U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Susan C. Schwab said on Wednesday that the U.S. has formally tabled a proposal to re-structure the World Trade Organization Appellate Body.

The reform was aimed to "ensure that it is able to attract a broader pool of high-quality candidates and to provide Appellate Body members more resources to assist Members in resolving trade disputes," said a statement released by the USTR.

"It is time for WTO Members to act upon the lessons gained from the experience of the past 14 years," said Schwab in the statement. "Especially in light of the demands that are placed on the seven Appellate Body members to resolve disputes of crucial economic and systemic concern, we need to be sure that the Appellate Body is structured in a way that attracts the most highly qualified candidates and gives them the appropriate resources to serve the WTO membership," she added.

The U.S. proposal has three main elements.

It would recognize what has been obvious for some time -- that although Appellate Body positions are formally considered to be part-time, Appellate Body members are working a full-time job.

The proposal would also provide each Appellate Body member with a law clerk devoted to that member, and it would establish a more formal supporting mechanism of WTO Members to ensure that Appellate Body members have access to ongoing professional development.

When the Appellate Body was established in 1995, the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) initially treated the position of Appellate Body member as a part-time position, in the belief that this would attract a wider range of candidates than if the position were full-time.

Source:Xinhua