Anna Rybakova, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Deputy Head of Trade Barriers Analysis Department, International Trade and Integration (ITI) Research Center, presents a briefing note about trade measures implemented by WTO members as protection against the pandemic.
This publication is regularly updated. The present version in current as of 15 April 2020.
Besides administrative measures, WTO member states take a range of other steps to protect themselves against the pandemic, such as implementation of trade measures.
According to the information provided on the WTO official website, between 1 February and 15 April 2020 the WTO member states submitted 48 notifications about trade measures implemented as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As expected, the most common are sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), technical barriers to trade (TBT), and export-related measures:
- 16 SPS
- 17 TBT
- 13 export bans (on foods and medical masks)
- 2 import support measures (such as elimination of import tariffs on surgical and sanitary masks in South Korea)
Read more in the «International trade and the pandemic» article on our website.