RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/COM/1  
 
31 October 2016  
(16-5982) Page: 1/3 
Working Party on the Acce ssion of  
the Union of the Comoros  Original: English  
 
 ACCESSION OF THE UNI ON OF THE COMOROS  
REPORT BY MR. LUIS ENRIQUE CHÁ VEZ BASAGOITIA, C HAIRPERSON OF THE WO RKING PARTY  
9th Meeting of the Informal Group on Accessions (IGA)  
Monday, 31 October 2016 , 9:00 am  
1. Good morning to you all.  I welcome this opportunity  to report to the IGA for the first time 
since my appointment as Chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of the Union of the 
Comoros in 2013.  Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for placing your trust in me and to 
renew my commitment, as Chairperson of the Working Party, to the mandate that you, the 
Members, gave me to facilitate this accession process.  
2. WTO accession is a Member -driven process in partnership with the Secretariat.  In this 
context, I  understand that this Informal Group o n Accession – the IGA  - is a key forum for 
coordination, exchange of information and ensuring transparency on WTO accessions.  I look 
forward to my regular interaction with this Group, and to your guidance and support, so that we 
can use this platform to f oster the work of WTO accessions, including the delivery of the accession 
of Comoros.  
3. The completion of the accession of Comoros is targeted by MC11.  In my recent meetings 
with Ambassador Chouzour of Comoros, he informed me that Comoros' WTO membership wa s a 
top priority for Moroni.  Comoros is fully committed to accelerating its accession process with a 
view to conclusion by MC11 in December 2017.  It is my intention to work closely and intensively 
with Moroni and you, the WTO members, over the next 12 mo nths, to deliver this LDC accession 
by MC11.  
4. The purpose of my report this morning is four -fold: 
- First, to provide a brief overview  on the Accession of the Union of the Comoros, 
with a particular focus on the most recent developments ; 
- Second , to propose next steps  in preparation for the first Working Party Meeting, 
scheduled for 2 December;  
- Third , to indicate how we could possibly move forward on the Accession of 
Comoros, targeting a conclusion  by MC11;   
- And lastly , to ask for any feedback  you may wish to give.  
First, an overview on the Accession of Comoros, including recent developments  
5. Let me recall that Comoros applied for accession in February  2007, and its Accession 
Working Party was established in October 2007 – exactly 9 years ago.  The  Memorandum  on the 
Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR) was circulated in October 2013.  Members submitted questions on 
the MFTR, which were forwarded to Moroni thereafter.  As Chairperson of the Working Party who 
was appointed at the time of the circulation of the MFTR, I me t with the Delegation of Comoros, 
led by Said Ben Ousseni, then Minister for Economic Affairs and Foreign Trade, in November 2014, JOB/ACC/COM/1  
 
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  to discuss and agree on a work programme, which would enable us to convene the 1st Working 
Party meeting.    
6. Since early 2015 , Moroni has undertaken intensive technical work, which has resulted in the 
circulation of a comprehensive set of 13 documents (in French) on 7  October 2016.  
This submission included:  
- replies to Members' questions on the MFTR;  
- a Legislative Action Plan  (LAP);  
- questionnaires, checklists and information on import licensing, State Trading 
Enterprises, information on customs valuation, TBT, SPS, TRIPS and Agriculture 
Domestic Support and Export Subsidies.   
Moroni has also submitted 31 additional pieces of l egislation, ranging from plant protection to 
Comoros' Investment Code.  The submission also included Comoros' initial market access offers on 
goods and services.  With the exception of Comoros' replies to Members' questions on the MFTR, 
the initial offer o n goods and the legislation, all remaining documents are also available in English. 
The replies should be available in English shortly, today.  
7. These constitute an impressive set of documentation, especially for an LDC.  From what 
I have been told by the Se cretariat, this is one of the most comprehensive sets of documentation 
prepared for a first meeting of an a ccession Woking Party.  
Second, the preparation for the first Working Party Meeting  
8. Based on the recent circulation of the comprehensive set of docume nts, as well as my 
consultations with the acceding government and WTO members, I would like to propose that the 
first meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Union of the Comoros shall be held on 
Friday, 2 December 2016.   The customary conveni ng notice for the meeting will be issued by the 
Director -General in due course.  I have been informed that H.E. Mr. Djaffar Ahmed Said Hassani, 
Vice-President of the Union of the Comoros, would lead the Delegation on the occasion of the first 
Working Party  Meeting this December.   
9.  Since early October, I held two meetings with Ambassador Chouzour of Comoros, including 
one meeting with the participation by the Secretariat.  Let  me highlight a few observations that I 
have taken away from these meetings.  
10.  First of all, the fact that the Vice President will be leading the acceding government 
Delegation at the first meeting of the Working Party demonstrates and reaffirms the serious and 
high-level political commitment by the Government of Comoros to its accessio n process. 
The Ambassador conveyed Moroni's readiness to engage with Members, substantively, during the 
first Working Party meeting, so that concrete progress can be made to move this accession rapidly 
to the negotiating stage.   
11.  At the same time, the Amb assador reminded me that Comoros was an LDC facing severe 
capacity constraints - both in Geneva and in capital.  In addition, there is the language factor on 
this accession process – as you know, Comoros is French -speaking - which would add more time 
to the preparation of documents and negotiating inputs.  Therefore, I appeal to you, the Members, 
to submit your questions in advance of the Working Party meeting, where possible by 
18 November, which would give the LDC acceding government two weeks of a head s tart, for its 
prepa rations, before the meeting.  
12.  In the same context, and in light of the recent circulation of initial market access offers, 
I would like to invite those WTO members interested in holding bilateral meetings with Comoros to 
inform the Deleg ation of Comoros and the Secretariat, as soon as possible, and ideally, two weeks 
before the 2 December meeting.  This way, relevant bilateral meetings could be scheduled on the 
margins of the first Working Party meeting.  I will instruct the Secretariat t o send a fax 
communication to this end to all Members shortly.  
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  Third, possible steps for an MC11 conclusion  
13.  As Members of this IGA undoubtedly know, the first Meeting of the Working Party marks 
only the beginning of a period of serious and intensive work  – both on the sides of the acceding 
government as well as on the side of WTO members.  You also know that Comoros has set the 
target of MC11 for the conclusion of its accession negotiations.  Ambassador Chouzour informed 
me that Moroni already adopted a r oadmap, which outlines the necessary steps to achieve the 
MC11 target.  I understand that Comoros' ambition, as reflected in the roadmap, has been largely 
influenced by the expedited process of Liberia's WTO accession.  As we all know, the accession 
proces s of Liberia was concluded in a short period of 10 months, by moving from the initial 
document, the Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR), directly to the draft Working 
Party Report stage.  In other words, based on an understanding between the acce ding government 
and WTO members, the traditional fact -finding stage was streamlined for the purpose of 
expediting the accession process of Liberia (also an LDC).  In addition, bilateral market access 
negotiations were concluded in a time -bound manner.  It is Comoros' aspiration to embark on a 
similar fast -track accession process, whereby the technical work would be facilitated by the 
Secretariat.  Comoros intends to start with relevant technical work immediately after the first 
Working Party meeting.  
14.  Based  on the information that is available to me at this stage and that I presented to you 
here today, I  strongly believe that Comoros' objective to conclude its accession negotiations by 
MC11 is achievable, pending the support of all WTO members for such an ex pedited process, and 
pending that all relevant technical inputs are submitted timely and comprehensively by Moroni.  
I shall count on the support of all Members, and you, the IGA family, to assist the Delegation of 
Comoros to achieve this objective.   
15.  Let me reassure you that I have reminded the Delegation of Comoros that the pace of the 
accession process would be set by the acceding government.  As  Chairperson, it is my intention to 
keep the IGA abreast of relevant developments on Comoros' accession proce ss over the coming 
months.   
16.  In concluding, let me call on all of you to prioritize Comoros' accession negotiations over the 
coming weeks and months, and to remain mindful of the constraints that LDCs' acceding 
government face.  On  my part as Chairperson,  I will sustain my regular contacts with the acceding 
government delegation, the Secretariat and you, the Members.  I believe that if we proceed on the 
basis of an expedited accession process, we will conclude this accession by MC11.  
Feedback and question s 
17.  I am ready to respond to any question you may have now.  After  this meeting, if you have 
any questions, I ask that you channel them through the Officer in Charge of the Accessions 
Division or the Secretary of the Working Party.  
18. Thank you.  
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