Systemic challenges: The JSI negotiations and WTO

One major area of uncertainty concerning the ongoing JSI negotiations on e-commerce is what would be the nature of its outcome vis-à-vis the principle and the structure of WTO. Are the parties to the JSI negotiations aiming to “multilateralize” the outcome, i.e., to include the outcome as an element within the WTO legal architecture? Or are they moving towards an issue-specific “plurilateral” agreement with a “high standard outcome” or anything else such as an RTA-type agreement? The majority of submissions in the JSI negotiations to date do not address this point relating to the nature of the outcome.38 This chapter argues that the decision on the question will inevitably determine the scope and the level of ambition of the ongoing negotiations, and vice versa.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Partnerships for the Goals