G/C/67  
 
4 December  2020 
(20-8717) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade in Goods     
 
 
WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE  
REPORT BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS  
TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL  
I hereby make, under my own responsibility as Chairperson  of the Council for Trade in Goods , the 
following factual report to the General Council.  
 
Pursuant to the 2017  Ministerial Decision1 instructing the General Council, inter alia , to hold periodic 
reviews of the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WPEC o r WP) in its sessions of July and 
December  2018 and July  2019, based on the reports submitted by the WTO  bodies entrusted with 
the implementation of the Work Programme, the Council for Trade in Goods  (CTG or the Goods 
Council) placed the issue of the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (Work Programme or 
WPEC) on the agenda of its meetings held in 2018 and 2019.  
Since MC12 has been postponed on two  occasions, and in order to fulfil the mandate of this Council, 
at its meeting of  10-11 June and 25-26 Novemb er 2020, my predecessor and I, respectively, invite d 
delegations to continue to express their opinions and to make suggestions as to how to work on the 
preparation of the periodic review to be held in the General Council in preparation for MC12 . At the 
November meeting I also indicated that , in order to fulfil this mandate, and as my predecessors 
have done in the past, it was my intention to submit to the General Council at its meeting in 
December  2020, a factual report under my own responsibility.2 
At the  CTG meeting of 10 and 11  June 2020, the LDC  Group  acknowledged the importance of 
E-Commerce for the ir developmental, economic , and social aspects, and reiterated the importance 
of reinvigorating the Work Programme to solve the difficulties faced by the LDCs and allow the m to 
benefit from E-Commerce . One delegation indicated that E-Commerce ha d widely developed  in the 
global trade  regime in different dimensions and models ; therefore, meaningful , result -focused 
initiatives had emerged  in the WTO. T he COVID -19 pandemic had reminded Members to expedite 
the work in this area in a participatory and inclusive manner , particularly as ther e was a gap between 
developed, developing , and LDC  Members that needed to be addressed. In this context, the 
revitalization of the Work Programme was important  to ensure digitalization of the global econom y 
without digital divide . Another delegation referr ed to the loss of tariff revenues due to the rapid 
increas e of product digitalization ; this had led to the need to rethink the further extension of the 
moratorium and examine its implications under the Work Programme . In this regar d, MC12 would 
give an opportunity  for making a decision on the moratorium. COVID -19 had highlighted not only 
the increasing importance of E-Commerce  but also  of developmental aspects, including the digital 
divide and the  issue of tariffs for developing cou ntries under the Work Programme . The CTG had 
specific functions regarding the examination of the E-Commerce aspects relevant to the GATT  1994 
and the Agreement s in Annex  1A of the Marrakesh Agreement . 
At the CTG  meeting of 25 and 26  November  2020, one delegation referred to the unfolding digital 
revolution and the importance  to understand first the multifaceted dimension s of E-Commerce , on 
issues such as its effects on competition and market structures, transfer of technology, data storage 
and autom ation, as well as its impact on traditional jobs and gaps in regulatory frameworks in 
developing countries . It indicated that strengthening the multilateral work under the Work 
Programme  would contribute to a better understand ing of  the implications of the  moratorium on 
 
1 Document  WT/L/1032.  
2 The reports concerning the meetings of the Goods Council of July and November  2018, and July and 
November  2019, are contained in documents  G/C/60, G/C/64, G/C/65, and G/C/66, respectively.  G/C/67  
 
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  customs duties on electronic transmissions . On this  issue, together with another delegation, it had 
circulated three  submissions explaining their understanding of the scope of the moratorium. In 
December  2019, it had joined the six -month ext ension of the moratorium with the understanding 
that the Work Programme would be reinvigorated and that the Goods Council would examine and 
report on aspects of E-Commerce relevant to the GATT  1994, and to the Agreements in Annex  1A 
of the Marrakesh Agreement.  
At the same meeting, t he African Group  referred to the direct link between the moratorium and tariff 
revenue loss  and indicated that the CTG could oversee such discussions with a special focus on the 
moratorium and its implications for  developing countries , given the economic and policy implications 
related to the increased trade in electronic transmissions. In order to help Ministers make an 
informed decision at MC12 , the CTG could encourage discussions on the scope and definition of 
electronic transmissions , and on  the impact of the moratorium on revenue and digital policy, 
particularly in the context of the African industrialization agenda.  The COVID -19 pandemic had 
highlighted the importance of digital connectivity and E-Commerce , as well as the implications of 
the digital divide both within and between countries ; therefore , the African Group call ed for 
discussions to reinvigorate  the Work Programme with a view to address ing the development al 
aspects of E-Commerce in a comprehensive manner , while  enabl ing equitable participation and 
meaningful distribution of the economic and transformational benefits to all Members.  
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