Digital trade and the WTO : negotiation priorities for cross-border data flows and online trade in services

Abstract

This paper sets out recommendations to the G20 for early progress in the WTO Joint Statement Initiative negotiations on Trade-related Aspects of Electronic Commerce. The policy recommendations focus on areas which are key to closing the negotiating gaps and achieving a new multilateral framework of trade rules to facilitate continued digital transformation of services and growth in cross-border flows of data. Successful conclusion of the negotiations on trade in digital services, underpinned by cross-border data flows, will complement the expected recovery in travel and tourism and provide a robust basis for continued growth. If they fail, technological change threatens a final blow to a global institution no longer fit for purpose, unable to manage the regulatory heterogeneity resulting from national policies that threaten to compartmentalize data governance and fragment the global digital economy.