The WTO agenda for the new millennium

Abstract

This paper examines the main challenges confronting the WTO and assesses the WTO's potential to address each of these issues in the near term. The immediate challenges include completing the of agriculture and textiles and clothing into the mainstream of the GATT, and improving rules for liberalizing trade in services. But many new issues have arisen during the 1990s. The paper assesses both the opportunities available to meet those challenges and the prospects for success in further market liberalization via a new round of multilateral trade negotiations. It concludes by drawing out implications of these developments for Australia.