WT/TPR/ 508 
 
1 November  2023 
(23-7253) Page: 1/2 
Trade Policy Review Body    
 
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW  MECHANISM  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY  
ALBANIA  
Arrangements for Review Meeting  
1. In pursuance of Article  IV, paragraph  4 and Annex  3 of the WTO Agreement, a meeting of the 
Trade Policy Review Body is scheduled for 22 and 24 November  2023 to conduct the  third review of 
the trade policies and practices of Albania  (WTO/AIR/ TPR/154). 
2. This communication sets out arrangements  concerning the review meeting.  In this connection, 
attention is also drawn to the procedures for the conduct of reviews contained in the rules of 
procedure of the Trade Policy Review Bo dy (WT/TPR/6/Rev. 4). 
1  QUESTIONS IN WRITING IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING AND MAIN POINTS  
3. Members wishing to submit written questions to the Member under review should do so normally 
at least two weeks before the review meeting to allow replies to be prepar ed in time for the  
first session of the meeting . For the forthcoming review, such questions should therefore be with 
the Trade  Policies Review Division of the Secretariat ( tprd@wto.org ) by 5.30 p.m. on 
Wednesday  8 November  2023 , at the latest . Advance written questions should reach the 
Secretariat no later than the day before the start of the meeting, by 2 p.m. at the latest to allow 
time for the Secre tariat to process them. Questions sent on the day of the meeting will be processed 
after the end of the first session of the meeting.  
4. Delegations are encouraged to use  the TPR Q&A  online  system  (https://tprqa.wto.org ) to send 
their advance written questions using the username and password provided by the Secretariat. 
Albania  has agreed to use this system to provide answers to th e questions submitted through the 
system . Delegations are invited to contact tprqa@wto.org  to request a username and/or password 
in case they need it.  
5. In accordance  with the  rules of p rocedure of the TPRB ( WT/TPR/6 /Rev.4 , paragraph  17), 
Members are reminded that they should group their written questions into the following 
three  categories so as to facilitate responses: those related to the Secretariat report (with a 
reference to re levant paragraph numbers); those concerning the Government report (with a 
reference to relevant paragraph numbers); and other questions.  
6. The Secretariat shall identify the main points contained in the questions submitted at least 
two weeks before a review meeting, post them on the Members' Website one week before the 
meeting, and distribute a revised list of main points during the first ses sion of a review when 
questions received after the two-week deadline give rise to significantly new issues. The main points 
may be found on the Members' Website under "Forthcoming Meetings: Documents for Meetings".  
2  ANSWERS IN WRITING BY THE MEMBER UNDER RE VIEW  
7. Answers by the Member under review sho uld be distributed in writing; advance questions 
submitted by the two-week deadline before the start of the TPRB review should be answered in 
writing by the Member under revi ew by the start of the meeting.  Questio ns posed subsequently WT/TPR/ 508 
 
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  should be answered, to the extent possible, before the start of the second session of the meeting. 
Questions left unanswered at the end of the second session should be answered in writing no later 
than one month after the meeting with  some latitude in the Chair's discretion for Members reviewing 
a very large number of questions . 
3  DISCUSSANT  
8. In consultation with the Member under review, the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body 
may choose a discussant who, in his personal capacity,  will introduc e the discussions in the Body. 
H.E. Mr Sabri BACHTOBJI  (Tunisia ) will act as discussant  for the review of Albania . 
4  STRUCTURE OF THE MEETING  
9. Trade policy reviews cover four broad headings:  
a. appreciation of the full range of the Member's trade p olicies and practices;  
b. relevant background: wider economic and developmental needs, including the external 
environment;  
c. impact of the Member's trade policies and practices on the functioning of the multilateral 
trading syst em; and 
d. general comments by way of assessment and evaluation.  
10. Meetings take place in two  sessions. The first session is devoted to the opening statements by 
the Member under review and the discussant, and remarks and questions from the floor. 
The discussion in the second session, whe n the Member under review will reply to questions, is  
based on main themes identified after the opening meeting by the Chairperson, the discussant and 
the Secretariat in consultation with the Member.  
11. As indicated in the rules of procedure for TPRB meetings  (WT/TPR/6/Rev.4 , paragraph  21), t he 
speakers ' list will follow the order in which questions are rec eived by the Secretariat and in the event 
of more than one batch, the final batch will determine the order of speakers.  Delegations not 
submitting writ ten questions will continue to speak second, in the order in which their flags are 
raised.  On the day before each review meeting, the Secretariat will post on the WTO Members' 
website a provisional list of speakers for the first session of that meeting, fo r Members' advance 
information . 
5  DOCUMENTATION AND PRESS ARRANGEMENTS  
12. Reports by the Member under review and the Secretariat are contained in the following 
documents:  
WT/TPR/G/ 449  Report  by Albania  
 
WT/TPR/S/ 449  Albania : Report by the Secretariat  
13. The press embargo for the review of  Albania  will end at 2.00  p.m. Geneva time on  
22 November  2023. 
6  RECORD OF THE MEETING  
14. The record of the meeting will be circulated as a draft to Members for comments on thei r own 
statements and placed on the WTO website.  
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