Gian Ehrenzeller / EPA
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during his speech at Davos 2026
This week’s meeting of the World Trade Organization promises to define whether there is still hope for a reform that pleases the United States or whether the alliance headed by Mark Carney will form a parallel body.
The 40-nation anti-Trump alliance led by Canada is preparing for a watershed moment with this week’s meeting in Cameroon to discuss the growing Tensions within the World Trade Organization (OMC).
The meeting, the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14), takes place after the Trump administration practically paralyzed the WTO’s dispute resolution system. Washington continues to challenge fundamental rulesincluding the imposition of tariffs that undermine the organization’s principles. The US is also demanding reforms aimed at confronting China’s trade practices.
In this context, the countries of the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which represent almost a third of the global economyare trying to preserve the rules-based system. Inspired in part by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent calls, these nations are exploring new forms of cooperation that could reform the WTO.
A key question on the agenda is whether or not to make the moratorium on tariffs for digital commercecovering sectors such as software, cloud computing and streaming services. Although many countries support the extension of the measure, consensus among the 166 WTO members remains difficult to achieve, highlighting the growing fragmentation within the organization.
To address this issue, EU and CPTPP ministers are expected to issue a joint statement outlining plans for WTO reform. If it is not possible to reach a global agreement, they could seek a “plurilateral” approach with the creation of a parallel structure between countries willing to promote trade rules in areas such as digital trade, investment and supply chains.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently signaled support for closer ties with partners in the region Indo-Pacific, after a . Officials say this cooperation reflects a broader effort to maintain stability in global markets despite U.S. unpredictability.
“A collaboration with CPTPP countries is important to us. We share the view that we need to anchor our economic relations in a rules-based system,” Denis Redonnet, deputy director general of the Commission’s trade department, told .
As talks unfold in Yaoundé, the outcome will test whether middle powers can sustain multilateral cooperation or whether the global trading system will continue to fragment into competing blocs.
