India begins 8th WTO Trade Policy Review in Geneva; reaffirms commitment to rules-based multilateral trading system
India’s 8th Trade Policy Review at the WTO focused on trade reforms, digital customs, fisheries subsidies, and multilateral trade rules.
- The Trade Policy Review Mechanism is a peer-review system through which WTO members examine each other’s trade policies and practices.
- India presented its trade policy as supportive of a transparent, rule-based, inclusive, and development-oriented multilateral trading system.
- India accepted the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies by depositing its Instrument of Acceptance during the Trade Policy Review.
- WTO members sought clarifications on Quality Control Orders, trade remedy measures, trade and investment regimes, and ongoing WTO reforms.
What happened
India’s 8th Trade Policy Review at the World Trade Organization (WTO) began in Geneva on 21 July 2026 and is scheduled to conclude on 23 July 2026. The review is part of the WTO’s Trade Policy Review Mechanism, which allows members to examine a country’s trade and related policies over a fixed review period.
The Indian delegation was led by Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agarwal. India presented its trade policy stance as supportive of a transparent, rule-based, inclusive, and development-oriented multilateral trading system.
UPSC can ask about the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, India’s trade policy priorities, fisheries subsidies, quality control orders, trade remedies, and the tension between market access, domestic regulation, and multilateral trade rules.
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