RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/212
17 June 1999
(99-2460)
General Council
15 June 1999
ACCESSION TO THE WTO:  PROCESS AND PROCEDURES
Statement by H.E. Mr. Renato Ruggiero1
to the General Council
In preparation for the work today, the Secretariat has fulfilled the two major tasks which it
had been mandated to carry out following the discussions on this agenda item at the meeting of the
General Council in December last year.
The first of these has already been referred to by the Chairman, namely the Technical Note
describing the mechanics and results of the accession process as it has operated since the
establishment of the WTO.  I believe this note will prove to be a useful input for your discussions
today and, hopefully, also serve to assist the General Council in arriving at policy conclusionsdesigned to further improve the accession process.
The second task is the one I personally carried out in my informal get-together with the
chairpersons of the Accession Working Parties on 23  March.  I would like, today, to present to you
my report of our discussions and conclusions.
First of all, it was a very good meeting.  Our aim was to stand back from the details of
individual accessions and look at the accession process as a whole with a view to drawing
conclusions, as appropriate, on how the process is working and whether any improvements should be
made.  The following broad conclusions emerged:
(i) The Challenge of accessions remains a major one for the WTO.  IT must be
addressed creatively and constructively.
(ii) The current procedures for accession under Article XII have provided a valuable
framework for the process and have given it increased predictability and
transparency.  These procedures also permit responses to the individual needs of eachaccession.
(iii) However, additional steps need to be taken to ensure better and quicker results from
the accession process.  For example, to increase transparency periodic summary
information should be available to WTO Members on the state of play in eachaccession.  In the Working Parties themselves, factual summaries of information
supplied and points raised in each of the accession Working Parties should be
                                                     
1 This statement was prepared by Mr. Ruggiero for delivery to the General Council on 14 April 1999,
at which time he was Director-General of the WTO.  Si nce the item to which it relates was considered only on
15 June 1999, and since Mr. Ruggiero's term of office expired on 30 April 1999, it was read out to the General
Council on that date by the Chairman of that body.WT/GC/W/212
Page 2
available from an early stage in the proceedings.  Similarly, work on draft Reports
should start as early as possible in the process.
(iv) The current view taking place in the General Council  is also a very welcome step in
the direction of greater transparency.  This having been said, there is no substitute foractive participation in the process and it is to be hoped that in future there will be
maximum participation in accession Working Parties by a larger number of WTO
Members.
(v) Clearly, accessions are taking longer than we anticipated.  However, the reasons for
this need further clarification.  For example, applicant governments with the political
will, administrative and legal structure and technical expertise necessary for effectiveWTO Membership can hope to accede rapidly.  This is demonstrated by some recent
accessions.  On the other hand, applicants who, for different reasons, are not able to
mobilise these elements must expect their accessions to take longer.  Thus the pace of
an accession negotiation depends very greatly on the acceding government itself.
(vi) To ensure the smooth functioning of th e accession process, Members must also do
their fair share by responding without delay to the demands that the process places on
them.  Members should consider practical ways in which the accession process can be
accelerated.  The meeting noted the European Communities' initiative on accessions
including the suggestions put forward on the possibility of commonly agreedyardsticks and criteria.  Discussion on these should be pursued in the General
Council.
(vii) Chairpersons play an important part in any WTO negotiation and the negotiations in
accession Working Parties are no exception.  Chairpersons have a key role inensuring that the necessary information flows, for example, by improving contacts
between capitals and the process in Geneva.  Their role is specially vital in the
concluding stages of the negotiation.
(viii) The terms and conditions required of acceding countries should uphold the integrity
of the system.  Particular accession commitments should reflect the particular
circumstances of each case.  In this context, it was noted that the need for flexibilityin specific cases has been highlighted in the recent European Communities' proposals.
Transition periods for specific problems should be considered every time it is
necessary.  This is in the interest of the integrity of the system as well of the acceding
candidates.
(ix) The provision of technical assistance from the earliest stages by the WTO Secretariat,
by individual WTO Members and by other international organisations is of critical
importance.  Increased efforts should be made to identify the needs of acceding
governments and to coordinate the responses to those needs.  Special efforts need to
be made to provide least-developed countries with the technical assistance that theyneed in the accession process and in the implementation of commitments undertaken
in the WTO.  Generally speaking, all acceding governments are in urgent need of
focussed technical assistance, particularly in the areas of WTO-related domestic
legislation and enforcement, and the training of personnel.
(x) Urgent consideration needs to be given to the relationship between the accession
process and the new round of multilateral trade negotiations.  While a number of
applicants can be expected to accede in the relatively near future it is already clear
that a significant number of accessions will continue during these negotiations.WT/GC/W/212
Page 3
Governments in this situation should be associated as closely as possible with the
negotiations.  At the same time, it is important that the acceding governments are
assured that the door to the WTO will remain open so that applicants able to do so
can accede even while the negotiations are under way.  For these reasons, it has been
suggested that acceding governments should be able to participate, as observers, inthe preparatory process currently underway in the General Council.  I personally
think this is a very constructive suggestion, though naturally, this matter will need to
be the subject of consultations and decision through the General Council  process.
__________