WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/24 
WT/L/839 
17 December 2011 
 
 (11-6617) 
  
   
ACCESSION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 
Decision of 16 December 2011 
 The Ministerial Conference,  
 Having regard to paragraph 2 of Article XII and paragraph 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); 
 Taking note  of the application of the Russian Fe deration for accession to the WTO Agreement 
dated 14 June 1993 (L/7243);  
 Noting  the results of the negotiations directed toward the establishment of the terms of 
accession of the Russian Federation to the WTO Agre ement and having prepared a Protocol on the 
Accession of the Russian Federation; 
 Decides  as follows: 
 The Russian Federation may accede to the WT O Agreement on the terms and conditions  
set out in the Protocol annexed to this Decision. 
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  PROTOCOL ON THE ACCESSION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 
Preamble 
 The World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO"), pursuant to the approval 
of the Ministerial Confer ence accorded under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreemen t Establishing the 
World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and the 
Russian Federation,  
 Taking note  of the Report of the Working Party on the Accession of the Russian Federation to 
the WTO Agreement reproduced in document WT/A CC/RUS/70, dated 17 November 2011 (hereinafter 
referred to as the "W orking Party Report"), 
 Having regard  to the results of the negotiations on the accession of the Russian Federation to 
the WTO Agreement,  
 Agree  as follows: 
PART I - GENERAL 
1. Upon entry into force of this Protocol pursua nt to paragraph 8, the Russian Federation 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 the Russian Fe deration accedes shall be the WTO Agreement, 
including the Explanatory Notes to that Agreement, as  rectified, amended or ot herwise 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 refe rred to in paragraph 1450 of the Working Party 
Report, shall be an integral part of the WTO Agreement. 
3. Except as otherwis e provided for in paragraph 1450 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 the Russian Federati on as if it had accepted that Agreement on the date of its entry into 
force. 
4. The Russian Federation 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 Ex emptions 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 Annex I to th is Protocol shall become the Schedule of 
Concessions and Commitm ents annexed to the General Ag reement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the "GATT 1994") and the Schedule of Specific Co mmitments annexed to the 
GATS relating to the Russian Federation.  The staging of the concessions and commitments listed in the Schedules shall be implemented as  specified in the relevant part s 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 Schedules of Con cessions and Commitments 
annexed to this Protocol shall be the date  of entry into force of this Protocol.  WT/MIN(11)/24 
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  PART III - FINAL PROVISIONS 
7. This Protocol shall be open for acceptance, by  signature or otherwise, by the Russian Federation 
within a period of 220 days from the approval of the Protocol of Accession of  the Russian Federation. 
8. This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the day upon which it shall 
have been accepted by the Russian Federation.  
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 
the Russian Federation thereto pursuant to para graph 7 to each Member of the WTO and to the 
Russian Federation.   
10. This Protocol shall be regist ered in accordance with  the provisions of Article 102 of the Charter 
of the United Nations.   
 Done at Geneva this sixteenth day of December  two thousand and eleven, 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. 
 
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  ANNEX I 
SCHEDULE CLXV – THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/RUS/70/Add.1) 
_______________ 
SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS ON SERVICES 
LIST OF ARTICLE II EXEMPTIONS 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/RUS/70/Add.2)  
__________