PRESS RELEASE 
 EMBARGO  
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, OR DISTRIBUTION BY NEWS AGENCIES UNTIL 
1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1200  GMT) 9 JUNE 2008  
 
PRESS/TPRB/300 
9 June 2008 
 
(08-2622) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: UNITED STATES 
Continued openness is key at a time of economic uncertainty 
The openness and transparency of the US trade re gime have been key contributing factors to the 
efficiency that characterizes the US economy. In  the face of economic uncertainty, US welfare 
would be best promoted by continuing to reduce barriers to market access and other distorting 
measures, including those that result from high levels of assistance in agriculture and energy, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of the United States. 
 
The report says that the United States has taken further steps to liberalize its trade regime since its previous review in 2006, although mostly on a preferential basis. Additional reforms undertaken 
on a MFN basis would lessen distortions in global markets and strengthen the multilateral trading 
system, as the United States is both the world’s largest single economy and trader.  
The WTO Secretariat report, along with a policy statement by the Government of the United 
States, will be the basis for the ninth TPR of the united States by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 9 and 11 June 2008. 
 
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/tp300_e.htm  
 
• Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  > Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Report by Government of the United States 
• 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 Agreement, in which member 
countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant PRESS/TPRB/300 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 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: 
Oman: 25 and 27 June 2008 
Singapore: 14 and 16 of July 2008 
Barbados: 17 and 19 September 2008 
 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