[19950327]95-424_关贸总协定和世贸组织：概述.pdf

1Technically, participants in the GATT were “contracting parties,” but the term “member”is often used, and will be used here.Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS Web95-424 EMarch 27, 1995The GATT and the WTO: An OverviewArlene WilsonSpecialist in International Trade and FinanceEconomics DivisionSummaryUnder the auspices of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), eightrounds of trade negotiations lowered tariffs of developed countries to an average 3.9percent. New areas, such as services, intellectual property rights, agriculture, and textilesand apparel, were brought under the discipline of the GATT for the first time in theUruguay Round. The World Trade Organization (WTO), a permanent entity agreed onduring the Uruguay Round, went into effect January 1, 1995. Multilateral trade issuesfor the future include continuing services negotiations, the relationship of theenvironment and labor standards to trade, and investment and competition policy.BackgroundThe General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade provides a framework of principles togovern international trade, a forum for negotiating trade issues, and procedur