Parallel Reports in the WTO Dispute Settlement Jaime Tijmes
ABSTRACT: This article classifies WTO dispute settlement reports as free standing or parallel, according to the relation between disputes and reports. Parallel reports are different, yet deal with the same or closely related matter, have a very similar wording, and share dispute parties. After exploring the rationale behind the right that parties to a dispute have to request separate reports, this article analyses parallel reports and the divergences and quotation problems they sometimes present. Some systemic implications of divergences between parallel reports are examined, while proposals for improving parallel reports are put forward.