WTO E-Commerce Leaders Call on Members to Accelerate Work on Text

Inside Trade, November 20, 2020

Japan, Australia and Singapore this week called on World Trade Organization members participating in the plurilateral e-commerce negotiations to pick up the pace -- particularly on converging issues like electronic signatures and authentication -- over the next two weeks.

Joseph Whitlock, director of policy with BSA | The Software Alliance, lauded this week's progress and the 'continued leadership of co-convenors Australia, Japan, and Singapore in this initiative to build a modern set of new digital trade rules to unlock the potential of the digital economy,' according to a Nov. 20 statement.

'What is needed to bring certainty and economic opportunity to all participating economies are meaningful data-related disciplines,' he said. The negotiations 'should be guided by principles of transparency and interoperability among legal frameworks, as well as limits on unnecessary or discriminatory measures,' he said.

'The Global Data Alliance encourages active and collaborative engagement among all negotiating parties to prohibit unnecessary or discriminatory data localization mandates and data transfer restrictions in all sectors,' the statement adds.

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