WTO dispute settlement runs to a fixed timetable, and a losing country can no longer block a ruling on its own

Background

The World Trade Organization describes dispute settlement as the central pillar of the multilateral trading system and the organisation's unique contribution to the stability of the global economy.
The agreement that governs it is the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes.
First rulings are made by a panel and endorsed or rejected by the WTO's full membership, and appeals based on points of law are possible.
If a case runs its full course to a first ruling it should not normally take more than about one year, or 15 months if the case is appealed.
The target timetable allows 60 days for consultations and mediation, 45 days for the panel to be set up and panellists appointed, six months for the final panel report to the parties, three weeks for that report to reach the members, and 60 days for the Dispute Settlement Body to adopt it.
A procedure for settling disputes existed under the old GATT, but it had no fixed timetables and rulings were easier to block.
Under the Uruguay Round agreement a ruling is automatically adopted unless there is a consensus to reject it, so a country wanting to block a ruling must persuade every other member, including its adversary in the case.
The first stage is consultations between the governments concerned, and consultation and mediation remain possible at every later stage.