UCL’s WTO Scholars Forum raises an interesting question: Is the single undertaking model dead?

GATT and WTO negotiations for trade liberalisation have always aimed at comprehensive packages containing something for everyone. But in 1994 the Uruguay Round had to leave several topics over to be settled later. It took 9/11 and the financial slump to launch the already watered-down Doha Round which was further starved of substance and ambition in 2004 (and later). Despite this lack of ambition, the current Doha Agenda negotiations have still fractured, and bilateral and regional trade deals are proliferating.  Does this mean that all-encompassing global trade negotiations have become impossible? And what could emerge in their place?

The event is the evening of December 8 if you’re in London.