The meeting was held on February 26 and 28 at the WTO headquarters in Geneva. The delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Economy - Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.
Preparations for the Review lasted for over a year. Ukraine cooperated with state bodies, structural units of the Ministry of Economy and the WTO Secretariat. In December, WTO members received reports from the Secretariat and the Government of Ukraine for analysis.
“We received over 400 written questions from 20 WTO members, mainly on trade and investment regimes. This confirms the significant interest in deepening economic cooperation with Ukraine, despite the war. Feedback on the sustainability of the economy, the critical role of agricultural exports in global food security, and the development of high-value-added industries is especially valuable to us. WTO members also highly appreciated the progress in protecting intellectual property and fulfilling transparency obligations,” Taras Kachka said.
He emphasized that the successful Trade Policy Review will contribute to strengthening Ukraine’s trade relations with partners.
“The answers to the questions provided, as well as additional clarifications that we will send in the near future, will provide WTO members with the necessary information about the opportunities and benefits of cooperation with Ukraine,” Taras Kachka added.
The Deputy Minister of Economy — Trade Representative of Ukraine also separately noted a significant achievement of economic diplomacy at the WTO meeting — for the first time, a joint statement of 45 WTO members condemning the destructive impact of Russian aggression on the global trading system was included in the minutes. The statement was distributed as an official WTO document.
For reference:
Conducting trade policy reviews of WTO members is one of the most important activities of this international organization. The purpose of the reviews is to ensure transparency and predictability of the trade regimes of WTO members, to promote fuller compliance with WTO rules and principles by all members.
The frequency of trade policy reviews depends on the share of the WTO member in the total volume of world trade:
• the four largest world traders (EU, USA, Japan and China) must undergo such a procedure, as a rule, once every three years;
• the next 16 WTO members (such countries as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, India, Turkey, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE, etc.) - every five years;
• the remaining WTO members, including Ukraine, - every seven years, with the possibility of extending the period between reviews for the least developed countries, as well as if necessary.
Ukraine became a full member of the World Trade Organization in 2008. The first Trade Policy Review of Ukraine was held in April 2016. The next one was scheduled for November 2023, but due to full-scale Russian aggression, the dates were postponed to 2025.