Comoros Reaffirms Ambition to Secure WTO Membership
by Next Ministerial Conference
The Comoros stressed its strong commitment to conclude
formal accession negotiations to the WTO by the next Ministerial Conference. At
the fifth meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Comoros on 14
September, WTO members welcomed the efforts of the Comoros to bring its trade
regime in conformity with WTO rules but underlined that significant progress
will be needed, in particular with regard to the adoption of trade-related
legislation.
The
meeting took place in hybrid form, with the delegation of the Comoros joining
from the capital, Moroni, and the Working Party
Chair, Ambassador Luis Enrique Chávez Basagoitia of
Peru, linking from Lima. Mr Houmed
M'Saidié, Minister of Economy, Investment and Energy
of the Comoros, and WTO chief negotiator, led the high-level delegation, which
also included Mr Djounaid Soilihi, State Secretary for the Civil Service.
Minister
M'Saidié recalled the willingness of the Comoros to
swiftly complete the accession negotiations. Following the elections held in
January this year, the Comoros Parliament will "continue to pursue the
legislative agenda, in line with the commitments made," Mr M'Saidié said. "We hope
that with the results presented here and the commitments made, we can look
forward to the early conclusion of the formal accession negotiations to the WTO
at the next Ministerial Conference. This fifth meeting of the Working Party is
an important step towards this ultimate goal," he added. His full
statement is available here.
The
Working Party Chair noted: "The accession of the Comoros remains one of
the most advanced dossiers. However, much remains to be done before the Comoros
can cross the finishing line. … It is my hope that today's meeting will reset
the engine of these accession negotiations and put the process on track for
completion in the near future."
Deputy
Director-General Alan Wolff commended the work done so far by the Comoros in
order to move its accession negotiations to a relatively advanced stage.
"I'm particularly happy to see that the Working Party is meeting again
after two and a half years. I hope that today's meeting will inject fresh
energy and mark the beginning of another very active phase, which will
ultimately lead to the conclusion of the accession process," he said.
Ambassador
Chávez Basagoitia stressed the importance of domestic
reforms and related legislative developments. Members welcomed the efforts of
the Government of the Comoros to enact relevant legislation, in particular with
regard to the implementation of the new Customs Code, but noted that an
important effort remains to be made on that front. The Chair called on the
Comoros to provide a revised Legislative Action Plan and to prioritize the
adoption of accession-related legislation. WTO-related draft laws should also
be presented where appropriate, he noted.
The
Comoros has signed three bilateral agreements on market access and four
bilateral negotiations on market access have yet to be completed.
Noting
the encouraging progress achieved in this area, the Chair invited members and
the Comoros to continue to nurture their dialogue, both in Geneva and between
capitals, so that the remaining bilateral negotiations can be concluded as soon
as possible. "The sooner this happens, the sooner the Secretariat can
begin to consolidate all agreements reached to produce draft schedules on goods
and services," said Ambassador Chávez Basagoitia.
Members
who have questions or comments should submit them in writing to the WTO
Secretariat by 12 October. As soon as the Comoros has provided written
responses, a new set of questions and answers will be formally circulated to
members, as a consolidated document, for consideration at the next meeting of
the Working Party. The Secretariat will prepare a revised draft report of the
Working Party on the basis of the new set of contributions presented by Moroni.
At
the bilateral level, the Chair urged delegations to conclude the remaining
bilateral negotiations by the end of the year. He also stressed the critical
importance of technical assistance, particularly in areas where the Comoros
would need transitional arrangements as indicated in the action plans.
The
date of the sixth meeting of the Working Party was left open. "The
presentation of technical contributions will be the driving force of the
process. We would also need to see substantial progress on the legislative
front and other positive developments in the bilateral market access
negotiations. … I hope that concrete progress can be made by the end of the
year. This will allow us to look forward to the next meeting of the Working
Group in early 2021," said the Chair.
The
Comoros is a least-developed country in the Indian Ocean, with a population of
approximately 870,000. The Government of the Union of the Comoros applied for
accession to the WTO in February 2007, and the Working Party was established in
October 2007. In October 2013, the country submitted its Memorandum on the
Foreign Trade Regime. The first meeting of the Working Party on the Accession
of the Union of the Comoros was held on 2 December 2016.