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Settlement of disputes As in the case of other WTO agreements , effective dispute settlement mechanisms are essential to secure the benefits of a WTO agreement on investment . The concept of national treatment is built into all WTO agreements and is meant to create a level playing field for all companies doing business in the same market so that there is no discrimination against foreign companies . A fundamental element of any WTO agreement is the ability to operate competitively through a wholly owned commercial presence or other form of business ownership . This book , by an author who was intimately involved in the Uruguay Round which led to the creation of the WTO , is an indispensable and concise explanation of what the WTO Agreements actually provide for. Despite the great success of this system , its end was required by a WTO agreement demanding that all countries ( with some exceptions ) switch to product patents . The US negotiated and signed but failed to ratify the charter of the International Trade Organization in the 1940s , yet it did ratify the WTO agreement in 1994 . Administration proposals for modifying or adding to existing trade policies embodied in the WTO Agreements . Each APEC economy which is in the process of acceding to the WTO Agreement may participate in APEC Uruguay Round implementation actions through voluntary steps to liberalize its respective trade and investment regimes consistent with the WTO Agreement . A trade diplomat from a country not involved in the banana problem and who was present at the meeting ( speaking on a non - attributive basis ) said that the vast majority of Members had opposed the US unilateralism and the DSB consideration of the US request at this stage , even when several of them were critical of the EC over what they thought was its failure to implement the " spirit , if not the letter " , of the WTO agreements and panel rulings . Pursuant to the long-standing quota system maintained under the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing , the MSAR restrains its exports of textiles and clothing in certain markets . ICC strongly believes that only by providing high standards of market access and investment protection will a WTO agreement on investment offer an added value to companies by increasing the predictability of the policy environment for their investment , which in turn may lead to additional investments . In this context , the book provides basic information about the WTO agreements , is the issues on the negotiating table for the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference and the remainder of the Doha Round , and the main actors in these negotiations . A WTO agreement on investment should offer a broad definition of expropriation . The intention is to foster a more thorough understanding of the WTO agreements , helping countries to know their rights and obligations , and industry and trade bodies the parameters within which they can now operate . APEC economies will : utilize on an on-going basis Uruguay Round implementation seminars and other appropriate means to : improve APEC economies ' understanding of provisions in the WTO Agreement and obligations thereunder ; identify operational problems encountered in implementation of the WTO Agreement and areas in which APEC economies may require technical assistance ; and explore cooperative efforts to provide such technical assistance in implementation ; consider implementation of suggestions for follow-on work from Uruguay Round implementation seminars ; and undertake technical assistance based on discussion at the above seminars , including cooperative training projects targeted at prevalent implementation problems to be undertaken in conjunction with the WTO Secretariat and other relevant international institutions . A WTO agreement on investment should include a definition of the territorial entities and the regional economic integration arrangements to be bound by the obligations of the agreement .