RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/COM/10  
 
23 September 2021  
(21-7107) Page: 1/3 
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 MZE ABDOU MOHAMED CHANFIOU,  
MINISTER OF THE ECONOMY RESPONSIBLE FOR TRADE  
AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR  
Sixth Meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Union of the Comoros  
Geneva, 21 September 2021  
1. As new Minister of the Economy responsible for Trade, allow me firstly to express my sincere 
thanks for your supportive and positive presence which will, as ever, be a source of valuable and 
fruitful dialogue. Your presenc e is especially deserving of recognition and thanks given the current 
social context hampered  by the COVID -19 pandemic.  
2. Secondly, I should like to extend my warm thanks to the new Chair of the Working  Party, 
His Excellency, Mr Omar Zniber, Ambassador of th e Kingdom of Morocco to the Office of the 
United  Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva. I am confident that under his 
leadership, the process will make sufficient strides  to result in the completion of the negotiations 
and the formal acce ssion of the Comoros to the WTO.  
3. This also gives me an opportunity to pay a well -deserved tribute to the previous Chair of the 
Working  Party, Mr Luis Enrique Chávez Basagoitia, former Ambassador of Peru to the United  Nations 
Office and other International  Organizations in Geneva, who expertly and devotedly led the process 
to the advanced stage our negotiations have now reached.  
4. It is thanks to his efforts alongside the Working Party, the Accessions Division's ongoing 
technical support and specific experti se of certain WTO organizations, without forgetting the valuable 
work by officials at the Comorian Ministry of the Economy , in close collaboration with our Mission in 
Geneva, that our accession package  has reached this very advanced stage of the process.  
5. Naturally, I am making this statement in the context of the continuation of the work 
accomplished and outcomes achieved.  
6. To this end, I will outline the answers provided to the questions raised by a number of the 
Working Party's partners.  
7. I will also pre sent the administrative and legislative measures adopted by the Comorian side 
in accordance with the commitments made during the previous negotiations.  
8. Once I have given, in all sincerity, the explanations and clarifications that are expected on 
certain r emaining questions, and once I have informed you of the steps and reforms undertaken in 
response to the requests submitted to us in order to comply with WTO rules, I am confident that, 
like me, you will agree that the Comoros has done its utmost to conclud e the negotiations and calmly 
contemplate its accession to the WTO without any further delays.  JOB/ACC/COM/10  
 
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  9. Answers to the United States' additional questions have been provided and included in the 
updated draft final report distributed to Member States.  
10. The following initiatives have been taken under the action plans to ensure compliance of 
domestic laws with the WTO agreements:  
- Signing and publication of orders related to the Customs Code, to supplement the missing 
provisions, in compliance with the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation ; 
- Adoption and enactment of the new Criminal Code ; 
- Adoption and enactment of the new Investment Code ; 
- Adoption of the new Information and Communication Code ; 
- Adoption and enactment of the Law on Organization of the Courts ; 
- Adoption and enactment of the Law on Electronic Means of Payment ; 
- Adoption and enactment of the L aw on Cybercrime ; 
- Adoption and enactment of the Law on the Financial Department under  the Prosecutor's 
Office  of Moroni ; 
- Preparation of a draft order for signature, repealing the order prohibiting the importation of 
corn (Zea Mays) ; 
- Draft decree dismantlin g certain fiscal and parafiscal taxes at the customs cordon of the 
Union of the Comoros.  
11. Under the commitments made, the following taxes and fees are concerned by the fiscal and 
parafiscal reforms:  
- Advance tax payment (AI) ; 
- Import trade tax (PI) ; 
- Internati onal cooperation fee (RCI) ; 
- Chamber of commerce and industry (CCI) fee . 
12. To supplement this information, please allow me to return to two questions regularly raised 
by the United States:  
13. The first concerns the requirement to surrender foreign currency proceeds from export 
transactions. It simply involves crediting the exporter's account  through  his bank and not the central 
bank. Consequently, trade -related operations are not subject to any constraints related to financial 
relations between the Comoros and foreign trading partners.  
14. It is the banks that declare their external position to the central bank, in accordance with its 
banking supervisory role and the measures to combat money laundering and the financing of 
terrorism.  
15. The relevant refere nce texts, which will be submitted to the WTO Secretariat, are as follows:  
- Decree No. 87 -05/PR on the  financial relations between the Comoros and foreign countries ; 
- Circular No. of 7 February 2000 ; 
- Instruction No. 2 pursuant to Order No. 87 -05/PR ; 
- Circular  No. 91 -09; 
- Regulation No. 008/2015 BCC/DSBR on the repeal of texts applicable to financial institutions ; 
- Regulation No. 009/2015 BCC/DSBR on movements on external contra accounts . 
16. The second question relates to the elimination of the exclusive right granted to the public 
company, ONICOR, to import ordinary rice.  
17. The Comoros is willing to undertake a reform of the relevant law and to liberaliz e ordinary rice 
imports. Given the sensit ivity of this staple product, the Comorian authorities have requested the 
World  Bank to study the social impact of this liberalization and the World Bank has indicated that it 
is ready to conduct such a study.  JOB/ACC/COM/10  
 
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  18. The state of play regarding  the bilateral nego tiations for Comoros' accession to the WTO is as 
follows:  
- With the European Union, the ratification of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement 
covering goods' market access is effective. Discussions on trade in services are still under 
way and we hope t o conclude before the November 2021 conference;  
- With Canada, a draft agreement is ready and signature is expected in early November;  
- With the United States, the negotiations are making good progress and we hope to conclude 
before the November 2021 confere nce. 
19. We should like to share with you and with the WTO Secretariat the aim of drawing up a precise 
timetable of the last steps to be taken to accede to the WTO at the earliest opportunity, with all of 
our partners' support, in view of the efforts made by t he Comorian side since 2016 and underscored 
by all of the partners present at this meeting of the Working Party.  
20. During this process, the Comoros has relied on  technical assistance to help it meet the 
requirements arising from its accession to the WTO.  
21. I cannot close without expressing my gratefulness to key players and partners during our 
accession process, notably the Sultanate of Oman, the People's Republic of China and the 
WTO Secretariat.  
22. In this context of my country's optimism and commitment to join  the WTO, I thank you for 
your support and kind attention.  
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