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Market Access Committee adopts decision on recording the resolution of trade concerns

The WTO's Committee on Market Access (CMA) agreed at its 16-17 March meeting on procedures to improve how the resolution of trade concerns are recorded in the Committee. Thirty-three trade concerns were raised at the two-day meeting, of which seven were raised for the first time. The Committee also endorsed a communication to the World Customs Organization asking to improve the tariff classification of menstrual products.

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Recording the resolution of trade concerns

The CMA adopted a decision on recording t h e resolution of trade concerns . The Decision notes that WTO members currently use the CMA as a forum to discuss and seek resolution of trade concerns and that they wish to promote more constructive, solution-oriented discussions by systematically reflecting when and how trade concerns raised by members are resolved or otherwise concluded.

Under the Decision, a new standing item entitled "Reports on Resolution of Trade Concerns" will be included on the agenda of future CMA meetings where members will be invited to report on previously raised trade concerns for which a resolution has been reached. The WTO Secretariat will maintain a record of all trade concerns raised in the CMA where members have indicated that the concerns have been "resolved" or "partially resolved".?

Members expressed strong support for the proposed decision, noting that similar practices are already well established in other WTO bodies, like the Council for Trade in Goods and the Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures committees. They highlighted that adopting this approach would enhance coherence and reflect the value of the Committee's technical work.

The Secretariat will reflect the status of all trade concerns, listed within these categories, in the Trade Concerns Database.

At a 27-28 November 2025 meeting of the Goods Council, members welcomed the first-ever WTO Secretariat report on the resolution of trade concerns raised in the Council showing nearly half of the concerns raised since 1995 have been reported as partially or fully resolved.

Supporting trade in menstrual products

The CMA approved a communication to the Harmonized System Committee of the World Customs Organization (WCO) on supporting trade in menstrual products, asking it to create new categories for these products.?

The communication follows a 27 January thematic session on the issue where members shared information on how they have introduced national tariff lines or statistical codes under HS heading 96.19 to identify "traditional menstrual products" and how they have dealt with the domestic classification of "reusable menstrual products".? Members also considered how amendments to the HS could contribute to better supporting trade in menstrual products.

The CMA's thematic session underscored persistent access challenges to menstrual products in low- and middle-income countries, where an estimated 613 million women and girls in these countries rely on inappropriate materials.? The session emphasized that trade and trade policy can play a role in facilitating access to safe, quality and affordable menstrual products, and that better trade data is important to understand gaps in access and demand.

Ten members took the floor on this item, welcoming the recent thematic session and noting the broad participation from customs authorities, experts and stakeholders. They highlighted that current tariff classifications do not adequately capture menstrual products, limiting the availability of meaningful trade data and hampering the design of effective public - health and market - access policies. Many emphasized that clearer, more specific HS subheadings would improve transparency, support humanitarian responses and help address affordability and accessibility challenges, particularly in low - and middle - income countries.

Supporting the rules-based multilateral trading system

Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland made statements underlining their strong support for the rules - based multilateral trading system amid rising global uncertainty. They highlighted the importance of WTO principles and the value of constructive discussions, including at the 14 th Ministerial Conference (MC14), to address current challenges and rebuild confidence in the system. The four members underscored transparency as essential for predictability and trust. They urged timely notification of tariff changes and trade measures, encouraged fuller use of WTO mechanisms such as the CMA and Integrated Database, and called for collective efforts to uphold commitments and seek shared solutions within the WTO framework.

Ten members took the floor on this item.? Several delegations stressed that rising unilateral tariff actions and new trade restrictions risk undermining core multilateral principles, increasing costs across supply chains and harming developing economies. They warned that growing use of trade measures justified on environmental, security or geopolitical grounds may generate prohibitions, spillovers and systemic fragmentation.

Others underlined that the multilateral trading system remains essential for predictability, fairness and global prosperity, but requires meaningful, forward - looking reform. They called for stronger transparency, timely notifications, constructive engagement in WTO bodies and a renewed effort at MC14 to reinforce rules, modernize the system and preserve its central role.

Trade concerns

Members discussed 33 trade concerns, seven of which were raised for the first time. New concerns covered trade-restrictive measures affecting trade between Colombia and Ecuador; Egypt's import restriction on sugar; cumulative trade-restrictive measures on steel products imposed by the European Union; the EU's proposed modification of import tariff concessions on steel products; discriminatory provisions imposed by the EU on photovoltaic products; and India's tariff on toner cartridges.

The full list of trade concerns discussed during the meeting is available? here.

Next meeting

The next formal meeting of the CMA is tentatively scheduled for 12-13 October.

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