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1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1300  GMT) 15 DECEMBER 2004  
 
PRESS/TPRB/240 
15 December 2004 
 
(04-5501) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: SWITZERLAND AND LIECHTENSTEIN 
Further multilateral market opening would provide greater 
advantages 
The Swiss and Liechtenstei n economies have shown differing trends in growth since the last joint 
review of their trade policies in  2000. Liechtenstein has grown rapidly with increasing employment 
and a diversification of its economy, while the Swiss economy is recovering from a prolonged 
period of stagnation, according to a Trade Policy Review report on Switze rland and Liechtenstein 
published by the WTO Secretariat. 
 
Both Switzerland and Liechtenstein are heavily depe ndent on external trade. The main thrust for 
change in their trade policies has come from the bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the expanding European Union (EU) which have resulted  in notable market libe ralization between the 
two partners, and from Liechten stein’s membership of the Euro pean Economic Area (EEA). 
 
The report says that, in some areas, the pursuit of common regulations between Switzerland, 
Liechtenstein and the EU/EEA will facilitate trade with  the rest of the world. However, it could also 
bias trade and investment flows and policies in a Eurocentric direction at the expense of other developed and developing countries. It is therefor e important for the authorities of both countries 
to consider the discriminatory elements of the existing and new agreements, and the potentially 
greater advantages of a market opening on an MFN basis. 
 
The report highlights that both countries, with co mmon customs tariffs still entirely specific, have 
maintained generally liberal trade regimes for non-agricultural goods and services, while maintaining strong protection in agriculture and food processing.  The WTO report, along with a policy statement by the Governments of Switzerland and Liechtenstein will be the basis for the second joint Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Switzerland and 
Liechtenstein by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 15 and 17 of December 2004. 
 The following documents are available in MS Word format on the WTO web-site. They can be downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp240.htm  PRESS/TPRB/240 
Page 2 of 2 
  
 • Secretariat report 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  > Appendix tables  
• Government report  
• 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 polici es 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 statement by the government of the member under review, and a detailed report written independen tly 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/bout iques/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: 
Jamaica : 17 and 19 January 2005 
Japan : 25 and 27 January 2005 
Sierra Leone : 9 and 11 February 2005 
 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tpr_e.htm#reviews or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews   
END