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B20 COALITION URGES IMPLEMENTATION OF BALI PACKAGE Paris, July 30, 2014 – Following the release of its report on Trade and Investment, Members of the B20 Coalition call on governments around the world to urgently approve the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) announced at the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Bali last December. Member states have until July 31st to formally adopt the agreement’s legal text. By committing countries to improve their customs procedures and facilitate the movement of goods across borders, the TFA could deliver up to one trillion dollars to the world economy and generate as many as 21 million jobs. The majority of these benefits would go to developing countries, who would also receive financial and technical assistance to help fulfill their commitments under the agreement. Moreover the TFA - the first multilateral trade agreement in two decades - is an important milestone for the future of the WTO. The long-delayed Doha Round has already damaged the institution’s credibility as a platform for future trade liberalization. Failure to adopt the TFA would jeopardize future progress on Doha and further undermine the WTO. National governments and business groups may have no choice but to focus their energies on preferential trade agreements, which risk creating a more fragmented global trading system. Concerns expressed by some countries about other elements of the package agreed at Bali, including food security, are understandable. However, at a time when the global economic recovery remains fragile, the TFA constitutes an increasingly rare example of international cooperation to boost trade flows. About the B20 Coalition The B20 Coalition brings together leading independent business associations from G20 economies in a shared mission to address G20 policy-makers on behalf of more than 6.7 million businesses of all sizes and from all sectors. This statement is issued in Berlin, Brasilia, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Mexico-City, New Delhi, Ottawa, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Sydney, and Washington DC by the B20 Coalition members. Follow our initiatives on Twitter @B20Coalition, on Linkedin and at www.b20coalition.org B20 is a registered trademark of the B20 Coalition B20 Coalition members Ai Group, Australia · BDI, Germany · BUSA, South Africa · BUSINESSEUROPE, Europe CBI, United Kingdom · CCC, Canada · CEOE, Spain · CII, India · CNI, Brazil · Confindustria, Italy Coparmex, Mexico · FKI, South Korea · MEDEF, France · TÜSİAD, Turkey · UIA, Argentina · US Chamber, USA .

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WTO Rules and Field Realities
Multi-year Expert Meeting on Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation Second Session Trade facilitation rules as a trade enabler: Options and requirements Geneva, 1–3 July 2014 Setting the Scene: WTO Rules and Field Realities by Mr. Stephen Fevrier [email protected] Trade Adviser Commonwealth Secretariat This expert paper is reproduced by the UNCTAD secretariat in the form and language in which it has been received. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the United Nations. 7/11/2014 Setting the Scene: WTO Rules and Field Realities 1 July 2014 SIDS International Competiveness (CARICOM) • Structural Transformation- transition from agro-based to services economies; • Erosion of preferences has exposed structural weaknesses in key export products; • Lagging competitiveness - 2013 competitiveness indexes (WEF, WB Doing Business surveys); • Deterioration of external debt position – counter-cyclical interventions to fiscal consolidation 1 7/11/2014 Political reinterpretation of the Single Undertaking • Key linchpin of the Bali Package, • DGs initiative with the WB, • Agreement of the African Group to move ahead, • Willingness of Developed countries links commitments to needs, • Balance between Commitments and TACB (Implementation) Greater Coordination and Higher Priority attached to an outcome by developing and LDCs The Role of TF in Economic Transformation Trade Facilitation • Import Facilitation? • Investment Facilitation? • Building economic resilience and competitiveness
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Bali Trade Facilitation Agreement
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