WT/MIN(13)/ST/31  
5 December 2013  
(13-6674)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR MILAN HOVORKA  
DEPUTY MINISTER - MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE 
CZECH REPUBLIC  
First of all, allow me to express our gratitude to the Government and People of Indonesia for 
hosting this important Ministerial Conference on the wonderful island of Bali.  The Czech Republic is pleased by the extension of the WTO membership. We cordially welcome the 
Republic of Yemen among the members.  
 At the beginning, the Czech Republic would like to associate with the statement made by the 
European Union. 
 The current economic situation, in which the Ministerial is taking place, remains unsatisfactory. 
Global growth is still weak. Too many countries are experiencing recession. The temptation of 
protectionism continues to be high. The WTO represents an important part of the response to challenges that we face locally, regionally and globally.  
It is with this sense of purpose that the Czech Republic has come to Bali. We are here to take the 
necessary steps to turn the Bali package, based on the agreed outcome in trade facilitation, agriculture and development, into reality.  
 
We must demonstrate our capacity to deliver. This requires all Members to show political will and readiness to comprise.  
 
The Doha Development Agenda stands for development. That is how the Czech Republic perceives the emerging Bali package and benefits resulting therefrom.   
Indeed, developing countries and least developed countries should benefit most from the deal. 
 A reasonably ambitious, legally binding Trade Facilitation Agreement, with carefully crafted 
flexibilities and technical assistance provisions, represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to 
ease global trade across the board, by reducing red tape and bureaucracy, simplifying customs procedures and reducing compliance costs. 
 
We also welcome that Ministers are keen to co me to an agreement on the development issues, 
such as the monitoring mechanism, rules of origin and operationalization of the services waiver for the LDCs, thus contributing to their development and helping them to better integrate into the 
multilateral trading system. 
 On agriculture to be a very complex part of the Doha Development Agenda, we stand ready to go 
along with the suggested way of proceeding with re gard to food security, export competition and 
tariff quota administration, although we prefer to focus on the systemic solution that lies in the further negotiations. 
 
In addition to the texts we have before us in Bali, we would like to see decisive progress in the on-going negotiations on the Information Technology Agreement.  WT/MIN(13)/ST/31 
 
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  We could also benefit greatly from the liberalisation of trade in environmental goods if we launch 
appropriate negotiations soon.   To conclude, the Czech Republic is of the firm vi ew that the Bali package is an important step 
forward. We should use the existing momentum to advance negotiations on the remaining parts of 
the Doha Development Agenda, in particular those related to market access issues.  
The WTO should also ensure better coherence between global trade governance and regional trade 
agreements, facilitate development of the digital economy, consider new negotiating techniques and pay more attention to the emerging trends in global trade, such as trade in tasks and 
sophisticated added value with global value chains. 
 
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