A first-ever report by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat on resolving market access trade concerns highlights the effectiveness of the organisation’s committee work in helping members settle differences without resorting to dispute settlement. The report was presented at the WTO’s Committee on Market Access (CMA) meeting on 12 to 13 October 2026. The committee also reviewed a record 36 trade concerns raised by members at its meeting, eight of which were raised for the first time.
The Secretariat report lists 51 trade concerns raised in the CMA that have been reported as resolved or partially resolved by at least one member raising the concern. This represents 35.2% of the 145 trade concerns raised in the committee between April 1995 and March 2026. Of the 51 trade concerns listed, 34 are recorded as resolved and 17 as partially resolved. These results are based on information provided by 16 members.
The report’s information will also be reflected shortly in the WTO’s Trade Concerns Database. At its last meeting in March, the CMA adopted a decision on recording the resolution of trade concerns, under which the Secretariat was directed to maintain a record of all trade concerns raised in the CMA where members have indicated that the concerns have been resolved or partially resolved.
The CMA chair (Ecuador) invited members who have not yet responded to the request for information about the resolution of concerns, as well as those who have additional information to share, to contact the Secretariat so that information regarding their trade concerns is properly reflected in the database.
Trade concerns
The committee also heard a presentation on a Secretariat paper confirming that the number of trade concerns in the CMA has steadily increased, highlighting the value members attach to discussing specific and systemic trade issues in a multilateral setting (see chart). Members cited the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) most often, particularly on tariffs and quantitative restrictions.
Members discussed 36 trade concerns at the meeting, a CMA record, eight of which were raised for the first time.
The eight concerns related to trade-restrictive measures on steel products in Canada; alleged discriminatory clauses in the European Union (EU) proposed Industrial Accelerator Act and proposed Cybersecurity Act; Indonesia’s import regime for peanuts and pre-shipment inspection requirements for foreign halal products; Türkiye’s import surveillance regime based on unit-value thresholds; and the United Kingdom’s proposed modification of tariff concessions on steel products as well as trade-restrictive measures on steel products.
The full list of trade concerns discussed during the meeting is accessible at:
https://tradeconcerns.wto.org/en/stcs?searchParameterDomainIds=6&searchParameterMeetings=2026-Third
Work related to the Harmonized System
The CMA addressed several matters related to the Harmonized System (HS), a global product classification system widely used for customs matters, including tariffs and trade statistics.
The committee considered seven sub-items on transposing WTO Schedules of Concessions into each of the more recent versions of the HS nomenclature. This covered transposition work for HS1996, HS2002, HS2007, HS2012, HS2017 and HS2022, and a Secretariat status report summarising the overall state of play of the different transposition exercises for each WTO member.
A representative of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretariat gave an update on recent HS developments, briefing members on:
- The outcomes of the 78th session of the HS Committee, including its consideration of the CMA proposal on menstrual products;
- The HS Committee’s role within the WCO’s institutional structure; and
- The WCO’s technical assistance and capacity-building to help members implement and apply the HS.
The CMA discussed improving and clarifying the tariff classification of menstrual products following a thematic session held in January 2026, proposed by Barbados and Canada. Noting the HS’s limitations in this respect, members agreed to ask the WCO to identify more specific tariff codes for menstrual products to enable closer monitoring of trade in these products and facilitate access to them.
At the meeting, the chair reported that, at the CMA’s request, the WCO HS Committee (HSC) had agreed to improve the visibility and traceability of menstrual products and to consider a specific proposal later in 2026.
In relation to the other thematic areas being explored in the committee, members:
Adopted an overall summary report on past thematic sessions on “greening” the HS and the linkages to the WTO to serve as a reference document
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news24_e/mark_11jun24_e.htm; and
- Agreed to hold consultations on a set of possible actions proposed by the United Kingdom (UK) about how the CMA could react to a disruption to global trade to ensure supply chain resilience.
Supporting the rules-based multilateral trading system in a changing global economy
Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland once again stressed their strong support for the rules-based multilateral trading system amid rising global uncertainty. The four stressed the importance of transparency, timely notifications and WTO reform, while reaffirming that the WTO remains the central framework for delivering predictability, stability and prosperity in global trade.
Ten delegations took the floor to respond to the four co-sponsors’ statements.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee on Market Access is scheduled for 10 to 11 March 2027.