PRESS RELEASE 
EMBARGO  
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, OR DISTRIBUTION BY NEWS AGENCIES UNTIL 
1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1200  GMT) 6 APRIL 2009  
 
PRESS/TPRB/314 
6 April 2009 
(09-1649) 
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Positive economic performance but continued reforms needed  
The European Communities’ economic performance was generally good in 2006-07, although it 
weakened significantly from the second half of  2008 due to the global financial and economic 
crisis. A robust recovery and sustained economic growth in the European Communities will hinge 
on it continuing to undertake key structural refo rms, according to the WTO Secretariat report on 
the trade policies and practices of the European Communities.  
These include further liberalization of services, both at the intra-EC level and vis-à-vis third 
countries, and of its agricultural policies through the simplification of its tariff structure and the 
reduction of its high tariff rates on, and incentives  to the production and export of, agricultural 
products. Such reforms would also contribute to the improvement of the EC’s resource allocation 
and advance the full establishment of its internal market. 
The report also notes that the European Communi ties, as the world’s leading exporter and the 
second-largest importer of goods, is expected to continue contributing to making trade play a key 
role in shortening and reversing the current global economic slowdown.  
 The report, along with a policy statement by the European Communities, will be the basis for the 
ninth Trade Policy Review (TPR) of the European Communities by the Trade Policy Review Body of 
the WTO on 6 and 8 April 2009. 
 
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/tp314_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 the European Communities 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). PRESS/TPRB/314 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
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 
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 
http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/articles.asp?Id_Rayon=38  
or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan  
Press, 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706-4346, United  
States. Please call 1-800-865-3457 or e-mail: customercare@bernan.com.” 
Next reviews: 
Mozambique: 22 and 24 April 2009 
Solomon Islands: 6 and 8 May 2009 
New Zealand: 10 and 12 June 2009 
 
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