WT/L/944   
 
 
12 December 2014  
(14-7247)  Page: 1/4  
   
 
 ACCESSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES 
DECISION OF 10 DECEMBER 2014 
 The General Council, 
 Having regard to  paragraph 2 of Article XII and pa ragraph 1 of Article IX of the 
Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (the "WTO Agreement"), and the 
Decision-Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed by the 
General Council (WT/L/93), 
  Conducting  the functions of the Ministerial Confer ence in the interval between meetings 
pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article IV of the WTO Agreement, 
 
 Taking note  of the application of the Republic of Seychelles for accession to the 
WTO Agreement dated 8 May 1995, 
 
 Noting  the results of the negotiations directed toward the establishment of the terms of 
accession of the Republic of Seychelles to the WTO Agreement and having prepared a Protocol on 
the Accession of the Republic of Seychelles,  
 Decides  as follows: 
1. The Republic of Seychelles may accede to the WTO Agreement on the terms and conditions 
set out in the Protocol annexed to this Decision. WT/L/944 
 
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  PROTOCOL ON THE ACCESSION OF  
THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES 
 The World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO"), pursuant to the 
approval of the General Council of the WTO accorded under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and 
the Republic of Seychelles (hereinafter referred to as "Seychelles"), 
 Taking note  of the Report of the Working Party on  the Accession of the Republic of 
Seychelles to the WTO Agreement reproduced in document WT/ACC/SYC/64, dated 
5 November 2014 (hereinafter referred to as the "Working Party Report"), 
 Having regard  to the results of the negotiations on the accession of Seychelles to the 
WTO Agreement, 
 Agree as follows: 
PART I - GENERAL 
1. Upon entry into force of this Protocol pursuant to paragraph 8, Seychelles accedes to the 
WTO Agreement pursuant to Article XII of that Agreement and thereby becomes a Member of the 
WTO. 
2. The WTO Agreement to which Seychelles accedes shall be the WTO Agreement, including the 
Explanatory Notes to that Agreement, as rectified, amended or otherwise modified by such legal 
instruments as may have entered into force before the date of entry into force of this Protocol.  This Protocol, which shall include the commitments referred to in paragraph 422 of the Working Party Report, shall be an integral part of the WTO Agreement. 
3. Except as otherwise provided for in paragraph 422 of the Working Party Report, those 
obligations in the Multilateral Trade Agreements annexed to the WTO Agreement that are to be implemented over a period of time starting with the entry into force of that Agreement shall be 
implemented by Seychelles as if it had accepted that Agreement on the date of its entry into force. 
4. Seychelles may maintain a measure inconsistent with paragraph 1 of Article II of the 
General Agreement on Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as "GATS") provided that such a 
measure was recorded in the list of Article II Exemptions annexed to this Protocol and meets the 
conditions of the Annex to the GATS on Article II Exemptions. 
PART II - SCHEDULES 
5. The Schedules reproduced in the Annex to this Protocol shall become the Schedule of 
Concessions and Commitments an nexed to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the "GATT 1994") and the Schedule of Specific Commitments annexed to the GATS relating to Seychelles.  The staging of the concessions and commitments listed in the 
Schedules shall be implemented as specified in the relevant parts of the respective Schedules. 
6. For the purpose of the reference in paragraph 6(a) of Article II of the GATT 1994 to the date 
of that Agreement, the applicable date in respect of the Schedule of Concessions and Commitments 
annexed to this Protocol shall be the date of entry into force of this Protocol. 
PART III - FINAL PROVISIONS 
7. This Protocol shall be open for acceptance, by signature or otherwise, by Seychelles until 
1 June 2015 or such later date as may be decided by the General Council. 
8. This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the day upon which it shall 
have been accepted by Seychelles.  WT/L/944 
 
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  9. This Protocol shall be deposited with the Director-General of the WTO.  The Director-General 
of the WTO shall promptly furnish a certified copy of this Protocol and a notification of acceptance by Seychelles thereto pursuant to paragraph 7 to each Member of the WTO and to Seychelles.   
10. This Protocol shall be registered in accordance with the provisions of Article 102 of the 
Charter of the United Nations.   
 Done at Geneva this tenth day of December two thousand and fourteen in a single copy in 
the English, French and Spanish languages, each text being authentic, except that a Schedule 
annexed hereto may specify that it is authentic in only one of these languages, and the Working 
Party Report is authentic in English only. 
_______________ WT/L/944 
 
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  ANNEX 
SCHEDULE CLXXI – SEYCHELLES 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document  WT/ACC/SYC/64/Add.1) 
_______________ 
SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS ON SERVICES 
LIST OF ARTICLE II EXEMPTIONS 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document  WT/ACC/SYC/64/Add.2)   
 
 
  
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