WT/MIN(15)/ST/35
18 December 2015
(15-6753)  Page: 1/2
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015  Original: English
 
STATEMENT BY MR MIECZYSLAW NOGAJ 
DIRECTOR OF TRADE POLICY DEPARTMENT 
POLAND  
Poland, like other EU countries participates in this Conference to constructively contribute to the 
discussion and decisions of outmost importance for global economy and global trade. We recognize 
the positive role of open, rules based world trad ing system for the growth of our economies. We 
also see the need to continue work towards streng thening this system in order to address existing 
trade barriers and further contribute to the development of our countries and our citizens. A newly 
elected government in Poland is committed to the liberalization of trade within the WTO and strengthening the Organization as a guardian of the multilateral trading system. 
 
However as it seems at the moment the possible outcome of the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference may fall short of our expectations. After almost 15 years of negotiations we are still far away from 
reaching the comprehensive multilateral trade agr eement. It is then a good moment to start the 
discussion on how we should proceed in the future. It is obvious that continuation of our work in the same manner, the so called “business as usual”, is a recipe for consecutive failure. We must look at our agenda in a realistic way and limit ourselves to the topics where we are able to deliver. 
 
We should also not ignore the fact that the world economy has changed significantly since 2001, when we started the DDA negotiation. The share of  services in global trade has been growing and 
recently reached the level of 40% of total value of global exchange. Due to the development of 
digital economy, e-commerce has become an important instrument of foreign trade. According to UNCTAD analysis global e-commerce market is now worth over 12 trillion Euros. Manufacturing 
processes have become more complex and spread among many countries. An average car 
produced today is assembled from parts and elements originating in 30 countries. The question of facilitating the movements of goods within this global supply chain is also a great challenge at present time These new trends in international tr ade must be addressed by this Organization to 
answer the expectations of businesses. Otherwise the importance of WTO will be diminished.   
 The economic map of the world also has change in the last 15 years. New global players appeared 
in world economy. We should be aware of the fact that a proper balance in mutual benefits and 
obligations of all the WTO member states, reflecting the level of their development, must be found to reach successfully any multilateral trade agreements in the future. 
 
I would like also to underline the importance of strengthening the existing mechanisms of the WTO, especially the improvement of the notificati on system. We should use the following months 
to build up an effective instrument for ensuring transparency and mutual trust. We should also 
undertake the work on improvement of the WTO Dispute Settlement system, which Poland 
considers a cornerstone of this organization.  
Foreign trade is an important instrument in strengthening the GDP growth in my country. It was 
true during the economic crisis after 2008 and it is true now. Therefore, we note with great 
concern the increased number of trade restriction measures introduced recently, also by countries 
which just recently joined this organization. This is why Poland is ready to cooperate with all WTO 
member states to oppose the attempts to weaken the WTO as guarantor of the multilateral trading 
system. For this purpose we all should make every effort to preserve the negotiating function of 
the WTO by establishing a realistic post-Nairobi work program. WT/MIN(15)/ST/35 
 
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  I would like to congratulate the Republic of Liberia and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the 
occasion of their accession to the WTO. We hope that countries which are still negotiating their accession will join us soon.   
Last but not least, I would like to thank the Kenyan government for organizing this Conference. I 
really hope that it will be possible to give a strong impetus for the WTO work for 2016 and beyond.  
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