Mohsen Helal

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ESCWA
The Challenges of WTO Accession to Middle Eastern
Applicant Countries

• Mohsen Helal
• Regional Advisor
• on World Trade Issues

IDRC Ottawa, 11 December 2003
The views expressed in this presentation are
those of the Regional Advisor and do not
necessarily reflect the views of ESCWA.
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WTO AccessionMiddle Eastern Countries - Since
1995
New WTO Members Applicants Countries Other Countries
Jordan 11 April 2000 Oman 09 Nov. 2000 Algeria 1987 Lebanon 1999 Saudi Arabia 1993 Sudan 1994 Yemen 2000 Iraq Palestine
Jordan 11 April 2000 Oman 09 Nov. 2000 Syria 2002 Libya 2002 Iraq Palestine
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Marrakech AgreementEstablishing WTO for Accession
Article XII Accession takes place on TERMS
agreed between the applicant and WTO WTO
Agreements 24 Multilateral Agreements Single
Undertaking 2 plurilateral
Agreements Trade in Civil Air
Craft Government Procurement
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Accession WTO since 1995

• Politically complex
• Technically difficult
• One way lengthy and full-scale
• Trade-Partners requirements
• 1) increased considerably
• 2) may carry double standards conditions
• 3) subject to
• WTO plus commitments not covered by WTO
  agreements
• commitments on Government Procurement
• WTO minus denied nights under WTO

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Accession Process

• Request to the Director General
• General Council for consideration
• Establishment of Working party with standard
  terms of reference
• to examine the application of Government of
• ________ to accede to the World Trade
  Organization
• under article XII and submit to GC/MC
  recommendations
• which may include a draft Protocol of
  Accession
• Open to all WTO members IMF, UNCTAD, WB,

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Accession Process (contd)

• Fact Finding
• Memorandum (Foreign Trade Regime)
• Copies of legislation
• Data on applied duty rates
• Data on agricultural Domestic Support Export
  Subsidies
• Data on Services Factual information on their
  policies
• affecting trade in services
• Questions and answers in writing (document)

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Accession Process (contd)

• Bilateral Market Access Negotiations
• - Goods (agricultural, NA scheduling)
• - Services (schedules)
• Can overlap with fact finding and proceed in
  parallel.
• Completion of WP mandate
• Adoption of WP Reports Draft Protocol
• Domestic ratification (deposit) implementation.