Viejas Reglas, Nuevas Realidades: Cómo la política industrial está revolucionando el comercio mundial

The document analyzes how modern industrial policies—focused on the green transition, digital transformation, and supply chain security—often conflict with WTO rules established in the 1990s. It details specific frictions regarding subsidies, local content requirements, export restrictions, tariffs, and technology transfer. The authors highlight that while formal mandates for new rules are absent, informal dialogues and the Structured Dialogues on Trade and Environmental Sustainability (SDTES) are serving as critical forums for members to share experiences and test ideas. The text argues that the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) represents a key opportunity to address these systemic misalignments and ensure that the future of the multilateral trading system reflects the priorities of both developed and developing nations.

• The WTO's current trade system, rooted in the 1990s and the Washington Consensus, prioritizes market efficiency and tariff reduction over contemporary needs such as climate sustainability, industrial resilience, and strategic autonomy.
• Green and digital transformation subsidies are constrained by WTO rules that prohibit subsidies tied to exports or local content, creating a policy gap since the expiration of Article 8 of the WTO Agreement on Subsidies.
• Local content requirements, used to develop national capacities and protect industries from geopolitical risks, conflict with WTO rules on national treatment and investments.
• Export restrictions on essential minerals and agricultural products are being used to manage supply chain risks and the green technology race, challenging WTO norms that generally discourage such distortions.
• Developing and least developed countries face a critical tension between the need for technology transfer to foster innovation and the high cost of technology acquisition or WTO rules regarding intellectual property.
• In the absence of a formal negotiation mandate for new rules, the WTO is utilizing informal dialogues and the Structured Dialogues on Trade and Environmental Sustainability (SDTES) to explore issues like green industrial subsidies and hydrogen.
• The 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) is identified as a pivotal moment for ministers to authorize further work on reforming the WTO framework to better align with modern industrial and climate priorities.

APA

Triplicane, S., & Baraukait, I. (n.d.). Viejas Reglas, Nuevas Realidades: Cómo la política industrial está revolucionando el comercio mundial. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/industrial-policy-global-trade

Chicago

Triplicane, Satish, and Ieva Baraukait. Viejas Reglas, Nuevas Realidades: Cómo la política industrial está revolucionando el comercio mundial. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/industrial-policy-global-trade.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Triplicane |first1=Satish |last2=Baraukait |first2=Ieva |title=Viejas Reglas, Nuevas Realidades: Cómo la política industrial está revolucionando el comercio mundial |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/industrial-policy-global-trade |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{triplicanendviejas, author = {Triplicane, Satish and Baraukait, Ieva}, title = {{Viejas Reglas, Nuevas Realidades: Cómo la política industrial está revolucionando el comercio mundial}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/industrial-policy-global-trade}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }