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WT/TPR/W/108  
4 July 2016  
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Trade Policy Review Body   
 
* In Original language only/En langue originale seulement/En el idioma original solamente . 
  THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  
DRAFT MINUTES OF THE MEETING* HELD ON 1 AND 3 JUNE 2016 
Delegations are invited to submit factual corrections, if any, on their own statement to the 
Secretariat (Mrs Barbara Blanquart: barbara.blanquart@wto.org , or to tprd@wto.org ) no later 
than 18 July 2016. 
 
Organe d'examen des politiques commerciales 
 
ÉMIRATS ARABES UNIS  
PROJET DE COMPTE RENDU DE LA RÉUNION* TENUE LES 1 ET 3 JUIN 2016 
Les délégations sont invitées à soumettre leurs éventuelles corrections factuelles concernant leurs 
propres déclarations au Secrétariat (Mme Barbara Blanquart: barbara.blanquart@wto.org , ou 
tprd@wto.org ) le 18 juillet 2016 au plus tard. 
 
Órgano de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales 
 
EMIRATOS ÁRABES UNIDOS  
PROYECTO DE ACTA DE LA REUNIÓN* CELEBRADA LOS DÍAS 1 Y 3 DE JUNIO DE 2016 
Las delegaciones pueden enviar a la Secretaría (Sra. Barbara Blanquart: 
barbara.blanquart@wto.org , o tprd@wto.org ) a más tardar el 18 de julio de 2016 las 
correcciones fácticas que deseen introducir en sus propias declaraciones. 
 
 
_______________ WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  
DRAFT MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
Chairperson: Ms Irene Young (Hong Kong, China) 
CONTENTS 
 
1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ....................................................... 3  
2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED ARAB 
EMIRATES ...................................................................................................................... .. 5 
3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT ................................................................................ 9  
4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS ........................................................................................ 12  
5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND 
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ............................................................................................... 43  
6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ......................................................... 48  
 
 
Note: Advance written questions and additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies 
provided by the United Arab Emirates are repr oduced in document WT/TPR/M/338/Add.1 and will 
be available online at http://www.wto.or g/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1.1.  The third Trade Policy Review of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was held on 1 and 
3 June 2016. The Chairperson, Ms. Irene Young (Hong Kong, China), welcomed the delegation of t h e  U A E  h e a d e d  b y  H . E .  S u l t a n  B i n  S a e e d  A l  M a n s o o r i ,  M i n i s t e r  o f  E c o n o m y ;  t h e  r e s t  o f  t h e  
delegation of the UAE; and the discussant, H. E. Ambassador Francisco Alberto Lima Mena 
(El Salvador). Members were also pleased to ha ve with them the United Nations Industrial 
Development Organization which – as agreed by Members earlier – was attending this meeting as 
observer on an ad hoc basis. 
1.2.  The Chairperson recalled the purpose of th e Trade Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures for the meeting. The report by the UAE was contained in document WT/TPR/G/338 and that of the WTO Secretariat in WT/TPR/S/338. 
1.3.  Questions by the following delegations had been submitted in writing before the deadline and 
had been transmitted to the delegation of the UAE: Malaysia; Oman; Hong Kong, China; Australia; China; European Union; Mexico; Chinese Taipei; Un ited States; Chile; Canada; Ukraine; Thailand; 
Argentina; Singapore; Japan; Dominican Republic; Brazil and Costa Rica. The following delegations 
submitted written questions after the deadline: New Zealand; El Salvador; Korea; Kingdom of Morocco; Turkey; India; Russian Federation an d Ecuador. These questions had also been 
transmitted to the delegation of the UAE. 
1.4.  At the previous TPR in 2012, Members had commended the UAE for the steps taken to 
diversify the economy away from oil and gas.  Members had appreciated that the UAE had 
successfully weathered the global crisis without backsliding on trade liberalization. 
1.5.  During the current review period, the UAE's economy had continued to grow and diversify, as 
it sought to transform itself into a knowle dge-based one. Noting the UAE's remarkable 
achievements in this regard, many Members wanted  to learn more about the country's long term 
economic, investment and development strategies. The Chairperson noted that it would be helpful 
if the delegation could elaborate. 
1.6.  With regard to trade policy, at the time of  the last Review, the UAE's relatively low level of 
tariff protection had been acknowledged by Members. However, Members had seen room in 
reducing the gap between bound and applied tariff rates. Members had also encouraged the UAE to facilitate and simplify the processes required to obtain trade licenses and to remove requirements for the legalization and consularization of trade documents. It appeared that some of 
these concerns were still valid today. 
1.7.  At the last TPR, Members had noted that, outside the free zones, the UAE's investment 
regime had been more restrictive than its trade regime. They had therefore encouraged the UAE to 
speed-up the promulgation of its new law on libe ralization of foreign investment and modernize 
the business environment. The Chairperson understood that some steps had been taken in this direction: for instance, Federal Law No. 2 concerning Commercial Companies, which had entered 
into force in July 2015, would reduce the requirements to set up and run a business. However, the 
rules on foreign investment had not changed substantially since the last review. It was useful to know when the new draft law to bring about more significant improvements was expected to complete its domestic ratification process. To enhance the business environment, Members had 
also encouraged the UAE to eliminate local serv ices/agent requirements, and to increase the 
transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of government administ ration. Members were 
interested to know what steps had been taken in this respect. 
1.8.  At the previous TPR, Members had also ra ised concerns about the absence of fully-fledged 
competition legislation in the UAE. Questions had been raised about the procedures and criteria for fixing prices and the exemptions for state- owned enterprises and small and medium-sized 
enterprises from competition regulations. The Chairperson understood that the UAE had already 
issued regulations on the processes and procedures for implementing the Competition Law. However, the Cabinet had yet to determine thresholds for de minimis exemptions and market share thresholds to define dominant position and economic concentration. Members were 
interested in knowing when these thresholds would be established and when the law would 
become fully effective. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  1.9.  This meeting was a good opportunity for Members to discuss in greater detail the key issues 
above, as well as other issues of interest to them and of systemic importance to the multilateral trading system. The Chairperson looked  forward to a fruitful exchange. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 
(H.E. SULTAN BIN SAEED AL MANSOORI) 
2.1.  I would like to start my opening statem ent by expressing my appreciation to the WTO 
Secretariat, the Trade Policy Review division, for the great efforts they have exerted towards 
ensuring the success of the UAE's Trade Policy Review (TPR) and their comprehensive report. 
Here, I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. John Finn and his team Mr. Samer Seif El Yazal and Mr. Usman Ali Khilji who worked so hard to produce a truly comprehensive and 
valuable report.  
2.2.  I am extremely honored and the entire UAE delegation to be amongst WTO Member states in 
the third UAE TPR. I would like also on behalf of the UAE delegation to extend our sincere gratitude 
to our discussant H.E. Ambassador Francisco Alberto Lima Mena for his role and efforts.  
2.3.  I am pleased to see that the interest in this Report, which is clearly evident, by the number 
o f  q u e s t i o n s  t h a t  w e  h a v e  r e c e i v e d  f r o m  t h e  M e m b e r s ,  w h i c h  I  h o p e  w e  p r o v i d e d  s u i t a b l e  responses to. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of you for the interest shown and 
looking forward to constructive dialogue and views on all economic, trade and trade related 
matters.  
2.4.  We, in the UAE, see the entire process of preparing our country's TPR as an invaluable 
opportunity towards sharing with the WTO Members the current status of our economy and our 
trade policies. This process is also undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for us to comprehensively assess our present policies and future directions. In addition to that, we consider the TPR mechanism as invaluable to the WTO mission and objectives.  
Economic development 
2.5.  The UAE Vision 2021, focuses on transitioning to a knowledge-based economy within the 
UAE, promoting innovation and research and development, strengthening the regulatory 
framework for key sectors and encouraging high value adding sectors. This will sustain the UAE 
drive toward economic diversification and development that is less reliant on oil. These will improve the country's business environment and increase its attractiveness to foreign investment.  
2.6.  We call it Vision 2021 because it will be the year the UAE is going to be 50 years old. As a 
country we came in 1971 and our Government has a very important opportunity to try to evaluate what are our future directions as a whole, as a Nation. Of course, the economy is part of it but there are many other parts of it, including social issues, educational, health and many other 
issues. Hence, on the economy side of it, we try to focus on the following: 
1. Raise the contribution of the Non-Oil sector s to the GDP by the year 2021 up to 80%.  
2. To be among the top 10 countries in the world at the Gross National Income per Capita. 
3. To increase the industrial sector contribution to GDP by 25% in the coming years. 
4. Positioning the UAE to be among the top 10 countries in the world at the Global 
Entrepreneurship and Development Index. 
2.7.  UAE continues to pay attention to the foreign trade sector, which is under the supervision of 
the Ministry of Economy assigning it the respon sibility of developing and implementing the 
country's trade policy in coordination with other ministries, federal and local bodies. The UAE adopts a trade policy marked by openness and harmony with international markets and the 
Member states of the WTO through the multilater al trading system. The Ministry of Economy is 
also responsible for pursuing the government's  progressive economic agenda, focused around 
economic liberalization in various sectors, as well as diversification and promotion of the role of the 
private sector. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  Economic and investment growth 
2.8.  The UAE real GDP growth rate was 4.6% in 2014 when compared to 4.3% in 2013. I am 
pleased to highlight that oil's contribution to GDP in 2014 has dropped down to 31%. This trend of 
declining contribution of oil to GDP in percentage can be seen over the past 4 years. With lower oil 
prices and UAE Government's efforts to diversify it is estimated that the oil contribution to the GDP 
at current prices will be below 25%.  
2.9.  The stock of the inward foreign direct investment till 2014 reached US$115.6 billion 
registering a growth of 10% compared to 2013. The outward investment till 2014 was US$66.3 
billion registering a growth of 5% compared to 2013. In this context, The UAE is the leading 
country in the MENA the region when it comes to the FDI inflow.  
UAE'S trade policy and developments 
2.10.  Let me explain UAE's trade policy in a more concrete manner.  
The Multilateral Trading System 2.11.  The UAE believes that free trade is a necessary condition for increased competitiveness and 
productivity in the long run. Protectionism, in th e form of high tariff barriers and technical barriers 
to trade, would only result in a stagnant and inefficient private sector.  
2.12.  Maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trading system under the WTO remains a 
fundamental basis of UAE's trade policy. On the basis of permanent and fair rules governing the 
trading system, the UAE is actively participating in the DDA negotiations and we look forward towards ambitious and balanced delivery to complement and strengthen the existing Multilateral Trading System. To that end and in order to achiev e these fair results, we need to tackle, in an 
open mind, all areas of negotiations in the Doha round while considering the single undertaking 
principle. 
2.13.  On the regional and bilateral level, the UAE is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council 
(GCC) and also a member of Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). The UAE, under the GCC 
umbrella, has also signed several free trade agreements with a number of countries such as Singapore which has entered into force in January 2015 and EFTA States which has entered into 
force on July 2015.  
2.14.  The FTA negotiations between the GCC and New Zeeland have been concluded but the 
agreement has not yet been signed by the parties. Negotiations on FTAs have been conducted with Turkey, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Pakistan, Australia, EU and the Southern Common 
Market (MERCOSUR). The scope of these negotiations so far covers market access for goods and 
services, intellectual property, and in some ca ses, government procurement, investment and 
competition.  
2.15.  On the bilateral investment agreements and by the end of 2015, the UAE signed 
43 agreements related to encouragement and protection of investment. Also, the UAE has signed 92 agreements on avoidance of double taxation with different countries (35 with European 
countries; 26 with Asian countries; 11 with Arabic countries; 12 with African countries; and 8 with 
North and Latin-American countries). 
2.16.  The UAE is a true believer in the multilateral trading system and attaches great importance 
to the rule-based multilateral trading system. On that regard, we consider all the forms of trade 
preferential arrangements, whether it is bilateral or regional free trade areas complimentary to the 
multilateral trading system and in compliance with its requirements.  
Future directions and legislative reforms  
2.17.  The UAE National Innovation Strategy was launched in October 2014 with the aim of making 
the UAE one of the most innovative Nations in the world within seven years. The strategy will 
stimulate innovation in seven sectors where innovation is key to excellence: renewable energy, 
transport, education, health, technology, water, and airspace. Its first phase includes 30 national WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  initiatives to be completed within three years. All these initiatives based on these seven sectors 
have been divided among the different Ministries and authorities within the federal Government but there are also building the capacity within lo cal Government representation. These include new 
legislation, innovation incubators, investment in specialized skills, private sector incentives, 
international research partnerships and an innovation drive within Government. The strategy 
contains practical initiatives in each of its seven priority sectors. 
2.18.  A new investment law is under process for domestic ratification which aims to enhance and 
develop the investment environment in the UAE and to facilitate the attraction of foreign direct 
investment (FDI) to economic sectors and areas of developmental priority to UAE.  
2.19.  The UAE is progressively restructuring the legal and regulatory environment to align it with 
global best practices in transparency, investment protection, fair competition and competitiveness. 
The ultimate goal is to create a friendly enviro nment for business. The UAE has issued a number of 
laws and working on upgrading a number of key legislations, especially with regard to the 
development of the country's economic infrastructu re and investment environment. In this regard, 
I would like to mention that lately the following legislations were issued: 
 A new amended Companies Law. 
 A new Law on SMEs, to support the role of the private enterprises in stimulating growth. 
 A new competition Law which is aimed at promoting the principle of competition and 
evolving competitive market that is ruled by sheer markets.  
 A new Law on Anti Commercial Fraud was form ulated. The law is in compliance with the 
WTO TRIPS agreement and the best international norms and practices to deal with the 
Counterfeited goods will be destructed  among many other matters related.  
Concluding remarks 2.20.  The UAE's strategic location between the longitudes of east and west, together with its 
stability and developed infrastructure (ports, ro ads and aviation) has made it a global commerce 
hub and a vital trade gateway. On this regard, th e UAE has become the third largest re-export hub 
in the world in 2014. 
2.21.  Dubai Government announced the world's largest wholesale city covering 500 million square 
feet. The city will also have everything ranging from banking services and cargo centers to markets, warehouses and residential units. The city aims to accommodate as many as 15,000 wholesale traders. This might boost the global wholesale sector from the current value of 
US$4.3 trillion to US$4.9trillion in the next five year s. The city will be the capital of international 
wholesale besides having the world's largest e-commerce platform for wholesale trade. 
2.22.  The UAE Development is not dry; it has a human face where UAE topped the international 
community in its humanitarian aid. As per a report by the UN on humanitarian financing, the UAE 
has topped the list of donor countries in the world compared to its national income. During the period 2010-2014, the total UAE aid was US$16 billion for more than 140 countries in the world 
forming 1.7% of the country's national income.  
2.23.  We do appreciate all addressed questions from the Member states. We have been working 
very hard with my team. We have actually received around 212 questions addressed to us in English. We replied to 196, which represents about 93% of the total questions. And I would like to 
assure that the rest of the questions will be covered before the end of the UAE TPR. For the 
Member states who addressed their questions in Spanish, as we received some of the questions more recently, we are very keen also to answ er and clarify all your queries and questions. 
Therefore, my team is working on tran slating them in order to be answered. 
2.24.  Before I conclude, I would like to inform the Member states that the UAE has ratified the 
trade facilitation agreement under Decree No. 39 dated 8 March 2016, and deposited its 
instrument of acceptance with the WTO Secretariat on 18 April 2016. It was the first country in the 
Arab region to deposit its instrument of acceptance. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  2.25.  I very much look forward to listening to  comments and suggestions from our distinguished 
Discussant and all Member states. Thank you very much for your attention.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 
3.1.  Es un enorme honor y gusto dirigirme a ustedes como ponente del tercer examen de las 
políticas comerciales de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Doy la bienvenida al Excelentísimo Sr. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Ministro de Economía, quien este día encabeza la delegación, al Sr. Salem 
Obaid Al Zaabi, Embajador y Representante Permanente de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos ante las 
Naciones Unidas, a los funcionarios que lo acompañan de capital y a los colegas de la Misión en Ginebra.  
3.2.  Los Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU) son en la actualidad la 30ª economía más grande del 
mundo. Su desarrollo, originado en la explotació n del petróleo y del gas natural a mediados del 
siglo XX, los ha llevado a ocupar esta privilegiada posición, ya que han sabido administrar esta riqueza natural diversificando sus actividades hacia otros sectores económicos.  
3.3.  Durante el periodo bajo examen, la econom ía de los EAU dio muestra de su capacidad de 
adaptación en el periodo posterior a la crisis financiera mundial, con un crecimiento promedio anual de su Producto Interno Bruto de 4,52% entre 2010 y 2014. Dicho crecimiento fue impulsado 
principalmente por el sector de los hidrocarburos, el cual representa alrededor del 38,3% del PIB. 
Los EAU ocupan el 7º lugar entre las reservas de petróleo más grandes del mundo, que ascienden a 97,800 millones de barriles, es decir el 6,6% del total de reservas petroleras mundiales. 
3.4.  No obstante lo anterior, las cifras de comercio muestran que su economía, consecuente con 
los planes de Gobierno, ha logrado diversificarse desde el año 2012, ya que el crecimiento se ha visto impulsado también por otros sectores incluyendo la construcción, el comercio, el turismo, las manufacturas y, no menos importante, el sector financiero.  
3.5.  Es de hacer notar además un aumento en sus indicadores de inflación de precios al 
consumidor que pasa del 0,7% en el 2012 a un 4, 1% en el año 2015, principalmente marcado por 
el incremento en el costo de alquiler de vivienda y en menor medida, la eliminación de los 
subsidios a los combustibles.  
3.6.  Dado que son importadores netos de productos agropecuarios y pesqueros, los EAU se 
encuentran impulsando una serie de políticas agrícolas, orientadas principalmente a mejorar la 
seguridad alimentaria. Sería muy interesante conocer los últimos avances en esta materia, 
especialmente de cara a que existe un documento que se encuentra en discusión, el cual engloba su política para este sector para el periodo 2015-2030 para cumplir con dicho objetivo. 
3.7.  En las dos últimas décadas, los EAU se han convertido en un centro internacional del 
transporte aéreo, siendo sede de dos de las mayores aerolíneas internacionales. Tienen siete 
aeropuertos, siendo el Aeropuerto Internacional de Dubai el de mayor tráfico del mundo y el tercero en términos de tráfico de carga.  
3.8.  Otro componente importante de la economía de los EAU es el sector de construcción, el cual 
representa el 9% del PIB y aporta un 33% del empleo total, resaltando las grandes e innovadoras obras arquitectónicas conocidas por todos. Dentro de los proyectos ejecutados más conocidos se 
encuentran el Burj Khalifa, el edificio más grande del mundo; el Palm Jumeirah, la isla artificial 
más grande del mundo; Masdar, la primera ciudad libre de carbono del mundo; Dubai Mall, el centro comercial más grande del mundo; entre otras. Este sector también ha impulsado el crecimiento del turismo, el cual es uno de los sectores estratégicos para el proceso de 
diversificación. 
3.9.  Es interesante resaltar, según un reporte del año 2015 del Business Monitor International, 
proyectos encaminados por un monto de 180 billones de dólares EE.UU. que están en ejecución, 
los cuales incluyen el ferrocarril nacional, el Dubai Central Airport y 4 reactores nucleares para la 
producción de energía. El comercio de bienes y servicios como proporción del PIB aumentó del 
151% en 2010 a más del 176% en 2014, por lo que sigue desempeñando un papel muy 
importante en la economía de los EAU.  
3.10.  En materia arancelaria, es de reconocer el  bajo promedio global del Arancel Externo Común 
de los Emiratos, que alcanza apenas un 4,7%, con un NMF aplicado que oscila entre el 0% y el 5% para casi la totalidad de productos. Por otro lado, los Emiratos no aplican contingentes y las WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  crestas arancelarias son escasas. Prácticamente todos los aranceles son inferiores a sus tipos 
consolidados en la OMC, con algunas posibles excepciones muy limitadas según el informe de la Secretaría.  
3.11.  En relación a la ayuda interna, a diferenc ia del examen anterior en 2012, en el cual aún 
tenían notificaciones pendientes, durante este periodo sus notificaciones se encuentran al día, y se 
enmarcan únicamente en las medidas exentas de reducción, principalmente destinada a servicios de inspección y al control de plagas y enfermedades.  
3.12.  En materia aduanera, quiero aprovechar esta oportunidad para felicitar a los Emiratos por 
su reciente ratificación del Acuerdo de Facilitación del Comercio y la presentación de su instrumento de aceptación en abril de este año. Este tipo de esfuerzos deja claro el compromiso que tienen con el sistema multilateral de comercio, destacando la labor de la delegación de los 
EAU en los trabajos tanto ordinarios como extraordinarios de esta Casa.  
3.13.  Adicionalmente, se nota con mucha satisfacción los esfuerzos que se han realizado en 
materia de administración aduanera en la implementación de diferentes mecanismos para la 
facilitación del comercio. Todo ello ha contribuido a que ocupen posiciones muy altas en la mayoría 
de los indicadores de diferentes organismos internacionales, entre los que cabe resaltar que están en el puesto número 20 entre 150 economías en el Índice de Desempeño Logístico del Banco 
Mundial, el 3º entre 140 economías en el índice de gastos generales del régimen aduanero del 
Foro Económico Mundial, y el puesto número 31 del Doing Business de los 189 países que conforman este ranking, entre otros.   
3.14.  Claramente, las zonas francas y las zonas económicas especializadas son un elemento 
importante de la economía de los EAU y de la estrategia de crecimiento del Gobierno. Gran énfasis 
se ha puesto en estas zonas en donde se produce o transforma gran parte de lo que exportan al mundo. Las principales ventajas que ofrecen a los inversores son las exenciones de los impuestos 
de sociedades, el impuesto sobre la renta de las personas físicas, los derechos de aduana, así 
como la exención a diversas reglamentaciones que se aplican en el territorio aduanero, tales como 
licencias y limitaciones en la participación extranjera en el capital. 
3.15.  Se toma nota que los EAU están examinando la posibilidad de flexibilizar estas restricciones 
en materia de inversión para determinados sectores industriales más allá que los incluidos en Zonas Francas en el marco de su nueva Ley Federal sobre Inversión Extranjera Directa. Y de ahí que consideramos que la pronta adopción e implementación de estas medidas podrían 
complementar positivamente los planes de ampliación de la Inversión Extranjera Directa.  
3.16.  Entre los futuros desafíos identificados para el crecimiento económico de este país, se 
encuentra la alta dependencia de las exportaciones de petróleo, esto acentuado por la baja en su 
precio. De continuar con la tendencia actual que todos conocemos, podría haber un impacto 
negativo en los ingresos por exportaciones, que podrían crear presiones fiscales y seguir afectando su nivel inflacionario.  
3.17.  No obstante, siendo conscientes de estas dificultades, debo resaltar los grandes esfuerzos 
que los EAU están realizando en la implementación  de su plan de saneamiento de las finanzas 
públicas y medidas para la atracción de inversión extranjera. Dicho plan prevé una transición hacia una economía impulsada por el conocimiento, elevando la calidad de la enseñanza y fomentando la 
innovación y el uso de nuevas tecnologías, todas integradas en la estrategia "Visión 2021". 
3.18.  Otra de las iniciativas para hacer frente a los retos antes mencionados es la Estrategia 
Nacional de Innovación, la cual tiene por finalidad hacer de los EAU una de las naciones más 
innovadoras del mundo. La estrategia estimulará la innovación en siete sectores: energía 
renovable, transporte, educación, salud, tecnología, agua y espacio.  
3.19.  Se resalta la puesta en vigor de la Ley de Competencia desde el año 2013, la cual tiene 
como objetivos la protección y fomento de la competencia y el mantenimiento de un mercado 
competitivo regido por los mecanismos de mercado. También es de destacar los desafíos inherentes que enfrentan en la aplicación de este tipo de legislación, especialmente tal como lo indica el informe de la Secretaría, algunas de las grandes empresas aún son propiedad del Estado.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  3.20.  Es de destacar también que de acuerdo al Estudio publicado la semana recién pasada por 
parte del CCI, denominado "Bringing SMEs onto the e-Commerce Highway" se destaca que los EAU cuentan con una de las mejores infraestructuras y son sede de las grandes plataformas de comercio electrónico, con un valor de mercado estimado al 2015 en unos 5.1 billones de dólares 
EE.UU, y una proyección de 10 billones para el 2018. Ciertamente, en mi consideración, seguir 
impulsando las transacciones electrónicas viene a complementar los esfuerzos enfocados del G o b i e r n o  d e  l o s  E m i r a t o s  Á r a b e s  U n i d o s  e n  p r o m o v e r  a  s u s  P Y M E S ,  t a l  c o m o  s e  i n d i c a  e n  e l  
informe de la Secretaría.  
3.21.  En cuanto al mercado laboral en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, es importante resaltar la 
mayor apertura hacia las mujeres y los jóvenes. Según el Banco Mundial, la participación de la mujer en el mercado laboral tiene una tasa del 21%, siendo la más alta entre los países del Golfo. 
Otra característica particular de los EAU, es que el mercado laboral está compuesto en su mayoría 
por extranjeros, quienes cubren la mayor parte de los trabajos altamente calificados en el sector 
privado. Por tanto, la mejora en las oportunidades de empleo para sus nacionales es uno de los 
aspectos más importantes para los Emiratos, quienes ya están llevando a cabo acciones 
encaminadas a la formación de capacidades para sus nacionales, todo esto congruente con su plan "Visión 2021".  
3.22.  En virtud de los puntos mencionados anteriormente, los Emiratos Árabes Unidos han 
mostrado un impresionante crecimiento económico desde que se unieron hace cuatro décadas para formar una sola gran nación. Desde mi parecer, actualmente se enfrentan a tres principales retos, que son, en primer lugar, llevar a feliz puerto su estrategia de diversificación que les permitirá 
alejarse de la dependencia al volátil sector petrolero; en segundo lugar, continuar impulsando las 
políticas para mejores oportunidades para los Emiratí en el mercado laboral; y, en tercer lugar, continuar impulsando decididamente la transición hacia una economía basada en el conocimiento, 
así como promover la innovación en todas las áreas productivas, en especial aquellas a las que se 
le ha apostado en su proceso de diversificación productiva.  
3.23.  Todo esto requerirá que se continúe con los esfuerzos en la implementación de políticas que 
le permitan alcanzar un crecimiento económico sostenible. 
3.24.  Para concluir, solo me queda desear el mayor de los éxitos a Su Excelencia el Sultan Bin 
Saeed Al Mansoori, su distinguida delegación en este ejercicio y agradecer a todos los Miembros por su amable participación en este ejercicio.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
BRUNEI  ON BEHALF  OF ASEAN 
4.1.  I'm making this statement on behalf of ASEAN. 4.2.  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is ASEAN's largest trading partner in the Middle East, with 
Thailand and Singapore maintaining the most active bilateral trade accounts. In 2014, UAE was 
ASEAN's tenth largest trading partner, making up  2.2% of ASEAN's total external trade worth 
US$57 billion. Foreign direct investment flows have also grown significantly in both directions and 
we look forward to this positive trend continuing. 
4.3.  The United Arab Emirates is an active participant in the WTO; through its contributions to the 
regular work as well as being an active Member of the Asia Group. ASEAN also commends the UAE for recently ratifying the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
4.4.  Some of us in ASEAN have submitted written questions to the UAE and we thank them in 
advance for their written responses. We also express our thanks to Ambassador Obaid Salem Saeed Nasser Al-Zaabi and his delegation for th eir constructive engagement with the ASEAN 
delegations in Geneva. 
OMAN 4.5.  Oman enjoys very close relations with the Un ited Arab Emirates. We share a long history, as 
well as fraternal and cultural bonds due to our close geographic proximity in the Arabian Peninsula. 
Our shared characteristics have served to enhance business opportunities and trading between our two Countries. Oman and the United Arab Emirates are also closely bound in economic and trade relations under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council. 
4.6.  The United Arab Emirates has pursued an open and liberal economy with commendable 
results. Its GDP growth was 4.5% annually betw een 2010 and 2014. Despite steep fall in oil 
prices, the United Arab Emirates achieved a respectable growth rate of 3.1% in 2015. This is a 
testimony to the resilience and diversity of the United Arab Emirates' economy. 
4.7.  The United Arab Emirates has been actively pursuing a policy of economic diversification. The 
success of the policy is demonstrated by the fact that around 66% of the GDP is contributed by the 
non-oil sector. 
4.8.  A proactive approach is the hallmark of Un ited Arab Emirates' dynamic economic policy which 
i s  b a s e d  o n  a n  I n n o v a t i o n  S t r a t e g y .  T h e  U n i t e d  A r a b  E m i r a t e s  a i m s  t o  b e  o n e  o f  t h e  m o s t  innovative nations in the world; and a mo del of sustainable and responsible growth. 
4.9.  The foreign trade policy of the United Arab  Emirates is anchored in the Gulf Cooperation 
Council and is based on the principles and rules of  the multilateral trading system as enshrined in 
the WTO. 
4.10.  The United Arab Emirates is a faithful adherent to the WTO. It has an open, liberal and 
predictable trade policy, with low tariffs, virtually no prohibited QRs, no TRIMs and no export subsidies. 
4.11.  The United Arab Emirates has bound tariffs on 100% of tariff lines at an average bound 
tariff of 14.3%. The applied tariffs on virtually all products are either 0 or 5%, with a few 
exceptions. The average of applied rates is the very low figure of 4.7%. 
4.12.  Services is an important sector of the Un ited Arab Emirates' economy and it has accordingly 
made specific commitments on a number of sectors and sub-sectors. 
4.13.  We are glad to note that the United Arab Emirates has completed the ratification process for 
the Trade Facilitation Agreement.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.14.  The picture that emerges is that of a Me mber which faithfully adheres to its obligations 
under the WTO in both the formulation and conduct of its trade policy. 
4.15.  Finally, I would like to express our thanks to Mr. Abdesalam Al-Ali, Director Representative 
of the United Arab Emirates to the WTO, for his commendable efforts in furthering the interests of 
the United Arab Emirates and GCC countries at the WTO. 
HONG  KONG,  CHINA 
General 
4.16.  Hong Kong, China (HKC) has enjoyed cordia l trade relations with the UAE over the years. 
The UAE is one of our top 15 trading partners in the world, and our largest one in the Middle East. HKC is also the largest export destination for non-oil goods from the UAE. In the past five years, our bilateral trade had increased at an impressive average annual growth rate of 10%.  
4.17.  We earnestly hope that greater cooperation and partnership will enable us to take our 
economic relations with the UAE to a new level, offering a wealth of opportunities for businesses as well as investors from both economies.  
Trade facilitation 
4.18.  We note that trading in the UAE requires a trading license, except when conducted in the 
free zones. To qualify for a license, the applicant must be a UAE national or a company established 
in the UAE that is 51% owned by UAE nationals. Distribution of imported goods may only be 
undertaken by trade agencies which must be owned by UAE nationals or by companies wholly owned by UAE nationals. We look forward to the removal of such nationality restrictions to facilitate trade and enhance the free flow of goods. 
4.19.  We are pleased to note that the UAE has already deposited its instrument of acceptance, 
and notified its Category A commitments, for the Agreement on Trade Facilitation, contributing to our joint efforts to accelerate the entry into force of the Agreement.  
Tariffs 
4.20.  We are glad to note that the UAE has bound all its tariff lines, and all its bound rates are ad 
valorem. It is also commendable that the UAE's applied MFN rates for most tariff lines do not 
exceed 5%. However, of 2015, 19 ta riff lines on tobacco products were still su bject to an applied 
tariff of 100% or a minimum specific duty.  The app lication of the specific duty could lead to an ad 
valorem equivalent greater than the bound rate of 200%. We would encourage the UAE to consider improvement in this aspect.  
State-owned enterprises 
4.21.  State ownership encompasses nearly all productive activities, including oil industry, real 
estate, telecommunications, construction, manufacturing, electricity, transport, agribusiness, 
education, and health services. According to th e authorities, in many cases these companies, 
although state-owned, have full autonomy and are managed independently through their boards. 
During the financial crisis, however, several go vernment-related entities (GREs) defaulted on 
loans, creating liquidity problems in the local banking market. Sectoral regulations have therefore 
been put in place in some cases to address governance structures and practices of GREs. 
4.22.  We encourage the UAE to actively consider privatization of its GREs, which would not only 
open up more opportunities for foreign investment, but could also help promote competition and 
diversity. 
Services  4.23.  Services account for over half of the UAE's GDP (i.e. 57%). Financial services, wholesale 
and retail trade, and real estate and business serv ices are the main contributors to the services WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  industry. However, foreign participation in many services sectors is still restricted. For instance, 
foreign financial services companies are not allowed to establish subsidiaries in the UAE. 
4.24.  There are also foreign equity limitations, not limited to the services sectors. Although the 
new Federal Law No. 2 of 2015 concerning Commercial Companies allows 100% foreign ownership 
for companies established in free zones, those established in other parts of the UAE are still 
required to have a minimum of 51% UAE national ownership. As the UAE seeks to improve its business environment and attract foreign investment, we encourage the country to further 
liberalize its investment regime. 
Concluding remarks 4.25.  Finally, I would like to congratulate the UAE on winning the bid to host the Expo 2020 in 
Dubai. It is in line with the UAE's Vision 2021 strategy, of which trade is one of the essential 
elements. Achieving the targets requires diversific ation of the economy, creation of an enabling 
environment for trade and investment, as well as movement up the value chains. We are pleased to see the UAE making ambitious commitments to this end, and wish the UAE every success in its 
endeavors. 
AUSTRALIA 4.26.  Australia welcomes the opportunity to participate in the United Arab Emirates' third Trade 
Policy Review. We have a close bilateral relationship with the United Arab Emirates encompassing 
a wide range of shared interests including strong trade and investment links. With $9.3 billion in goods and services trade in 2014-15, the UAE is our largest regional trade partner. Traditional exports including passenger motor vehicles, agricultural commodities, transport and personal 
travel are the leading items in our trade relationship, and there is room to do more together. 
4.27.  Australia commends the United Arab Emirates' sustained commitment to diversify its 
economy and undertake fiscal reform. The decline in oil (and other commodity) prices highlights 
the importance of pursuing growth strategies th at support a flexible and resilient economy. We 
welcome in particular the strong focus on innovation in the UAE's Vision 2021 strategy. 
4.28.  Australia welcomes the United Arab Emirates' vision of becoming a knowledge economy and 
innovation hub. The value of a nimble and im aginative private sector where innovation and 
entrepreneurship is incentivized and appropriate ri sk taking is rewarded cannot be overstated. We 
look forward to the implementation of a proposed Foreign Investment Law, including 100% foreign equity limits, which could further support the United Arab Emirates' goals by attracting increased 
foreign investment and providing those investors with greater certainty and transparency. In our 
view, legislation to provide for greater enforcemen t of contracts and resolution of insolvencies 
would make an important contribution to strengthening the business environment.   
4.29.  Australia welcomes recent steps towards the revitalization of the Gulf Cooperation Council's 
(GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) agenda. High-quality, comprehensive FTAs are an effective compliment to multilateral trade negotiations. They also serve as an important policy tool for the 
implementation of liberalizing reforms and st reamlined domestic processes that can boost 
efficiency and competitiveness, offering lower co st goods and services for domestic consumers and 
providing greater opportunities for exporters in partner countries. Australia is committed to recommencing our FTA negotiations with the GCC at an early opportunity. 
4.30.  Australia commends the United Arab Emirates' efforts to modernize legislation governing 
the economy and encourage it to consider the potential benefits of increased competition, including through greater foreign participation in the oil and gas and telecommunications sectors. 
The liberalization of Australia's telecommunications sector, which began in 1991, contributed to 
lower cost services for business and retail consumers, with flow-on benefits across the wider economy. 
4.31.  We congratulate the UAE on recently accepting the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation. 
The Agreement on Trade Facilitation when implemented will deliver practical measures to strengthen global trade and economic growth, br inging substantial development and job creation 
benefits for WTO Members including the UAE and the Gulf States. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.32.  Australia would also commend any new effort to facilitate, simplify and streamline 
procedures related to Customs clearance. In particular, harmonizing regulatory requirements for imported foods and coordinating border inspection and clearance systems for imports to the GCC would lower costs for importers and, in turn, domestic consumers. 
4.33.  For this review, Australia has submitted a number of written questions. We look forward to 
studying the United Arab Emirates' response to these questions. 
CHINA 
4.34.  We are glad to see that UAE has achieved remarkable economic development since last 
review. The economic growth in UAE has been dr iven by non-oil and gas sector since 2012. This 
demonstrates that trade and investment liberalization could be a catalyst and the key to the success of economic diversification. China commends UAE's strong commitments to reform and 
enhance existing regulatory, to improve business environment for foreign investors, and to 
promote free zones. Against current downturn of oil prices, it is more important for UAE to keep on in this direction.  
4.35.  This year marks the 20th anniversary of UAE's accession to the WTO. As a fellow Article 12 
member, we are pleased to see that UAE has well integrated in the multilateral trading system and benefited from comprehensive trade and investment liberalization. Now, UAE is playing an 
important role in negotiations and other fronts with Ambassador Al Zaabi's active engagement. We 
look forward to furthering collaboration with our UAE colleagues in the future base on the solid cooperation between the two missions. 
4.36.  Turning to the bilateral front, China is one of the largest trading partners of UAE. The 
bilateral trade volume amounted to US$48 billion in 2015. Two-way investment also flourished, by 
the end of 2015, the stock of China's direct in vestment in UAE had reached US$1.8 billion, with 
over 4000 companies registered in UAE by Chines e investors. This January, the GCC and China 
have restarted the FTA negotiations. We look forw ard to working closely with UAE in the ongoing 
FTA negotiation and to reaching a comprehensive and high-quality agreement in the near future. 
4.37.  At the same time, China noticed that there is still room for improvement regarding some of 
UAE's investment policies. In particular, we encourage UAE to minimize the limits on foreign 
ownership, extend the scope of business operations for the branch and representative office of foreign companies, liberalize sectors such as real  estate, car rental, human resource services, and 
further open up the banking sector. 
4.38.  China has raised some questions to UAE an d is grateful for the replies received, which we 
will study closely. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
4.39.  Since their last review in 2012, the UAE successfully continued their diversification strategy 
which enabled the economy to grow at a relatively high rate, despite the fall in oil prices. Also, attracting Foreign Direct Investment is important for diversification and for the promotion of 
innovation, which are key objectives for the UAE. In this context, the EU notes that, as noted by 
the Secretariat, the economy remains in many respects a State matter. In several sectors, the state-owned entities play a major role locally (in the financial sector, for example) and internationally (on oil markets and transportati on). An example here is the 100% government 
owned Emirates Airlines corporation which is now the third largest international carrier in the 
world.  
4.40.  Trade plays a crucial role in the UAE ec onomies with total trade in goods and services 
equivalent to nearly 176% of the GDP in 2015. For the EU, the UAE is one of most important 
markets for goods and services, currently 8th largest export market and 3rd largest in terms of trade surplus. Regarding investment, several of the EU Member States have important positions 
among the foreign investors. Today, more than 6.000 companies from the EU have established 
their regional base in the UAE. Considering the relatively small size and population of the country and in absence of major trade related agreements wi th the EU, this is remarkable and the result of 
a very liberal and open economic development mo del, which the UAE have benefited from since WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  inception of the country 45 years ago. Let me also highlight in this context the recent ratification 
of the TFA and the notification of category A commitments.  
4.41.  Looking forward, as the regulatory framework for economic activities in the UAE is 
undergoing rapid changes in line with the move from an oil-based to a diversified economy, there 
is a need for new legislation and rules. The continuation of the success story of the UAE will 
depend on the skillful management of those new regulatory efforts while maintaining the spirit of the liberal economic model.  
4.42.  In this context, and beyond the overall positive picture, please allow me to make a few 
specific comments:  
1. Labour forces. The WTO Secretariat report does  not give figures on employment but one can 
note that national citizens represent only about 10 to 15% of the workforce. This is an 
important feature of the economy that has to be taken into account. The EU has noted the 
ongoing initiatives taken by the authorities to reform labour conditions and would welcome further information regarding conditions of work and the rights of migrant workers.  
2. Transparency and inclusiveness. The EU has le arnt from experience that the drafting of 
legislation benefits from consultation of industry and services' representatives and of stakeholders of all kinds. We believe that for the UAE as well this could help in attracting 
investors and ensuring high quality legislation.  
3. "Emiratization". The EU has concerns that certain new developments are discriminatory and 
have the potential to undermine trade. The UAEs' goal to give preference to nationals over expatriates in management positions in UAE corporations, the national preferences in public 
procurement, the access to credit for SMEs and the export promotion activities are creating 
a difficult environment for foreign actors. UAE nationals are also treated differently to foreigners when it comes to bounced cheques or privacy violations under the UAE 
cybercrime law. Those practices are harmful and not conducive to equal conditions for all 
economic operators. Rigid employment quotas to hire UAE nationals could also impact on foreign companies' investment decisions.  
4. Restricted access to capital. The recently issued UAE Company Law maintained the 49% 
shareholding limit for foreigners and foreign companies in the UAE. Decreasing this threshold would contribute to further improve the attractiveness of the UAE as an investment location.  
4.43.  In conclusion, we hope that the UAE will use our discussion today to consider the trade 
concerns expressed and wish the UAE best success in this Trade Policy Review. 
MÉXICO 
4.44.  A la delegación de México le complace co nstatar que los Emiratos Árabes Unidos han hecho 
importantes logros en la reforma de su economía y avances significativos en materia comercial, tal y como ha sido expuesto tan elocuentemente por Su Excelencia Sultán Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, 
Ministro de Economía (jefe de delegación), a quien le damos la más cordial bienvenida, lo mismo 
que a la delegación que lo acompaña desde Abu Dabi.  
Desarrollo económico en general 4.45.  México felicita a los EAU por su crecimiento y desarrollo económicos de las últimas décadas. 
A pesar del calor extremo de la región y de la dificultad que enfrenta la agricultura, a partir de los 
recursos derivados del petróleo, este país en desarrollo ha podido no sólo sobrevivir, sino convertirse en una de las economías más dinámicas del mundo. Como nuestro distinguido 
ponente, el Embajador Lima Mena lo ha mencionado: los EAU están ya a la vanguardia y se han 
convertido en ejemplo a seguir en muchos ámbitos de la vida económica. De acuerdo con el 
Informe Doing Business 2016 del Banco Mundial, el PIB per cápita es de 43,480 dólares EE.UU., 
cifra superior al de algunos países desarrollados. Esto representa un inmenso logro.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.46.  Conforme al informe de su Gobierno presen tado para este examen, el PIB de los EAU tuvo 
una tasa de crecimiento acumulativa anual del 4,9%. A pesar de la caída internacional de los precios del petróleo, que nos ha afectado a muchos países, gracias a sus reservas de divisas, la economía de los EAU ha podido mantenerse y diversificarse hacia otros sectores, apoyada en la 
brillante estrategia de diversificación económica, que el Ministro Al Mansoori ha explicado esta 
mañana.  
Aranceles  
4.47.  Mi delegación quisiera felicitar a los EAU por ello, así como por haber consolidado todas sus 
líneas arancelarias NMF y aplicar un arancel de al rededor del 5%, a pesar de que su tipo promedio 
de arancel consolidado sea del 14,3%. 
Facilitación del Comercio 
4.48.  Los EAU, junto con otros Miembros, han contribuido a dar un buen ejemplo al resto de la 
Membresía, al haber notificado su categoría "A" desde 2015 y habiendo ratificado el Acuerdo sobre Facilitación del Comercio (AFC) en marzo de este año. Habiendo dicho esto, notamos que el Índice 
Doing Business 2016 del Banco Mundial le concedió el lugar 101 en el rubro de comercio 
transfronterizo. De acuerdo con el Informe de la Se cretaría de la OMC, el cual agradecemos, esto 
puede deberse a que en el año 2015, en promedio se necesitaban seis documentos y 109 horas 
para realizar los trámites de importación, y el costo por contenedor fue de 961 dólares EE.UU. Por 
lo anterior, invitaríamos a los EAU a mejorar sus procedimientos de importación, para lo cual la implementación del AFC será seguramente un catalizador.  
Comercio de Servicios e Inversión 
4.49.  A pesar de las reservas y limitaciones a la inversión extranjera en varios sectores y en 
determinadas regiones que no son zonas francas, los Emiratos Árabes Unidos es una economía atractiva para la inversión y cada vez más diversificada hacia los sectores industrial, 
manufacturero, financiero, turístico y de transporte aéreo. El sector de la construcción no se queda 
atrás, pues en 2014 representó el 9% del PIB y el 33% del empleo total. En este sector se encuentra operando desde 2005 la empresa mexicana Cementos Mexicanos y por ello, nos resulta 
importante que la nueva legislación laboral entre en vigor y cumpla con su objetivo de eliminar la 
práctica de la "sustitución", por la cual los tr abajadores extranjeros deben negociar primero sus 
contratos laborales desde sus países y una vez en EAU renegociar sus salarios. 
4.50.  Por otro lado, también en materia de inversión, de enero de 1999 a septiembre de 2015, en 
nuestra relación bilateral se registró una inversión acumulada de EAU en México por 10.8 millones 
de dólares EE.UU., con lo que se ubicó como el segundo inversionista entre los países del Medio Oriente en nuestro territorio. Hace algunos meses, el Presidente de México y nuestra Canciller 
realizaron una visita oficial a los EAU con el objetivo de intensificar la relación entre ambos países. 
Si bien nuestro comercio bilateral se ha incrementado en los últimos años, el potencial a explorar es considerable y esperamos que éste se expanda, lo mismo que nuestra cooperación económica y 
tecnológica, en general.  
Cierre 4.51.  Concluyo mi intervención, alentando a los Emiratos Árabes Unidos a continuar con su 
desarrollo económico y transición a una sociedad basada en el conocimiento y la innovación. 
Quedamos a la espera de recibir respuestas a las preguntas que fueron formuladas por México y 
enviadas a la atención de la delegación de los EAU en tiempo y forma, y agradecemos de antemano por tales respuestas.  
THE
 SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU 
4.52.  From the report of the Government of the UAE, we can see that the UAE Government has 
been making so much effort to diversify its economic base from the hydrocarbon sector into 
non-hydrocarbon sectors, such as financial services, wholesale and retail trade, real estate and 
business services. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.53.  Though the fall of oil prices since 2014 has affected the government's revenues, due to its 
successful diversification strategy, the UAE is still able to maintain reasonable economic growth, 3.1% growth rate in 2015. 
4.54.  We commend the UAE Government for its economic diversification policy, which emphasizes 
on improving competiveness and creating high technology. 
4.55.  The establishment of free zones and economic  specialized zones has been a key strategy for 
providing incentives to attract foreign investment. However, there is still room for improvement, 
for example, in implementing the Competition law, and in reducing restrictions of foreign 
investment such as the requirement  
4.56.  Of majority ownership by UAE nationals. We encourage the UAE to implement further 
reforms to create better business environment. 
4.57.  In the bilateral economic relationship be tween the UAE and the Separate Customs Territory 
of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, the two- way trade between us is growing steadily. The 
bilateral trade last year (2015) amounted to US$4. 9 billion dollars. Moreover, since the Emirates 
airlines launched the daily flight from Dubai to Taipei last year, the passenger load factor of every 
flight averages over 80%, which has dramatically  increased the two-way exchanges of tourists and 
business travelers. We look forward to further de velop economic cooperation with the UAE, with a 
view to increasing the flows of trade and investment between us in the future. 
4.58.  The written questions we submitted in advance which covered most of the areas of trade 
policy that are of particular interests to us, fo r example in the area of trade and investment 
regime, standards and technical requirements, comp etition policy and price controls, trade policy 
in the hydrocarbon sector, and banking regulations in  the financial sectors, etc. We appreciate the 
responses made by the Government of the UAE,  and we should examine them carefully. We 
certainly expect this review to stimulate some very interesting and productive discussion.  
UNITED
 STATES 
4.59.  The United States and the UAE enjoy a robust trade and investment relationship, with 
bilateral two-way goods trade continuing to expand – reaching US$25 billion in 2015 – and the 
stock of U.S. foreign direct investment in the UAE reaching US$15 billion in 2014. 
4.60.  The United States continues to support the UAE's efforts to diversify its economy away from 
reliance on trade in traditional commodities, and our governments continue to explore various means of further enhancing our trade relations. Ou r Governments also regularly consult with each 
other on issues of mutual importance and recogn ize the value of continued cooperation on a range 
of issues. We appreciate our ongoing cooperation with the Emirates in all fora, including in the WTO, and are pleased to note that the UAE recent ly ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement and 
is in the process of preparing the deposition of its instrument of acceptance. 
4.61.  While the UAE has reason to be pleased with the results of its economic reforms to date, 
some concerns remain, and the written questions that the United States submitted in the context 
of this TPR address some of those concerns. Ma ny of the questions we pose today reflect our 
desire to encourage the UAE to move forward expe ditiously on its efforts to improve the business 
environment, including those related to important WTO initiatives and commitments. 
4.62.  Along those lines, we are interested to he ar the UAE's plans to revise its legislation and 
regulations that restrict foreign investment and tr ade, including through requirements for majority 
ownership by UAE nationals, require foreign entiti es to act through an Emirati agent, and require 
the legalization – or consularization – of commercial documents before exporting to the UAE. 
These types of market restrictions, and consularization in particular, are unnecessarily 
burdensome, adding to the challenges for SME exporters from African and other regional neighbors interested in participating in UAE's market and we are not sure what purpose they serve. We 
encourage the UAE to consider carefully the impact  of these types of restrictions on the trading 
and investment climate. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.63.  The United States urges the UAE to continue to develop and further expand its efforts to 
ensure that technical regulations and standards are notified to WTO Members in draft form with enough advance notice that stakeholders have sufficient time to review and comment, and that Emirati authorities take those comments into account before finalizing the regulation or standard. 
The United States has found that consultation with, and involvement by, all interested parties in 
the regulatory process leads to rules and regulations that better meet their objectives while minimizing trade distorting effects. U.S. firms are committed to ensuring that their products meet 
relevant UAE technical regulations – as well as those of the Gulf Standards Organization – in order 
to access the UAE market. Sufficient advance notice and comment periods would help avoid recurrence of past instances where businesses were unaware of technical regulations in advance of implementation, leaving them with little or no time to modify their manufacturing processes. 
4.64.  Consultation with interested parties will be particularly critical regarding the GCC Guide for 
Control on Imported Foods, and we are interested in any updates that the UAE and its partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council can provide on revisions to the Guide. 
4.65.  We are also interested to hear the UAE's pl ans to address concerns regarding lack of border 
control and customs enforcement efforts against counterfeit goods in free trade zones, particularly the re-exportation of counterfeits. 
4.66.  We also strongly encourage the UAE to join the recently concluded expansion of the 
Information Technology Agreement and to become an observer to the WTO Committee on Government Procurement. We believe that the revision of the Government Procurement Agreement has facilitated accession to the GPA, and we strongly encourage the UAE to commence 
accession to the GPA as soon as possible. These actions would be a good way for the UAE to boost 
its participation in the multilateral trading system, and we are interested to hear the UAE's plans in this regard. 
4.67.  In addition, we urge the United Arab Emirates and its GCC partners to complete the 
transparency review of its customs union, as pr ovided for under WTO rules. In addition, as the 
GCC reduces trade barriers, harmonizes regulations and increases transparency, we encourage the 
UAE to work with its GCC colleagues to accelerate that important work in line, of course, with its 
WTO obligations. 
4.68.  We also note with significant interest and perhaps a bit of envy, the Government's initiative 
to establish and operationalize a State Ministry of Happiness. There may be lessons for all of us in 
this. We look forward to learning more about this during and after this review.  
4.69.  In closing, I would like to emphasize that the United Arab Emirates is a valued partner of 
the United States, and we congratulate the UAE fo r its efforts to develop a more open trade and 
investment regime. We hope that this discussion today will encourage the UAE's continuation of 
those policies and we look forward to continuing to work together to achieve those goals. We thank the Government of the UAE in advance for its efforts to respond to our questions, and we 
plan to review its responses carefully and request clarifications as necessary during the course of 
this TPR. 
CHILE 4.70.  Para este ejercicio, Chile formuló 19 consultas, las que están relacionadas, entre otras, con 
las siguientes materias: política de competencia; medidas antidumping, compensatorias y 
salvaguardias; medidas que afectan a la producción y al comercio; buenas prácticas regulatorias; evaluaciones de impacto regulatorio; fiscalización de productos; prescripciones sanitarias y 
fitosanitarias; compromisos en el marco de la OMC; telecomunicaciones; transporte; y régimen de 
inversión. 
4.71.  Chile valora el espacio que otorga este Examen de Política Comercial para destacar nuestro 
acercamiento bilateral. Si bien nuestra relación ha sido principalmente impulsada por los temas 
económicos; en los últimos años hemos estrechado las relaciones políticas, gracias a nuestras embajadas residentes, e incluso Chile tiene una oficina comercial en Emiratos Árabes Unidos. También los contactos de alto nivel han aumentado, prueba de esto es que el Vice-Presidente y 
Primer Ministro de Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Su Alteza el Jeque Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  visitó Chile hace 2 años con el objeto de profundizar las relaciones políticas y económicas. A su 
vez, el presidente de la Corte Suprema de Ch ile visitó Abu Dabi a inicios de este año. 
4.72.  Entre ambos países se firmó un acuerdo para evitar la doble tributación de los productos 
transportados por vía aérea o marítima. Desearíamos que las negociaciones bilaterales que se 
llevan a cabo en otras materias también puedan ser firmadas, como son: Memorándum de 
Entendimiento sobre Cooperación entre las Cámaras de Comercio e Industria; Memorándum de Entendimiento sobre el Establecimiento de un Consejo de Personas de Negocios; y un Acuerdo de 
Cooperación y Asistencia Mutua en Materias Aduaneras. También esperamos poder concretar un 
Acuerdo sobre Intercambio de Información sobre los Asuntos Fiscales y un Memorándum de Entendimiento sobre Cooperación en el Sector de Turismo. 
4.73.  Chile y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos tienen vigente un Acuerdo de Cielos Abiertos.  
4.74.  La relación económico-comercial entre Chile y Emiratos Árabes Unidos mantiene flujos 
comerciales estables. La balanza comercial ha aumentado entre el período 2010-2015: por una parte el crecimiento de las exportaciones de Chile a Emiratos Árabes Unidos ha sido en promedio 
de 2,8%, concentradas fundamentalmente en madera, yodo, alimentos (manzanas variedad royal, 
nueces, kiwis, filetes congelados de salmón, uvas),  y vinos, y por otra las importaciones chilenas 
desde Emiratos Árabes Unidos han tenido un crecimiento anual promedio de 67%, las 
importaciones más significativas son: teléfonos móviles, polietileno, y otros productos industriales 
(acumulador eléctrico de plomo, partes y accesorios de vehículos, material de andamiaje, y placas, láminas y tiras de plástico). 
4.75.  En cuanto a la inversión extranjera directa, invitamos a Emiratos Árabes Unidos a continuar 
invirtiendo en nuestro país. Entre  1990 y 2014, la inversión extranjera directa de Chile en 
Emiratos Árabes Unidos llegó a 11 millones de dólares EE.UU.  
4.76.  Entre ambos países se han llevado a cabo acciones de cooperación a nivel bilateral, 
principalmente en el ámbito de la pesca y acuicultura.  
4.77.  A pesar de nuestra lejanía geográfica, coincidimos en varios foros y diversos organismos 
internacionales, como por ejemplo la OMC, organi zación de interés de ambos países ya que somos 
economías bastante abiertas al comercio, con aranceles Nación Más Favorecida por debajo del 6%, 
y flujos comerciales crecientes.  
4.78.  Celebramos los avances realizados por Em iratos Árabes Unidos desde su segundo examen, 
tales como la simplificación de sus procedimientos de tramitación de documentos y la reducción de 
los plazos necesarios para el despacho de aduana. Valoramos los compromisos multilaterales en el 
área de la facilitación comercial tomados por Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Asimismo, felicitamos la estrategia de diversificación de la economía, qu e ha permitido que el país crezca por sectores 
distintos de los hidrocarburos, atendiendo especialmente la competitividad y el desarrollo de los 
sectores de alta tecnología e innovación. 
4.79.  Alentamos a Emiratos Árabes Unidos a continuar realizado avances en la financiación de las 
PYMES. La promulgación de una nueva Ley de este tipo de empresas y el establecimiento de 
infraestructura financiera como la Oficina Calificadora de Riesgo Crediticio y un registro de créditos, nos parece que son medidas acertadas para lograr un crecimiento inclusivo. En este mismo sentido destacamos las iniciativas ya emprendidas en años anteriores como por ejemplo la 
promoción de los conocimientos financieros básicos y la ayuda a la incubación de empresas. 
CANADA 4.80.  Despite our geographical separation, Canada and the United Arab Emirates share a lot in 
common in terms of the importance of the pe troleum sector and trade to our respective 
economies. Canada can therefore relate to and sy mpathize with the challenges presented to UAE 
by sharp fluctuations in global energy prices and slowdowns in global trade. While the UAE's 
economy is still highly dependent on the petrol eum sector, Canada appreciates the significant 
efforts of the United Arab Emirates' federal Government to diversify its economy and to facilitate and promote international trade and investment. Indeed, the United Arab Emirates now has one of the most diversified economies in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). Canada is willing to share WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  our experience in coping with a significant stake in the oil sector and to support the United Arab 
Emirates in continuing its diversification efforts to build on its prosperity and stability within the Gulf region. 
4.81.  Canada supports the UAE's Vision 2021 strategy, which aims to achieve sustainable 
development by further increasing economic diversification away from oil. The UAE's desire to 
transform itself into a highly productive and competitive knowledge-based economy reflects the Government's foresight in anticipating and planning for long-term challenges. 
4.82.  Furthermore, Canada encourages the UAE to continue facilitating activity in the 
infrastructure sector which, as noted in the Secretariat's report, mitigated the impact of the 2014 fall in energy prices on UAE's economy, is now a key driver of sustainable economic growth and serves to increase UAE's overall competitivene ss. Canada also encourages the UAE to follow 
through with its Foreign Investment Law to stimul ate further foreign investment leading to further 
economic diversification and greater stability. 
4.83.  Canada remains strongly supportive of the UAE's openness to trade, as evidenced by, inter 
alia, its low tariffs, limited non-tariff barriers to trade, free-trade zones and participation in the 
GCC, including its regional trade agreements and ambitious slate of ongoing RTA negotiations. Our 
bilateral trade and investment relationship is robust, with the UAE constituting the largest export 
market for goods from Canada to the Middle East and North Africa. 
4.84.  Canada and the United Arab Emirates maintain an ongoing dialogue on economic issues as 
part of the Canada-United Arab Emirates Shar ed Strategic Agenda (SSA). Through the SSA, we 
cooperate in the pursuit of the shared goals of enhancing economic prosperity for our societies, 
strengthening regional and international security, and cooperating on development objectives in 
third countries. 
4.85.  Canada also commends the UAE's commitment to the multilateral trading system and active 
involvement in WTO negotiations. We congratulate the UAE on its recent acceptance of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement protocol of amendmen t. Canada encourages the UAE to consider 
participating in WTO plurilateral initiatives, as a means of demonstrating the UAE's ambitious and 
open trade policy. This could include observership  and eventual accession to the WTO Government 
Procurement Agreement, and participating in the WTO Environmental Goods Agreement initiative. Canada notes the UAE's participation in the 1996 WTO information Technology Agreement, and encourages the UAE to join the recent expansion of the ITA. We look forward to continued 
engagement with the UAE as we define the appropriate WTO negotiating agenda moving forward, 
consistent with the vision set out by Ministers at MC10. 
4.86.  In conclusion, Canada is pleased to see how much progress has been made by the UAE in 
liberalizing and diversifying its economy to date and we look forward to continuing our work with 
the UAE and our trading partners to strengthen the global economy and the multilateral trading system embodied by the WTO. We stand ready to  collaborate with the UAE on how to overcome 
our common economic challenges arising from the oil sector and trade. 
UKRAINE 4.87.  Our country attaches great importance to developing trade and economic cooperation with 
the United Arab Emirates, in particular within the WTO. Analysis of bilateral trade and economic 
relations between Ukraine and the UAE demonstrates the availability of significant prospects for 
further development of bilateral economic and investment cooperation. 
4.88.  In this regard, Ukraine actively participates in numerous international exhibitions held in the 
UAE and is interested in improving access to the UA E market of agricultural and food products. In 
2015, Ukraine's export totaled half a billion dollars and Ukraine's import was about US$150 million. The main Ukraine's export articles  to the UAE are ferrous metals, animal and 
vegetable fats and oils, dairy products etc. Ukraine imports from the UAE plastics, polymer 
materials, coffee and tea. 
4.89.  Facilitating trade turnover between our countries is of great interest for Ukraine and its 
further development is an important task. Seeking for stable and predictable trade conditions WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  Ukraine however expresses some concerns regarding the accreditation cancellation and 
non-recognition of the Halal food products certificate, issued by the Halal Certification and Research Center in Ukraine.  
4.90.  In this regard, Ukraine has asked the UA E to clarify some provisions concerning the 
accreditation procedure for the Halal certifiers, legal grounds for accreditation and its cancellation, 
the timeframe for the accreditation procedure and validity of the accreditation. We are very thankful to the UAE delegation for the reply which we examine with all due attention.   
4.91.  In conclusion, I would like to express our appreciation to the delegation of the UAE for the 
hard work preparing this TPR. Ukraine wishes de legation of the UAE successful Trade Policy Review 
and looks forward to continue further strengthening of our bilateral relations. 
THAILAND 
4.92.  The diplomatic relations between  Thailand and the UAE just marked 40
th anniversary last 
year. On economic cooperation, the trade relati ons between both sides have progressively and 
potentially developed. The UAE could consider Thailand the gateway to ASEAN, whereas Thailand 
could position the UAE as the distribution hub and gateway for exports to the Middle Eastern 
market. 
4.93.  The UAE has been Thailand's number one trading partner in the Middle East for years. In 
2015, total trade between Thailand and the UAE va lued over US$11 billion. Exports and imports 
amounted to US$3 billion and US$8.1 billion, respectively. Thailand's main imports from the UAE include mineral fuel and aluminum, while major exports consist of machinery, automobiles, and jewelry. 
4.94.  Thailand would like to congratulate the UA E for its solid average annual economic growth of 
3.8% during the period of 2010-2015, despite the de clining oil prices since 2014. This is due to the 
UAE's success in diversification of its economy, the continuation of which will be vital for the UAE 
in maintaining growth and investment over the long run. 
4.95.  In this review, Thailand submitted severa l questions to the UAE, covering, among others, 
issue regarding customs co-operation agreements, pharmaceutical products, competition law, and 
investment policy. We look forward to the UAE's responses to our questions, and will study them in 
detail with great interest. 
ARGENTINA 4.96.  La Argentina observa con interés el desarrollo económico de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, 
especialmente sus esfuerzos por mantener una economía sostenible, diversificada, flexible y 
abierta a nuevos modelos económicos. Asimismo, resulta admirable su capacidad de adaptación luego de la crisis financiera mundial, llegando a tener una tasa media anual de crecimiento del PIB 
real de 4,5%. Este resultado, en parte por los éxitos alcanzados en su meta de incrementar la 
participación en la economía de sectores diferentes a los hidrocarburos, tales como la construcción y el turismo, es igualmente importante hoy en dí a teniendo en cuenta la reciente disminución del 
precio del petróleo. Es de esta forma destacable que los Emiratos Árabes Unidos haya establecido 
estrategias claras, enfocadas en la diversificación de la economía, tales como invertir en la modernización de zonas francas, y la elaboración de planes para el desarrollo de proyectos de vivienda e infraestructura, dado que estas estrateg ias tiene un efecto positivo en el bienestar de 
su pueblo. Prueba de ello es que el PIB per cápita aumentó de 34.600 dólares EE.UU. en 2010 a 
43.400 dólares EE.UU en 2015. 
4.97.  En cuanto a la relación bilateral, cabe señalarse que en ocasión de la visita del Canciller 
emiratí a la Argentina en febrero de 2016, se vislumbró un firme interés en fortalecer las 
relaciones bilaterales con nuestro país, especialmente en las áreas de agricultura, alimentos, energías renovables, infraestructura, turismo, y cooperación en logística. En este sentido, se 
manifestó inquietud en celebrar la primera reunión de la Comisión Mixta con la Argentina durante 
el transcurso de este año, con el fin de avanzar en los temas económicos y comerciales. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.98.  Asimismo, la existencia de un vuelo directo de Emiratos Árabes Unidos a la Argentina 
constituyó un hito para potenciar las oportunidades de aumentar el comercio, promover viajes de hombres de negocios e incrementar el turismo. El 20 de octubre de 2015 entró en vigor el Acuerdo de Servicios Aéreos entre Argentina y Emiratos Árabes Unidos, firmado en 2013 con el objeto de 
establecer y operar Servicios aéreos entre los respectivos territorios. 
4.99.  Finalizando, reiteramos nuestro reconocimiento por esta nueva oportunidad de intercambiar 
opiniones y consideraciones sobre las políticas y prácticas comerciales, y resaltamos, una vez más, 
la importancia de este ejercicio de transparencia en todos sus aspectos. 
SINGAPORE 4.100.  Singapore and UAE enjoy strong bilateral ties, underpinned by a robust trading 
relationship. UAE is Singapore's largest trading partner in the Middle East, and 10th largest trading 
partner in the world. Singapore companies have also made substantial investments in sectors as 
diverse as oil, water and waste treatment management, and urban solutions. These trade and investment linkages were further strengthened with the entry into force of the Gulf Cooperation 
Council–Singapore Free Trade Agreement, or GSFTA, on 1 September 2013. This agreement made 
Singapore the first non-Middle East country to have a FTA with the GCC, and continues to garner much interest from our businesses and traders. 
4.101.  Singapore welcomes the UAE's effort in diversifying its economy and notes its success in 
achieving this objective, with non-hydrocarbon sectors leading growth since 2012. This is also reflected in the UAE's continued GDP growth, aver aging 4.5% annually, despite the decline in oil 
prices. We encourage UAE to continue in its diversification efforts and pursue reforms to improve 
its business environment towards sustained growth in the future. 
4.102.  2016 marks the UAE's 20th year as a Member to the WTO and a key supporter of the 
multilateral trading system. The UAE leads by example in continuing to maintain low applied MFN 
tariffs on nearly all products, and keeping a good record in fulfilling its notification obligations. We 
also welcome the drop in overall average tariff from 4.9% to 4.7% between 2011 and 2015. UAE's recent ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement is another positive indicator of the UAE's 
contribution to the system.  
4.103.  We encourage UAE to build on its already liberal tariff regime, and consider joining the 
GPA, as well as plurilateral initiatives such as the ITA2 and EGA initiatives. We also urge the UAE to accept the Protocol amending the TRIPS Agreement. This will further enhance UAE's standing as 
a strong supporter of the multilateral trading system.  
JAPAN 4.104.  It is a pleasure for Japan to take part in the TPR meeting for the United Arab Emirates. 
Needless to say, the UAE has been an important partner to Japan for years, especially as a main 
supplier of crude oil and LNG. Japan will make co ntinuous efforts to maintain and further develop 
the strong ties between us. 
4.105.  According to the Secretariat report, mainly due to the fall in crude oil prices, the GDP 
growth rate of the UAE decelerated to 3.1% in 2015. 
4.106.  However, as everyone knows, the country's economy has been successfully diversified. 
The growth of various non-oil sector industries, such as construction, wholesale, tourism and 
manufacturing, has been robust and has contributed to the country's resilient economy. In this 
context, Japan commends the UAE's continuous efforts to attract foreign investment. In particular, the provision of Free Zones and Economic Specialized Zones are commendable. Thanks to those 
policies, more than 30 Japanese corporations have embarked on new businesses in the UAE, which 
draws our close attention to your country as one of the most important business hubs in the Middle East. 
4.107.  We hope the country will further accelerate reforms including easing of restrictions on 
foreign investment and full implementation of the national competition law. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.108.  Although we commend the country's effort s, we still have seve ral specific concerns. 
4.109.  First, we are concerned with restrictions on foreign direct investment. In the Free Zones, 
foreign investors enjoy exemption from various regulations. However, on the contrary, outside of the Free Zones, investors are facing strict regulations on foreign ownership. The Secretariat report 
notes that applicants for licenses must be a UAE national or a company established in the UAE that 
is 51% owned by UAE nationals. 
4.110.  In this regard, Japan was glad to read the Government's report which noted that a new 
investment law is under process for domestic ratification. Japan understands that the basic 
concept of the new law is to increase the percentage of foreign ownership of projects up to 100% for specific sectors and activities. 
4.111.  We hope that this new law will be ratified as soon as possible and that it will improve 
foreign investors' business environment. 
4.112.  Second, we have a concern with the employment requirements for UAE nationals. The 
country's law requires local corporations with 50 or more employees to employ more than 2% UAE 
nationals among their total employees. However, when  such requirements are imposed, it is more 
difficult for corporations dealing with more specialized industries to find suitable employees. 
4.113.  As such, we request that the UAE consider easing or abolishing the above mentioned 
requirement with a view to creating a more attractive and business-friendly environment for 
foreign investors. 
4.114.  The third concern we have is a more concrete one. It is about the requirement of packing 
materials made from Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic. 
4.115.  The UAE's law requires industries to pack products with packaging made from Oxo-
Biodegradable Plastic which, we believe, is an environmentally-friendly material. 
4.116.  However, we believe that the regulation has problems with its scope and packaging 
material specifications. In addition to those problems, we are very much concerned with the 
strength of this material. To be precise, this material would be not strong enough to pack specific products such as electronic goods. 
4.117.  Japan requests the UAE to consider narrowing the scope of this regulation. 
4.118.  The last concerns we have are about the IPR. The Secretariat report notes the country's 
sincere efforts against counterfeit goods. Howeve r, although each Commercial Crimes Department 
has an authority to detect cases and dispose counterfeit products, Japan is aware of reports noting 
the number of customs seizure cases in the UAE,  especially in Dubai, is not enough. Japan 
requests the UAE to give concrete explanations of its current approach and future plan to strengthen quarantine policies. 
4.119.  Moreover, the Dubai criminal courts tend to impose low penalties for IPR infringement 
regardless of the size and seriousness of the infr ingement, and whether it was malicious or not. 
We are now touching upon the news noting that the amount of penalty is generally 5,000 DH, 
which is the statutory minimum in the country's law. Japan requests the UAE to provide concrete 
explanations about the criteria for application of penalties for IPR infringement in criminal cases. 
4.120.  Furthermore, Japan is aware of reports that the proposed amendment of the Anti-
Counterfeiting Law, which has been deliberated since 2014, has already been passed by the 
National Council. We would like to know the present status of this amendment. 
4.121.  In conclusion, I would like to express our strong wish to continue cooperation between the 
United Arab Emirates and Japan. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  REPÚBLICA  DOMINICANA 
4.122.  El primer elemento que se destaca al leer el informe de la Secretaría es que los EAU han 
aplicado con éxito una estrategia de diversificación de su economía, para hacerla menos dependiente de los ingresos de los productos derivados del petróleo, lo que ha hecho que entre 
2010 y 2014, la tasa media anual de crecimiento del PIB real fue del 4,5%, a pesar de la crisis 
económica mundial. Sin embargo, a pesar de haber logrado esta diversificación, el sector de los 
hidrocarburos sigue siendo muy importante, representando un 34% del PIB, frente a un 9% del 
sector de las manufacturas y un 57% en el caso de los servicios.  
4.123.  Debido a la caída en los precios del petróleo, se espera que en el 2015 el déficit fiscal del 
conjunto de los EAU sea de un 3% del PIB. Para ha cer frente a esta situación se ha introducido un 
programa de consolidación fiscal cuyo objetivo es controlar el gasto público. No obstante, los EAU 
conservan cierta comodidad en el manejo de sus finanzas, ya que en 2015 la deuda pública total 
ascendió a aproximadamente el 14% del PIB, y las reservas de divisas del país equivalen a más de siete meses de importaciones. Además, los Emiratos disponen de fondos soberanos de distinta 
magnitud. 
4.124.  Vemos con interés que la política comercial, de inversión y de desarrollo de los EAU tiene 
como objetivo fundamental la diversificación de la economía, y hacen especial hincapié en la 
mejora de la competitividad y el desarrollo de los sectores de alta tecnología. Las zonas francas y 
las zonas económicas especializadas son un elemento importante de la economía de los EAU y de la estrategia de crecimiento del Gobierno. Actualmente, cerca de dos terceras partes de las exportaciones de productos no petroleros se realizan desde zonas francas. 
4.125.  Vemos que tienen un régimen arancelario, bastante liberal, y en el marco del Arancel 
Exterior Común, la mayor parte de los productos están sujetos a un arancel del 5% o están exentos de derechos. Sin embargo, algunos productos están sujetos a aranceles específicos que 
pueden sobre pasar los aranceles consolidados hasta un 200%, por lo que les exhortamos a 
revisar estos aranceles.  
4.126.  Notamos que la participación estatal sigue siendo muy importante en muchos sectores, 
como por ejemplo la producción de petróleo y gas, el transporte aéreo y marítimo y sus 
instalaciones, las telecomunicaciones y los servicios financieros. El informe de la Secretaría indica también que la estructura de la propiedad suele ser compleja, ya que existen sociedades de cartera estatales en cuyo capital social participan tanto los distintos Emiratos como los fondos 
soberanos, por lo que les exhortamos a abrir y simplificar los regímenes de propiedad estatal.  
4.127.  Asimismo, coincidimos con el informe de la Secretaría que sería conveniente para la 
economía de los EAU que se agilicen ciertas reformas, como la plena aplicación de la Ley de 
Competencia, la flexibilización de las restricciones a la inversión extranjera (incluido el requisito de 
la participación de nacionales de los EAU en la propiedad) y la mejora del entorno empresarial. 
4.128.  Por último, hemos presentado preguntas a los EAU, relativas al régimen de inversiones, 
licencias de importaciones, aranceles y régimen aduanero, entre otros; cuyas respuestas 
agradecemos y analizaremos. 
BRAZIL 4.129.  The reports describe recent developments and policy choices in the UAE which we find 
important to highlight. Firstly, the UAE's economy has shown resilience in the face of a downturn 
in international oil prices, owing both to prudent macroeconomic policies, translated in the ability to accumulate savings in the years of high oil prices, and to a decision to diversify the economy 
towards a future of less reliance on oil, through implementation of the programme UAE Vision 
2021. This strategy seems to bear fruit in the ef fort to smooth the economic impact of the oil 
sector downturn, having allowed the UAE to record positive economic growth in both 2014 and 
2015.  
4.130.  As reported, the distribution of econom ic activity and exports among sectors shows a 
healthy offsetting effect on the economy as a result of a sizeable growth in the value of non-hydrocarbon exports and production between 2011 and 2014. From a macroeconomic WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  viewpoint, it is also noteworthy that the UAE's current account is moving from a surplus of almost 
20% of GDP in 2013 to a balance in 2016, which ends up reflecting a more even economic relationship with the rest of the world. We also welcome the information provided in the reports that the UAE is embarking on a series of deregulation initiatives in several economic sectors, such 
as aviation, renewable energy, health and tourism,  and hope that the country will follow through 
with its intent to promote a more liberal investment regime. 
4.131.  Brazil, as a Member of the WTO, is of course pleased to verify in the reports that UAE's 
strategy, Vision 2021, has a clear foreign trade component, including the creation of an enabling 
environment for trade and investment and the promotion of commercial diplomacy with other countries. In this regard, we noted with interest the UAE involvement not only in the multilateral negotiations, but also in bilateral or regional initiatives, together with its partners of the Gulf 
Cooperation Council (GCC), including with Mercosul.  
4.132.  Turning to our bilateral relations, the bila teral trade flows, totaling almost US$3 billion, 
declined in 2015 in comparison with 2014, but fo llowing an upward trend in the years between 
2006 and 2014, in which trade more than doubled from US$1.4 billion to US$3.3 billion (or roughly 
113%). Brazil has a surplus in the bilateral trade of around US$2 billion. It is important to underline that our exports and imports to and from the UAE show a reasonable degree of 
diversification, between basic and manufactured goods. Our main exports to the UAE comprise 
meat; organic chemical products; sugar; minerals; gold and precious gems; and mechanical machinery. Our main imports from the UAE are fuels; fertilizers; salt, Sulphur and cement; aluminum; plastics; and, again, mechanical machinery.  
4.133.  There is potential for substantial improvem ent in those trade flows and Brazil is looking 
forward to working together with the UAE in order to make this possibility a reality. The question 
Brazil submitted in writing, which refers to th e status of implementation of the GCC Guide for 
Control of Imported Foods, an area where a comm on approach is being developed by the trading 
block, exemplifies the importance of our agricultur al exports and our interest in expanding them to 
the UAE (and we thank the UAE for the written repl y provided yesterday). Brazil will also follow 
with interest the discussions on other aspects of the UAE trade and investment regimes. 
4.134.  In concluding, we are looking forward to hearing the comments of the membership as well 
as the clarifications by our friends from the United Arab Emirates, to whom we wish a successful Trade Policy Review. 
COSTA
 RICA 
4.135.  Costa Rica reconoce en Emiratos Árabes Unidos a un Miembro activo de esta Organización. 
Su compromiso con el sistema multilateral de la OMC es reconocido por todos y es consecuente 
con el tamaño relativo de su economía. El comercio de bienes y servicios es de enorme 
importancia para Emiratos Árabes Unidos, y por ello han desarrollado una gran capacidad de adaptación y diversificación en sectores como el de alta tecnología, para alcanzar mayores niveles 
de competitividad y desarrollo, y disminuir su dependencia en la producción de petróleo e 
hidrocarburos. 
4.136.  Para economías pequeñas como la de Costa Rica, la diversificación de destinos y productos 
es fundamental, y vemos en Emiratos Árabes Unidos a un socio con un gran potencial para 
estrechar nuestras relaciones comerciales. Con ese objetivo, el 12 de enero de este año, recibimos 
en Costa Rica la visita de su Alteza, el jeque A bdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Durante este viaje, el 
jeque transmitió una clara señal de la voluntad de acercarse a Costa Rica con el fin de profundizar 
nuestros lazos comerciales y de inversión. 
4.137.  Costa Rica valora altamente el buen desempeño de la economía emiratí en los últimos 
años, a pesar del difícil entorno en que este se ha producido, en razón de la caída de los precios 
del petróleo. Como bien señala el informe de la Secretaría en el marco de este Examen, el 
crecimiento futuro dependerá de la inversión y también, quisiéramos destacar, del papel que siga desempeñando el comercio. 
4.138.  También, aplaudimos el desarrollo del sector de servicios en los Emiratos así como el rol 
que ha venido asumiendo progresivamente la inversión extranjera en diversas ramas. El desarrollo WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  de nuevos sectores presenta un patrón muy interesante, con experiencias muy útiles para otros 
países en desarrollo, como por ejemplo la diversificación en servicios ambientales y generación de energías limpias. 
4.139.  Para los productores y exportadores costarricenses, es de especial interés tener claridad 
sobre temas relacionados con licencias de importación e impuestos de aduanas. En esa línea, 
hemos formulado una serie de preguntas en el marco de este Examen de Política Comercial. Mi delegación es consciente del enorme esfuerzo del país examinado en la preparación de las 
respuestas a las preguntas formuladas, por lo que agradecemos a Emiratos Árabes Unidos haber 
aclarado oportunamente las consultas que remitimos y las analizaremos en detalle. 
NEW
 ZEALAND 
4.140.  New Zealand has an active interest in the UAE's trade and economic policies. New Zealand 
is a strong supporter of the WTO and believes that  the Trade Policy Review process is a valuable 
mechanism through which countries can share and exchange views on best practice in trade policy, while considering and reflecting on the systemic implications – both positive and negative – 
of particular policy approaches.   
4.141.  New Zealand has a strong and growing trading relationship with the UAE which is 
supported by steady growth in political and ec onomic linkages. New Zealand and the UAE (as a 
member of the GCC) concluded negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement in 2009, which is awaiting 
signature.  
4.142.  We value the UAE's overall commitment to the global trading system. This Trade Policy 
Review is an important tool toward the UAE's strategic vision to be a global centre for international 
trade and logistics, by supporting the right co nditions for, and strengthening, an enabling 
environment for trade to flourish.  
4.143.  Since the UAE's last Trade Policy Review, the UAE has taken a broad range of measures to 
underscore this commitment, including on investment, economic regulation, and the reduction of 
fossil fuel subsidies. These actions, many of whic h have been undertaken in the face of global and 
regional economic, security and political challenges (including declining oil prices), demonstrate 
the UAE's role as a regional leader.  
4.144.  We note in particular the successful work that has been done towards the diversification of 
the UAE economy and movement away from primary reliance on hydrocarbons. The reduction of this key market dependency has been instrumental in reducing the impact of falling oil prices.  
4.145.  With this context in mind, we have reflected on the Secretariat's report and the report by 
the UAE Government. The Report highlights a number of areas where the UAE has recently been pursuing reforms or is doing so currently: 
 The new Investment Law, which is aimed at further strengthening the investment 
environment by opening further sectors for full foreign ownership and reducing requirements and caveats, including around the presence of branches. We view this as an important step, 
and encourage the UAE to continue looking at further refinements to the investment regime, 
particularly around foreign equity limitations.   
 Implementation of the Competition Law, which is aimed at promoting and protecting 
competition. We note that further work towards implementation is required on critical 
elements, which we encourage the UAE to implement as soon as possible.   
 The development of an Agricultural Policy, which will be aimed at establishing a policy 
framework based on food security and sustainab ility. We look forward to hearing more about 
the policy, and how the UAE will leverage the international trading system to support it. 
4.146.  We applaud the UAE's approach to the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies. Fossil fuel subsidy 
reform is an area of increasing importance for all Members. In this regard, the UAE has shown 
strong leadership in reducing transport-related fu el subsidies. We encourage the UAE to share its 
experience with other countries in the Gulf.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.147.  The questions New Zealand has posed as part of the Trade Policy Review reflect New 
Zealand's interest in, inter alia , investment, competition, and ensuring sustainable practices in 
developing natural resources, particularly around energy and fisheries. We look forward to hearing 
more about how the UAE is dealing with these areas and continued progress in this regard. 
4.148.  In conclusion, the reports by the UAE and the Secretariat illustrate the positive economic 
trajectory of economic reform in the UAE that will continue to have positive trade, economic and environmental effects. The UAE's story of economic  reform and economic diversification stands as 
a prime example to other regional states. 
EL
 SALVADOR 
4.149.  Las relaciones en general entre los Emiratos y El Salvador se han fortalecido en los últimos 
años. En septiembre de 2015, nuestros Cancilleres intercambiaron proyectos de Memorándum de 
Entendimiento sobre Consultas Políticas bilaterales encaminados a fortalecer las relaciones 
diplomáticas. 
4.150.  Adicionalmente, en 2012 los Emiratos Árabes Unidos y El Salvador firmaron un acuerdo de 
entendimiento para facilitar el transporte aéreo. Según el convenio, las compañías aéreas de 
ambos países tendrán libertad total en la fijación de rutas, volumen de pasajeros y mercancías y tipos de aeronaves para vuelos entre ambos países. 
4.151.  Este acuerdo recoge una cláusula por la que las compañías tendrán derecho a embarcar y 
desembarcar pasajeros, correo y carga con destino o procedencia de terceros estados. 
4.152.  En relación al informe de la Secretaría, hemos observado que los esfuerzos de los Emiratos 
por diversificar su economía han dado muchos frutos, y vemos con interés que el desarrollo del 
sector industrial específicamente, se ha debido en gran medida a la mano de obra inmigrante.  
4.153.  También quisiéramos felicitar a los Emiratos por el crecimiento positivo de varios sectores 
económicos, entre ellos es de destacar el del sector turismo, que en 2015 únicamente Dubái atrajo 
14.2 millones de turistas, representando el 8% del crecimiento con respecto al año anterior, y Abu 
Dabi atrajo 4 millones de visitantes en ese mismo año, que significó un aumento del 18% con respecto al 2012.  
4.154.  En materia arancelaria, destacamos el bajo nivel de aranceles NMF aplicados, que oscilan 
entre 0% y 5%, exceptuando algunos productos, y que las crestas arancelarias son escasas. Además, resaltamos que tampoco han impuesto medidas de defensa comercial.  
4.155.  No obstante, dado que la agricultura sigue contribuyendo en menor medida a la economía, 
quisiéramos conocer mayores detalles sobre la política en materia agrícola que están 
desarrollando, orientada a mejorar la seguridad alim entaria, conforme se indica en el Informe de 
la Secretaría.  
4.156.  En cuanto al comercio bilateral, en los últimos 4 años tanto las exportaciones como las 
importaciones han tenido tasas positivas de crecimiento. En 2014, las exportaciones crecieron en 144% con respecto al año anterior, la más alta registrada en 10 años, y en 2015, el crecimiento 
fue del 42%. También las importaciones desde los Emiratos han crecido ampliamente, siendo del 
44% en 2015.   
4.157.  Los productos exportados por El Salvador a los Emiratos son productos de la confección, 
pesca y reptiles. En cuanto a las importaciones, las principales son aleaciones de aluminio, 
productos plásticos e instrumentos y aparatos de medicina.  
4.158.  En el plano multilateral, tal como lo recoge el informe de la Secretaría, los Emiratos Árabes 
han realizado muchos avances en cuanto a los cumplimientos de notificación, así como a la 
observancia de los Acuerdos de la OMC, reiterando su compromiso con el sistema multilateral con 
el recién depósito del instrumento de aceptación del Acuerdo de Facilitación del Comercio en abril 
de este año.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.159.  Por todo lo anterior, solo nos resta felicitar a los Emiratos Árabes Unidos y desearle el 
mayor de los éxitos en este ejercicio. 
ECUADOR 4.160.  Participamos con gran interés en este Examen de Políticas Comerciales, pues las relaciones 
bilaterales han ido fortaleciéndose a través de la firma de un Memorando de Entendimiento entre 
los titulares de la Agencia de Promoción de las Exportaciones Ecuatorianas - Pro Ecuador y el Departamento de Desarrollo Económico del Emirato de Dubái. 
4.161.  El objeto del acuerdo suscrito hace dos años fue promover la interacción entre el sector 
público e instituciones privadas para el incremento de la exportación de productos frescos y procesados y servicios turísticos, entre otros así como concretar las oportunidades de negocios entre ambas naciones, toda vez que Dubái se ha convertido en un centro de negocios a nivel 
mundial. 
4.162.  Por su lado, Ecuador, a través de dicho instrumento, busca promover su oferta exportable 
y fortalecer las relaciones comerciales bilaterales. 
4.163.  En cuanto se refiere al informe presentado por la Secretaría, tomamos nota que entre 
2010 y 2014 la tasa media anual de crecimiento del PIB de Emiratos Árabes Unidos fue del 4,5%. Tal crecimiento se debió básicamente a la aportación del sector de los hidrocarburos, pues el 
petróleo crudo y el gas representaron el 34% del PIB, aunque un hecho importante a ser 
destacado es que el crecimiento a partir de 2012 ha sido impulsado por los sectores distintos de los hidrocarburos gracias a una política y estrategia de diversificación de la economía. En ese sentido, el sector de los servicios ha contribuido con el 57% al PIB, constituyendo los servicios 
financieros, el comercio al por mayor y menor, los servicios inmobiliarios y los servicios prestados 
a las empresas, los que más destacan.  
4.164.  Asimismo, registramos varias dificultades que han afectado a la economía de los Emiratos 
Árabes Unidos debido a la caída de los precios del petróleo desde 2014 que hizo que disminuyan 
sus rentas e ingresos de exportación por lo qu e se prevé, además, un déficit fiscal del 3% en 
2015.  
4.165.  Frente a este panorama es importante destacar como hecho positivo que las autoridades 
de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos introdujeron un programa de consolidación fiscal con el objeto de controlar el gasto público. Adicionalmente, la estrategia de diversificación de su economía le ha permitido mantener los niveles de crecimiento e inversión centrados, básicamente, en los sectores 
de alta tecnología y mejora de la competitividad.  
4.166.  Ecuador también reconoce que una de las formas utilizadas para diversificar la economía 
dentro la política comercial de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos ha sido la creación de zonas francas y 
zonas económicas especializadas, de las cuales se hacen las dos terceras partes de las 
exportaciones de productos no petroleros. Estas zonas ofrecen a los inversionistas varias ventajas como la exención de impuesto de sociedades y del impuesto sobre la renta de las personas físicas, 
así como la exención de los derechos de aduana.   
4.167.  De otra parte, otro de los logros que se puede ver del informe de la Secretaría es el que se 
refiere a que las autoridades aduaneras de cada Emirato se encargan de la aplicación de la Ley Común de Aduanas del Consejo de Cooperación de los Estados Árabes del Golfo y de la Guía 
Unificada de Procedimientos Aduaneros, disponiendo de sistemas electrónicos para la presentación 
de las declaraciones aduaneras. Sobre este particular, entre las preguntas que Ecuador ha presentado, consta una que solicita conocer el estándar de documentos electrónicos aplicados en 
el sistema de autorización para la emisión de permisos de exportación e importación, con el fin de 
prever futuros intercambios de datos que permitan agilizar y facilitar el comercio entre países. 
4.168.  Para concluir, deseamos anticipar nuestro agradecimiento a la delegación de Emiratos 
Árabes Unidos por sus respuestas a las preguntas que hemos planteado sobre algunos aspectos 
concretos de su política comercial que, proveerán información importante para el fortalecimiento de las relaciones bilaterales en materia de comercio exterior. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  REPUBLIC  OF KOREA 
4.169.  Korea and the United Arab Emirates have developed close cooperation since establishing 
their diplomatic ties in 1980. Both countries enjoy the economic cooperation particularly in energy, 
nuclear power plant, construction, and healthcare. They are also expanding their cooperation 
further into new areas such as culture, agriculture, and halal food. 
4.170.  Although bilateral trade decreased in 2015 du e to the decline of oil prices, we believe that 
both countries will continue to deepening the comprehensive economic partnership based on close 
economic relations developed so far. 
4.171.  Turning to the report on the trade policies of the UAE, Korea is pleased to note that the 
UAE is addressing the external impact of global economy successfully by implementing the diversification of its economy. According to the report, since 2012 the non-oil GDP growth rate has 
surpassed the overall GDP growth rate. It shows that non-oil sector is leading the sustainable 
economic growth of the UAE.  
4.172.  Korea also notes that the UAE continues its efforts to restructure its legal and regulatory 
system for a business friendly environment. In particular, it is welcomed that a new investment 
law is under process to facilitate the attraction of foreign direct investment by increasing the percentage of foreign ownership of projects. 
4.173.  Korea, as a close economic partner, sincerely hopes that the UAE will achieve its economic 
goals under its vision 2021 
4.174.  I would like to take this opportunity to make two comments on the trade policies of the 
UAE. 
4.175.  First, recently, six countries of the GCC and Yemen, have announced their plan through 
the GSO (Gulf Standardization Organization) to introduce a new technical regulation on low voltage electrical equipment and appliances.  
4.176.  Additionally, in November 2014, the ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization and 
Metrology) announced a new technical regulation on cosmetics and personal care products, under 
which all cosmetics products in the UAE market are required to obtain certification by the ECAS 
(Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme). 
4.177.  Korean companies are facing difficulties to  comply with those new regulations. Therefore, 
Korea would like to request the UAE to recognize the conformity assessment results that are provided by conformity assessment bodies of othe r WTO Members, in ways such as by allowing 
those conformity assessment bodies to be register ed at the UAE's regulatory authority, or by 
accepting test results from testing laboratories in other Members' territories. 
4.178.  Second, it is our understanding that a foreign company should ha ve a local partner or 
agent in order to participate in procurement projects by federal or emirates governments of the 
UAE. As a result, foreign companies are subject to administrative and financial burden to find out proper partners or agents. 
4.179.  Therefore, Korea would like to encour age the UAE to improve its current procurement 
requirements and to join the WTO GPA.  
4.180.  The UAE is one of the strong supporters of the multilateral trading system. Korea 
welcomes its acceptance of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in this April and Korea hopes that the 
UAE will continue to constructively participate in strengthening the WTO multilateral trading 
system. 
4.181.  With this, I would like to conclude by expr essing our appreciation to the delegation of the 
UAE for its hard work and wishing the delegation every success in its TPR.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  ROYAUME  DU MAROC 
4.182.  En tant que pays arabe, c'est pour la délégation du Royaume du Maroc un immense plaisir 
de participer aujourd'hui à ce troisième examen des politiques commerciales des Émirats arabes unis (EAU) qui, j'en suis convaincu, sera l'occasion de permettre aux pays Membres de notre 
Organisation de prendre connaissance des progrès économiques et commerciaux réalisés par ce 
pays ami et frère dans le système du commerce multilatéral.  
4.183.  L'exercice auquel nous allons nous livrer aujourd'hui et après-demain sera également 
l'occasion pour le Gouvernement des Émirats Arabes Unis de présenter les différentes facettes et 
les piliers de ses politiques économiques commercia les, sectorielles et ses orientations futures. 
4.184.  Les EAU se positionnent comme un carrefour commercial central sur le Golfe, l'Asie du sud 
ainsi que l'Afrique de l'est. Ils comptent parmi les marchés les plus dynamiques en termes de 
commerce extérieur et ils font partie des 16 premiers exportateurs et des 20 premiers 
importateurs mondiaux de marchandises. 
4.185.  Quatrième producteur pétrolier de l'OPEP, au 7ème rang pour les réserves mondiales, 
17ème producteur mondial de gaz, les EAU sont, toutefois, parvenus à réduire la dépendance de 
l'économie aux hydrocarbures grâce au développement d'une plate-forme de services depuis des années  
4.186.  Aujourd'hui, les EAU bénéficient d'une économie durable et diversifiée grâce à une 
stratégie nationale qui a su développer de nouveaux secteurs stratégiques et canaliser les énergies 
vers des industries et des services qui apportent un avantage concurrentiel à long terme.  
4.187.  En effet, le pays transite vers une économie de la connaissance, basée sur la promotion de 
l'innovation et de la recherche-développement, le renforcement du cadre réglementaire de 
secteurs clés et le soutien des branches d'activité à forte valeur ajoutée, ce qui lui a permis de favoriser le passage à une diversification et à un essor de l'économie qui soient moins dépendants 
du pétrole, le secteur pétrolier ne représentant aujourd'hui qu'un peu plus de 30% du PIB.  
4.188.  Sur un autre registre, le Maroc se félicite des performances économiques impressionnantes 
des Émirats sur ses dernières années, son PIB actuel étant 4 fois supérieur à celui de 2001. En 
2014, les EAU figurent déjà parmi les 30 premières économies mondiales et représentent 0,52% 
du PIB mondial total. 
4.189.  Son développement économique a progressé à pas de géant, et ce grâce principalement à 
la restructuration de leur cadre juridique et réglementaire pour l'aligner sur les meilleures 
pratiques internationales en matière de transparence, de protection des investissements, de 
concurrence équitable et de compétitivité, et pour créer des conditions propices à l'activité des entreprises. 
4.190.  Á cet égard, il sied de souligner que les Émirats sont le premier pays de la région 
Moyen-Orient/Afrique du nord pour les entrées et des sorties d'investissements directs étrangers (IDE). En effet, en 2014, les flux des IDE entrants et sortants se chiffraient, respectivement, à 
115,6 milliards de dollars EU et à 66,3 milliards de dollars EU.  
4.191.  Les EAU doit cette réussite à un ensemble de mesures, dont notamment la nouvelle loi sur 
l'investissement qui à même d'améliorer davantage le climat de l'investissement et de permettre d'attirer plus d'investisseurs dans les divers secteurs de l'économie et dans les domaines de 
développement prioritaires. 
4.192.  Le Royaume du Maroc se félicite également de la vision à laquelle souscrit les EAU en ce 
qui concerne le libre-échange comme une condition nécessaire au renforcement de la compétitivité 
et de la productivité sur le long terme. C'est dans cet esprit que les É.A.U. ont signé plusieurs 
accords de libre-échange avec des pays arabes, dans le cadre de la Grande Zone Arabe de Libre Échange (GZALE), avec l'Association européenne de  libre-échange (AELE) et avec Singapour, et 
engagé des négociations, sous l'égide du Conseil de Coopération du Golfe (CCG), en vue de 
conclure des accords de libre-échange avec les principaux partenaires commerciaux du CCG. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.193.  Nous sommes heureux de constater que l'accord de libre-échange signé entre le Maroc et 
les EAU a permis d'ouvrir de nouveau horizons aux opérateurs économiques des deux pays d'autant plus que nos deux économies disposent de complémentarités et de potentialités non encore exploitées pleinement. 
4.194.  Les Émirats Arabes Unis sont Membres de l'OMC depuis le 10 avril 1996 et Membres du 
GATT depuis le 8 mars 1994. Il est un pays défenseur du système commercial multilatéral. Il joue un rôle actif dans le cycle des négociations commerciales multilatérales en cours. Ses intérêts 
prépondérants dans le cadre du PDD concernent l'élargissement de l'accès aux marchés pour les 
produits non-agricoles (AMNA) et la poursuite de la libéralisation du commerce des services, les règles commerciales et les mesures correctives commerciales. 
4.195.  De plus, les EAU sont favorables au renforcement des programmes d'assistance technique 
en faveur des Pays en développement et des pays les moins avancés (PMA) dans plusieurs 
domaines de l'OMC.  
4.196.  Permettez-moi, enfin, de féliciter le Gouvernement des émirats Arabes Unis pour son 
parcours réussi et impressionnant de ces dernières années ainsi que pour son dynamisme au sein 
du commerce multilatéral. 
4.197.  Je souhaite à ce pays arabe frère et ami plein succès dans l'examen de ses politiques 
commerciales. 
TURKEY 4.198.  Turkey considers the UAE an important economic partner in the region for trade and 
investment. The bilateral trade volume between our two countries totaled US$6.7 billion in 2015. 
Moreover, more than 500 Turkish firms operat ing in the UAE are making considerable 
contributions to the economic development of the host country. The value of the projects 
undertaken by Turkish contracting companies operating in the UAE reached US$9 billion in the end 
of 2015. However, there still is vast potential of cooperation in a wide spectrum of sectors between 
our countries. In this regard, I firmly believe that our trade volume could be increased and diversified further. Moreover, it is obvious that the legal framework of our bilateral economic 
relations will be further strengthened by sign ing a Free Trade Agreement between Turkey and the 
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Turkey hopes that the UAE will support the efforts within the GCC 
to conclude the free trade agreement which is being negotiated since 2005. 
4.199.  Looking at the economic environment, as noted by the Secretariat, real GDP growth of 
Emirati economy averaged 4.5% annually during 2 010-2014. However, it declined to 3.1% in 2015 
mainly due to the sharp decline in oil prices si nce 2014. Nonetheless, as a result of the growth 
after 2010, GDP per capita rose to US$43,400 in 2015 from US$34,600 in 2010.  
4.200.  I observe with pleasure that the UAE has managed to reduce its oil dependency through a 
successful strategy of economic diversification. Since 2012, the growth of the Emirati economy has 
been led by the non-hydrocarbon sectors such as construction, retail and wholesale trade, tourism 
and manufacturing. For the time being, the UAE enjoys a relatively diversified economy and has 
managed to keep away from the worst of the co llapse in oil prices. Even so, the country still 
counts on oil revenues to account for approximately 65% of government revenues, which has a significant impact on the economy. I wish to encourage the UAE to further strengthen these efforts 
and carry on reforms such as the full implementati on of the Competition Policy Law, easing of 
restrictions on foreign investment including the requirement of majority ownership by UAE nationals, and further improving the business climate in order to benefit fully from economic 
diversification.  
4.201.  The Secretariat noted that the UAE Government has developed an economic agenda that 
aims to enhance the role of the private sector, liberalize the economy and diversify the product 
and export base. Additionally, according to the "2016 Doing Business" report of the World Bank, 
the UAE ranked 31st out of 189 economies. Turkey applauds the efforts of the UAE in improving 
country's business environment and increasing its attractiveness to foreign investment. However, 
in my view, the foreign ownership restrictions, especially outside the free zones, as well as the 
requirement to use local agents seem to impede the full utilization of the great potential that WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  foreign companies may offer. In this respect, Tu rkey encourages the UAE Government to consider 
relaxing the requirement of such restrictions in certain industry sectors under a new Foreign Investment Law.  
4.202.  For this Trade Policy Review, Turkey subm itted a number of written questions relating to 
UAE's economic outlook, negotiations of free trade agreements, investment and taxation regime. 
We look forward to UAE's response to these questions. 
4.203.  Last but not least, I wish every success to the Government of the UAE in attaining 
sustainable development goals through the implemen tation of the "UAE Vision 2021" that focuses 
on promoting the transition to a knowledge- based economy, creating a business-friendly 
environment and increasing the country's attractiveness to foreign investment.  
4.204.  Before concluding, I would like to greet my friend Ambassador Nasser Al Zaabi and his 
team for their active participation in the WTO negotiations in Geneva.  
INDIA 4.205.  Notwithstanding the global financial crisis of 2008, between 2010 and 2014, the UAE 
economy grew at an average annual growth ra te of over 4.5%, demonstrating remarkable 
resilience. More importantly, since 2012, growth has been led by the non-hydrocarbon sector, which is commendable and indicates the Government commitment to diversification of its 
production base into non-hydro-carbon sectors. The decline in oil prices impacted UAE economic 
performance and brought pressures on its public finances. However, as a result of prudent macro-economic management, the Government has managed to contain the fiscal deficit.  
4.206.  The open and liberal trade and investment regime, friendly business environment, 
world-class infrastructure, has allowed UAE to emerge as a leading global investment and financial 
centre and a crucial trading gateway. Trade continues to play a crucial role in the UAE economy with total trade in goods and services equivalent to 176% of GDP in 2014. On the trade policy 
front, UAE has broadly maintained an open and liberal trading environment. The UAE follows a 
simple tariff regime with applied tariff levels maintained at relatively low levels. As part of its Vision-2021 strategy, the UAE Government is laying particular focus on transitioning to knowledge 
based economy, promoting innovation and research, development of SMEs, progressive 
restructuring of its legal and regulatory environm ent to align with global best practices, and 
encouraging high value added sectors. This is an ambitious economic agenda, which aims to 
capitalize on regional and global economic partnerships. We wish the UAE every success in 
implementing its Vision 2021 strategy fo r achieving a balanced economic growth. 
4.207.  At the bilateral level, India and the UAE en joy multi-dimensional strategic partnership, with 
trade and investment ties and people to people connections as two key pillars. Today, UAE is 
India's third largest trading partner and a major source of energy supplies. India-UAE trade in 
2014-15 was about US$60 billion with a well-diversified basket of tradable goods. Our investment partnership is robust. A number of Indian companies have invested in the UAE in diverse sectors 
such as infrastructure projects, energy, telecommunications, IT, pharmaceuticals, energy, textiles, 
consumer electronics, engineering products, education, health, tourism, management and consultancy services. Over 900 direct flights per week between various destinations in India and the UAE provide much needed connectivity between our two countries. All in all, our bilateral 
engagement continues to expand and both our countries remain committed to deepening trade 
and investment linkages to their full potential. 
4.208.  We welcome the commitment of the UAE to  the multilateral trading system and to the 
ongoing negotiations. Both India and the UAE have shared interest in a strong and effective 
multilateral trading system, and we look forward to working with the UAE team in Geneva towards 
this objective. Finally, we would like to than k the UAE Government for providing responses to 
certain question posed by us, which would be review ed carefully by my authorities. In closing, we 
wish the delegation of UAE a productive and successful TPR. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  RUSSIAN  FEDERATION 
4.209.  The Russian delegation joins others in welcoming the third Trade Policy Review of the 
United Arab Emirates and greets the official delegation from Abu Dhabi here in Geneva. We have no doubt that the current TPR will contribute sign ificantly to transparency of the UAE trade regime 
and thus bring practical results both for the auth orities of this dynamic economy and for the whole 
WTO membership. 
4.210.  The United Arab Emirates remains one of the key Russia's partners in the region. The 
Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates have been developing broad, deep and robust 
bilateral cooperation spanning vast economic, trade and investment areas. During the review period, the amount of our bilateral merchandise trade has doubled reaching US$1.2 billion in 2015. Nonetheless, we are confident that our countries ha ve a good potential to further enhance bilateral 
trade and increase the investment flows. 
4.211.  The continuous growth of the national economy demonstrates positive outcomes of the 
reforms pursued by the UAE. Its sound economic pe rformance is based largely on successful trade, 
investment and development policies, focused on diversification of the economy, with a particular 
emphasis on improving competiveness and on high technology sectors. In light of these trends, 
the interest of the Russian business to cooperation with the UAE is steadily rising.  
4.212.  Prior to this TPR, Russia has submitted to the United Arab Emirates a number of questions 
regarding the UAE's certain sanitary and phytosanitary measures as well as agricultural practices. Our special concern, as we outlined in our questions, refers to the banking sector of the UAE where Russian economic operators face a growing number of unjustified rejections in the interbank 
operations. We thank the Delegation of the UAE fo r the replies provided and will consider them 
thoroughly.  
4.213.  In conclusion, I would like to thank th e delegation of the United Arab Emirates, the 
Secretariat and the esteemed discussant, for their hard work done so far. We wish the United Arab 
Emirates a successful Trade Policy Review. 
SRI
 LANKA 
4.214.  My delegation commends on the efforts taken by the Government of United Arab Emirates 
to face challenges of the global economic crises, adjusting its macro-economic management, driven by the hydrocarbon sector in 2010–2011, to successful diversification of the economy in the 
non-hydrocarbon sector in 2012–2015. We believe that the results of these measures are 
emerging to show their positive impact to the econ omy. Although the decline of prices in oil sector 
had negative impacts, the diversification efforts of the Government of the UAE to non-oil sectors have been able to suppress such pressure. A co mmendable growth is observed in the services 
sector. As mentioned by the discussant, the UAE has recorded a promising environment in the 
application of E-Commerce. My delegation wishes to congratulate the UAE for its efforts towards establishing knowledge-based economy.  
4.215.  With regard to the tariff, the UAE, maintains relatively low tariff on both agriculture and 
non-agriculture products through its liberal trade policies. 
4.216.  Let me also briefly reflect on the historical  close bilateral relations between the United Arab 
Emirates and Sri Lanka. The United Arab Emirates is a very important trading partner for Sri Lanka 
in the entire Gulf region. The UAE is the largest export market, as well as the largest source of 
imports from the region. Similarly, the UAE is the largest investor in Sri Lanka from the region. The strong relationship between the two countries has grown steadily over the time. The value of 
total trade turnover between the two countries has increased from US$373.51 million in 2005 to 
US$1,347.85 million in 2015, registering an in crease of around 261% compared to 2005.  
4.217.  Customs departments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka have signed an 
agreement to boost the technical cooperation be tween the two countries aiming at facilitating 
trade and increasing cooperation between two countries. Sri Lanka and the UAE have signed an MoU on Air Services between two countries on 6 March 2000. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.218.  My delegation welcomes the United Arab Emirates continued commitment to the 
multilateral trading system and its active engagement in the negotiations in the WTO.  My delegation also welcomes the UAE ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
MONTENEGRO 
4.219.  Montenegro would like to associate itself with the statement of the European Union. 
4.220.  At the outset, my delegation would like to recognize constructive role of United Arab 
Emirates in the work of the WTO and its commit ment to the free and inclusive trade policies and 
continuous efforts to align with the best practices in international trade and cooperation. We would 
also like to join other delegations in expressing appreciation for the strong positive GDP growth in 
the country, achieved dispute the economic challenges that faced international community during the reviewed period. In addition, my delegation congratulates the United Arab Emirates on 
pursuing a successful diversification strategy – moving away from a high dependence on oil and 
into other sectors of the knowledge-based economy.  To the credit of the United Arab Emirates 
Government, Montenegro would like to highlight the findings of the Secretariat that the successful 
diversification strategy and modernization of economy have enabled the United Arab Emirates to 
weather the storm while maintaining growth and investment.  
4.221.  Reflecting on the period under review, my  delegation would like to underline particular 
interest for the United Arab Emirates' National Innovation Strategy that was launched in 
October 2014 and the importance that the United Arab Emirates places on the tourism sector.   
4.222.  As to the National Innovation Strategy, Montenegro notes that the report of the United 
Arab Emirates sets out this strategy with objective of making the country one of the most 
innovative nations in the world within seven years; and that the strategy is focusing on stimulating 
innovation in seven sectors: (1) renewable energy; (2) transport; (3) education; (4) health; (5) technology; (6) water; and (7) space, with the fi rst phase including 30 national initiatives to be 
completed within three years. In a world economy in which oil prices are increasingly volatile, 
there is a need to develop and implement progre ssive national policies, such as the National 
Innovation Strategy. Montenegro believes that this is indication of the clear vision and firm 
commitment on the part of UAE to transform the country and to increase the quality of life of all its 
citizens.  
4.223.  As to the importance that the United Arab Emirates' places on the tourism sector, 
Montenegro notes that tourism remains a key driver of economy growth and that it lies at the 
heart of all seven emirates' diversification plans.  Indeed, Montenegro notes that the employment 
impact of tourism is expected to reach 626,000 jobs by 2024. By all accounts securing such a 
positive contribution to economic growth an d the labour market would be an impressive 
achievement.  
4.224.  Bilateral relationship between Montenegro and United Arab Emirates is strong and sound. 
It has been expanding recently trough intensive diplomatic and economic engagements resulting in 
signing of the bilateral economic agreement in 2011 and investment agreement in 2012, and with 
important role of the Joint Economic Commission chaired by the Ministers of economy of our two 
countries. This is aimed at busting trade, investments in infrastructure, and cooperation in agriculture, renewable energy and tourism. One of the biggest commercial centres in Montenegro, 
with total value of €120 million, was a joint investment project of UAE Capital Investment 
Company and Montenegrin Atlas Group. In February this year, after a successful international bid, a UAE company took over the leading Montenegrin tobacco company with the commitment to 
invest €20 million in building a new factory wi th high-tech equipment within 12 months. In 
addition, I would like to use this opportunity to extend my Government's appreciation for the active cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development in number of development projects 
currently in implementation: €9.5 million for projec t that supports the water sector to the coastal 
cities in Montenegro; and, over €45 million of concessionary loan to support agricultural development sector aimed at accelerating economic development in Montenegro through supporting food security and enhance the comp etitiveness of Montenegro's products to 
international levels. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  4.225.  We believe that the Joint Economic Commission has proved to be a good platform for 
cooperation and for identifying viable projects of common interests for our two counties and our business communities. My delegation would like to use this opportunity to express to H.E. Minister Mansoori the interest of my Government to hold another session of the Joint Economic Commission 
soon.  
4.226.  To conclude, Montenegro is looking forward to continuing excellent and constructive 
engagement with the delegation of the United Arab Emirates in Geneva and my distinguished 
colleague Ambassador Al Zaabi. 
KINGDOM
 OF SAUDI  ARABIA 
4.227.  The United Arab Emirates is one of the most  open economies in the world. This tradition of 
welcoming business and trade goes back to early Gulf history, when ships sailed to India and along 
the coast of East Africa as far south as Mozambique. 
4.228.  The United Arab Emirates continues to be a strategic hub, with business-friendly free 
zones and a quickly growing economy. With its favorable business climate offering 100% foreign 
ownership and zero taxes, the country has crea ted a dynamic entrepreneurial environment for 
international investors. 
4.229.  According to 2016 World Banks' ease of doing business report, the United Arab Emirates is 
ranked 31st out of 189 economies and first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 
4.230.  The United Arab Emirates is to be commended for its great efforts to improve its trade 
policy and further diversify its economy away from oil. Non-oil sectors now contribute about 70% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It's the second largest Arab economy and the 30
th largest 
globally with the 18th highest GDP per capita (US$44,200) rate. 
4.231.  By setting out wise plans and reforms base d on the guiding principles spelled out by the 
UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Innovation Strategy, the country's economy has transformed from a 
conventional, labor-intensive economy to highly productive and competitive one based on 
knowledge, technology and skilled labor. 
4.232.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are not only neighbors 
enjoying brotherly historical relations but prominent trading partners, their trade relations go back 
several centuries in time. Today, the bilateral business ties are being steadily expanded and further strengthened by continuous interaction and cooperation. The UAE is one of Saudi Arabia's most important trading partners at the level of the Arab region in general and the GCC in 
particular. In 2014, the bilateral UAE-Saudi trade was valued at US$19 billion. Investments by 
Saudi companies in the UAE in the field of real estate, manufacturing and tourism currently valued at US$9 billion. Saudi investors have 206 projects  in the UAE, and the UAE has 114 projects in 
Saudi Arabia, with an estimated collective value of 15 billion Saudi riyals. 
4.233.  As an original Member of the WTO, the Unit ed Arab Emirates is an active Member of this 
Organization and an active supporter of the multilateral trading system. The Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia wishes to seize this opportunity to congratulate the UAE for their 20
th anniversary of the 
WTO Membership. 
EGYPT 4.234.  Egypt is pleased to see that the UAE has continued to make economic progress since its 
last trade policy review, which is reflected in an average annual GDP growth of 4.5% during the 
period 2010-2014, and with GDP per capita reaching US$43,000 in 2015. Furthermore, both foreign trade and foreign direct investments have significantly contributed to the UAE's economic 
growth, with the UAE being the leading co untry in the MENA region in FDI flow. 
4.235.  Egypt commends the measures adopted by the Government of the UAE to diversify the 
economy and to ensure continued sustainable development that is less reliant on the oil sector. We 
note the UAE's determination, under the Vision 2021, to transition to a knowledge-based economy, 
by promoting innovation, research, and developm ent as well as strengthening the regulatory WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  framework and supporting the role of the private sector, with the aim of improving the country's 
business environment and attracting foreign investment. 
4.236.  As noted in the Secretariat report, the UAE's economy has proved to be resilient in the 
aftermath of the global financial crisis as a result of prudent macroeconomic management. 
Furthermore, the success of the UAE's strategy to diversify the economy has allowed it to maintain 
growth and investment despite the decline in oil prices since 2014. In this regard, we appreciate the large number of measures that have been und ertaken by the UAE's Government to facilitate 
trade and foreign investment, such as the fiscal consolidation plan as well as the new Foreign 
Investment Law which is being drafted by the authorities. 
4.237.  Egypt welcomes the UAE's continued commitment to the WTO's work and to the 
multilateral trading system, particularly through its participation in the Arab Group. In this regard, 
we congratulate the UAE on the occasion of the celebration of the 20
th anniversary of its accession 
to the WTO this year. 
4.238.  On the bilateral front, Egypt and the UAE enjoy a strong and interlinked economic 
relationship, which has continued to grow over the past decades, with the volume of trade 
between the two countries increasing to US$762 bi llion. Moreover, both countries are members of 
the Pan-Arab Free Trade Area (PAFTA). Under the PAFTA Agreement, all customs duties on goods 
originating from members were eliminated on 1 January 2015. 
4.239.  In conclusion, I would like to seize this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for 
the hard work undertaken by the UAE's Mission  here in Geneva headed by His Excellency 
Ambassador Obaid Salem Alzaabi, and we look forward to continued cooperation with the United 
Arab Emirates to deepen our economic relationship both bilaterally and within the WTO. 
TUNISIE 4.240.  Ma délégation tient à souligner les efforts considérables déployés par les Émirats arabes 
unis depuis le précédent examen de sa politique commerciale, en vue de poursuivre sa politique de 
libéralisation économique et commerciale à travers le renforcement du processus d'ouverture, l'instauration d'un environnement propice au développement des investissements et la 
diversification des relations commerciales et économiques avec ses partenaires, dont mon pays. 
4.241.  Depuis le dernier examen de sa politique commerciale, les Émirats arabes unis ont connu 
des mutations importantes sur les plans économique, humain et social. L'économie, fondée en grande partie sur la production d'hydrocarbures, s'est diversifiée en se tournant en particulier vers 
le secteur des services qui représente actuellement 57% du PIB. 
4.242.  Les Émirats arabes unis ont enregistré une croissance et un développement économique 
importants et ce, malgré la chute des prix du pétrole et la crise économique qui continue d'affecter 
l'économie mondiale. Son PIB a continué d'afficher une croissance considérable pendant la 
majeure partie de la période à l'examen. Entre 2010 et 2014, le PIB a progressé en moyenne de 4,5% par an, avec un PIB par habitant de plus de 43 000 dollars EU. 
4.243.  Nous saluons la politique poursuivie par les Émirats arabes unis dans le domaine du 
commerce, des investissements et du développement qui est axée sur la diversification de l'économie, en particulier sur le renforcement de la compétitivité et les secteurs des technologies de pointe, et la mise en place des zones franches et les zones économiques spécialisées. Nous 
saluons également la politique poursuivie pour l'investissement. 
4.244.  La Tunisie et les Émirats arabes unis entretiennent des relations fraternelles et de 
coopération. Mon pays accorde une grande importance à ces relations séculaires établies entre nos 
deux pays depuis des décennies. 
4.245.  La Tunisie bénéficie d'un nombre important de projets réalisés par les Émirats arabes unis. 
Nos deux pays sont déterminés à renforcer et à consolider cette coopération dans tous les 
domaines. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
- 38 - 
 
  4.246.  Enfin, je tiens à féliciter M. Abdelsal am Mohammed Alali, le directeur du bureau des 
Émirats arabes unis auprès de l'OMC, ainsi que son équipe pour leur engagement actif aux travaux de l'OMC, ainsi qu'aux travaux du cycle de négociations commerciales menées ici à Genève. Sa contribution et celle de son équipe sont largement saluées par tous les États membres. 
PAKISTAN 
4.247.  Pakistan would like to commend the performances of the UAE economy: achieving a 
positive growth of an average 4.5% annuall y between 2010 and 2014 despite the economic 
slowdown and the decline in oil prices since 2014. 
4.248.  Pakistan would like to commend the bold steps taken by the UAE Government in carrying 
out and implementing reforms to diversify its econ omy. We would like to particularly applaud the 
diversification policies in Trade and Investment with an emphasis on improving competitiveness 
and high technology sectors. Government's main growth strategy focuses on the Free zones and 
economic specialized zones where investments incentives consist of packages of tax exemptions including exemptions on several domestic regulations that apply within the customs territory, 
including Emiratization. 
4.249.  Results have started to pay off. Since 2012, growth has been led mainly from 
non-hydrocarbon sectors reflecting the successful diversification of the economy. 
4.250.  On the bilateral relations between Pakistan  and the UAE, we both enjoy very cordial and 
brotherly relations, with strategic underpinnings. The UAE is among the top 5 trading partners and export destination of Pakistani manufacturing; top 2 export destination of Pakistani foods and 
agricultural products; top 2 source for expatriate Pakistan's employment, business and investment 
opportunities; top 2 source of expatriate Pakistani remittance from an individual country; top 5 
source of foreign investment in Pakistan; top 5 source of humanitarian aid and official development assistance. Furthermore, UAE-Pakistan trade relations are likely to grow further 
keeping in view the business, employment and investment opportunities arising in wake of Expo 
2020 to be hosted by Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The UAE houses more than 1.3 million expatriate workers (almost 100,000 small and medium enterprises are registered with various 
chambers in UAE helping to enhance Pakistan-UAE trade and investment opportunities) sending 
almost US$4.3 billion annually through official banking channels. UAE is also springboard for Pakistan's manufacturing and exporting companies who have commercial presence here in the UAE. The UAE is a gateway exporting to other GCC and African countries for many of Pakistani 
exporters. The UAE is also a strategic partner of Pakistan in developing Halal food exports and 
Islamic economy initiatives. 
4.251.  Pakistan is considering a bilateral trade agreement with GCC, as well as pursuing bilateral 
trade liberalization arrangements with the UAE. 
BÉNIN 4.252.  Les Émirats arabes unis ont enregistré, sur la période de 2010 à 2014, une progression 
moyenne du PIB de 4,8% du PIB par an. Le pétrole et le gaz représentent 33% du PIB total et 
apportent une contribution considérable à l'ensemble de l'économie. La politique de diversification de l'économie des Émirats arabes unis amorcée de puis quelques années a contribué à la gestion 
efficiente de la crise pétrolière que le pays a connue en 2015. De même, les autorités des Émirats 
arabes unis ont mis en place une nouvelle politique budgétaire, caractérisée par un resserrement 
sur le double plan des dépenses et des subventions. 
4.253.  La délégation du Bénin encourage les Émirats arabes unis à poursuivre les efforts de 
diversification de l'économie. 
4.254.  Des initiatives ont été menées par les Émirats arabes unis pour une transformation 
structurelle des politiques commerciales. 
4.255.  Par ailleurs, la délégation du Bénin voudrait souligner l'attachement des Émirats arabes 
unis au système commercial multilatéral et leur volonté manifeste de voir traitées les questions restantes du Programme de Doha pour le développement (PDD), avec un accent mis sur WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
- 39 - 
 
  l'élargissement de l'Accès aux marchés pour les produits non-agricoles (AMNA), la libéralisation 
progressive du commerce des services, et l'ad option des mesures correctives commerciales. 
4.256.  Á ces points, la délégation du Bénin voud rait ajouter les négociations d'autres questions 
tout autant importantes comme les soutiens internes dans l'agriculture et le coton, la pêche, le 
traitement spécial et différencié, pour l'avancement desquelles les PMA espèrent continuer à 
bénéficier du soutien des Émirats arabes unis. 
4.257.  La délégation du Bénin voudrait saisir la présente occasion pour remercier les Émirats 
arabes unis pour l'assistance précieuse qu'ils accordent au Gouvernement béninois, en matière de 
renforcement des bases du développement économ ique et social en République du Bénin. 
4.258.  Á ce sujet, ma délégation voudrait compter sur les contributions des Émirats arabes unis 
dans le cadre de la poursuite des négociations post-Nairobi.  
4.259.  La délégation du Bénin remercie le Secrétariat de l'OMC pour l'excellente préparation de la 
présente session, et pour la qualité de la documentation élaborée. 
URUGUAY 
4.260.  En primer lugar, Uruguay desea felicitar a los Emiratos Árabes Unidos por las altas tasas 
de crecimiento económico conectadas a un régimen abierto de comercio exterior y a une proyección hacia un desarrollo sostenible y diversificado, así como por la exitosa estrategia 
encaminada a crear un entorno empresarial propicio para un crecimiento económico sostenido. 
4.261.  A pesar de los efectos de la crisis económica mundial en el 2008, la economía de los 
Emiratos Árabes Unidos ha demostrado que posee capacidad de resistencia y rápida recuperación. 
4.262.  Quisiéramos realizar una especial mención al régimen de las zonas francas (FTZ) o Zonas 
económicas especiales (SEC) en los EAU ya que puede ser una opción atractiva para los inversores 
extranjeros y en especial para inversores o compañías de nuestro país. Nuestro país está abierto a recibir inversiones de los EAU en aquellos sectores de la economía intensiva en conocimiento. 
4.263.  Por otra parte, Uruguay visualiza un importante potencial para las exportaciones de 
alimentos a Emiratos Árabes Unidos contribuyendo a la seguridad alimentaria. 
4.264.  El mercado Emiratí, relativamente nuevo para la oferta de productos uruguayos, se 
caracteriza por ser además una plataforma de re-exportación, fenómeno poco común que se 
potencia por su posición estratégica geográfica. Las oportunidades son especialmente atractivas para el sector de alimentos como productos gourmet, orgánicos, alimentos procesados, alimentos enlatados, alimentos congelados, granos en genera l (arroz, trigo, cebada), fruta y verdura fresca, 
frutos secos, agua mineral, miel, aceitunas, carnes (ovina y bovina), aves, leche en polvo, otros 
productos lácteos como quesos (sobre todo magros), aceites de oliva y vinos finos con buena relación calidad/precio, materiales de constr ucción, servicios de ingeniería, arquitectura, 
tecnología: energía limpia, tecnología de mejoramiento de la calidad de vida, consultoría – 
agroindustria y medio ambiente. 
4.265.  Nuestro país considera que existe buenas oportunidades de comercio debido a la oferta en 
cantidad y la calidad de nuestros productos alimenticios. 
4.266.  Por último, quisiera mencionar que a Uruguay le interesaría trabajar con los EAU para ser 
plataforma de captación de servicios globales (out sourcing, por ejemplo) y con el fin de establecer 
oficinas comerciales de empresas de TICs para trabajar con la región del Golfo. 
QATAR 
4.267.  The United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar share a very strong and longstanding 
relationship; encompassing the social, economic, political, and cultural domains.   
4.268.  As fellow Gulf Cooperation members, there are many ties that bind The UAE and Qatar. 
The UAE is our 9th largest trading partner and our bilateral trading volume is increasing at a WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  steady pace. Many of which, as His Excellency, the Minister has indicated during his opening 
speech is due to the vast initiatives the UAE ha s undertaken to be a global hub of re-exported 
goods. 
4.269.  The UAE has always played a prominent role both within the GCC and the greater MENA 
region. Where its policies of openness have been integral in enhancing the region's efforts towards 
the integration into the global economy.  
4.270.  We would like to thank the Government of the UAE and the Secretariat of the WTO for all 
of their efforts in writing these comprehensive reports.  
4.271.  The UAE has witnessed continued economic progress since its previous Trade Policy 
Review. The GDP growth rate has increased from 4.3% in 2013 to 4.6% in 2014. 
4.272.  As noted by the reports prepared for this meeting, the UAE has undertaken important 
policy initiatives in the context of its 2021 Vision. The aim of this vision is to diversify away from 
the dependency on oil exports and into a knowledge  based economy. This will, in turn, allow the 
UAE to participate as a significant player in an increasingly inter-dependent world. As noted in a 
recent World Bank report, the UAE is the 30th largest economy globally representing 0.52% of 
total global GDP. 
4.273.  The Secretariat report notes that in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the UAE 
economy has proved to be resilient towards external shocks. This is primarily due to prudent 
macroeconomic management and regulation. Between 2010 and 2014, real GDP grew at an average annual growth rate of 4.52%. In this regard , it is important to note that this growth has 
been propelled mainly by the advancement achieved in the non-oil sectors. 
4.274.  The UAE's creative economy policies are an excellent example of how an energy-exporting 
developing country can diversify the economy away from oil into other industries and services. The reports have noted that the UAE non-oil GDP grow th over the past three years has surpassed the 
energy-related GDP growth of the country. 
4.275.  The UAE is making steady progress in tr ade facilitation, including easing of customs 
procedures, lowering of the administrative import and export barriers. According to the World 
Bank's Ease of Doing Business 2016 survey, UAE rank ed first in the region and 31st globally. In 
this regards, the State of Qatar would like to congratulate the UAE in being the first country in the region to ratify the TFA. 
4.276.  The UAE has proved to be an active participant in the ongoing DDA negotiations. As a 
significant exporter of primary aluminium, the UAE has, in previous occasions, made a proposal to 
eliminate all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on this product. The State of Qatar strongly supports this proposal. 
4.277.  In conclusion, we would like to thank the UAE for their continued support for the 
multilateral trading system. We highly appreciate the UAE's efforts in this regard and wish them 
every success in their third trade policy review. 
PANAMÁ 
4.278.  Las relaciones bilaterales entre Panamá y Emiratos Árabes Unidos son estrechas. Hemos 
establecido importantes vínculos políticos, económicos y comerciales que han crecido en los últimos años. Hemos celebrado un acuerdo para la creación de un Comité Conjunto de cooperación 
que promoverá programas en el marco político, económico y comercial. Así como actualmente 
trabajamos en temas como el establecimiento de un mecanismo de intercambio de información. Sin dejar de lado el próximo lanzamiento del vuelo directo de Dubái a Panamá lo cual colocará a 
nuestros países como una plataforma mundial al servicio del comercio y contribuirá al movimiento 
global de mercancías, valores y personas que redundará en beneficios económicos y sociales. 
4.279.  En cuanto al informe presentado por la Secretaría, se destaca las medidas adoptadas por 
Emiratos Árabes Unidos con el objetivo de hacerle frente a la caída del petróleo, mostrando una 
gran capacidad de adaptación, lo que se ve reflejado al crecimiento económico mostrado durante WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  el periodo de examen, un ejemplo de lo anterior es la Estrategia Visión 2021 que le permitiría 
consolidarse como un país innovador. 
4.280.  Sin duda todavía existen espacios para seguir mejorando, por lo que exhortamos a 
Emiratos Árabes Unidos a analizar con cuidado las preguntas, recomendaciones y comentarios 
presentados en el informe y por los Miembros. 
4.281.  Felicitamos a Emiratos Árabes Unidos por su compromiso y participación en el sistema 
comercial multilateral. 
JORDAN 
4.282.  Jordan and the UAE maintain strong histor ic ties and enjoy excellent economic and trade 
relations manifested in various bilateral cooperation arrangements that serve the development objectives of both nations. 
4.283.  The bilateral trade volume exceeded US$1 billion last year, while Emirati investments in 
Jordan stood at US$15 billion across sectors including agriculture, industry and tourism. 
4.284.  Moreover, the UAE remains the favorite destination for Jordanian investments abroad, 
according 22%, and a major market for receivin g highly trained and professional Jordanian 
workforce. 
4.285.  Jordan commends the efforts undertaken by the UAE to maintain the steady growth of its 
economy, despite low oil prices in the second half of 2014. In particular, the Government's 
economic diversification approach led by the UAE Vision 2021, in addition to the National Agenda 
and UAE Innovation Strategy, which all aim to  support a knowledge based economy, promote 
innovation and research and development and incr ease the overall competitiveness advantages of 
the economy. 
4.286.  Jordan also commends the active role the UAE is playing in the current round of 
negotiations taking place within the WTO, and is looking to continue working with the UAE to 
promote the interests of the Arab region to better integrate in the multilateral trading system. 
4.287.  Finally, Jordan would like to wish the br otherly UAE more prosperity and a fruitful and 
successful Trade Policy Review. 
YEMEN 
4.288.  Yemen, as a brotherly country in the Arabian Peninsula region, enjoys excellent cultural, 
economic and commercial relations with the UAE as a major trading partner. 
4.289.  This TPR meeting is another opportunity to better appreciate the UAE's liberal trade 
policies and regime. The UAE 2006 first TPR was considered as one of the most successful reviews. 
As a matter of fact, the UAE was the first WTO Member to voluntary convenes a TPR meeting, which demonstrates its commitment to this transparency exercise. The UAE also continues its 
strong support of the multilateral trading system , and its delegation to the WTO plays a dynamic 
role in different WTO activities including ongoing negotiations. Since the accession to the WTO twenty years ago, the UAE economy had performe d very well especially in addressing key 
challenges to diversify its economic base. The non-oil economy of the UAE currently contributes 
more than two thirds of the nation's GDP. This has been assisted by pursuing liberal trade and 
economic regime. As a result, the UAE economy has witnessed healthy growth despite of some 
difficulties mostly caused by external factors.  In the meantime, the country has maintained its 
position as a key international trade player.  
4.290.  The UAE Government and the WTO Secretariat reports indicate definitely the enormous 
efforts undertaken since the second TPR in March 2012. Reports presented to this cycle of review 
evidently show the UAE's full commitment to the WTO system as well as positive policy 
developments and openness in all trade aspects. Both reports reiterate the continued efforts to implement a trade policy that complies with the UAE's international commitments, and 
complements the Government's vision in building a diverse economy as well as achieving unique WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  international status. The UAE continues to take welcomed steps to further liberalize different 
sectors in both trade in services and goods. Diversification into new activities in services and manufacturing has proved very successful. The foreign investment regime has become less restrictive than thought before. Several laws we re enacted to promote trade and investment. The 
UAE legal system provides extensive protection to intellectual property rights along with efficient 
enforcement. The UAE has successfully ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement and deposited its instrument of acceptance with the WTO Secretariat on 18 April. This step has smoothly come after 
submitting Category A notification in May last year, which confirmed the country intention to 
implement most of the TFA provisions upon the Agreement's formal entry into force. The UAE 
Vision 2021, which coincides with the Golden Jubilee of the state federation, continues to be one of 
the guiding valuable tools to improve performance of all sectors with a view to build a knowledge 
based economy as an overall focus of this transformation process. 
4.291.  Last, the UAE is an economic success story within our region as well as the whole world. 
The 2015 United Nations World Happiness Report has ranked the UAE as the first in the Arab 
region. A lady Minister of State for Happiness was appointed last February, among eight female 
ministers, to align and drive the Government policy to create social good and satisfaction, according to H.E. UAE's Vice President/Prime Minister/the ruler of Dubai. Equally, it is without any 
doubt that the UAE is working diligently to fulfill its multilateral trading system obligations. Yemen 
delegation welcomes such endeavour by the UAE and its deep-rooted open economic policies. We believe that this review will be quite appropriat e to commend the UAE reform efforts as well as 
enhancing its WTO participation. We hope that WTO Members shall favourably support the UAE 
course of action to further advance its trade policy in the years to come, and sincerely wish this 
exercise a very successful conclusion. 
H.E.
 SULTAN  BIN SAEED  AL MANSOORI 
4.292.  I would like to compliment you all for the interventions that we have heard this morning 
and this afternoon and which are very positive. I am really impressed by your knowledge of the 
UAE economy. Some of the data information you passed to me was new. This is not surprising 
because the UAE has been at the radar of so many countries. All of you, whenever you 
communicate on some messages, I can relate to it with my visit to the countries. I could see the developments that are happening in terms of trade,  of political, and of social. But what is more 
important is how we can better together this positiveness in this world and this is something that I 
would like to compliment you. As the representatives of your nations, you work for an excellent 
cause; you try to find positiveness despite all the crises going through the world building up relationship, interests of the people, and of the world as a whole. 
4.293.  But this also started 20 years back for us as a Member of the WTO. Tomorrow we have a 
special occasion, we are going to celebrate our accession to this Organization. Twenty years back we were a young Member at that time, we have learned a lot through this journey and what we 
would like to share with others this experience and the lessons we have learned with our 
neighbours, with other countries of so many part s of the world because our target is the goodness 
of this world. We need to send this positive me ssage to the world that we, as an Organization, as 
nations from all over the world, we are all the sa me. So tomorrow at 9 o'clock we can see you all 
for the 20
th anniversary of the UAE accession to the WTO in room W. We will have an extensive 
programme about what the UAE is doing with a number of presentations from different authorities which will carry on until 1 o'clock. So we would like to see you tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND ADDITIONAL 
COMMENTS 
5.1.  First of all, let me express my thanks to Ms. Irene Young for her outstanding and efficient 
management of the third United Arab Emirates Trade Policy Review. My sincere appreciation and 
gratitude goes to our discussant H.E. Ambassador Francisco Lima for his insightful views and I 
want to thank him for his constructive intervention of yesterday in the occasion of the 20th anniversary of The UAE accession to the WTO.  
5.2.  Also, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the TPR division at 
the WTO Secretariat for their professional follow-u p and coordination of the entire process as well 
as for the quality of their report, which has actually served as a good foundation on which to base the review of the UAE trade policy.  
5.3.  I would like to reiterate on what I have already stressed out in my opening statement, that 
the UAE will continue to uphold its free-market strategy. The Government is firmly committed to pursuing its progressive economic agenda, focused around economic liberalization and 
diversification. It is also committed to reviewing all existing policies in order to make them as 
resilient, adaptable, and responsive to future challenges. 
5.4.  During our meetings, we have been very pleased to see this high level of interest in the TPR 
of the UAE, which has been clearly reflected in th e statements of the delegates. My special thanks 
to all of you. 
5.5.  I would like to assure you that we have also taken note of the comments concerning the 
areas where further attention is needed.  
5.6.  We are pleased to note that almost all the statements made by the Members have 
highlighted the substantial trade flow between their respective countries and the UAE.  
5.7.  This is clear evidence of our liberal and efficient trade regime, as well as our firm adherence 
to the multilateral trading system. 
5.8.  I would like to touch upon some remarks that have been raised by a number of Members. 
Investment Law and 100 % ownership  
5.9.  As a matter of fact, we have the most wildly spread free zones in the world, UAE has more 
than 30 free zones scattered in different parts of  the country specialized in various sectors 
providing 100% ownership for the foreign investors. Some of the mentioned free zones specialized in trade in services, whereby individuals could utilize and benefit from such services without 
barriers.  
5.10.  Currently, there are over 40,000 companies operating in the free zones in different parts of 
the country.  
5.11.  Additional to that, international firms which are specialized in some professional services 
can have 100% ownership outside of the free zones.  
5.12.  The UAE believes that lifting up the 49% foreign equity cap, on some sectors of interest for 
the country as part of its vision and plans for investment has actually a positive impact on the 
economy. The UAE has taken into consideration in its new draft of foreign investment lifting up this cap on various economic sectors, with a firm belief that it would enhance and support its economic goals and the diversification of the economy, while continuing to encourage competition and 
strengthening the role of the private sector. 
Government Procurement 5.13.  The government procurement is a plurilat eral agreement in the WTO. The preference of 
10% given to SME's and the 5% preference given to the local and GCC Companies is one of the 
drivers to support the UAE strategy to encourage the participation of the nationals in the private WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
- 44 - 
 
  sector. It's worth noting that the percentage of the national employees in the private sector does 
not exceed 5% of the total workforce in the private sector.  
Commercial agencies 5.14.  The commercial agencies are one of the options for distributing and exporting goods to the 
local markets. There are other various options available in the UAE for importing goods which 
could be through distributors, branches for distribution or establishing a company in the market with a local partner. 
Tariffs  
5.15.  The UAE is fully bound to its schedule of tariff concessions and we are not aware of any case 
that the UAE exceeded the ceiling binding. 
Insolvency Law  
5.16.  Regarding the Insolvency Law, I would like to inform you that it was completed and 
currently at the legislative process. This is go ing through the Cabinet first and then eventually 
going through our Federal Council which is our Parliament actually. This is going to be finalized in 
the near future. 
EU trade partner  5.17.  The EU is the biggest trading partner for the UAE and the balance of trade is in favour of the 
EU. The UAE welcomes this trade flow relations. It is worth mentioning that the biggest numbers 
of foreign companies operating in the UAE are from the EU. The UAE hosts 160,000 EU nationals 
who live and work in the UAE in a harmonious environment and having a leading position in the different private sector of the UAE.  
Private sector national quota  
5.18.  The percentage of UAE nationals working in  the private sector is around 5% of the total 
workforce. Therefore, the Government set policies to balance the percentage hiring between both 
public and private sector.  
Foreign labour contracts and living environment   5.19.  I would like to highlight some of the progress in this regard; the UAE Government has 
adopted the following measures:  
 To ensure the workforce is protected, and standardized all types of labour contracts in order 
to promote clarity and transparency for workers and employers.  
 Evaluating and reviewing every aspect of working in the UAE - from recruitment to housing -
and making significant reforms designed to ensu re all workers are treated respectfully at all 
times, and able to report instances of maltreatment easily. 
 Implementing a new, dynamic smart inspection system to enable the official inspectors 
focus their efforts on higher risk business establishments.  
Overall  5.20.  As for the other topics raised in the statements of the distinguished delegates, we cordially 
invite the Members to consider our detailed writte n responses transmitted to the WTO Secretariat.  
5.21.  Should there be any further queries or clarifications, we remain, of course, at the entire 
disposal of the Members to provide them accordingly. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  5.22.  The UAE will exert all necessary efforts to fully meet its notification obligations in 
accordance with the WTO agreements. It is worth noting that the UAE has already benefited from 
the technical assistance provided by the WTO Secretariat, mainly in identifying areas where notifications are required, and the appropriate form at of such notifications. The UAE intends to 
deepen its technical cooperation with the WTO Secretariat on areas of concern under the Doha 
Development Agenda (DDA). 
5.23.  In closing, I would like to emphasize the importance of the TPR for the Member states at the 
WTO, it provides different views as prospective and it is an excellent opportunity for the UAE to 
hear insightful views on our trade policy. 
5.24.  The UAE assures the Member states that those remarks will be discussed internally to 
identify the most appropriate ways and means for dealing with them.  
5.25.  I would like to end by thanking you all once again for all the time and effort you have put 
into this process, and I look forward to our continued cooperation with the WTO and the Member states. 
DISCUSSANT 
5.26.  Quisiera agradecer al Excelentísimo Sr. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Ministro de Economía 
y a su delegación, por los importantes aportes realizados al inicio de este ejercicio, lo cual ha 
permitido obtener un mayor conocimiento y comprensión de las políticas emprendidas por los 
Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Claramente, agradezc o a la Secretaría por su usual trabajo tan 
profesional que nos ha permitido conducir este ejercicio de manera muy sólida.  
5.27.  De manera general, el denominador común de los comentarios vertidos por los Miembros 
fue la estrategia de diversificación de los Emiratos que ha dado como resultado importantes 
avances en el crecimiento de otros sectores económicos diferentes al de los hidrocarburos, lo cual ayudará a disminuir la dependencia del petróleo  a menos del 30% conforme a sus objetivos.  
5.28.  Adicionalmente, los Miembros reconocieron los importantes avances en materia de 
innovación, lo cual es una característica que se aplica en cada una de sus áreas de gestión. Muestra de ello es el evento que llevaron a cabo el día de ayer para conmemorar sus 20 años de 
adhesión a la OMC, en el cual, funcionarios de alto nivel compartieron con la audiencia las 
actividades que están realizando en la ejecución de su estrategia "Visión 2020", lo cual agrega, Señora Presidenta, un elemento innovador en este tipo de ejercicios como le señalé el día de ayer que considero importante podamos otros Miembros replicar.  
5.29.  Por otro lado, los Miembros también señalaron algunas áreas de posibles mejoras para los 
Emiratos Árabes Unidos, tales como la flexibilización en materia de inversión que les permitirá incrementar la transparencia e inclusión de otros operadores económicos. En este sentido, los 
Miembros manifestaron estar a la expectativa de los avances en cuanto a la nueva ley de 
inversión, que permita contribuir a los planes de diversificación de los Emiratos de manera ordenada y sostenible.  
5.30.  Además, los Miembros también instaron a los EAU a analizar su adhesión al Acuerdo de 
Compras Públicas, la aceptación del protocolo del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC, así como la necesidad de crear nuevas reglas que son necesarias ante el proceso de diversificación y las iniciativas de innovación que están llevando a cabo, las cuales deberán ser claras y conforme el marco de sus 
compromisos asumidos.  
5.31.  Quisiera por mi parte instar a los Emiratos a que compartan su experiencia de éxito en 
materia de diversificación, innovación y crecimiento económico, a través del fortalecimiento de la 
cooperación sur-sur, para que estos beneficios tengan un efecto multiplicador para otros 
Miembros.  
5.32.  No tengo la menor duda que el Señor Ministro tomará nota de estas inquietudes 
manifestadas por los Miembros, ya que como se ha observado en este ejercicio, los Emirato 
Árabes Unidos mantienen su firme compromiso con el sistema multilateral del comercio.  WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  5.33.  Por último, quisiera retomar los retos que a mi parecer enfrentan los Emiratos, los cuales 
son, en primer lugar, continuar impulsando su estrategia de diversificación que les permitirá alejarse de la dependencia del petróleo; en segundo lugar, apostar por la educación y ampliación de las capacidades para mejorar las oportunidades de los Emiratí en el mercado laboral; y en 
tercer lugar, continuar impulsando decididamente la transición hacia una economía basada en el 
conocimiento. Resumiría la fórmula Emiratí como e+i+d=de entendiéndose que educación más innovación más diversificación es igual a desarrollo económico. Señor Ministro, le deseo un muy 
feliz retorno a su país y esperamos poder contarlo con su presencia junto con el Embajador en la 
Conferencia Ministerial de la OMC que desde ya nos encontramos preparando.  
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
5.34.  First of all, the EU would like to thank th e delegation of the United Arab Emirates for the 
statements made on Wednesday and today and al so expresses appreciation and thanks to the 
delegation for the special event organized yester day on the occasion of the third Trade Policy 
Review and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UAE membership in the WTO. We found this 
session very informative and interesting and it was very much complementary to this review. 
5.35.  The EU would like to thank the delegation of the United Arab Emirates for the replies 
provided to our advanced written questions. In this regard, the EU would like to stress the 
advantage of the alternative timeframe which allows Members to see the replies to their questions 
before the TPR meetings. Given that there is soon a decision to be made on the Sixth Appraisal of 
the TPRM on 20 June, the EU would appreciate if the UAE could consider the possibility to use the 
alternative timeframes in the future. 
5.36.  Regarding the replies provided, the EU ha s only two follow-up questions which are more 
clarification requests and which have been sent to the Secretariat. We look forward to the replies in due course. 
5.37.  The EU would like to thank the UAE for its active participation in this exercise. 
UKRAINE 5.38.  At the outset I would like to congratulate  H.E. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, M inister of 
Economy, and the distinguished delegation of the United Arab Emirates with the successful third 
Trade Policy Review. 
5.39.  Ukraine would like to present briefly a follow-up question in relation to the reply to our 
questions in the document RD/TPR/631 on the accreditation procedure for the Halal food products 
certifiers. 
5.40.  We made a close examination of the reply, which provided a detailed four-phasic description 
of the procedure for registration of the certificate,  and came to the conclusion that the answer of 
the United Arab Emirates did not comprehensively address the issue. 
5.41.  We kindly ask the delegation of the United Ar ab Emirates to give us additional clarifications 
concerning the legal grounds for accreditation of the Halal certifiers as well as the grounds for 
cancellation of the accreditation. 
5.42.  We will appreciate explicit information on that issue and are going to submit the question in 
writing to the Secretariat. 
5.43.  In conclusion, we congratulate the delegation of the United Arab Emirates on a very 
successful Trade Policy Review meeting. 
HONG
 KONG,  CHINA 
5.44.  Hong Kong, China joins others in congratula ting the UAE on a successful TPR. We would also 
like to thank the UAE for having provided very detailed replies in a total of 30 pages to our written 
questions. We are happy to confirm th at we have no follow-up questions. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  UNITED  STATES 
5.45.  The United States would like to thank Minister Al Mansoori and his delegation for their 
excellent efforts in preparing this review and particularly for the carefully responses to our questions. We are reviewing them and we appreciate the effort on that. 
5.46.  The United States also appreciates the information on the UAE's plans for revisions to its 
legal framework for foreign investment and, in particular, efforts you may undertake to address equity limitation caps which the United States and many delegations highlighted as significant 
challenges facing our businesses in the UAE market. 
5.47.  Again, we congratulate the entire de legation on a successful Trade Policy Review. WT/TPR/W/108 • The United Arab Emirates 
 
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  6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
6.1.  The third Trade Policy Review of the United  Arab Emirates coincides, remarkably, with the 
twentieth anniversary of the country's accession to the WTO. It has been a very interesting 
examination of the evolution of trade, investment, and development policies in the country. Our 
meeting was greatly helped by the statements from  the Minister of Economy, Sultan Bin Saeed Al 
Mansoori, and Ambassador Francisco Alberto Lima Mena as the discussant.  
6.2.  All of the 39 delegates that spoke on Wedn esday praised the successful diversification of the 
economy which has helped the UAE weather first, the financial crises that started in 2008, and 
then the fall in oil prices that started in 2014. Although the hydrocarbon sector and related 
industries are still important to the economy, rece nt growth has been driven by non-oil sectors, 
particularly construction, retail and wholesale trade,  tourism, manufacturing, etc. Furthermore, the 
pursuit of diversification is to continue through the development strategy set out in Vision 2021, 
which focuses on innovation and the transformation to a knowledge-based economy. This strategy will contribute to the sustainable growth of th e economy and further reduce reliance on oil and 
gas. 
6.3.  Members appreciated many aspects of trade policy in the UAE – including their binding of all 
tariff lines, and the application of the GCC common external tariff which means that nearly all 
applied tariffs are either zero or 5%. However, several delegations were concerned about import 
procedures and requirements, such as the regulatory requirements for imports, border inspection procedures and clearance systems, SPS and TBT requirements, and consularization of import 
documents. These requirements, to a certain exte nt, add to the time and cost of doing business 
and restrict opportunities for trade. 
6.4.  On the other hand, Members were very pleased to note that the UAE had deposited its 
instrument of acceptance for the Trade Facilitati on Agreement on 18 April. Furthermore, the UAE's 
active participation in the WTO and the steps it has taken to bring its notifications up-to-date were 
also appreciated. Members encouraged the UAE to increase its involvement in the WTO's plurilateral agreements, for instance, by becoming an observer, and in due course, a party to the 
Government Procurement Agreement; joining the expanded Information Technology Agreement, 
and entering into negotiations on environmental goods. 
6.5.  Other concerns raised during the meeting centred on investment outside the free zones, such 
as majority Emirati ownership requirements which apply to all commercial activities, including 
trading and agency licences. Members urged the UAE to further liberalize its investment regime. In 
particular, they hoped new laws would be promulgated to relax ownership restrictions for investments and further promote competition in the economy. 
6.6.  The continued prevalence of state invo lvement in the economy, including state-owned 
enterprises, was also a concern, as was the enforc ement of intellectual property rights, particularly 
enforcement of the laws on counterfeit goods. 
6.7.  The importance of free zones and specialized economic zones was noted by some 
delegations, as was the absence of investment restrictions in these areas. The zones have greatly helped the development of the economy, including the successful development of widespread air and maritime links which have been instrumental in developing trade in goods and services. 
6.8.  This Trade Policy Review will be succe ssfully concluded in a month's time, when the UAE 
replies to all the outstanding questions, if any.  I hope the many constructive comments that the 
Discussant and Members have offered at this review  will continue to help the UAE further develop 
its trade, investment and economic policies, so th at come the next TPR in four years, the UAE can 
show us that it has made further progress in diversifying the economy and improving the business climate in the country, and that it remains a strong advocate of the multilateral trading system. 
__________