Editing World Trade Organization (section)

==Agreements==
The WTO oversees about 60 different agreements which have the status of international legal texts. Member countries must sign and ratify all WTO agreements on accession.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/legal_e.htm|title=Legal texts – the WTO agreements|publisher=WTO|access-date=30 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524202121/http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/legal_e.htm|archive-date=24 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> A discussion of some of the most important agreements follows.

The [[Agreement on Agriculture]] came into effect with the establishment of the WTO at the beginning of 1995. The AoA has three central concepts, or "pillars": domestic support, [[market access]] and [[export subsidies]].

The [[General Agreement on Trade in Services]] was created to extend the multilateral trading system to [[tertiary sector of industry|service sector]], in the same way as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provided such a system for merchandise trade. The agreement entered into force in January 1995.

The [[Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights]] sets down minimum standards for many forms of intellectual property (IP) regulation. It was negotiated at the end of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1994.<ref>[http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/agrm7_e.htm Understanding the WTO – Intellectual property: protection and enforcement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801061139/http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/agrm7_e.htm |date=1 August 2013 }}. WTO. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.</ref>

The [[Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures]]—also known as the SPS Agreement—was negotiated during the [[Uruguay Round]] of GATT, and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO at the beginning of 1995. Under the SPS agreement, the WTO sets constraints on members' policies relating to food safety (bacterial contaminants, pesticides, inspection, and labeling) as well as animal and plant health (imported pests and diseases).

The [[Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade]] is an international [[treaty]] of the World Trade Organization. It was negotiated during the [[Uruguay Round]] of the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]] and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO at the end of 1994. The object ensures that technical negotiations and standards, as well as testing and certification procedures, do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/ursum_e.htm#dAgreement|title=A Summary of the Final Act of the Uruguay Round|publisher=Wto.org|access-date=30 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524205632/http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/ursum_e.htm#dAgreement|archive-date=24 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation|Agreement on Customs Valuation]], formally known as the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of GATT, prescribes methods of customs valuation that Members are to follow. Chiefly, it adopts the "transaction value" approach.

In December 2013, the biggest agreement within the WTO was signed and known as the [[Bali Package]].<ref name="Global Trade Deal Reached">{{cite web | url=http://www.wwd.com/business-news/government-trade/global-trade-deal-reached-7303060?module=latest-articles | title=Global Trade Deal Reached | publisher=WWD | date=7 December 2013 | access-date=8 December 2013 | author=Zarocostas, John | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211015613/http://www.wwd.com/business-news/government-trade/global-trade-deal-reached-7303060?module=latest-articles | archive-date=11 December 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref>