CYIL 2013

THE STATE OF PLAY AND FUTURE OF SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS IN THE WTO to Members than addressing the issues through bilateral initiatives. 101 Aside from legal and economic arguments, this is of course a matter of political will and political costs. The plurilateral approach offers Members the possibility to revamp the WTO to their own benefit. The new Director-General for one may be inclined to push forward this approach, as he has stated that ‘the number one priority for the WTO should be to deliver results, however modest the first results may be. This would restore a currency of which we have been very much in need – the Members’ ability to trust each other and thereby conclude negotiations.’ 102

101 See for an analysis of why the GPA Membership is not growing rapidly although RTA commitments on government procurement are becoming deeper and broader, Asako Ueno, Multilateralising Regionalism on Government Procurement (OECD Trade Policy Papers N°151, 2013). 102 ICTSD, ‘Global Challenges and the Future of the WTO: Views from the Candidates Beyond the Hype of the DG Race: Roberto Azevêdo’.