The Department of Commerce defends India’s interests on trade issues in WTO. Department of Economic Affairs coordinates ISDS cases and these are individually taken up by relevant line Ministries/ Departments.

Department of Commerce empanels law firms through a process of selection committee based on subject expertise in international trade and WTO law.

A rotational policy is adopted while engaging law firms to ensure that law firms get opportunities to improve their expertise. Think tanks such as Centre for Trade and Investment Law and Centre for WTO Studies are also consulted regularly on India’s disputes to improve expertise on such issues.

At present, India is involved in fourteen WTO disputes (Annex-I), all of which are being handled by domestic law firms. In one of these disputes, the expertise of the Geneva based international law organization ‘Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL)’, which assists developing countries on WTO law was engaged to guide the domestic law firm in a WTO dispute. There is no ISDS case pending with Department of Commerce.

Annex-I

Dispute No.	Dispute Name	Complainant
DS430	India – Measures Concerning the Importation of Certain Agricultural Products	United States
DS456	India - Certain Measures Relating to Solar Cells and Solar Modules	United States
DS518	India - Certain Measures on Imports of Iron and Steel Products	Japan
DS541	India - Export Related Measures	United States
DS579	India - Measures Concerning Sugar and Sugarcane	Brazil
DS580	India - Measures Concerning Sugar and Sugarcane	Australia
DS581	India - Measures Concerning Sugar and Sugarcane	Guatemala
DS582	India - Tariff Treatment on Certain Good in the Information and Communications Technology Sector	European Union
DS584	India - Tariff Treatment on Certain Goods	Japan
DS585	India - Additional duties on certain products from the United States	United States

 

Dispute No.	Dispute Name	Complainant
DS436	United States - Countervailing Measures on Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products from India	India
DS503	United States - Measures Concerning Non-Immigrant Visas	India
DS510	United States - Certain Measures Relating to the Renewable Energy Sector	India
DS547	United States - Certain Measures on Steel and Aluminium Products	India

This information was given by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, PiyushGoyal, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Representation in WTO disputes: rotational empanelment of specialised law firms with think-tank consultation and occasional international assistance. Selection of external counsel for WTO disputes is managed by the Department of Commerce through empanelment of law firms based on international trade and WTO expertise, applying a rotational engagement policy and consulting specialised think tanks. Department of Economic Affairs coordinates ISDS cases while line ministries handle individual matters. India's active WTO disputes are largely handled by domestic firms; international legal assistance was used in one instance, and the Department of Commerce reports no ISDS cases pending with it.