WT/MIN(22)/ST/25  
12 June 2022 
(22-4461) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR DIMITRIE -HORAȚIU CLEPAN  
SECRETARY OF STATE , MINISTRY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND TOURISM  
ROMANIA  
It is a unique privilege for me to lead Romania' s delegation at this 12th WTO Ministerial Conference.  
 
I wish to thank the governments of Kazakhstan and Switzerland and the WTO for their impeccable 
organization and hospitality at this impressive event.  
 
Colleagues, Global Trade stands today at a crossr oads and the 12th  Ministerial Conference comes at 
a critical moment. MC12 has the potential to put the WTO on the right reform path and to deliver 
meaningful results in areas such as agriculture, environment, including climate change, trade and 
health and sustainable fishing.  
 
My statement will be focusing on a few substantive imperative topics. First, fisheries subsidies. After 
more than 20 years of complex and difficult negotiations, we are close to delivering an outcome the 
world has been waiting for. Ou r goal is to reach an ambitious agreement based on sustainability in 
line with the mandate as laid down in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, for the benefit of all 
and the health of our oceans.  
 
Second, Romania believes that extending the WTO moratoriu m on customs duties on electronic 
transmissions  at MC12 is of systemic importance for the WTO, given that the digital transformation 
of the global economy has reached a point where multilateral rules should be aligned with the 
relevant economic realities.  
 
Third, agriculture  is crucial for MC12. Food security and sustainability are among the greatest 
challenges of the 21st century. The central question is whether our multilateral system can catch up 
with the geopolitical realities that impact our lives. Esp ecially given the military aggression against 
Ukraine, that has generated new risks, including an increasing food insecurity which was already 
aggravated by the Covid -19 pandemic.  
 
Therefore, Romania remains committed to attaining a tangible agriculture outcome at MC12 that 
would ensure a credible contribution to tackling the current food security challenges. This must be 
supplemented and continued with a post -MC12 work program in or der to advance the entire 
agricultural negotiations, particularly as regards reduction of trade -distorting support and 
transparency improvements.  
 
Romania, as an EU Member State, is a strong supporter of the multilateral trading system. We hope 
that MC12 can contribute to restoring the credibility and legitimacy of our organization.  
 
In terms of future work, the WTO reform  should encourage the organization 's role as a negotiation 
forum. It should deliver an updated rulebook that can respond to 21st centur y challenges. It can 
extend to enhancing its monitoring and deliberating function, including the development of a fully 
functioning Dispute Settlement system, but no later than the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference.  
 
Finally, trade and health . We have all e xperienced a severe pandemic, perhaps the most difficult 
period post Second World War, which costs already too many lives.  
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  We expect that the WTO will come up with a credible contribution to tackle the consequences of the 
Covid -19 pandemic. It must be comprehensive and include the intellectual property dimension, as 
well as ambitious commitments on enhancing transparency, limiting the use of export restrictions 
and promoting trade facilitation measures in order to increase access of developing countries  to 
vaccines.  
 
For this reason, Romania is determined to continue supporting the enhancement and the 
simplification of the use of TRIPS in the interest of all, facilitating the production of vaccines, which 
are essential for Africa and other regions, while  preserving incentives for innovation, investment and 
technology transfer.  
 
To conclude, Chair, I would like to assure you of our constructive engagement and our hope that a 
collective endeavour at this ministerial meeting will strengthen the multilateral trading system upon 
which we all rely.  
 
 
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