The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed Thursday with a call from French President Emmanuel Macron for reform, saying he saw a need to “make it more effective.” WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo has in recent months warned that the US-led trend of erecting new trade barriers and sable-rattling on commerce could hamper global growth, AFP said. Azevedo met with Macron on Wednesday to discuss “current global trade tensions” and the “central role of the WTO in safeguarding the stability and predictability of the trading system.” His comments came after Macron on Wednesday said at the annual forum of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris that he wanted talks on overhauling the WTO. The French president voiced frustration after weeks of intense EU lobbying to remain exempted from the metal tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump in early March.