Our Practice

WTI Advisors offers advice on, representation in, and training related to matters of international trade policy, law and economics. Our approach is demand-driven and highly flexible, reflecting the fast-changing world of international trade relations and related technical assistance. We act either through WTI Advisors as an implementing body or as individual experts. We work in English, French, German, Arabic and – to some extent – Spanish and Russian.

Recent and current Advisory Projects involving WTI Advisors and/or its principals include:

Advise and assist the ACP Group (African, Caribbean and Pacific countries) on the Post-Hong Kong Doha Round negotiations, particularly with respect to agriculture, NAMA, rules and RTAs, services, trade facilitation and development issues, including interfaces with EPA negotiations.
Advise the Trade Working group of the Stability Pact for the Balkan countries on regional non-tariff barriers to trade.
Provide a comprehensive opinion to the Universal Postal Union (UPU) on the implications of the GATS on the supply of postal services and the UPU rules.
Advise the Palestinian Federation of Industries on EU-Palestinian negotiations on trade in services and the implementation of pan-Euro-Mediterranean cumulation of origin (donor: EU).
Provide advice to the government of the Republic of Serbia on its accession process to the WTO, in particular with respect to import licensing, subsidies and trade in services (donor: EU).
Provide comprehensive advice to the government of Yemen in the context of its WTO accession, including on its legislative action plan, replies to questions and other accession-related documents (donor: EU).
Advise the government of Benin on rules and negotiations on trade in services under the auspices of the WTO (donor: EU).
Provide comprehensive advice and assistance to an African government on legislative review of WTO-relevant legislation (incl. SPS, TBT, trade remedies, rules of origin, customs valuation, ODCs, subsidies, special safeguards) in the context of its WTO accession (donor: UNCTAD).
Advise the Palestinian Authority´s Ministry of National Economy on trade policy formulation and implementation in Palestine´s relationships with the EU (EuroMed), Israel and other trading partners (donor: EU)
Provide regular in-depth information on current WTO developments, including dispute settlement and the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), to a Japanese trade association.

Recent and current Teaching and Training activities involving WTI Advisors and/or its principals include:

Comprehensive courses "Introduction to the World Trading System" for government officials and agency staff in Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, with varying client-specific focuses (NTBs and trade facilitation; GATS/services/scheduling; SPS/TBT; Trade Remedies).
Specialized post-graduate lectures in the Masters in International Law and Economics (M.I.L.E.) course at the World Trade Institute in Berne, Switzerland (Trade and Competition; Subsidies and EC State Aid; Government Procurement; Moot Court).
Lectures to the faculty of the Vietnamese National Policy Academy in Hanoi on GATT, GATT 1994, GATS, TRIPS, and the institutional framework of the WTO.
Yearly academic course on WTO Law for post-graduate students at EDHEC Business School in Nice, France (2005/06/07).
Consultative workshop on GATS implications for China for officials of MOFCOM, Beijing, China.
Multiple guest lectures and courses to graduate and post graduate students, e.g. at the Europa-Institut of the University of Saaland, Germany (subsidies); Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany (export regulation); Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain (WTO System).
Training of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff in Sana´a, Yemen on WTO agreements and Yemen´s accession process.
Comprehensive series of consultative training workshops for private sector representatives in Palestine on international trade in services, rules of origin and pan-Euro-Mediterranean cumulation of origin.
Lectures in a training course on WTO Dispute Settlement for government officials in Dar Es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Lectures in a training course on trade remedies for government officials and private sector representatives in Kiew, Ukraine (Accession Training Programme implemented by the WTI).
Various lectures and workshops on trade and competition interfaces, recently e.g. at the OECD, Paris, France; at the Lagos Business School, Nigeria; at an UNCTAD conference in Istanbul, Turkey; and at a briefing session with ACP negotiators on EPAs in London, United Kingdom.

Past Projects involving WTI Advisors and/or its principals include:

Advise and represent two Asian governments in WTO dispute settlement proceedings before panels and the Appellate Body.
Advise an Arab government on key legal and policy issues in complex bilateral trade negotiations with a neighbouring country (donor: DFID).
Advise a European government on key legal and policy aspects of its free trade agreement with the European Community.
Advise Fuji in the context of the WTO dispute settlement case Japan – Photographic Materials ("Kodak-Fuji").
Conduct comprehensive study and related training for the benefit of Barbados on trade in non-agricultural goods (NAMA) (donor: Commonwealth Secretariat/Commonwealth Business Council).
Conduct various trainings on WTO accession in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos (donors: GTZ, ITIS).
Advise and represent multinational companies in anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguards proceedings in the EU, Canada, China, the United States and India.
Advise multinational companies on GATS 2000 and DDA negotiations, WTO dispute settlement and WTO-related countermeasures.