Do GATT à OMC: como funciona e para onde caminha o sistema multilateral de comércio

Abstract

This World Trade Organization (WTO) went into effect January 1st, 1995 with the stated objective of managing the multilateral trade system resulting from the Uruguay Round (1986/93). The aim of this article is to provide some basic information on the new rules governing world trade, with emphasis on the constraints they have set on defining domestic trade practices and on how important it is for policy makers to adjust their rhetoric to this new status quo. The author describes briefly how the multilateral trade system has evolved from the early Gatt days (1947) through creation of the new WTO, highlights key differences between the two, emphasizes the need for developing countries to shed their defensive posture vis-à-vis certain issues and adopt a proactive approach, and draws attention to the WTO’s role in the new world order.