COVID-19 Export Controls Should Not Be Used to 'Discriminate,' WTO Says

The World Trade Organization recently updated a guidance detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting world trade, saying every WTO member is “free” to impose export controls on key medical supplies. However, the WTO stressed that international trade is “crucial to ensuring access to medicines and other medical products,” and said members should not impose controls that “discriminate” or “constitute a disguised restriction.” The guidance also contains an updated list of member notifications to the WTO that detail export control actions and other trade measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus and the disease it causes. Several countries have said they are committed to keeping trade lanes open and stressed the importance of refraining from imposing export controls during the pandemic (see 2003260029).