India on Wednesday called for curb on non-tariff barriers, trade distortions by non-market economies and restoration of strong dispute settlement mechanism at WTO.Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal was meeting ministers from other WTO-member countries on the sidelines of the OECD ministerial council meeting in Paris.“India made a strong pitch for addressing non-tariff barriers that certain countries use to deprive others of market access, take necessary action against non-market economies, ensure that we have a strong dispute settlement mechanism at the WTO so that finality can be brought and discipline can be maintained,” Goyal told reporters.About 25 ministers of WTO member countries, including Australia, Singapore, France and Nigeria and WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala were also present in the meeting. The 14th ministerial conference of WTO members is scheduled in Cameroon in March next year.The minister also called for strengthening the WTO’s consensus-based approach, continuing special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries, and shifting the focus back to issues already agreed upon in past ministerial meetings.Other areas discussed included resolving agricultural issues, especially finding a permanent solution to public stockholding of food grains. “There is the track on finding solutions to address the concerns of overfishing and indiscriminate fishing that is leading to depletion of fish stocks, there are concerns about several JSIs (joint statement initiatives) (or) pluri-laterals, which some countries believe should be brought within the multi-lateral framework,” Goyal said.On the China-led proposal for an investment facilitation pact, the minister said that issues already mandated at the WTO should be given priority and resolved first. He added that bringing in topics beyond trade, like this proposal, could create more divisions among member countries. India remains opposed to the proposal.The minister said only a couple of members mentioned the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), but there was little consensus or momentum around it. “I have not heard of any cases resolved through MPIA,” he noted. The mechanism, backed by some countries, aims to handle WTO dispute appeals in the absence of a functioning appellate body.
