PRESS RELEASE
PRESS/TPRB/201
13 September 2002
(02-4912)
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: MAURITANIA
Members commend the ambitious reforms undertaken
The Trade Policy Review Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded its first review of
Mauritania on 11 and 13 of September 2002. The text of the Chairperson’s concluding remarks isattached as a summary of the salient points which emerged during the discussion.
The review enables the TPRB to conduct a collective examination of the full range of trade policies
and practices of each WTO member countries at re gular periodic intervals to monitor significant
trends and developments which may have an  impact on the global trading system.
The review is based on two reports which are pr epared respectively by the WTO Secretariat and
the government under review and which cover all aspects of the country’s trade policies, including
its domestic laws and regulations, the institutional framework, bilateral, regional and otherpreferential agreements, the wider economic needs and the external environment. A record of the
discussion and the Chairperson’s summing-up together with these two reports will be published in
due course at the complete trade policy review of Mauritania and will be available from the WTOSecretariat, Centre William Rappard , 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Geneva 21.
Since December 1989, the following reports have been completed:  Argentina (1992
and 1999), Australia (1989, 1994 and 1998), Austria (1992), Bahrain (2000) Bangladesh (1992
and 2000), Benin (1997), Bolivia (1993 and 1999), Botswana (1998), Brazil (1992, 1996 and2000), Brunei Darussalam (2001), Burkina Faso (1998), Cameroon (1995 and 2001), Canada
(1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000), Chile (1991 and 1997), Colombia (1990 and 1996),
Costa Rica (1995 and 2001), Côte d’Ivoire (1995), Cyprus (1997), the Czech Republic (1996 and2001), the Dominican Republic (1996), Egypt (1992 and 1999), El Salvador (1996), the European
Communities (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2000), Fiji (1997), Finland (1992), Gabon (2001),
Ghana (1992 and 2001), Guatemala (2002), Guinea (1999), Hong Kong (1990, 1994 and 1998),Hungary (1991 and 1998), Iceland (1994 and 2000), India (1993 and 1998), Indonesia (1991,
1994 and 1998), Israel (1994 and 1999), Jamaica (1998), Japan (1990, 1992, 1995,1998 and
2000), Kenya (1993 and 2000), Korea, Rep. of (1992, 1996 and 2000), Lesotho (1998), Macao(1994 and 2001), Madagascar (2001), Malawi (2002), Malaysia (1993, 1997 and 2001), Mali
(1998), Mauritania (2002), Mauritius (1995 and 2001), Mexico (1993, 1997 and 2002), Morocco
(1989 and 1996), Mozambique (2001), New Zealand (1990 and 1996), Namibia (1998), Nicaragua(1999), Nigeria (1991 and 1998), Norway (1991, 1996 and 2000), OECS (2001), Pakistan (1995
and 2002), Papua New Guinea (1999), Paraguay (1997), Peru (1994 and 2000), the Philippines
(1993 and 1999), Poland (1993 and 2000), Romania (1992 and 1999), Senegal (1994), Singapore(1992, 1996 and 2000), Slovak Republic (1995 and 2001), the Solomon Islands (1998), SouthPRESS/TPRB/201
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Africa (1993 and 1998), Sri Lanka (1995), Swaziland (1998), Sweden (1990 and 1994),
Switzerland (1991, 1996 and 2000 (jointly with Liechtenstein)), Tanzania (2000), Thailand (1991,1995 and 1999), Togo (1999), Trinidad and Tobago (1998), Tunisia (1994), Turkey (1994 and
1998), the United States (1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2001), Uganda (1995 and 2001),
Uruguay (1992 and 1998), Venezuela (1996), Zambia (1996) and Zimbabwe (1994).
TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY:
REVIEW OF MAURITANIA
Concluding remarks of the Chairperson
This first Trade Policy Review of Mauritania has been very successful, having greatly enhanced our
understanding of Mauritania’s trade policies and pr actices, as well as of the country’s development
challenges. Our dialogue has been fruitful, in grea t part due to the open and active participation of
the Mauritania delegation headed by Minister Ould Abdel Kader, whose presence in this meetingwas a testimony of the importance that Mauritania attaches to the multilateral trading system.
Members commended Mauritania for the ambitious structural reforms undertaken since the early
1990s, which have transformed the country significantly, both in economic and political terms.
These reforms are aimed at reducing poverty and improving the population’s standard of living,
which clearly represent pressing and vital obje ctives for a least developed country. Mauritania
considers international trade to be an essential tool in achieving those aims, and has made trade
liberalization, much of it autonomous, a key element of its reform programme. This has entailed
the revision of numerous trade-related laws and regulations in order to modernize and bring them
into line with multilateral rules. Mauritania was encouraged to continue its liberalization efforts,
and to further enhance the transparency and predictability of its trade regime.
Mauritania’s institutional constraints were noted, as were the problems that these impose on its
fuller participation in the multilateral system, including the timely submission of notifications to the
WTO. Mauritania is among the first three pilot countries selected for the implementation of theIntegrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to least developed countries. In this
regard, Mauritania indicated that one of its priorities is to attain a better understanding of WTO
Agreements, including notifications and other multilateral commitments and issues. Anotherpriority is capacity-building for negotiations in light of the Doha Development Agenda. Members
concurred with Mauritania that the time had come to translate the studies undertaken in the
context of the Integrated Framework into practical action.
On specific trade measures, several Members drew attention to various issues concerning
Mauritania’s tariff regime, including the relatively high tariffs applied to certain products, mainlytextiles and clothing, footwear, headwear, and so me motor vehicles. They also pointed out the
important gap between applied and bound tariff rates, which undermines predictability, and
suggested that this gap be reduced in the context of the current market access negotiations.Members also encouraged Mauritania to extend its tariff bindings to the non-agricultural sector and
to transpose all bindings into the Harmonized System nomenclature.
Members appreciated the amendments to the cust oms valuation legislation, the harmonization of
the VAT rates, the elimination of fiscal exemptions for state enterprises, the new investment code,
as well as the rationalization and reduction of MFN duties and taxes. They also valued the limitednumber of non-tariff barriers. However, concerns were expressed about the application of labelling
requirements, and delegations stressed that such requirements should not discriminate betweenPRESS/TPRB/201
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domestic and foreign producers. It was noted that Mauritania receives non-reciprocal preferential
access to the markets of key trading partners.
On sectoral policies, Members noted that services and agriculture were the most important sectors
in terms of their contribution to GDP, but that manufacturing remained embryonic. Mauritania wascommended for having liberalized its agricultural sector. As the fisheries and mining sectors
account for almost all merchandise exports, Members urged Mauritania to continue its efforts to
address its supply-side constraints, and to diversify its production and export base.
Members praised Mauritania for its efforts in privatizing and removing market access barriers in
services sectors such as telecommunications, banking, and air transport. Several Membersencouraged Mauritania to further open services activities to private investment, bearing in mind
Mauritania’s positive experience with liberalization. Members urged Mauritania to submit a
comprehensive services offer in the ongoing GATS negotiations.
Members also sought further clarification on a number of other specific areas, including:
• Mauritania’s poverty reduction programme;
• privatization and state trading;
• the foreign direct investment regime;
• preferential trade arrangements;
• contingency measures; and
• protection of intellectual property rights.
The delegation of Mauritania provided written and oral replies to questions posed during the
Review. The replies provided have made a major co ntribution to this meeting, and were clearly
appreciated by all Members.
This brings us to the conclusion of our Review of Mauritania. As we had hoped, through this
Review we have gained a first-hand appreciation of Mauritania’s achievements, particularly since
the beginning of the 1990s, and of the significant challenges that as a least developed country it
still faces. Mauritania reiterated the importance it attaches to trade liberalization as a developmentinstrument, and to its fuller participation in the WTO. Members were conscious that Mauritania’s
efforts need to be buttressed externally, and ga ve assurances of help through bilateral and
multilateral technical assistance. I sincerely trust that they will follow through on this with concreteactions. I congratulate you all for the positive Review of Mauritania and thank you for your
participation.
END