There are also reductions to non-tariff barriers to trade in this agreement, commitments to ensure non-discriminatory treatment of imported goods, provisions to affirm and build on obligations under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, and an agreement to apply the provisions of the WTO agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures in bilateral trade.

The resolution makes clear that, whilst there will be no EU retreat from multilateralism, a Doha deal does not preclude a bilateral ‘WTO-Plus’ arrangement, which goes beyond what a lowest common denominator WTO deal could now provide.

The resolution makes clear that, whilst there will be no EU retreat from multilateralism, a Doha deal does not preclude a bilateral ‘WTO-Plus’ arrangement, which goes beyond what a lowest common denominator WTO deal could now provide.

This idea of using WTO benchmarks for achieving ‘WTO-plus’ bilateral agreements is not new.

' Motion No. 5 That Bill C-57, be amended by adding after line 20, on page 4, the following new Clause: ``12.1 Not later than March 1 of each year beginning in 1996, the Minister shall table in the House of Commons a report describing, in respect of the preceding fiscal year of the World Trade Organization (``WTO''), (a) the major activities and work programs of WTO, including the functions and activities of committees established under Article IV of the Agreement and the expenditures made by WTO in connection with those activities and programs; (b) the percentage of budgetary assessments by WTO that were accounted for by each WTO Membe ...[+++]r including Canada; (c) the total number of personnel employed or retained by the Secretariat at WTO and the number of professional, administrative and support staff at WTO; (d) for each personnel category described in paragraph (c), the number of citizens of each WTO Member and the average salary of the personnel in each category; (e) any report issued by a panel or the Appellate Body in a dispute settlement proceeding regarding any law of Canada or of any province or territory in Canada and the efforts of the Minister to provide for implementation of recommendations contained in the report that are adverse to Canada or any province or territory in Canada; (f) details on proceedings before a panel or the Appellate Body that were initiated during the fiscal year regarding any law of Canada or of any province or territory in Canada, the status of the proceeding and the matters at issue in the proceeding; (g) the status of consultations with any State whose law was the subject of a report adverse to Canada that was issued by a panel or the Appellate Body; and (h) any progress achieved in increasing the transparency of proceedings of the Ministerial Conference and the General Council and of dispute settlement proceedings conducted pursuant to the Dispute Settlement Understanding.

The ESC agrees with the need to develop an adequate framework within GATT/WTO for trade measures taken pursuant to a multilateral environmental agreement (MEA).