. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/94 
16 December 2005 
 (05-6103) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
ALBANIA 
 
Statement by HE Mr Enno Bozdo
 
Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy  
  
 Allow me to thank you on behalf of the G overnment of the Republic of Albania and to 
express my gratitude to the hospitable authorities of Hong Kong, China and to the WTO Secretariat 
for the excellent work they have done to the successful organization of the Sixth Session of WTO 
Ministerial Conference.   Allow me as well to greet the great work done by Mr Lamy, Director-General and by 
Members towards advancement of the negotiations and producing a second Draft Ministerial Text 
through intensive consultative process, that provid es a "workable basis" for the deliberations in our 
Ministerial, and will establish the foundation to r each a comprehensive and balanced agreement on the 
issues defined on the Doha Declaration and to offer the launching pad for finishing the Round in 
2006.   In the meanwhile, I would like to stress that th is Ministerial is our collective responsibility to 
make this unique opportunity to help achievi ng a strengthened, improve d and fairer multilateral 
system.   The experience so far has shown that the only way to provide economic growth and sustainable development, is the way of liberalizi ng trade in all the meanings, through facilitating the 
tariff and non-tariff barriers, throug h the reduction of subsidies that distort trade, through facilitating 
the licensing procedures related to the business and in  respecting and being in strict compliance with 
the WTO Agreements.  On the other hand, the liberali zation is not an ending policy in itself.  It is a 
step-by-step process that being intentional, will provi de benefits for the count ries being developed and 
developing alike.  That is why this Round of negotiations is the Round that will promote global 
development of the world. 
 
 Albania made the first step of liberalization through its Membership to the WTO by undertaking an overall liberalization trade reform in all areas of the economy, agriculture and 
non-agriculture, services and non-tariff barriers to  trade, which constituted a challenge for the 
Albanian Government from the point of view of implementation. 
 
 The Doha Development Agenda took place at the time Albania had become a new WTO Member.  Its full accession package represents Albani a's extensive and intensive commitments related 
to all negotiating aspects as:  (i) agriculture mark et access;  (ii) non-agri culture market access;  
(iii) services;  (iv) TRIPS;  (v) rules, etc.  Thei r implementation was at the first stage and conditioned 
by an interim period of implementation ending by 2009.  Taking the above into account, Albania was 
classified as "Recently Acceding Member" and in this respect Albania is strongly supporting the 
attitude of this grouping as far as the concerned pr ovision of flexibility on the treatment and future WT/MIN(05)/ST/94 
Page 2  
 
 new commitments of these Members, in both agricu lture and non-agriculture products and is working 
to secure access to paragraph 8 of NAMA negotiations.   Related to market access for agriculture products
, Albania as a recently acceded Member 
country is asking for flexibility in the reduction m odalities and concretely:  (i) exclusion of the low 
levels tariff  from the commitments for further reduction;  (ii) defining a longer implementation period 
for the new commitments;  and (iii) determining an  exclusion period meaning that implementing the 
new commitments would begin after several years after the beginning period for other members, or after the conclusion of the implementing period of membership.  
 In this respect Albania, is supporting the group of Member countries that are making a 
substantial offer to shift away from "trade-distor ting subsidies", and is inviting the other groups of 
countries to orient their global policy in the same philosophy.   Meanwhile, as a small economy, we are e xposed by other deve loped and developing 
countries, Members of the WTO, which apply high a nd peak tariffs and quantitative restrictions.  On 
this occasion I would like to express my convictio n without any doubt that these Members will do 
their utmost to reduce their tariffs, their quotas and export subsidies, contributing so far in a more 
open multilateral trading system, and facilita ting trade for small vulnerable economies. 
  According to trade in services
, Albania estimates the commitments undertaken during the 
accession process as very liberal.  That is why it is inviting other countries to carry on further 
commitments which will be more liberalized than they are at the moment, and contributing as now, 
and through the configuration of their liberalized polic ies in this sector in the frame of global trade 
efforts.  
 Along with other countries with the same characteristics, we are ready to contribute in 
supporting the Doha Development Agenda, where are involved such elements focused in Programmes 
for Small Economies, Trade and Financial Deficit a nd Technology Transfer.  Moving in such areas 
will facilitate the successful elaboration of the negotiations and discussions until the end of the 
Hong Kong Conference.  
 On this occasion, I take the opportunity to  express the appreciation of Albania on the 
Agreement reached recently on 6 December 2005, approving changes to the Intellectual Property 
Agreement making permanent a decision on patents and public health originally adopted in 2003, and 
we hope that the road to consensus is  near even though on the other topics. 
 
 Ending, I am convinced that Hong Kong is an  important milestone in Doha Development 
Agenda.   Aiming at strengthening existing rules, I would like to stress that this Conference invests in advancing the launched negotiations in Doha, supported by the July Package 2004, and the results of 
the Meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee of WTO that will set up conditions and modalities 
for an acceptable solution for all Member countries aiming the benefits which will be increased as a 
result of new opportunities created by the pa rticipation in the multilateral negotiations. 
 
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