FMG Board Meeting and General Assembly 2025

On 17 July, the Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG) held the Annual Board Meeting and on 29 July, FMG held the 2025 General Assembly. Both meetings were chaired by Mia Mikic, Chair of Board of FMG.

 

At the two meetings, FMG Board and FMG members have discussed on the new members, Appointment of FMG CEO, FMG activities and the participation of in FMG activities in the last reporting period (July 2024-July 2025), FMG financial report, among other issues.

 

24 FMG members have participated in the GA.

 

Annex 1: List of Participants at the GA

• Mia Mikic
• Mario Matus
• Xiankun Lu
• Mercedes Araoz
• Clemens Boonekamp
• Jonathan Fried
• Hamid Mamdouh
• Sherry Stephenson
• Rosine Plank-Brumback
• Alejandro Jara
• Cecilia Malmstrom
• WenhuaJi
• Petros Mavroidis
• Bob Koopman
• Maxim Medvedkov
• Willy Alfaro
• Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin
• Chaudhuri
• John Weekes
• Marceau
• Janet Macharia
• Hilda Al-Hinai
• Ujal Bhatia
• Cristián Rodríguez

 

Annex 2: Agenda of Board Meeting

FMG Board Meeting

17.07.2025

1. Confirm new FMG/FFMG members

To approve the Minutes of previous General Assembly (Annex 1);

2. Appointment of the CEO
3. FMG Annual Activity Report 2025 (July 2024-June 2025)

To approve this report as in Annex 2.

4. Annual Report on the Participation in FMG Public Sessions (July 2024- the end ofJune 2025);

To approve this report as in Annex 3.

5. Annual Report on the Participation of FMG/FFMG members in FMG Activities (July2024-the end of June 2025);

To approve this report as in Annex 4.

6. FMG Annual Financial Report 2024;

To approve this report as in Annex 5.

7. Other business.

 

Annex 3: Agenda of GA

Agenda of General Assembly

Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG)

29 July 20245

1. Confirmation of New FMG members
2. Taking note of New FFMG
3. Approval of the Minutes of the previous General Assembly
4. Appointment of the CEO
5. Approval of the Annual Activity Report (Annex 2)
6. Annual Report on the Participation in FMG Public Sessions (July 2024 – the end of June 2025) (Annex 3)
7. Annual Report on the Participation of FMG/FFMG members in FMG Activities (July 2024 – the end of June 2025) (Annex 4)
8. FMG Annual Financial Report 2024 (Annex 5)
9. Other business

 

Annex 4: FMG Activity Report (July 2024-the end of June 2025)

 

1. Activity report July 2024–the end of June 2025

From July 2024 to the end of June 2025, FMG continued to adopt the form of virtual or hybrid meetings and has organized altogether 25 activities covering a wide range of issues, including:

Brainstorming sessions(10):

• On WTO Reform (2): FMG Webinar “Defending the multilateral tradingsystem: Survey findings on WTO reform”; FMG Webinar on WTO Decision-Making;
• On Countries’Trade Policies (4): FMG Webinar on Trump Trade Policy and WTO reform; FMG Webinar “The Future of EU Trade Policy”; FMG Online Brainstorming on Exchange Rates, Trade, and Trade Policies; FMG Webinar “Joining the Dots on Trade”;
• On New Trade Developments (3): FMG Webinar on US Presidential Election and WTO Reform; On FMG Webinar on the Implications of Trade Tensions for the Global Economy; FMG Webinar on the US-UK and US-China deals.
• On Climate Change (1): FMG Webinar on “Working Together for Better Climate Action”;

 

 Internal briefings or discussions(9): FMG Internal briefing “New role of the WTO” by Gabrielle Marceau; FMG 2nd Internal Discussion on Global turbulence and WTO reform; FMG Internal Discussion on Global Turbulence and WTO Reform; FMG Internal Discussion on Geopolitics and WTO Reform; FMG Internal Briefing on the WTO Informal Ministerial Meeting in Davos; FMG Internal Briefing on WTO Strategy 2030; FMG Internal Discussion on Its Priorities; FMG Internal Briefing on Paris Mini-Ministerial; FMG Internal Briefing on WTO Reform.

 

Trade Policy Preview (T-PP) Sessions(2): FMG “Trade Policy Preview”(TP-P) Session on Australia; FMG “Trade Policy Preview” (TP-P) Session on Nigeria.

 

High-Level Dialogue Series on the Future of WTO Reform (4): FMG High-level Dialogue Series: “The Future of WTO Reform” Session 01 with Pascal LAMY; Dialogue with Tim GROSER Session 02 of FMG High-level Dialogue Series “The Future of WTO Reform”; Dialogue with Arancha González Session 03 of FMG High-level Dialogue Series “The Future of WTO Reform”; Dialogue with Alec Erwin Session 04 of FMG High-level Dialogue Series “The Future of WTO Reform”.

 

 

List of all FMG activities in the reporting period

• July29^th 2024 | FMG Internal Briefing on WTO Reform
• September27^th 2024 | FMG Online Brainstorming on Exchange Rates , Trade, and Trade Policies
• October18^th 2024 | FMG Webinar “Joining the Dots on Trade”
• October 24^th 2024 | FMG Internal Discussion on Its Priorities
• November4^th 2024 | FMG “Trade Policy Preview” (TP-P) Session on Nigeria
• November21^st 2024 | FMG Internal Briefing on WTO Strategy 2030
• December 4^th 2024| FMG Webinar on “Working Together for Better Climate Action”
• December6^th 2024 | FMG Webinar on US Presidential Election and WTO Reform
• January14^th 2025 | FMG High-level Dialogue Series: “The Future of WTO Reform”, Session 01 with Pascal LAMY
• February5^th 2025 | FMG Internal Briefing on the WTO Informal Ministerial Meeting in Davos
• February26^th 2025 | FMG “Trade Policy Preview” (TP-P) Session on Australia
• February25^th and 26^th 2025 | FMG Internal Discussion on Geopolitics and WTO Reform
• March11^st 2025 | FMG Webinar on WTO Decision-Making
• March 17^th2025 | Dialogue with Tim GROSER: Session 02 of FMG High-level Dialogue Series “The Future of WTO Reform”
• March 25^th 2025 | FMG Webinar “The Future of EU Trade Policy”
• March 31^stand April 1^st  2025 | FMG Internal Discussions on Global Turbulence and WTO Reform
• April9^th 2025 | FMG Webinar on Trump Trade Policy and WTO Reform
• April25^th and 26^th 2025 | FMG 2^nd Internal Discussion on Global Turbulence and WTO Reform
• April30^th 2025 | FMG Internal Briefing “New Role of the WTO” by Gabrielle Marceau
• May 14^th 2025 | FMG Webinar on the Implications of Trade Tensions for the Global Economy
• May 16^th 2025 | FMG Webinar on the US-UK and US-China deals
• May21^st 2025 | Dialogue with Arancha Gonzalez: Session 03 of FMG High-level Dialogue Series “The Future of WTO Reform”
• June2^nd 2025 | FMG Webinar “Defending the multilateral tradingsystem: Survey findings on WTO reform”
• June17^th 2025 | Dialogue with Alec Erwin: Session 04 of FMG High-level Dialogue Series “The Future of WTO Reform”
• June 24^th 2025| FMG Internal Briefing on Paris Mini-Ministerial

 

New FMG Members

This year, the following fourteen persons become FMG/FFMG members (in alphabetic order of family name):

FMG: Willy Alfaro, Yonov Fred Agah, Ignacio Garcia Bercero, Ujal Singh Bhatia, Sumanta Chaudhuri, Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin, Tim Groser, Trudi Hartzenberg, Jesse George Kreier, Gabrielle Marceau, Rosine M. Plank-Brumback, André Sapir, Guillermo Valles

 

FFMG: Luz Maria de la Mora, UNCTAD

 

• Participation of FMG Community

This year, the average number of participants in the FMG virtual sessions is around 50 (2023-2024: 35.7), ranging from nearly 30 on the low end to over 90 on the high end.

 

1. Publications of Members and FFMG (reposted)
2. July 2024 | Peter Ungphakorn |What should we make of the new text on e-commerce in the WTO?
3. July 2024 | Alan Wolff |Navigating the uncertain US trade environment
4. August 2024 | John Clarke |China’s investigation into EU dairy: careful what you wish for
5. August 2024 | Michele Ruta | Trade implications of China’s subsides
6. September 2024 | Petros C. Mavroidis | The national security exception at the WTO: Should it just be a matter of when members can avail of it? What about how?
7. September 2024 | Xiankun Lu | Some observation on China-EU economic and trade relations
8. October 2024 | Mercedes Araoz, Mia mikic and Sherry Stephenson |Enhancing trade sustainability and inclusivity across the G20
9. October 2024 | Sherry Stephenson |A strategic framework for good regulatory practice in services trade
10. October 2024 | Mia Mikic and Sherry Stephenson |Good regulatory practice for services in the digital era: challenges for APEC
11. November 2024 | Alan Wolff | Can the world trading system survive Donald Trump?
12. November 2024| Xiankun Lu | Think about the unthinkable: A few thoughts at 30th anniversity of the WTO
13. December 2024 | Ignacio García Bercero, Petros C. Mavroidis and André Sapir | How the European Union should response to Trump’s tariffs
14. December 2024 | Michele Ruta |Geopolitics and the World Trading System
15. December 2024| Alan Wolff | Is the World Trade Organization still relevant?
16. January 2025 | Simon Evenett |Executing Trump’s campaign pledges on tariffs won’t restore manufacturing in the Rust Belt—or elsewhere for that matter
17. January 2025 | John Weekes | Charting Canada’s economic course in the face of Trump’s threats
18. January 2025 | Alan Wolff | Would the US imposing high tariffs on Denmark’s products bring it Greenland? If it did, at what cost?
19. February2025 | Peter Ungphakorn  | WTO members call for restraint as Trump threatens tariffs and more
20. February 2025 | Peter Ungphakorn |E-commerce initiative is the latest WTO rule-making effort to be blocked
21. February 2025 | Xinquan Tu |Trump 2.0 Trade policy, Its global impact , and China’s response
22. February 2025 | Alan Wolff |Are the trade wars with Canada and Mexico authorized?
23. February 2025 | Alan Wolff |What should all the other trading countries do? What happens now is largely in their hands
24. February 2025 | Alan Wolff | Can trade aid in bringing peace?
25. February 2025 | John Clarke | Cracks in the mirror – trouble ahead for European agrifood trade?
26. February 2025 | Jennifer Hillman | Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs is an abuse of power
27. March 2025| Alan Wolff | America’s emerging trade policy: Are there any constraints?
28. March 2025 | Simon Evenett |Imminent U.S. tariffs on Aluminium & Steel derivative products would have covered $151 billion of imports in 2024
29. March 2025 | Simon Evenett |Canada and Mexico have retaliation options that shrink American take-home pay
30. March 2025 | Alan Wolff |Will the world trading system survive Trump’s tariffs?
31. April 2025 | Xiankun Lu | Recap of FMG discussion on global turbulence and WTO reform
32. April 2025 | Peter Draper | No, that’s not what a trade deficit means-and that’s not how you calculate other nation’s tariffs
33. April 2025 | Hector Torres | Tariff crisis is exactly the right time to reform the WTO
34. April 2025 | André SAPIR | The European Union should form an international open trade coalition in response to Trump’s tariffs
35. April 2025 | John Clarke | A time of the breaking of nations: Europe’s test
36. April 2025 | Xiankun Lu | Recap of FMG discussion on global turbulence and WTO reform Ⅱ
37. April 2025 | Alan Wolff |The WTO at 30: The return of higher tariffs
38. April 2025 | Alan Wolff | Envisioning an improved world trading system
39. April 2025 | Bernard M. Hoekman and Petros C. Mavroidis |Plurilateral Agreements, Multilateralism and Economic Development
40. April 2025 | Simon Evenett | Is A Wave of Chinese Products Coming Your Way? Identifying Potential Chinese Export Redirection in 2024 U.S. Trade Data
41. April 2025 | Alan Wolff | US-EU trade: Finding a path back from tariffs
42. April 2025 | Simon Evenett | Redirecting Chinese exports from the USA: Evidence on Trade deflection from the first U.S.-China trade war
43. May2025 | Hector Torres | The WTO stands at a “Whatever it takes” moment
44. May 2025 | Simon Evenett |Mixed messaging: How London and Washington , D.C presented their recent trade tie-up
45. May 2025 | Advisors of ARTNET (including some FMG members)  |The harmful shift in global trade relations and the developing Asia-Pacific countries
46. May 2025 | Alan Wolff |Small businesses take Trump’s tariffs to court. Can they win?
47. May 2025 | Ignacio Garcia Bercero |How the EU should plan for global trade transformation?
48. May 2025 | Alan Wolff | America’s decision to tax trade
49. June 2025 | Stuart Harbinson | The WTO in the Age of Trump’s Trade Bullying – should there be WTO Reform?
50. June 2025 | Peter Ungphakorn | Emerging powers and the shifting patterns of influence in the WTO
51. June 2025 | Xiankun Lu |Recap of FMG Discussion on Global Turbulence and WTO Reform Ⅲ
52. June 2025 | Petros C. Mavroidis |Why the US and the WTO should part ways
53. June 2025 | Alan Wolff | Will the Supreme Court strike down most of Trump’s tariffs?
54. June 2025 | Hector Torres | Argentina turns to IMF in last-ditch bid to stave off devaluation
55. June 2025 | Ignacio Garcia Bercero |Global trade conflict: Opportunity for the EU
56. June 2025 | Simon Evenett |No Smoking Gun from the European Commission’s First trade Diversion Monitoring Report
57. June 2025 | Alan Wolff |Courts will decide if Trump exceeded his emergency trade authorities
58. June 2025 | Peter Draper | In the trade wars, there are lessons for the US from Brexit. Australia and our trading partners should take note

 

Publicity

1. FMG activities are regularly shared via FMG official website, LinkedIn, WeChatand Spotify.
2. Brainstorming Sessions are recorded and shared via the above social channels and through YouTube FMGand Spotify FMG. Across the past year (July 2024-end of June 2025), FMG’s YouTube videos have received an average of about 210 views each, with a total view count reaching 3,774.
3. FMG and FFMG members are also encouraged to helping with publicity by using their FMG/FFMG titles, logos and sharing FMG activities and publications.
4. FMG has circulated eightnewsletters for May-August 2024, September-October 2024, November-December 2024, January-February 2025, March 2025, April 2025, May 2025, June 2025  The newsletter for July 2025 will be distributed after the Board Meeting.