GENEVA, May 26: Former European Union trade chief Pascal Lamy of France was confirmed as the new head of the World Trade Organization, the WTO said on Thursday. A session of the ruling General Council of the 148-member WTO formally approved a decision made public earlier this month by a selection team, it said in a statement.

Lamy is scheduled to take up his four-year mandate on September 1, when current WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand ends his term. He said in a written statement he would spend the next few months preparing for the job.

The WTO, which sets the rules for global commerce, is largely steered by its members, using a sluggish system Lamy once dismissed as “medieval”. But the director general also plays an important role, prodding recalcitrant governments and helping build compromise in an effort to drive trade talks forward.

“I am honoured that the WTO’s 148 members have today decided to appoint me director general,” Lamy said.—AFP