The Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations

Abstract

To complete the unfinished business of the Tokyo Round and to untangle the complexities spawned by neo-protectionism, the United States initiated an eighth round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTNs) at the 1982 GATT ministerial session; this was in the belief that only a fresh round of the MTN would be able to stall the tide of new protectionism and bring about a roll-back of trade-distorting measures. The GATT ministerial session established a working programme covering a wide range of issues for possible negotiation in a new round; a modest amount of technical and preparatory work was also done in terms of delineating the substance of a new round. The main issues that need to be addressed are reasonably clear.