Divergence Across the Atlantic? US Skepticism Meets the EU and the WTO’s Appellate Body

In 2019, the Appellate Body (AB) of World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement System (WTO-DSS) lost its quorum. Instead required minimum number three members, AB’s membership fell to one member only as US under Donald Trump blocked appointment new members upon expiry terms two incumbent ones. The paralysis produced a high level shock in EU. this article, we take closer look at US’s decision paralyze WTO’s AB and EU’s reaction it. Its point is that it will not be easy get back on board factors drove predate era. Long before Trump, tradeoff which based acceptance WTO-DSS unraveled. For policy makers, EU partly blame for undermined system’s prompt compliance assumption. More important even claim created obligations WTO where some rules—notably regarding trade remedies—became politically unsustainable itself.