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PRESS/TPRB/270 
27 September 2006 
 
(06-4578) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
A return to growth, but further re forms could help diversification 
Since its political stabilization in 2002 following a de cade of civil war, the Republic of the Congo is 
pursuing a macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform programme that has improved the 
business climate. This programme, together wi th the surge in world prices and domestic 
production and exports of petroleum, has paved the way for a return to growth, with real GDP 
increasing at an average annual rate of 4.2 percent during the period 2002-2005, according to a 
report on the trade policies and practices of the Republic of the Congo by the WTO Secretariat. 
 One of the main objectives of the country’s poverty reduction strategy is to diversify the economic 
base by stimulating agriculture, mining, forestry and downstream processing, since the economy is 
dominated by petroleum exploitation, according to the report. Leveraging the deepwater port of Pointe-Noire, the Republic of Congo could promote trade, including transit services, by addressing 
deficiencies in the transport network, particularly land transport. 
 The report also indicates that the Republic of Congo would do well to improve the scope of its 
commitments in trade in goods and services and to adhere more closely to the principles of the 
WTO. This would help create a more business frie ndly environment and to make the trade regime 
more transparent, credible and predictable. The report suggests that the WTO trading partners of 
the Republic of the Congo could support its efforts in this regard by reinforcing its programme of 
trade-related technical assistance.  
The report, along with a policy statement by the Republic of the Congo, will be the basis for the 
first Trade Policy Review (TPR) of the Republic of  the Congo by the Trade Policy Review Body of 
the WTO on 27 and 29 September 2006. 
 
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp270.htm  
 
Secretariat report > Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  > Trade policies and practices by measure  PRESS/TPRB/270 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
 > Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Report by the Republic of the Congo  
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member 
countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents 
are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 
Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews   
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press , 4611-F Assembly 
Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States 
Next reviews: 
Kyrgyz Republic : 9 and 11 October 2006 
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda : 25 and 27 October 2006 
Colombia : 22 and 24 November 2006 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
  
END