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Capacity-Building Workshop on the WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations for WTO Members
from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasu
12 - 13 June 2006, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

 

PRESENTATIONS

   
DAY ONE, 12 JUNE 2006
08:30 - 09:00 Registration
09:00-09:20 Introductory Remarks and Welcome
  Host country representative
  UNECE
  Moderator: Mario Apostolov, Regional Adviser, UNECE
09:20-10:00 Session 1: Setting the Framework: Trade Facilitation and WTO negotiations

Tom Butterly, UNECE Trade Facilitation
UN/CEFACT’s Integrated Model of Trade Facilitation Implementation comprising trade, transport, banking, insurance, telecommunication, etc. Role of Governments and business; specific perspective of transition economies, notably, landlocked. Defining the scope of trade facilitation: is it limited to Customs procedures, GATT articles V, VIII, and X, or is it broader?

Emilia Cainarean, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova to WTO
Why renegotiate GATT articles V, VIII, and X?

Mario Apostolov, Regional Adviser, UNECE Trade Division
What is the essence of the new proposals for negotiation (WTO doc. TN/TF/W/43/Rev.5) ?

Maxence Orthlieb, UNCTAD Trade Facilitation
What will be the outcome of the negotiations? If a new WTO Agreement, what will be the format?

Mario Apostolov, Maxence Orthlieb, country representatives
What will be the obligations for the transition economies, WTO members, present at the seminar?

Questions & answers
10:00-11:00 Session 2: Proposed measures for negotiation: Best practice examples

Tom Butterly, UNECE Trade Facilitation, Mario Apostolov, Regional Adviser, UNECE Trade Division
Transparency, publication of laws, procedures, documentary requirements, etc. (GATT article X). What kind of information needs to be published? Presentation of a possible solution. Is a single entry point an option? Could it be part of a Single Window system? Should advance rulings be published prior to their formal adoption?
The Single Window concept, standards for interoperability and options for implementation.
Article VIII (fees and formalities): should trade procedures and information flows be simplified and harmonized with international standards? Is it advisable to adopt a minimum standard data set? What are the standards and tools available?

Presentation by Czech Customs on the practical implication of the measures proposed in WTO in a post-transition European Union Member State
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-13:00 Session 2 (cont’d)

Tom Butterly, UNECE Trade Facilitation, Mario Apostolov, Regional Adviser, UNECE
Electronic documents
Development of aligned paper and electronic documents based on the United Nations Layout Key for Trade Documents (ISO 6422) and the UN/EDIFACT (ISO 9735)

Maxence Orthlieb, UNCTAD, Mario Apostolov, UNECE, country representatives
Transit (GATT article V): What is meant by “reasonable charges”, “unnecessary delays”, “most convenient route”, etc.? Is it advisable to provide national treatment to goods in transit? Should MFN be provided to all modes of transport? How to address the problems of landlocked countries?

A representative of Moldova and/or Kyrgyzstan
Special and Differential treatment

Discussion
13:00-15:00 Lunch break
15:00-16:30 Session 2 (cont’d)

Current situation in the countries, country presentations:
Ms. Asmat Abesadze, Consultant: Presentation of the Discussion Paper for this Workshop
     Armenia
     Georgia
     Kyrgyzstan
     Republic of Moldova
     Non-WTO member countries

TACIS Project

Discussion
16:30-18:00 Session 3: Harmonizing the countries’ positions in the WTO negotiations

Moderator: Representative of the Republic of Moldova

Country statements:
      Armenia
      Georgia
      Kyrgyzstan
      Republic of Moldova
      Non-WTO member countries

General Discussion on the harmonization of the countries’ positions
The expected outcome of this day’s sessions will be recommendations for harmonizing the positions of the countries vis-à-vis the WTO negotiations on Trade Facilitation.  
DAY TWP, 13 JUNE 2006
09:30-13:00 Session 4: Technical assistance: constraints and needs of the countries

Moderator: Representative of the Republic of Moldova to WTO
09:30-09:50 Maxence Orthlieb, Trade Facilitation, UNCTAD
Implementation of possible binding rules likely to come out of the WTO negotiations on trade facilitation.
09:50-10:40 What have the countries already accomplished?
      Armenia
      Georgia
      Kyrgyzstan
      Moldova
      Non-WTO member
10:40-12:30 For which measures the countries would need assistance from abroad?
      Maxence Orthlieb
      Armenia
      Georgia
      Kyrgyzstan
      Moldova
      Non-WTO member
     

Discussion
12:30-13:00 What would be the cost of additional necessary measures? What would be the cost of required technical assistance?

Statements of participants

Discussion
13:00-13:15 Capacity-building tools related to UNECE's standards on trade facilitation
13:00-15:00 Lunch break
15:00-16:30 Session 5 (cont'd)

Statements of participants
Discussion
The expected outcome of this session will be a text for a proposal for technical assistance measures to the WTO members present at the meeting (to be submitted to the Governments of the countries) for consideration under the “Aid-for-Trade” framework, the WTO Negotiation Group on Trade Facilitation, various donors, etc. It may serve as a position paper of the countries in the negotiations on the new Agreement.
16:30-18:00 Concluding panel Discussion on Policy, Priorities and Coordination