WTO members advance first review of Trade Facilitation Agreement

WTO members considered a factual report on the operation and implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and set out the next steps for the first review of the TFA at a meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation.

Members also considered a number of new proposals related to the review and received updates on the status of TFA implementation.

Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA seeks to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit.

It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area.

Twenty-three WTO members issued a joint call for parties to the TFA to accelerate implementation of the Agreement in order to support the timely and efficient release of global goods, particularly in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The call, first issued in October 2020 by four members, notes that the COVID-19 pandemic requires a global response and that cross-border trade is a critical channel for getting essential products to those who need them.

The TFA requires the Committee on Trade Facilitation to review the operation and implementation of the Agreement four years from its entry into force, and periodically thereafter.

The TFA entered into force on 22 February 2017 following its ratification by two-thirds of the WTO membership.