RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/TPR/G/86
28 May 2001
(01-2577)
Trade Policy Review Body Original: French
TRADE POLICY REVIEW
GABON
Report by the Government
Pursuant to the Agreement Establishing the Trade Policy Review Mechanism
(Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade
Organization), the policy statement by the Government of Gabon is attached.
Note: This report is subject to restricted circulation and press embargo until the end of the meeting of
the Trade Policy Review Body on Gabon.Gabon WT/TPR/G/86
Page 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I. OVERVIEW 5
(1) GEOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW , WORKING  LANGUAGE , CURRENCY 5
(2) EVOLUTION OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)5
(3) EVOLUTION OF PUBLIC FINANCE AND DEBT 5
(4) PRICES , EMPLOYMENT AND SALARIES 6
(5) INVESTMENT AND SAVING 6
(6) BALANCE OF PAYMENTS (TRADE BALANCE )7
(7) REGIONAL COOPERATION 7
II. TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES 7
(1) GENERAL TRADE POLICY OBJECTIVES 7
(2) LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF TRADE POLICY 8
(3) SECTORIAL TRADE POLICIES 10
(i) Forestry 10
(ii) Fisheries 10
(iii) Agriculture and livestock breeding 11(iv) Mining 11(v) Services 12
III. GABON AND THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM 13
(1)
IMPLEMENTATION OF AGREEMENTS AND PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED 13
(2) GABON AND FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS 15Gabon WT/TPR/G/86
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I. OVERVIEW
(1) GEOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW , WORKING LANGUAGE , CURRENCY
1. Gabon is a Central African country, bordered to the north by Cameroon and Equatorial
Guinea, to the east and south by the Republic of the Congo and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean.  It
is crossed by the Equator from east to west, and 85 per cent of its area is covered by forest.  Gabon is
a former French colony and became independent on 17 August 1960.  The official language is French.
The currency of transaction is the franc of the Communauté Financière Africaine (African Financial
Community), the CFA franc (CFAF), which is pegged to the French franc (FF) at a parity established
in accordance with the franc area agreements.  The disappearance of the French franc in favour of the
euro will mean the CFAF will become linked to the latter.
(2) EVOLUTION OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)
2. From 1995 to 2000, the Gabonese economy recorded an average annual growth rate of 1.5 per
cent in real terms. GDP increased at an annual average rate of 4.7 per cent between 1995 and 1997,
reaching a peak of 5.7 per cent in 1997.  1997 was, in fact, a year of economic prosperity,
characterized by an increase in both the prices and production of the main raw materials (petroleum,
timber and manganese).
3. In 1998, GDP shrank (-3.5 per cent), owing in part to the fall in oil prices and depreciation of
the US dollar and to the slump in the wood sector in the wake of the Asian crisis.
4. 1998 trends were confirmed in 1999 when, following years of positive growth, the Gabonese
economy posted extremely negative growth (-9.6 per cent).  This downturn was linked to the decline
in both oil GDP (-11.3 per cent) and non-oil GDP (-10.7 per cent).  The setback experienced by the
non-oil sector came as a result of the sharp cut in State expenditure and the wait-and-see attitude of
the private corporate sector; that of the oil sector, on the other hand, was caused by the continued fallin production, attributable to the ageing of the main oil fields and ever weaker world oil prices.
5. A turnaround in the economic climate was discernible in the year 2000 as a result of the
sudden rise in the prices of the main export products and strength of the US dollar and sparked off an
appreciable recovery in activity, negative growth being limited to a mere 1 per cent.
(3) 
EVOLUTION OF PUBLIC FINANCE AND DEBT
6. Despite the drop in oil revenues recorded in 1998, total budget revenue stabilized at an
average of 32 per cent of GDP between 1995 and 2000.  Non-oil revenues also increased, although
less dramatically despite the marked recovery in  activity in the wood and services sectors and the
implementation of the customs and fiscal reform.
7. In this context, the years 1995 to 1998 saw a rise in and automatic stabilization of public
spending, which climbed from 26.3 per cent of GDP in 1995 to 48.5 per cent in 1998.  The ensuing
deficit could not be sustained by public finances, hence the 1998 crisis.  The implementation of an
austerity policy as of 1999 led to a decline in the ratio of budgetary expenditure from 27.5 per cent of
GDP in 1999 to 22.5 per cent of GDP in 2000.  The primary budget balance, which had showed a
surplus since 1995, was in deficit in 1998 for the first time.
8. In 1998, the State was unable to meet all of its contractual expenditure and fell into arrears
with settlements of both internal and external government debt.  The primary balance nevertheless
improved, passing from –6.3 per cent of GDP in 1998 to +15.6 per cent of GDP in the year 2000.  TheWT/TPR/G/86 Trade Policy Review
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overall balance (commitment basis), which was in deficit in 1998 (-14 per cent of GDP), once again
showed a surplus in 2000 at 9.9 per cent of GDP.
9. Outstanding external public debt (excluding IMF) decreased from CFAF 2,249.7 billion in
1999 to CFAF 2,159.4 billion in 2000.  This level of indebtedness represented 81.3 per cent of GDP
in 1999 and 65.9 per cent of GDP in 2000.  Bilateral debt represented around 85 per cent of total
external debt, and multilateral debt 15 per cent.
10. Within the framework of its reform programm e backed by the Bretton Woods institutions,
Gabon has made great efforts to normalize relations with its major creditors; arrears on the foreign
debt of the Gabonese State amounted to CFAF 505 billion on 31 March 2000.
11. Gabon, as a middle-income country, is not eligible for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC) Initiative and the debt relief which does apply to it therefore only affects very small amounts.
12. Foreign debt servicing, which represents over 50 per cent of State expenditure, has become an
unbearable burden on the State budget.  This troubling situation is fuelled by the downward trend in
export earnings, in particular from oil, and may prove uncontrollable in the absence of specific
measures for Gabon's debt by the international community.
13. Internal debt consists of various government financial obligations and trade agreements and
was reduced to CFAF 350 billion in 1998.
(4) PRICES , EMPLOYMENT AND SALARIES
14. The inflation rate estimated on the basis of the consumer price index for low-income
households fell from 9.6 per cent in 1995 to 1 per cent in 2000.  The implementation of a strict BEAC
(Bank of Central African States) monetary policy contributed to greater control of inflationary
pressures.
15. The employment situation in Gabon greatly improved from 1995 to 2000 although the
unemployment rate is still high.  Total modern sector salaried employees increased from 97,865 in
1995 to 107,324 in the year 2000, or 9.7 per cent.  A total of 9,469 jobs were created during this
period, mostly in the private sector.
16. Despite recent encouraging improvements in the Gabonese economy, unemployment
continues to climb.  The unemployment rate stands at around 20 per cent of the working population.This rate can be explained primarily by the persistent sluggishness of the Gabonese economy, then by
the weakness of its production base, and finally by the mismatch between skills and labour market
requirements.
(5) 
INVESTMENT AND SAVING
17. The investment rate jumped from 22.7 per cent of GDP in 1995 to 39.1 per cent of GDP in
1998 before falling once again to 29.8 per cent of GDP in 2000.  The marked growth in investment in
1997 and 1998 was due to the increase in public investment as a result of major public works and
private investment by the non-oil sector.
18. The element of domestic demand most affected by the recession is investment, a situation
which the 33.5 per cent to 29.8 per cent fall in the gross national saving rate has merely exacerbated.The recently established Agency for the Promotion of  Private Investment (APIP) could, if effective,
curb this decline.Gabon WT/TPR/G/86
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(6) BALANCE OF PAYMENTS (TRADE BALANCE )
19. Gabon's main exports are raw materials, more precisely crude oil, timber and manganese to
the United States of America, France and China.  These products represent on average 97.0 per cent
of the total value of exports, with oil taking pride of place.  Oil represented 78.1 per cent of total
export sales in 1995 and 81.9 per cent in the year 2000.  The ratio of exports to GDP was 55 per cent
in 1995, 42.5 per cent in 1998 and 73.8 per cent in 2000.
20. Imports increased steadily until 1998.  The trend reversed in 1999, with the value of imports
amounting to 552.3 billion in the year 2000, as against 686.2 billion in 1998 and 560.6 billion in 1999.
Imports corresponded to 17.8 per cent of GDP in 1995 and 18 per cent in 2000, which testifies to a
certain stability in Gabon's demand for imports.
21. The trade balance retained a structural surplus from 1995 to 2000.  Gabon's trade performance
was not, however, consistent throughout this period.  The trade balance increased by 31.7 per cent
from 1995 to 1996 but fell back by 3.7 per cent and 62.4 per cent in 1997 and 1998 respectively,
although 1998 was marked by the Asian crisis and a fall in world oil prices.  The 1999 trade balance
more than doubled in comparison with 1998 (CFA F 977.9 billion in 1999 as against 439.2 billion in
1998) and climbed again strongly in 2000 to reach CFAF 1,713.3 billion, a 75.2 per cent increase.
(7) REGIONAL COOPERATION
22. Gabon has just proved its resolve to make regional integration an economic policy objective
by creating a specific government department responsible for regional integration.  This confirms its
faith in the regional institutions of which it is a member (the Central African Customs and Economic
Union (CACEU), now the Central African Eco nomic and Monetary Community (CAEMC), the
Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)  and the franc area) and is paralleled by its
action for conflict resolution, an essential element in the development process.
II. TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES
(1) GENERAL TRADE POLICY OBJECTIVES
23. General trade policy objectives take their bearing from a few major characteristics of the
domestic environment which constitute as many constraints, namely, a net food-importing economy,
concentrated and poorly diversified exports, polariz ed partnership, uncompetitiveness, a high cost of
living and burgeoning multilateral cooperation with trade promotion and regulatory institutions.
24. These constraints have led to the following general objectives being set for trade policy:
- Trade centred on meeting domestic needs.  This objective arises from the need to
guarantee the population and economy as a whole the availability of inexpensive
goods and services;
- trade geared towards competition in foreign markets.  Gabon should take advantage
of the opportunities afforded it by international trade and attend to the development of
non-traditional exports (wood processing, out-of-season horticultural products, fish
products, etc.);
- trade centred on the increasingly important role played by services.  Gabon suffers
from obvious problems of competitiveness with regard to goods production, but, on
the other hand, boasts great assets in many service areas (financial services,WT/TPR/G/86 Trade Policy Review
Page 8
telecommunications, engineering, etc.).  A strategy aiming at capitalizing on these
comparative advantages has therefore to be developed;
- trade which is underpinned by the industri alization policy and promotion of tourism
and the craft industry.  Clearing up bottlenecks and taking action with regard to
production factor costs could herald the development of some key industries whichcould, in turn, provide a base for supplying both domestic and international demand;
- commercial diplomacy by means of greater participation in drawing up and
negotiating global policies, thanks to more active cooperation with multilateral trade
and development organizations.  Gabon does not take sufficient advantage of theopportunities afforded it by the multilateral trading system.  Action will therefore be
taken to step up technical cooperation, capacity building and market access;  and
- international markets: this approach presupposes diversification of the production
base and increased investment.
(2) 
LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF TRADE POLICY
25. Trade policy forms part of the Government's overall economic policy .  After long sustaining
State intervention in the economy, trade policy, like economic policy as a whole, is now attempting to
define, within the context of the globalization of economic activity and trade, the legal framework of
private investment and endeavouring to ensure that it is assigned to priority sectors.  The customs and
tax reform implemented within the framework of th e CAEMC and liberalization of international trade
are in line with this new direction.
26. Gabon's trade policy is structured around laws and regulations on both the internal and
external fronts, intended to attract and promote private investment on the one hand and support trade
development on the other.
(a) Internal measures
27. These measures relate to the legal framework establishing the conditions for engaging in
trading, manufacturing or craft activities, fiscal consolidation and State withdrawal from the
production sector.
(b) Regulatory framework
28. Besides the relevant OHADA provisions, namely the Uniform Act Relating to Commercial
Companies and Economic Interest Groups, the Uniform Act Relating to General Commercial Law
and the Uniform Act on Organizing Securities, engaging in trading, manufacturing or craft activity is
also subject to the provisions of Ordinance N o. 10/89/PR of 28 September 1989 governing trading,
manufacturing and craft activities, Ordinance No. 50/78 of 21 August 1978 relating to quality control
of food and foodstuffs, Decree No. 766/PR/MICOIN of 10 June 1983 regulating foreign trade activityand Order No. 333/MCIPMEARSPP/SG/DGI/DE of 20 November 1985 on retail trade.
29. A number of provisions in these texts could have been regarded as trade barriers.  They were
therefore amended by the following official orders so as to respect Gabon's international commitments
and take global evolution into account: Decree No. 000455/PR/MCIDI/MEFBP of 14 June 1999 on
import liberalization, Order No. 00087/MCDI/SG/DGDI of 2 June 1999 on the mandatory registration
of trade names, Decree No. 116/PR/MFEBP-P ART of 5 February 1996 revoking bans andGabon WT/TPR/G/86
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quantitative restrictions on imports, Decree No. 541 of 24 May 1989 liberalizing the trade margins of
imported goods and prices of locally manufactured goods, Decree No. 772/PR/MCIRS/MFBP of
23 August 1994 revoking import and export authorization.
30. These amendments have resulted in a less restrictive and more predictable and stable
environment for economic operators.  This evolved further under Law No. 14/98 of 28 July 1998
establishing the competition system, Law No. 15/98 of 23 July 1998 instituting the investment charter,Ordinance No. 006/2000 of 12 February 2000 founding the Agency for the Promotion of Private
Investment (APIP) and finally the law on the Ile de Mandji free zone.  The Gabonese government is
resolved to continue working towards liberalization and trade facilitation with a view to enhancing the
productive capacity of the national economy and thus reaping the benefits of participation in the
multilateral trading system.  The new Trade Code which is in the pipeline will affirm these trends.
(c) Fiscal consolidation
31. State public finances, which were already in a rather critical situation, have considerably
deteriorated over the last few years as a result of slack demand for and the dramatic fall in the prices
of the main raw materials exported and the debt-servicing burden.
32. This situation has been exacerbated by the exclusion of Gabon - an upper-middle income
country - from the main debt relief mechanisms.  The country's present high level of debt hinders any
redeployment of public spending to alleviate poverty.
33. Gabon has just signed an 18- month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF which includes
financial support equivalent to SDR 92.5 million.  The Government's objective is fiscal consolidation
by means of measures to optimize tax revenue and reduce current expenditure (non-interest).
Economic and financial policies also aim to raise the quality of public spending and improve
transparency of financial management and governance generally.
34. Special emphasis is also placed on improving government capacities and efficiency.
Modernization of the government is seen as a major factor in the overall efficiency of Gabonese
society.
35. Finally, a draft law against corruption, intended to encourage transparency in management
and respect of the rule of law and to prevent illicit enrichment, has just been submitted to Parliament.
(d) External measures
36. External measures concern firstly the tariff policy and tax and customs regulations common to
all CAEMC member countries, and then the dense network of bilateral agreements defining the
environment for investment and trade between Gabon and some of its economic and trading partners.
(e) Tariff policy
37. The tariff policy is based on the Common External Tariff (CET), as defined by
Law No. 7/93UDEAC-556-SE1 of 21 June 1993 revisi ng the CET and establishing the procedure for
applying the generalized preferential tariff (GPT).  The CET consists of the customs duty and, as the
case may be, a temporary surcharge.  There are four rates - 5 per cent, 10 per cent, 20 per cent and
30 per cent - which apply respectively to category 1:  staples;  category 2:  raw materials and capitalassets;  category 3:  intermediate and miscellaneous goods;  and category 4:  wage goods.  Categories
3 and 4 will eventually be amalgamated and negotiations to that effect are already under way withinWT/TPR/G/86 Trade Policy Review
Page 10
the CAEMC.  The temporary surcharge applicable to certain products should be eliminated on
30 June 2000.
38. The tariff policy is based on the customs regulations defined chiefly by the CAEMC tariff
nomenclature which, in turn, is based on the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity
Description and Coding System (commonly know n as the HS Convention) to which Gabon is a
contracting party, and the CAEMC customs code which follows the broad outline of the InternationalConvention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (or Kyoto Convention).
39. At Gabon's insistent request, this customs code is currently being reviewed by the CAEMC
with a view to adding provisions which are yet more attractive to investment and trade as regards
processing regimes and trade facilitation measures, in line with the Protocol of Amendment to the
Kyoto Convention adopted in June 2000 by the Council of the World Customs Organization (WCO).
(f) Bilateral trade agreements
40. The process of signing trade and economic cooperation agreements with a view to
establishing a legal framework for trade between Gabon and the rest of the world is continuing.  To
date, over thirty (30) such agreements have been signed and others, with Kenya, Algeria, Egypt,
Guinea, South Africa, Morocco, Turkey, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, are currentlybeing negotiated.
41. Gabon wishes to make greater use of this kind of instrument to promote investment and trade.
(3) 
SECTORAL TRADE POLICIES
(i) Forestry
42. Gabon has 22 million hectares of forest and the forestry sector accounts for 4 per cent of GDP
and 16 per cent of the country's exports.  It boasts more than 8,000 species of which 400 have been
identified and 75 exploited to date.  The latter can be divided into two main categories:  okoume/ozigoand other species.  Okoume and ozigo are under a State monopoly and are marketed exclusively by
the Société Nationale des Bois du Gabon (SNBG); the other species (various types of wood) are
marketed by the logging companies (producers) themselves.
43. Within the framework of valorizing the co untry's timber, the Gabonese Government has
scaled down the marketing of undressed timber to encourage a first stage of processing and thereforethe marketing of processed goods.  New legislation promoting wood processing has therefore been
implemented and has resulted in new processing units being set up at national level, thereby stepping
up the processing rate, which stood at 4 per cent a few years ago and is expected to reach almost
12 per cent in 2001.  A new forestry code confirming this approach and emphasizing sustainable
development has just been adopted by Parliament.
(ii) Fisheries
44. Gabon boasts 800 kilometres of coastline and a myriad of watercourses covering an area of
10,000 km
2.  Fishing activity is subdivided into small-scale local fishing, industrial fishing, inland
fishing and aquaculture.
45. Production totalled 60,040 tonnes in 1999.  As far as the activities of the various branches are
concerned, small-scale local fishing, the 1999 production of which totalled an estimated
40,086 tonnes, is characterized by a high proportion of foreign fishermen working at differentGabon WT/TPR/G/86
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locations.  Industrial fishing, with an estimated production of fish, molluscs and crustaceans totalling
16,454 tonnes, is carried out by trawlers, shrimp vessels, line-fishing vessels and tuna boats.  Inland
fishing, in spite of considerable potential in terms of fisheries resources, remains a seasonal and
subsistence activity of inland populations, with total production estimated at 9,000 tonnes.
46. For all its assets, Gabon remains dependent on foreign countries to meet its domestic fishery
product requirements.  The objectives of the new fisheries development policy are as follows:
- To guarantee food security by stepping up production and developing aquaculture;
- to create employment at all levels of the industry;- to improve the sector's contribution to the country's GDP;  and- to exploit fisheries resources in a sustainable and controlled fashion.
(iii) Agriculture
47. Although Gabon is highly dependant upon foreign countries for its food supply and despite
great potential in terms of available land, human capital and climate, the country's agricultural sector
is very marginalized and inefficient.  Its contribution to GDP stands at around 5 per cent.
48. Gabon's agricultural sector is characterized by two subsectors displaying very marked
differences: an agro-industrial subsector made up of seven industries, part of the production of which
is for export (cocoa, coffee and rubber), and small farm agriculture, of which the bulk of production is
earmarked for on-farm consumption and only the surplus is marketed.
49. Under the current legislation, agricultural prices are market-based.  Purchases of export
products (coffee and cocoa) from planters are made in line with a State-approved price system.
Rubber purchase prices are determined on the basis of world prices.
50. Since Gabon's foodstuff imports account for around 80 per cent of national consumption
requirements, the Government has implemented consumer protection measures.  Imports of
foodstuffs, plants and livestock are therefore subject to quality control pursuant to Law No. 7/77 of15 December 1977 and Ordinance No. 50/78 of 21 August 1978.
51. Gabon is therefore a net importer.  In an endeavour to reverse this trend, the Government has
adopted a strategy which places the emphasis on raising small- and medium-sized farm production
through a range of incentives.  The second stage of this process will be to facilitate the establishment
of processing units with a view to sparking off the industrialization of the sector, which is a potentialsource of employment and foreign currency.
(iv) Mining
52. Oil, manganese and gold (the latter from traditional, small-scale mining) are the main mining
sector products.  The Gabonese economy is highly dependent on oil which, in 1999, represented
77 per cent of export earnings, contributed around 45 per cent of GDP and generated around 60 percent of budget revenue.  Gabon produced 13 million tonnes of oil in 2000;  95 per cent of this was
exported, the rest being processed by the SOGARA (Société Gabonaise de Raffinage).WT/TPR/G/86 Trade Policy Review
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53. The ageing of some oil fields, the faster-than-expected depletion of the Rabi field and above
all the lack of new finds likely to offset the falloff in production of the Rabi field are causing a decline
in oil production, and thus in State revenue.
54. Mining is currently confined to uranium ores (exhausted since 1999), manganese ores and
traditional small-scale gold extraction.  The Moanda deposit has turned Gabon into the second-
ranking supplier of manganese on the world market.
55. COMILOG (Compagnie Minière de l'Ogooué) exploits two types of products: metallurgical-
grade ore, which represents 95 per cent of production in terms of volume and 90 per cent in terms of
value, and manganese dioxide, which is used to manufacture electric batteries.
56. Manganese is exported mostly to industrialized countries at prices determined by the
international market.  The company's economic and financial environment saw a change for the worsein 1999 owing to excess supply on the world market.
57. Gabon has so far only exploited gold from river sediment and on a small scale using
traditional methods (gold panning).  A new, more attractive mining code establishes the framework
for petroleum and mining research, exploitation and distribution activities in the country.
(v) Services
(a) Transport
58. The transport system at the disposal of Gabon's domestic and foreign trade includes a skeletal
road network, a railway network, a maritime transport network with two main ports, Libreville-
Owendo and Port Gentil, a partly navigable netw ork of waterways off the River Ogooué, and an
airline network.
59. The State has invested heavily in basic transport infrastructures and has entrusted
management of the economic units which use these different means of transport to private economicoperators.  The company operating the railway has therefore been privatized and there are plans to
privatize both the airline (Air Gabon) and harbour facilities (Office des ports et rades du Gabon -
OPRAG).
(b) Tourism
60. Tourism is still relatively underdeveloped.  The Government is developing policies to
improve this area on the basis of Gabon's tourism development master plan.
61. Within the framework of current structural reforms, the public authorities have decided to
make the tourism sector a driving force of the economy.  An Ordinance on tourism investments has
therefore been issued and offers incentives to pr ivate partners wishing to launch out into tourism-
related activities.
62. The new government strategy is based on the development of tourist sites and the
strengthening of existing hotel infrastructure, and has a policy of providing funding for concrete
projects.  Three tourism development models have therefore been identified:
- Tourism within easy reach of the capital;
- tourism based on "campements villageois" or village camps;  andGabon WT/TPR/G/86
Page 13
- tourism at integrated or differentiated sites.
Tourism in Gabon is indeed feasible.(c) Telecommunications
63. The Government has decided, within the framew ork of the ongoing structural reforms, to
liberalize the telecommunications sector, as a result of which the company GABON TELECOM has
been established.  The mobile telephony market is split between three operators:  LIBERTIS,
TELECEL and CELTEL.
(d) Banks and insurance
64. In Gabon, monetary policy and bank supervision are managed within the framework of the
monetary cooperation and franc area agreements of the BEAC (Bank of Central African States), of
which Gabon is a member.  Monetary policy aims to consolidate the position of the franc area's net
foreign assets whilst keeping inflation down in  line with the CFA franc-euro fixed parity.
65. The data for 1998 and 1999 show the overall financial position of the banks to be satisfactory
in terms of solvency and profitability.  The prudential ratios of the Central African Banking
Commission (COBAC) have been observed by the four major banks operating in Gabon (BICIG,
UGB, BGFI and CITIBANK).
66. The banking market is highly competitive and is led by sound, modern and profitable
establishments.  As far as insurance is concerned, Gabon applies the Insurance Code of the
Inter-African Conference on Insurance Markets (CIMA), of which it is a member.
III. GABON AND THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM
67. As a founder Member of the WTO, Gabon sets great store by the development of a
flourishing multilateral trading system which is mutu ally beneficial to the community of nations.  The
Gabonese Government resolutely sets its economic policy within this framework, as shown by its
involvement in the work which paved the way for the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO.
68. Gabon's ratification of the WTO Agreement requires it to implement its main rules, notably
those on market access, that is to say, the application of the Agreement on Rules of Origin, the
Customs Valuation Agreement, tariff concessions and the Agreement on Preshipment Inspection.
Gabon is, however, also closely following the prepar ation of the agenda for the new round of trade
negotiations in the wake of the setback in Seattle.
(1) 
IMPLEMENTATION OF AGREEMENTS AND PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
69. Since the entry into force of the Uruguay Round Agreements, Gabon, like the other CAEMC
member countries and Africa in general, has come up against major problems relating to their
implementation.
(a) Tariff negotiations
70. Gabon bound all of its tariff lines for both agricultural and non-agricultural products as
indicated in Schedule XVII annexed to the GATT of 1994 at the conclusion of the Uruguay Round inWT/TPR/G/86 Trade Policy Review
Page 14
Marrakesh.  Apart from the exceptions mentioned in the Schedule, tariff bindings on agricultural
products therefore stand at 60 per cent and thos e on non-agricultural products at 15 per cent.
71. This commitment has little chance of being fulfilled, in particular with regard to
non-agricultural products, of which 40 per cent of the tariff lines exceed the bound level of 15 per
cent.  This is the case since these products come under categories 3 and 4 of the Common External
Tariff (CET), the rates of which are set at 20 per cent and 30 per cent respectively by CAEMC.Gabon has no powers as regards the CET;  on the other hand, it does comply with the undertaking on
agricultural products, since bound duty rates are 60 per cent whereas the rate actually applied is 30 per
cent.
72. Consequently, Gabon has had to maintain the temporary surcharge instituted by
Act No. 7/93-UDEAC to provide additional protection for its infant industry.  This cannot, however,continue for much longer.
73. Pursuant to Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994, Gabon therefore intends to renegotiate tariff
concessions with France, its main trading partner, and to offer a substantial cut in bound duty rates on
agricultural products in exchange for higher tariff bindings on non-agricultural products.  This
solution has the advantage of allowing Gabon to respect its international commitments and remove
the temporary surcharge more easily.
(b) Notification
74. Gabon has not managed to comply with the notification requirement for national provisions
falling within the scope of WTO Agreements despite the existence of national measures in these
fields.  This situation can be explained by the fact that the government departments concerned have
not yet mastered the notification procedures.
(c) Customs valuation
75. On 4 April 1999, Gabon notified the WTO Secretariat of the CAEMC (formerly CACEU)
acts transposing into Community law the Agreemen t on the Implementation of Article VII of the
GATT 1994 on the customs valuation of import goods.  Gabon took the opportunity to thank the
WTO Secretariat, on behalf of the other CAEMC members, for its assistance with this transposition
and for the training courses on the Agreement which it had agreed to organize for Gabonese customsofficers.  Although the Agreement should have been implemented on 1 January 2000 (on a delayed
basis of five years from 1994), concern over ensuring the uniform application of the customs
regulations in all CAEMC countries has led to its actual implementation being delayed yet further.
(d) Intellectual property
76. Gabon, along with the other AIPO Member Stat es, signed the Agreement Establishing the
WTO on 15 April 1994 in Marrakesh, and therefore also the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).  The TRIPS Agreement establishes rules such as the new
minimum standards for the existence and scope of such rights and their effective enforcement, to
mention but two.
77. Since Member States are required to incorporate these rules into their own legal systems,
Gabon, together with its fellow AIPO partners, immediately embarked upon a major review of the
Bangui Agreement to bring it into line with the TRIPS Agreement.  This work culminated in the
signing of a new agreement by Member States' pl enipotentiaries in Bangui on 24 February 1999.  TheGabon WT/TPR/G/86
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revised agreement will come into force once it has been ratified by 10 of the 15 Member States.
Seven have already done so and there are great hopes that this target will be reached by July 2001.
78. A Committee made up of representatives of the various government departments concerned
(Justice, Customs, Economic police, Culture, Industry and Foreign Affairs) has been formed to follow
up the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement and meets regularly in Libreville.
79. The Gabonese Government, determined to combat violations of intellectual property rights,
has set up a special administrative unit responsible for policing infringement.  The action taken by this
unit in the field are yielding encouraging results.
(e) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
80. The lack of a reliable monitoring tool is a matter of the greatest concern to the Gabonese
Government.  The implementation of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, the Agreement onTechnical Barriers to Trade (TBT), the Agreement on Agriculture (ASA) and the Agreement on
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) has, in all cases, proved ineffective for
want of operational capabilities.  The Government would like a number of its technical staff to benefit
from the training organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Trade
Organization (WTO).
81. Gabon consequently wishes to receive further assistance with training and implementation in
relation to the agreements.
(2) 
GABON AND FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS
82. Having succeeded to the GATT in 1962 and acceded to the WTO in 1994, Gabon is firmly
committed to the multilateral trading system.  With the prospect of embarking upon a fresh round of
negotiations, Gabon reaffirms the need for a harmonized African position in accordance with the
Ministerial Declarations of Algiers and Cairo and the Libreville Proceedings of the African Ministersof Trade.
83. Gabon is particularly anxious that future negotiations should culminate in the following:
- The guarantee of greater access to the markets of developed countries for goods from
developing countries thanks to the effective application of special and differential
treatment;
- the implementation of strategies and capacity-building programmes relating to the
implementation of the agreements and improvement of export capacity;
- the implementation of bolder solutions to provide debt relief for developing countries,
in particular Gabon, which is the only country classified as middle income and, as
such, excluded from debt treatment mechanisms;
- the establishment of a global partnership between the WTO and developing countries
with a view to advancing sustainable development strategies focussed on mankindand the environment, and to eradicating poverty and disease;
- renewed support from the WTO for the European Union policy on African, Caribbean
and Pacific (ACP) countries within the fr amework of the new EU/ACP partnership;
andWT/TPR/G/86 Trade Policy Review
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- strengthened ties between industrialized and poor countries.
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