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THE STATE OF PLAY AND FUTURE OF SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS IN THE WTO
to Members than addressing the issues through bilateral initiatives.
101
Aside from legal
and economic arguments, this is of course a matter of political will and political costs.
The plurilateral approach offers Members the possibility to revamp the WTO
to their own benefit. The new Director-General for one may be inclined to push
forward this approach, as he has stated that ‘the number one priority for the WTO
should be to deliver results, however modest the first results may be. This would
restore a currency of which we have been very much in need – the Members’ ability
to trust each other and thereby conclude negotiations.’
102
101
See for an analysis of why the GPA Membership is not growing rapidly although RTA commitments
on government procurement are becoming deeper and broader, Asako Ueno,
Multilateralising
Regionalism on Government Procurement
(OECD Trade Policy Papers N°151, 2013).
102
ICTSD, ‘Global Challenges and the Future of the WTO: Views from the Candidates Beyond the
Hype of the DG Race: Roberto Azevêdo’.