Economic Affairs

Trade Issues - The primary multilateral fora and partners in Geneva

Denmark pursues increased international free trade as a means to achieve growth and increased employment in global level. We also recognize that the poorest and least developed countries need support and transitional arrangements before they can be fully integrated into the international trading system. In international trade negotiations, conducted within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the member states of the European Union have agreed to be represented by the European Commission.

Accordingly, Denmark is working closely with the Commission, the EU members, and other WTO member states to further the multilateral trade negotiations  as well as other plurilateral and multilateral trade negotiations. We actively participate in the normative WTO Committees of interest to us and feed important information on ongoing trade negotiations in Geneva back to our domestic decision-making process, seeking to ensure the best possible representation of Denmark’s interests in this area.

The Mission also assists Greenland and the Faroe Islands in furthering their interests in the WTO, and we have extensive cooperation with a number of Danish authorities in order to protect specific Danish business interests in a WTO context. The Mission also follows the work of the WTO Dispute Settlement Bodies in areas of particular concern to Denmark.

Geneva is also an important observation point regarding trends or developments in the trade area, including trade patterns and global value or supply chains, the digital economy, technological issues and globalisation more broadly. These trends may have an impact on Denmark. The mission is for these purposes following not just the work in the WTO in this regard but similar work in the framework of the World Economic Forum (WEF) based in Geneva which among others issues a number of useful reports and organizes a considerable number of meetings and networking events. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is doing valuable work in improving labor standards globally and is focussing substantively on global value of supply chains. The quick emergence of a digital economy – and the fact that digitisation has both positive and negative effects – plays an increasing role in Geneva.

The mission follows the crosscutting work where possible. Denmark has supported international cooperation on trade and development and strengthening the linkages between environment and trade for many years.

In 2016 we provide financial contributions to three Aid for Trade-initiatives undertaken by various Geneva-based organizations (EIF, ACWL and ICTSD) amounting  to a total of 38 mio. DKK (or around 5.75 mio. USD).

 Read more about Denmark’s Aid for Trade strategy and contributions here.

The WTO-building in Geneva with Danish design: the famous Arne Jacobsen Egg chairs.