21/12/2009

GTDF flash news 14 - WTO accession: a necessary (too) painful process? – Views from acceding countries

WTO accession: a necessary (too) painful process? – Views from acceding countries

At the margin of the WTO Conference Ministerial, the GTDF organized on 30 November an informal meeting of acceding countries representatives, including several Ministers, in the premises of AITIC. This meeting was very useful to collect acceding countries’ experiences and perception of the process. The general impression was that joining the club often requires tough reforms, which were seen as a painful but at the same time necessary and useful exercise. More problematically, some member countries’ demands in the bilateral process were perceived as arbitrary – as they are not necessarily based on commercial interests – or unfair – as they impose on acceding countries obligations which exceed what existing member countries are willing to take.

In the context of the GTDF, this issue is addressed by an informal group of 8 developing, emerging and developed countries dubbed the Friends of Accession (FOA). This group endeavours to reflect on the accession process and identify possible solutions to make it more development-friendly. The FOA collaborates with existing coalitions at the WTO such as the Informal Group of Developing Countries or the Least Developed Countries to find ways within the organization to push this issue forward.

In 2010, the GTDF aims at convening further meetings of acceding countries to facilitate their coordination and support their voice being heard. At the same time, the GTDF will continue hosting FOA meetings to give impulsions to reforming the accession process from within the WTO.

For the full report of the meeting, click here.

The GTDF wishes you festive holidays and a happy and successful New Year 2010!

May this New Year bring more development-friendly impulsions to the trading system! We look forward to collaborating with you in this perspective!