The Guatemalan government has fired Marco Molina, a highly-respected Geneva-based official who has been leading talks for the past year on reforming the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement system.
“I was fired,” Molina confirmed in a phone interview. “Just today I was notified that I was removed from office. Well, you know, developing countries are quite complex, especially when you have unemployment. So [it was] totally unexpected. Many members are in shock. Yeah, that was not part of the plan”
The move further complicates ongoing efforts to reach a deal on dispute settlement issues. However, negotiators had already given up hope of reaching agreement by next week when the WTO hosts its 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A key remaining issue has to do with restoring the review functions previously performed by the Appellate Body, which the U.S. effectively killed in 2019 by blocking the appointment of new members to the panel.