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WT/ACC/KAZ/91
12 November 2014
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Working Party on the Accession of Kazakhstan  
 
ACCESSION OF KAZAKHSTAN 
INFORMAL MEETING OF THE WORKING PARTY 
CHAIRMAN'S CONCLUDING REMARKS AND "NEXT STEPS" 
 
Please find attached the Chairman's Concludi ng Remarks and "Next Steps" at the Informal 
Meeting of the Working Party on the Accession on Kazakhstan, on 12 November 2014.  Members 
took note and agreed to proceed as indicated by the Chairman.   
 
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 WT/ACC/KAZ/91 
 
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  ANNEX 
CHAIRMAN'S CONCLUDING REMARKS AND "NEXT STEPS" AT THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE 
WORKING PARTY, 12 NOVEMBER 2014 
1. Together, we need to contemplate and establish an understanding on "Next Steps".  Let me 
share my assessments with you and thoughts as to how we could proceed.   
 2. Members are aware that the Accession of Kazakhstan is complex and unique.  We are 
addressing some of the toughest trade and trade-re lated questions that this system has ever been 
faced with.  But, in my view, Members have approached these questions with pragmatism and resolve to find solutions.    
3. I believe that we must also acknowledge that the Negotiating Team of Kazakhstan, led by 
the Chief Negotiator Minister Aitzhanova, has been faced with unique and complex dilemmas.  The toughest nuts are the ones that remain to be cracked.  These revolve around agriculture; and, 
two specific questions that have been made complex by the Customs Union namely, tariff 
adjustment and SPS, and associated questions  in the relationship between national jurisdiction and Customs Union jurisdiction.  Few Governments have ever had to face these dilemmas, much 
less decide on them.  Kazakhstan has made tough choices and is still making them.   
 4. Throughout, the starting point has been unanimous support by all Members for the 
WTO Accession of Kazakhstan and unanimous reaffirmation that the negotiations should be 
concluded at the Working Party level this year.  Yet, this said, in accession negotiations, the 
negotiations are not concluded until they are concluded.  There are no short-cuts.  The terms and conditions must be appropriate for both the Acce ding Government and the Membership so that the 
rules-based Multilateral Trading System can be sa feguarded and the nature of the functioning of 
the Organization, based on a balance of rights and obligations, can be preserved.    
5. On the substance, the question at this stage, af ter this week's cycle of meetings, is: what is 
the substantive state-of-play, in relation to the working time still left in this calendar year?  You have heard the reports.  The substance of the accession negotiations of Kazakhstan has matured in some areas; is considerably advanc ed, in others; and, with a few decisions still 
required, in some other areas, to be able to berth this accession and bring it home to Port.   
 
• Draft Services Schedule:  The Draft Services Schedule of specific commitments has 
been successfully verified and set-aside.  This is one of the 3 key components of the 
Draft Accession Package.  
 
• Draft Goods Schedule:  The Draft Goods Schedule of Tariff Concessions and 
Commitments is rapidly maturing.  However, there are decisions that are still required 
from Kazakhstan to fill e xisting gaps and enable the finalization of the Draft Goods Schedule.  Specifically, these are the deci sions awaited from Astana on TRQs, and 
Agriculture.  The decisions required on agriculture are on: domestic support Levels; 
unconditional binding of export subsidies at zero; and, an appropriate level of de minimis  t o  b e  a g r e e d  w i t h  M e m b e r s .   T o  c o n c l u d e  o n - g o i n g  w o r k  o n  t h e  D r a f t  
Goods Schedule, a final outcome is required from the Plurilateral process amongst 
Signatory Members that are discussing my Chairman's Proposal on "Ordinary Customs Duties".  We are far advanced and I am reasonably confident that a solution should 
materialize shortly, on the condition that all parties demonstrate goodwill and 
pragmatism in a situation, which as I stated earlier is complex, unique and plagued with dilemmas for all.  Finally, the Secretariat has undertaken all necessary technical work and is awaiting the decisions from Kazakhstan and Members to plug the gaps 
and prepare the final clean draft of the G oods Schedule for technical verification.  
 
• Draft Working Party Report:  The Draft Working Party Report is rapidly maturing.  
T h i s  w e e k ,  p r o g r e s s  w a s  m a d e  t h a t  b r i n g s  u s  c l o s e r  t o  t h e  g o a l  o f  h a v i n g  a n  
integrated and stabilized draft Working Party Report.  In my Small Group Process, as I have already reported, only two bracketed paragraphs remain in the entire Draft WP 
Report.  As just reported, the Plurilateral Meeting chaired by the Director Accessions 
agreed to mainstream the draft SPS Chapter into the main body of the Draft Working WT/ACC/KAZ/91 
 
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  Party Report.  However, there are still gaps to be filled on the questions relating to 
Veterinary Certificates; risk assessments and international standards; updates to various paragraphs; provision of additional information and clarification in some areas; and, also, the removal of remaining brackets by Kazakhstan on draft specific 
commitment paragraphs.  Let me also add that the draft Agriculture chapter and my 
proposal text on Ordinary Customs Duties are yet to be mainstreamed into the main body of the draft Working Party Report. 
 
6. So, this is the state-of-play on the substance.  Where does this leave us for this year in 
terms of "Next Steps"?    
• First,  I believe that at this stage, I would ask that the focus should be on 
decision-making.  So, as a first next step , I ask Kazakhstan to take the required 
decisions on agriculture, TRQs and the Schedule Head Notes.  These decisions are 
required between now and no later than th e middle of next week, i.e., Wednesday, 
19 November.  These decisions when taken should be submitted to the Secretariat, immediately.  So it can proceed to finalize the preparation of the fifth and final 
revision of the Draft Goods Schedule for technical verification by Signatory Members.   
 
• Second,  with the agreement of Members, I will sustain my mandate on my Proposal 
on Ordinary Customs Duties, i.e, Tariff Adjustment, with Signatory Members.  
In accordance with our current practice, I will be assisted by the Director of the 
Accessions Division, who acts under my delegated authority.  I have already asked him to circulate Revision 3 of my Proposal, which emerged yesterday from the 
meeting of Chief Negotiators.   
 
• Third,  internal Customs Union coordination is critical, necessary and urgent on SPS to 
address specific questions that relate to Veterinary Certificates and associated 
jurisdictional questions.  I believe that the results of the internal coordination between 
and amongst Customs Union Partners: Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation (and Belarus) should address the outstanding questions on SPS.   
 
• Fourth,  I have asked Director Accessions to circulate the updated texts that resulted 
this week from Plurilaterals on agriculture, Revision 3 of Ordinary Customs Duties to 
Signatory Members and, integrate the Draft SPS Chapter into the main body of the 
Draft Report of the Working Party.   
 
• Finally,  on calendar, at this stage, I would prefer not to set the cart before the horse.  
What I propose is that by the middle of ne xt week, Director Accessions meets with the 
representatives of Kazakhstan and Members and take stock of any substantive updates following this week's meetings.  Sequel to this, if you agree, as Chairman of 
the Working Party, I will assess the situation, in consultation with Members and 
circulate a message on the state-of-play with my further thoughts on the calendar, going forward, on the Accession of Kazakhstan.   
 
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