Dispute Resolution in the WTO: Not a Piece of Cake

"From the point of view of international law, the World Trade Organization is perhaps the most advanced of our international institutions because it has binding judicial power."
George Soros

In 2010, Ukraine, as a new member of the World Trade Organization, has for the first time in its history referred to the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism by claiming the WTO inconsistency of certain Armenian tax laws. The benefits and complexities of this process are still to be experienced by the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian business entities, but there is already some practice of dealing with a very specific international dispute settlement procedure. This legal vehicle is comparatively fast, equitable and effective, but not easy from the procedural standpoint. Generally, WTO dispute resolution goes through a number of stages with a detailed procedure and deadlines.