Commissie blij met toekomstige toetreding Tadzjikistan tot Wereldhandelsorganisatie (en)

European Commission

Press release

Brussels, 10 December 2012

EU welcomes Tajikistan's planned accession to the World Trade Organisation

The European Commission fully supports today's decision by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to pave the way for the accession of Tajikistan. Once the whole accession procedure is completed, Tajikistan will become the 159th member of the global trade forum.

"The EU is very pleased to welcome Tajikistan as a new member of the WTO family, said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht i. "I firmly believe that Tajikistan’s accession will serve as a major engine for Central Asia’s economic development“.

After Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan is the second Central Asian country to join the WTO. By supporting the country’s economic diversification, the EU has taken the lead in accompanying Tajikistan during its accession process. In the future the EU will continue to promote and boost trading and investment relations with Tajikistan and ensure its fully-fledged integration into the multilateral trade system.

In line with the decision of the WTO General Council, Tajikistan will have to ratify its accession package by 7 June 2013. It will become a fully-fledged member of the WTO 30 days after the ratification date.

Background

Since its request for accession in May 2001, Tajikistan has committed to fully comply with the WTO provisions without recurring to any transitional periods. In compliance with the accession package, Tajikistan has undertaken a broad range of commitments to open up its trade regime and speed up its integration in the world trade system, including six bilateral agreements on market access for services and 13 on market access for goods.

EU-Tajikistan Trade in Facts and Figures

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  Under the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), the EU grants Tajikistan preferential access to its market in the form of reduced tariffs.
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  In 2011, the EU was Tajikistan's fifth most important trade partner.
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  EU-Tajikistan trade turnover reached 213 million EUR in 2011.
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  EU imports from Tajikistan amounted to 73 m EUR in 2011, the majority of which were represented by aluminium imports, with raw materials and clothing being the other more active sectors.
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  EU exports to Tajikistan totalled 140 m EUR in 2011, and were dominated by machinery and transport equipment and other manufactured goods, complemented by exports of chemicals and some primary products.

Further information

EU trade relations with Central Asia

Tajikistan’s WTO accession negotiations (WTO website)