Lemyaskina N.E. Possible ways of reforming the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization

Abstract: Based on the results of the 20-year work of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) it became evident that the current order of formation of the Appellate Body of the WTO does not allow the DSB of the WTO to examine the incoming complaints within a set amount of time. In this article, the author carefully examines such issues as the main problems within the work, and the need for reforms in the current mechanism of the functionality of the Appellate Body of the WTO, which is called to improve the efficiency of the work of the DSB of the WTO. An analysis is conducted on various proposals expressed by the member-states, with highlights of their main concerns related to possible changes. The main result of the conducted analysis is the conclusion that the current system of dispute settlements in the WTO needs an immediate step-by-step reform. The initial measure can be the increase of the body of members of the Appellate Body of the WTO. Such measure would be capable of improving the process of addressing the complaints and expand the throughput of the DSB of the WTO.

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