WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/27 
WT/L/840 
17 December 2011 
 (11-6627) 
  
  
 
ACCESSION OF SAMOA 
Decision of 17 December 2011 
 The Ministerial Conference,  Having regard to paragraph two of Article XII and paragraph one 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 Samoa for accession to the WTO Agreement dated 
9 December 1994; 
 Noting  the results of the negotiations directed toward the establishment of the terms of 
accession of Samoa to the WTO Agreement and havi ng prepared a Protocol on the Accession of 
Samoa; 
 Decides  as follows: 
 Samoa may accede to the WTO Agreement on the terms and conditions set out in the Protocol 
annexed to this Decision. 
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  PROTOCOL ON THE ACCESSION OF SAMOA 
Preamble 
 The World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO"), pursuant to the approval 
of the Ministerial Conference of the WTO accorde d under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and Samoa,  
 Taking note of the Report of the Worki ng Party on the Accession of Samoa to the 
WTO Agreement reproduced in document WT/ACC/ SAM/30, dated 1 November 2011 (hereinafter 
referred to as the "W orking Party Report"), 
 Having regard to the results of the nego tiations on the accession of Samoa to the 
WTO Agreement,  
 Agree as follows: 
PART I - GENERAL 
1. Upon entry into force of this Protocol pur suant to paragraph 8, Samoa 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 Samoa accedes shall be the WTO Agreement, including the 
Explanatory Notes to that Agreement, as rectifie d, amended or otherwise 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 referred to in paragraph 254 of the Working Party 
Report, shall be an integral part of the WTO Agreement. 
3. Except as otherwis e provided for in paragraph 254 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 Samoa as if it ha d accepted that Agreement on the date of its entry into force. 
4. Samoa may maintain a measure inconsistent w ith paragraph one of Ar ticle II of the GATS 
provided that such a measure was recorded in the list of Article II Exemptions 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 Agr eement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the "GATT 1994") and the Schedule of Specific Co mmitments annexed to the 
General Agreement on Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as "GATS") relating to Samoa.  The staging of the concessions and commitments lis ted in the Schedules shall be implemented as 
specified in the relevant parts 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 Conc essions and Commitments 
annexed to this Protocol shall be the date  of entry into force of this Protocol.  WT/MIN(11)/27 
 WT/L/840 
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  PART III - FINAL PROVISIONS 
7. This Protocol shall be open for acceptance,  by signature or otherwise, by Samoa until 
15 June 2012. 
8. This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the day upon which it shall 
have been accepted by Samoa.  
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 
Samoa thereto pursuant to paragraph 7 to each Member of the WTO and to Samoa.   
 This Protocol shall be registered in accordance with the provisions of Ar ticle 102 of the Charter 
of the United Nations.   
 Done at Geneva this seventeenth day of December two thousand and elev en, in a single copy in 
the English, French and Spanish languages, each te xt being authentic, except that a Schedule annexed 
hereto may specify that it is authen tic in only one of these languages. 
 
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  ANNEX I 
SCHEDULE CLXIV - SAMOA 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/SAM/30/Add.1) 
 
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SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS ON SERVICES 
LIST OF ARTICLE II EXEMPTIONS 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in documen t WT/ACC/SAM/30/Add.2)]  
 
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