessary diagnosis
that the country must have of the conditions that affect the competitiveness
of the goods and services with which it seeks to compete in the rest of
the world. It is a diagnosis that needs to be updated frequently in order
to maintain its adaptability to the changes, especially technological,
that tend to be continuous, including those that have an impact on the
conditions for accessing and competing with goods and services in other
countries.
The third challenge relates to the country's capacity and vocation to
develop a long-term vision for its integration into the world and each
of its regions. This would demand a strategic approach, shared by broad
sectors of society, to the country's insertion at the global level, with
particular emphasis on the South American region and on each of the regions
with greater current and future relevance in the international competition
for markets and resources.
Such challenges require cooperation between the sectors that affect the
country's international trade relations, especially the government (including,
in a federal country like Argentina, the respective local governments),
the economic and social sectors (including institutions that reflect the
views and interests of business and labor), and action-oriented thinking
(including academic institutions and those that influence society's view
of international competition in the country's perspective, especially
the media).
In our monthly newsletter last June, we indicated that. in the coming
months. we would place emphasis on the country's approach to these three
challenges and their effects on the country's international integration
strategy, including those that may become evident at a later date.
On this occasion, we will address one of the relevant issues for Argentina's
strategy of insertion into the global international trade system, namely
the current degree of ineffectiveness of the World Trade Organisation's
(WTO) dispute settlement body.
The 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) concluded on March 2 in Abu
Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). It began on February 26 and was due to end
on February 29, but had to be extended by two days. The 163 member countries,
with a total of 4,000 senior officials in attendance, discussed an agenda
of issues relevant to international trade. (Documentation and information
on MC13 can be found on the WTO website, which contains references to
several sources of information on the background to the conference, including
the issue of the dispute settlement system and, in particular, developments
following the crisis that arose in 2018, when the renewal of new members
of the Appellate Body was stalled).
The WC13 Ministerial Declaration set out a forward-looking reform agenda
for the WTO. It includes a renewed commitment to achieve a fully operational
and "properly functioning dispute settlement system by this year"
(see the text of the Final Declaration of the Abu Dhabi Conference).
The text, issued in English at the conclusion of the Conference reads:
"The Ministerial Conference decides as follows: - Recalling our
commitment made at our Twelfth Session to conduct discussions with the
view to having a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system
accessible to all Members by 2024, we take note of the works done thus
far. - We recognize the progress made through this work as a valuable
contribution to fulfilling our commitment. We welcome all submissions
from Members that help advance our work. - We instruct officials to accelerate
discussions in an inclusive and transparent manner, build on the progress
already made, and work on unresolved issues, including issues regarding
appeal/review and accessibility to achieve the objective by 2024 as we
set forth at MC12."
Analyzing and debating the ideas to be included in the proposed initiatives
should therefore be a priority for academic activity in our country.
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