RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/COM/9  
16 September  2020 
(20-6216) Page: 1/2 
Working Party on the Accession  
of the Union of the Comoros  Original:  French  
 
  
ACCESSION OF THE UNION OF THE COMOROS  
STATEMENT BY H.E.  MR ALI MSAIDIÉ,  
MINISTER OF THE ECONOMY RESPONSIBLE FOR TRADE  
AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR  
Fifth Meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Union of the Comoros  
Geneva, 1 4 September  2020 
1. As Minister of the Economy and Trade, and chief negotiator, I take the floor here to thank you 
for your presence, which is the source of fruitful and ever more constructive dialogue.  
2. As you are aware, this fifth meeting of the Workin g Party is taking place in very special 
conditions on account of the current world health situation resulting from  COVID -19. 
3. As at previous meetings, my remarks will address the progress made by the Comoros  since 
our last meeting, which was held in March 2018 at the WTO in Geneva.  
4. Full and detailed replies have been given to all the questions submitted by various delegations . 
Today, my delegation remains available to provide, whenever necessary and where possible, any 
other details requested, as has a lways been the case in previous negotiations.  
5. At the fourth meeting of the Working Party, the Comorian delegation to the negotiations 
showed its determination to accede to the WTO in 2018.  
6. We were buoyed by the momentum and by an unwavering desire to meet all the accession 
requirements . This was unanimously acknowledged and welcomed . We failed to meet our objective, 
but were not discouraged in any way . On the contrary . I would therefore like to reiterate this desire 
and commitment here, on be half of the Government of the Union of the Comoros.  
7. The results achieved in our bilateral negotiations, most notably with Canada, the European 
Union and the United States, are very promising and encourage us to persevere in our work with 
the same level of conscientiousness, in the firm belief that our discussions will conclude successfully 
and as soon as possible.  
8. Ladies and gentlemen,  I would now like to present a summary of the work done since the last 
Working Party  meeting . 
9. At this stage of the negotiations, all the sectoral questions asked at the fourth meeting of the 
Working Party have been answered.  
10. I am happy to inform Members that the following reforms have now been implemented by the 
Union of the Comoros:  
• Ratification of the Bangui Agreement on intellectual property law;  
• Adoption of the law on copyright and related rights;  
• Establishment of the commercial court;  JOB/ACC/COM/9  
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  • Establishment of the Customs Dispute Commission in accordance with the 
recommendations of the 2015 Customs Code;  
• Creation of a platform for public -private dialogue between the Government and the 
private sector (PPP) by decree of the President of the Republic;  
• Establishment of the Judicial Service Commission;  
• Establishment and entry into operation of the General Tax and P roperty 
Administration  (AGID);  
• Establishment of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC);  
• Establishment of a National TBT Committee;  
• All orders supplementing the transaction value are also signed and published;  
• A document setting out the national q uality policy has already been drafted and is in the 
process of being validated.  
11. Furthermore, two draft law s on the foreign trade regime and the Investment Code are being 
submitted to Parliament for consideration and adoption at the next session in October 2020. Thanks 
to a more homogeneous Parliament with a majority of elected members supporting government 
action, we firmly believe that we have greater understanding and stronger support from our 
members of Parliament . We are determined to continue purs uing our legislative agenda, in 
accordance with the commitments undertaken.  
12. As in the past, we will also resolve our administrative difficulties.  
13. In the present negotiating process with a view to our formal WTO accession, we can count on 
the renewe d support of the most senior state authorities, starting with the President of the Republic, 
H.E. Mr Azali Assoumani, who  also advocates the emergence of our country by 2030.  
14. This Working Party meeting provides me with an opportunity to once again express our 
deepest gratitude to the Sultanate of Oman, through its Permanent Mission in Geneva, and to the 
People's Republic of China, for their generous and fraternal support that has always enabled our 
country to participate effectively in all the Worki ng Party meetings that have taken place in Geneva.  
15. We would also like to thank the WTO Accessions Division for its dynamism and particularly 
effective and exemplary assistance.  
16. We extend our heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation to the Working Group Chair, 
H.E. Ambassador Chavez Basagoïtia . His vast experience as a seasoned diplomat, one who is 
attentive to ensuring a successful conclusion to our accession negotiations, is truly valuable to us . 
We cannot  thank him enough.  
17. I have not forgotte n all the other institutional and governmental partners who have assisted 
us from the outset . I request them to continue providing us with their valuable and instrumental 
support.  
18. We hope that the achievements presented here and the commitments underta ken will allow 
for the rapid conclusion of our negotiations for formal accession to the World Trade Organization at 
the next Ministerial Conference.  
19. This fifth meeting of the Working Party is an important stage in meeting this ultimate objective 
that l ies within our reach . I would  hope that it constitutes a happy occasion marking significant 
progress on issues that until now have remained pending and to which we have provided  the awaited 
proper response . 
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