WT/GC/W/780  
 
25 July 2019 
(19-4935) Page: 1/2 
General Council  
23 July 201 9   
 
 
ITEM 6 – WORK PROGRAMME ON E LECTRONIC COMMERCE – REVIEW OF PROGRESS  
REPORT BY THE CHAI RPERSON 
1.1.  At MC11, Ministers adopted a Decision on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce. In 
this Decision, Ministers decided to continue the work under the Work Programme on Electronic 
Commerce and instructed the General Council to hold periodic reviews in its sessions of July and 
December 2018 and July 2019, based on the reports that may be submitted by the WTO bodies 
entrusted with the implementation of the Work Programme namely the Councils for Services, Goods 
and TRIPS, and the Committee on Trade and Develop ment.  
1.2.  The Chairs of the Council for Trade in Services and of the Council for Trade in Goods submitted 
written reports to the General Council under their own responsibility. These reports are contained in 
S/C/5 7 and G/C/6 5, respectively, and give an overvie w of the discussions that took place in the two 
Councils since our last review of progress in  December 2018 .1 With respect to the TRIPS Council, 
I understand from the TRIPS Council Chair that there has been no appetite among delegations to 
discuss the Work Programme in the TRIPS Council since 2018. The Chair  reminds Members of the 
Ministerial mandate for this work and will report again should there be any activity in the context of 
the TRIPS Council's meetings.  
1.3.  I would like to make a few remarks on the Work  Programme in general, and also to report on 
the informal open-ended meeting that I convened on 17 June 2019 to discuss the moratorium on 
the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions.  
1.4.  On the Work Programme, let me first extend my gratitude to the Chairs for the work carried 
out on e -commerce in their respective bodies, and for their reports today. I welcome the discussions 
held under the Work Programme in the regular bodies, the papers submitted, and the information 
shared. However, as we ha ve heard from the reports of the Chairs, the level of engagement differs 
amongst the bodies. In line with the Member -driven nature of our work, I encourage delegations to 
contribute to discussions in all the mandated bodies by putting forward views and con crete ideas on 
how we can move our e -commerce discussions forward.  
1.5.  Specifically,  on the moratorium, you will recall that the discussion intensified last year following 
the submission from India and South Africa on the need to rethink the moratorium. This w as followed 
by consultations by my predecessor and an informal open -ended meeting in late November  2018. 
To better inform the discussion, a workshop focusing on the moratorium was held earlier this year 
and I reported on that workshop at the May General Co uncil meeting. On 17 June 2019, I convened 
an informal open -ended meeting to discuss the Work Programme in general, and to consider the 
recent submission from India and South Africa on the moratorium circulated in document 
WT/GC/W/774.  
1.6.  The proponents calle d for more discussion given the importance Members attached to the 
moratorium and the December deadline. In their view, such discussions may help identify areas of 
common interest to Members and provide a platform for experience sharing without prejudging the 
extension of the moratorium.  
                                                
1 In addition to their written reports, the Chairs of the CTS and the CTG, as well as the CTD Chair, 
provided oral reports.  WT/GC/W/780  
 
- 2 - 
 
  1.7.  As General Council Chair, I intend to consult broadly with Members following the summer break 
and I am ready to facilitate any further meeting as necessary, based on Delegations' proposals. As 
you are all aware, the Genera l Council will need to take a decision on the moratorium by the end of 
this year. 
__________