EU, China, other WTO members agree temporary body to settle disputes

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Seventeen WTO members, including the European Union and China, agreed on Friday to set up a temporary appeals mechanism to settle trade disputes after the United States paralysed the WTO’s appeals body, the European Commission said.

Washington has paralysed the WTO’s Appellate Body, which acts as a supreme court for international trade, by blocking appointments for over two years. Two of the body’s three members came to the end of their terms in December, leaving it unable to issue ruling.

The European Union had previously teamed up with Norway and Canada to form a separate appeals body that could resolve disputes.