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N° 74 - June 2017

Accessions Strategic Objectives

Domestic reform instrument

Systemic update

Market access expansion

International cooperation for trade

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Inside this issue:

SIXTH INFORMAL GROUP ON ACCESSIONS Thursday, 29 June 2017

Agenda:

Strategic Focus for 2017:

Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina Accession of Sudan Accession of the Union of the Comoros

Accession Working Parties State of Play: Ethiopia, Timor-Leste, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and the Lebanese Republic

Technical Assistance and Outreach: Forum on WTO Accessions; Regional Dialogue on WTO Accession for the Greater Horn of Africa; and 2nd WTO Trade Policy Forum on Central Asia

Accession Anniversaries in July: Liberia, Cabo

Verde, Republic of Moldova, Tonga, and Afghanistan

Chaired by the WTO Secretariat (Maika Oshikawa, Officer-in-Charge of the Accessions Division).

Progress Report on Accessions in 2017 Focus

Bosnia and Herzegovina: On 15 June, H.E Mr. Josip Brkić, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo. He reported on the progress which has been made on outstanding issues in this accession. On the legislative front, following the adoption of Amendments to the Legislation on Internal Trade by the House of Representatives on 14 June, the House of People is expected to adopt the amendments shortly. On the bilateral market access front, during the last few months, Bosnia and Herzegovina made significant progress in narrowing the gap in its three outstanding bilateral market access negotiations. The Deputy Minister expressed hope that these bilateral negotiations would be concluded shortly.

The Deputy Minister expressed his Government's strong desire and determination to conclude its accession by the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2017. He reiterated that WTO accession was a critical pillar of the integration processes that Bosnia and Herzegovina was actively pursuing, building on its application to EU membership in 2016. In this context, the Deputy Minister sought the support of the Director-General and of WTO Members for his country to achieve this objective in the coming months.

The Deputy Minister, together with H.E. Ms. Lucija Ljubić-Lepine, Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Geneva, also met with the Chairperson of the Working Party, H.E. Mr. Rajmund Kiss (Hungary) and the WTO Secretariat to discuss the state of play including specific next steps to be taken in the coming weeks.

LDC Strategic Focus 2017 Union of the Comoros: Following the 2nd meeting of the Working Party held on 1 June, Members have submitted questions and comments on the accession documentation, which have been transmitted to Comoros by 30 June. The negotiating team from Moroni is scheduled to be in Geneva in July to advance bilateral market access negotiations with Members, as the objective of the Government is to conclude them before the summer break. During the visit, the Comorian team will also work with the Secretariat to advance its work on the revision to the Factual Summary of Points Raised, which will serve as the basis for the preparation for a draft Report of the Working Party.

Sudan: In preparation for the next cycle of meetings of the Working Party, Sudan has circulated a total of 16 documents to the Working Party since its last meeting in January, including four documents which were

circulated in June. These included: (i) a revised Legislative Action Plan; (ii) a legislation notice that contained 50 pieces of legislation; (iii) a revised questionnaire on import licensing; and, (iv) additional questions and replies. In addition, the Secretariat prepared a Factual Summary of Points Raised, based on the inputs provided by Sudan, which was circulated to the Working Party.

The 4th meeting of the Working Party will be held on 14 July, preceded by a Plurilateral Meeting on Agriculture on 13 July. Sudan's 30-member delegation will be led by the Minister of Trade, H.E. Mr. Hatim Elsir Ali Sikainjo, and includes officials from various Ministries, members of parliaments and representatives of the private sector.

Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and Deputy Minister Josip Brkić of Bosnia and

Herzegovina - Geneva, 15 June 2017

H.E. Mr. Rajmund Kiss (Hungary), Working Party Chairperson and Deputy Minister Josip Brkić -

Geneva, 15 June 2017

Accession of Sudan — Videoconference with Khartoum Geneva, 15 June 2017

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Accession Working Parties State of Play

N° 74 - June 2017

Ethiopia: H.E. Mr. Steffen Smidt (Denmark) relinquished the chairmanship of the Working Party in May. On behalf of the Chairperson of the General Council, H.E. Mr. Xavier Carim, WTO Deputy Director-General David Shark, initiated the process of consultations on the appointment of a new Working Party Chairperson. The deadline to submit nominations is 14 July.

Timor-Leste: The Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime was circulated to WTO Members on 23 June, following the approval of the document by the Council of Ministers of Timor-Leste on 13 June. This is the first document submitted by the Government of Timor-Leste since the establishment of the Working Party on its accession in December 2016. Members are invited to submit their questions on the Memorandum by 28 July. Timor-Leste's replies to questions, along with the Memorandum itself, would form the documentary basis to hold the first meeting of the Working Party.

Following the circulation of the Memorandum, WTO Deputy Director-General David Shark, on behalf of the Chairperson of the General Council, H.E. Mr. Xavier Carim, initiated the process of consultations on the appointment of a Working Party Chairperson. The deadline to submit nominations is 14 July.

Azerbaijan: The 14th meeting of the Working Party will take place on 28 July, preceded by a Plurilateral Meeting on Agriculture on 27 July. The delegation of Azerbaijan will be led by Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession. On the fringes of the Working Party meeting, Azerbaijan will also meet with interested Members to advance bilateral market access negotiations.

Belarus: In preparation for the next cycle of meetings of the Working Party, Belarus has thus far circulated a revised import licensing questionnaire and a revised TRIPS checklist. Belarus plans to circulate additional documents in the coming weeks, including: (i) a draft subsidies notification; (ii) revised agriculture supporting tables; (iii) a revised Legislative Action Plan; and (iv) copies of legislation. Additionally, the Secretariat has prepared a draft Report of the Working Party, based on Belarus' replies to questions raised by Members. Minsk is currently reviewing this draft. The 9th meeting of the Working Party will be scheduled after the summer break.

On 9 June, Ambassador Vladimir Serpikov, Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, and his team from Minsk were in Geneva, inter alia, to advance Belarus' bilateral market access negotiations. The Chief Negotiator also met with the Working Party Chairperson H.E. Mr. Kemal Madenoğlu (Turkey) and the WTO Secretariat to review the state of play, including the preparation for the next meeting of the Working Party. The Chairperson commended the work undertaken by the Belarussian team since the 8th meeting of the Working

Party held in January. In particular, he welcomed the progress made on bilateral market access negotiations and Belarus' readiness to incorporate a greater number of commitment paragraphs in the draft Report of the Working Party.

Lebanese Republic: With the circulation of three additional documents to the Working Party, i.e. (i) Agriculture Supporting Tables; (ii) the Checklist on the implementation of the Customs Valuation Agreement; and (iii) a legislation notice, the Lebanese Republic has completed the submission of all the documentation to resume its Working Party, after eight years of inactivity. The Chairperson of the Working Party, Mr. Jean-Paul Thuillier (France), will consult with Members and the Acceding Government on the date of the 8th meeting of the Working Party, which is now envisaged to take place after the summer break.

Meeting with the Delegation of Timor-Leste - Geneva, 4 May 2017

Meeting with H.E. Vladimir Serpikov (Belarus) and H.E. Kemal Madenoğlu (Turkey) - Geneva, 9 June 2017

LDCs Non-LDCs

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N° 74 - June 2017

The Accessions Division wishes a very Happy WTO Accession Anniversary to:

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JULY

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JULY

Liberia is the 35th economy that joined the WTO pursuant to Article XII of

the Marrakesh Agreement and became the 163rd Member of the WTO on

14 July 2016.

Cabo Verde is the 25th economy that joined the WTO pursuant to Article XII

of the Marrakesh Agreement and became the 153rd Member of the WTO

on 23 July 2008.

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JULY

27

JULY

29

JULY

The Republic of Moldova is the 14th economy that joined the WTO

pursuant to Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement and became the 142nd

Member of the WTO on 26 July 2001.

Tonga is the 23rd economy that joined the WTO pursuant to Article XII of

the Marrakesh Agreement and became the 151st Member of the WTO on

27 July 2007.

Afghanistan is the 36th economy that joined the WTO pursuant to Article

XII of the Marrakesh Agreement and became the 164th Member of the

WTO on 29 July 2016.

Technical Assistance and Outreach Activities

Forum on WTO Accessions, 13 July 2017

On the margins of the Aid for Trade Global Review 2017, the Accessions Division will hold a Forum on WTO Accessions: Accession-Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, on 13 July, at 9:00 in the WTO.

The main objective of the Forum is to provide a platform for direct interaction between acceding governments and development partners – bilateral, regional and multilateral – to discuss the role of technical assistance and capacity building in the accession process and the specific needs of acceding governments, in particular, of LDCs. The programme of the Forum includes: (i) keynote remarks by H.E. Mr. Axel Addy, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Liberia and former Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession; (ii) a presentation by the Secretariat on the state of play in WTO accessions ; (iii) presentations by Comoros and Sudan on the priority technical assistance needs in their respective accession processes; and (iv) interventions by other acceding governments and development partners.

Regional Dialogue on WTO Accession for the Greater Horn of Africa - Nairobi, Kenya - Week of 28 August 2017

A Regional Dialogue on WTO Accessions for the Greater Horn of Africa will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 28 to 30 August. This dialogue, which is held in partnership with the Government of Kenya and the University of Nairobi, will be attended by four acceding governments from the region, i.e. Comoros, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, as well as representatives of Article XII members, and bilateral, regional and multilateral partners. The dialogue will be followed by a specialized training on WTO accessions for Somalia on 31 August and 1 September.

2nd WTO Trade Policy Forum on Central Asian and the Multilateral Trading System - Astana, Kazakhstan - 4 to 6 September 2017

In partnership with the Government of Kazakhstan, the WTO Secretariat will organize the 2nd Trade Policy Forum on Central Asia and the Multilateral Trading System in Astana, Kazakhstan on 4 to 6 September, on the margins of "Expo 2017 – Future Energy". In recognition of the importance of the trade in energy for Article XII members and acceding governments from the region and its neighbours, this Forum will focus on "Trade in Energy in WTO Accessions and Energy Cooperation in the Multilateral Trading System". The key objectives of the Forum are: (i) to enhance understanding of the WTO framework on trade in energy, including energy-related commitments in WTO accessions; and, (ii) to explore areas of cooperation in energy efficiency and security in the multilateral trading system. Invitations have been sent to 13 members and observers, and representatives of selected international organizations and the private sector.

H.E. Stephen Karau (Kenya) at the 3rd Working Party Meeting on the Accession of Sudan -

Geneva, 31 January 2017

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Evolving Calendar of Accessions Meetings (ECAM)

Accession Working Parties Evolving Calendar of Accession Meetings (ECAM)

WTO Director-General's Annual Reports on Accessions

Accession Commitments Database (ACDB)

Handbook on Accessions to the WTO WTO Accessions Internship - "China Programme"

Accession-Related Technical Assistance Activities Accession processes of Article XII Members, click here

Accession Portal on the WTO Website (En, Fr, Es) WTO Accessions Newsletters

Accessions Toolbox

Date Event

[28-30 August 2017] [Regional Dialogue on WTO Accessions for the Greater Horn of Africa in Nairobi, Kenya]

[4-6 September 2017] [Trade Policy Forum on Central Asia and the Multilateral Trading System, Astana, Kazakhstan]

Other Accession Events

N° 74 - June 2017

DATE WORKING PARTY MEETING STATUS ROOM

Thursday, 29 June 2017 IGA 6th 2017 Informal Group on Accessions

(9:00-10:00) Convening fax dated

22/06/2017 refers D

Thursday, 13 July 2017 Sudan Plurilateral meeting on Agriculture (15:00) Convening fax dated

26/06/2017 refers S3

Friday, 14 July 2017 Sudan 4th Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of Sudan (10:00) WTO/AIR/ACC/12 dated

23/06/2017 refers W

[Wednesday, 26 - Thursday, 27 July] General Council

[Thursday, 27 July 2017] IGA 7th 2017 Informal Group on Accessions

(9:00-10:00) Convening Notice pending D

[Thursday, 27 July 2017] Azerbaijan Plurilateral meeting on Agriculture (15:00) Convening Notice pending D

[Friday, 28 July 2017] Azerbaijan 14th Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of Azerbaijan (10:00) Convening Notice pending D

[September 2017] Belarus Plurilateral meetings on Agriculture and SPS Convening Notice pending TBC

[September 2017] Belarus 9th Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of Belarus Convening Notice pending TBC

[September-October 2017] Comoros 3rd Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of the Union of the Comoros Convening Notice pending TBC

[TBC] Lebanon 8th Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of the Lebanese Republic Convening Notice pending TBC

[TBC] Bosnia and Herzegovina 13th Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina Convening Notice pending TBC

[TBC] Timor-Leste 1st Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of Timor-Leste Convening Notice pending TBC

[TBC] Ethiopia 4th Meeting of the Working Party on the

Accession of Ethiopia Convening Notice pending TBC

10-13 December 2017 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11), Buenos Aires, Argentina

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List of WTO Accessions Working Party Chairpersons

Government Date Working Party established Working Party Chairperson

1. Algeria 17 June 1987 H.E. Mr Gustavo Miguel Vanerio Balbela (Uruguay)

2. Andorra 22 October 1997 Pending

3. Azerbaijan 16 July 1997 H.E. Dr. Walter Werner (Germany)

4. The Bahamas 18 July 2001 H.E. Mr Wayne McCook (Jamaica)

5. Belarus 27 October 1993 H.E. Mr Kemal Madenoğlu (Turkey)

6. Bhutan* 6 October 1999 H.E. Mr Thomas Hajnoczi (Austria)

7. Bosnia and Herzegovina 15 July 1999 H.E. Dr Rajmund Kiss (Hungary)

8. Comoros, Union of the* 9 October 2007 H.E. Mr Luis Enrique Chávez Basagoitia (Peru)

9. Equatorial Guinea* 5 February 2008 Pending

10. Ethiopia* 10 February 2003 H.E. Dr Steffen Smidt (Denmark)

11. Iran 26 May 2005 Pending

12. Iraq 13 December 2004 H.E. Mr Omar Hilale (Morocco)

13. Lebanese Republic 14 April 1999 Mr Jean-Paul Thuillier (France)

14. Libya 27 July 2004 Mr Victor Echevarría Ugarte (Spain)

15. Sao Tomé and Principe* 26 May 2005 Pending

16. Serbia 15 February 2005 H.E. Mrs Marie-Claire Swärd Capra (Sweden)

17. Somalia* 7 December 2016 Pending

18. Sudan* 25 October 1994 Mr Ryosuke Kuwana (Japan)

19. Syrian Arab Republic 4 May 2010 Pending

20. Timor-Leste* 7 December 2016 Pending

21. Uzbekistan 21 December 1994 H.E. Mr Seokyoung Choi (Korea)

* Least-Developed Country (LDC)

N° 74 - June 2017