Increasing the momentum of fossil-fuel subsidy reform

Although systemic, prompt and deep action on fossil-fuel subsidies by the WTO is not seen as a priority among its membership, especially in the face of the slow progress of the Doha Round negotiations and the current financial crisis, trade-related responses to climate change are increasingly seen as part of the future WTO agenda. [...] The low rates of notifications, the lateness in submitting reports and the problems with the accuracy and completeness of reported data have been attributed to one main shortcoming of the 10 Increasing the Momentum of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: A Roadmap for international cooperation transparency framework under the SCM Agreement. [...] In addition to the negotiations on fish subsidies, there have been some proposals to extend the existing disciplines of the SCM Agreement, namely by the United States and the EC. [...] A significant obstacle to bringing a complaint before the Dispute Settlement Body, or even in requesting consultations, is the burden of proof that is placed on the complaining member to demonstrate the existence and nature of the subsidy (Articles 4.2 and 7.1). [...] The United States proposed to expand the categories of prohibited subsidies and the EC proposed to improve members’ abilities to address the adverse impacts of subsidies.