Cambodia has joined a World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitration scheme designed to allow trade dispute appeals to proceed while the WTO’s Appellate Body remains unable to function, a move welcomed by the European Union.
Cambodia’s participation brings the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) to 62 WTO members, covering 60.4% of world trade, the European Commission said in a release on Wednesday.
The MPIA is intended to preserve the right to appeal in trade disputes between participating WTO members and to provide “orderly and binding” outcomes, avoiding appeals “into the void.”
EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič stated that he welcomed Cambodia joining the arrangement and encouraged other WTO members to participate.
What the MPIA does
The MPIA was established in 2020 and is open to all WTO members as an interim tool for appeal arbitration until a reformed, fully functioning WTO dispute settlement system is restored, the Commission said.
Under the arrangement, appeals are heard by arbitrators randomly selected from a pool of 10 standing appeal arbitrators created by participating WTO members.
An updated pool of appeal arbitrators took effect from 1 June 2025.
Current MPIA participants include the European Union and its member states, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland and Ukraine, alongside a range of other WTO members.
