World Trade Organisation and Competition Law

In carrying out its objective of eliminating barriers to international trade, the WTO has dealt almost exclusively with ridding its member countries of government-created phenomena that obstruct free trade, such as tariffs. It was not until the 1996 Ministerial Conference in Singapore that member countries identified businesses as a source of distortion in international free trade. It reflected the increasing perception of policymakers that private anti competitive behaviors may continue to constrain "market access," even when official barriers created by border measures have come down.