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 .