Reverse Consensus

Reverse Consensus and the GATT Policy Negotiations

In relation to the GATT Policy Negotiations, Christopher Mark (1993) provided the following explanation and/or definition of Reverse Consensus: A proposed modification of the GATT dispute settlement procedures establishing the principle that the report and recommendations of a GATT panel would be adopted by the GATT Council unless consensus existed to reject them. Reverse consensus would thus remove a major weakness inherent in current consensus-based procedures, which allow a disputing party to block adoption of a panel report with which it disagrees.