The selection of WTO panelists is one of the least transparent parts of the WTO dispute process, and is rarely discussed publicly. So, I thought these statements by a trade official might be of interest to readers who would like some insights into the process:
THE PHILIPPINES has proposed criteria to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for choosing judges who will weigh the country’s dispute with the European Union and the United States over liquor taxes, a Trade official said late last week.
This should ensure the Philippines will have a fair chance in defending its excise taxes on imported liquor which the two developed parties have tagged as discriminatory, the official said.
"We want an academician who has private sector expertise," Trade Assistant Secretary Jose Antonio S. Buencamino told reporters on the sidelines of a food trade fair on Thursday. "And we wouldn’t want any representative from countries that were involved in previous alcohol cases."
