US vows to seek WTO alternatives after Cameroon meeting fails to renew e-commerce moratorium
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World Trade Organization members failed to agree on a reform path or even extend the e-commerce duty moratorium at a ministerial meeting in Cameroon, triggering a fresh U.S. pledge to work outside the WTO with like-minded partners. The talks in Yaounde ended with Brazil and Turkey blocking the extension, which covered digital downloads and streaming.
The moratorium, in place since the dawn of the internet, expired for the first time in 28 years. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington had already secured commitments from dozens of countries, including nearly all major trading partners, not to impose tariffs on U.S. digital transmissions.
Greer said the U.S. would pursue a plurilateral deal on e-commerce and WTO reform if the moratorium could not be restored. He also said the meeting showed a lack of seriousness from some countries and argued that the WTO would play only a limited role in future global trade policy.
The breakdown adds to concerns about the WTO’s relevance after a year of trade turmoil and more recent disruptions in the Middle East. Analysts warned the rise of smaller overlapping deals could create a “spaghetti bowl” of agreements, even though a subset of 66 members still managed to advance a baseline digital trade deal on the sidelines.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the moratorium could still be restored and that progress had been made on a broader reform roadmap. Talks on subsidy transparency and decision-making will continue in Geneva, but the ministerial ended without the breakthrough the U.S. had wanted.
