On 17 March 2026, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Market Access (CMA) informed that at its meeting of 16 to 17 March 2026, it had agreed on procedures to improve how trade concerns are resolved and recorded in the Committee. Thirty-three (33) 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 (WCO) requesting improvements to the tariff classification of menstrual products.
The ‘News item’ reflected the following:
Recording the resolution of trade concerns
The CMA adopted a decision on recording the 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, during which 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, such as the Council for Trade in Goods, the Technical Barriers to Trade and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) 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 in these categories in the Trade Concerns Database.
At a 27 to 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, which showed that 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 Harmonised System Committee (HSC) of the WCO requesting that it create new categories for menstrual products.
The communication follows a 27 January 2026 thematic session on the issue, during which 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 better support 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 emphasised that trade and trade policy can facilitate access to safe, quality, and affordable menstrual products. Better trade data is important for understanding 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 emphasised 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 issued statements underscoring 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 14th 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 the growing use of trade measures justified on environmental, security, or geopolitical grounds may lead to 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 greater transparency, timely notifications, constructive engagement in WTO bodies, and a renewed effort at MC14 to reinforce rules, modernise 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 (EU); 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.
Next meeting
The next formal meeting of the CMA is tentatively scheduled for 12 to 13 October 2026.
