The Department of Commerce defends India’s interests on trade issues in WTO. Department of Economic Affairs coordinates ISDS cases and these are individually taken up by relevant line Ministries/ Departments.
Department of Commerce empanels law firms through a process of selection committee based on subject expertise in international trade and WTO law.
A rotational policy is adopted while engaging law firms to ensure that law firms get opportunities to improve their expertise. Think tanks such as Centre for Trade and Investment Law and Centre for WTO Studies are also consulted regularly on India’s disputes to improve expertise on such issues.
At present, India is involved in fourteen WTO disputes (Annex-I), all of which are being handled by domestic law firms. In one of these disputes, the expertise of the Geneva based international law organization ‘Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL)’, which assists developing countries on WTO law was engaged to guide the domestic law firm in a WTO dispute. There is no ISDS case pending with Department of Commerce.
Annex-I
| Dispute No. | Dispute Name | Complainant |
| DS430 | India – Measures Concerning the Importation of Certain Agricultural Products | United States |
| DS456 | India – Certain Measures Relating to Solar Cells and Solar Modules | United States |
| DS518 | India — Certain Measures on Imports of Iron and Steel Products | Japan |
| DS541 | India — Export Related Measures | United States |
| DS579 | India — Measures Concerning Sugar and Sugarcane | Brazil |
| DS580 | India — Measures Concerning Sugar and Sugarcane | Australia |
| DS581 | India — Measures Concerning Sugar and Sugarcane | Guatemala |
| DS582 |
India — Tariff Treatment on Certain Good in the Information and Communications Technology Sector |
European Union |
| DS584 |
India — Tariff Treatment on Certain Goods |
Japan |
| DS585 |
India — Additional duties on certain products from the United States |
United States |
| Dispute No. | Dispute Name | Complainant |
| DS436 | United States — Countervailing Measures on Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products from India | India |
| DS503 | United States — Measures Concerning Non-Immigrant Visas | India |
| DS510 | United States — Certain Measures Relating to the Renewable Energy Sector | India |
| DS547 | United States — Certain Measures on Steel and Aluminium Products | India |
This information was given by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, PiyushGoyal, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
