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Costa Rica
Makes Nomination To WTO Appellate Court
Costa Rica nominated its long-serving World
Trade Organization (WTO) ambassador, Ronald
Saborio Soto, to fill two upcoming vacancies
to the WTO top court, the appellate body.
Argentina, Brazil and Mexico have each
nominated a candidate, and the Euorpean
Union has nominated two, one from Belgium
and one from the Netherlands.
The seven-member appellate body gives final
rulings in disputes involving the
international trade rules umpired by the
WTO, in which billions of dollars can be at
stake.
With the current recession sharpening fears
of protectionism, the WTO's dispute system
has taken on added importance as its 153
members guard against unfair practices or
abuses of trade remedies.
Appellate body judges do not represent
individual countries or governments but WTO
members see it as prestigious to secure a
nomination on the body.
A six-member interview panel, chaired by the
current head of the WTO's dispute settlement
body, Canadian ambassador John Gero, will
interview the six candidates over the next
few weeks.
Trade sources said the selection would
reflect the experience and caliber of the
candidates in contrast to a highly
politicized row in November 2007 when Taiwan
temporarily vetoed the appointment of a an
appellate judge from China.
One vacancy must be filled in July,
replacing a Brazilian lawyer who left
earlier this year, and one in December to
replace the Italian law professor Giorgio
Sacerdoti. Appellate judges serve four-year
terms, which may be renewed once.
Brazil, whose size and role as the biggest
exporter of a number of farm commodities
make it a key WTO player, is fielding
supreme court judge Ellen Gracie Northfleet.
Shortly before President George W. Bush left
office, the United States called in January
for reforms to the appellate body, proposing
appeal judges be recognized as holding
full-time positions and each have a law
clerk to support them.
Former U.S. trade representative Susan
Schwab said at the time the changes would
enable the appellate body to attract more
high-quality candidates and give them more
resources to tackle the complex disputes.
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