Some 520 trade disputes have been submitted to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for settlement since 1995.
The latest annual report of the multilateral trade body revealed the information.
It showed that the WTO’s dispute settlement system had its busiest year in 2016, averaging 22 cases per month where active proceedings were underway, reports FE Online.
“2016 was an active year for the initiation of disputes, with 17 requests for consultations, up from 13 in 2015,” it said. “Developing country members made nine of the requests (up from seven) and were respondents in ten consultation requests.”
The Appellate Body of the organisation also had a busy year in 2016, with eight panel reports appealed and six Appellate Body reports circulated.
“In addition, an arbitration concerning the reasonable period of time for implementation of Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) recommendations and rulings was carried out in 2016,” said the WTO Annual Report 2017.