Trade Policy Review: European Communities, 2004

Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries' (including the European Union) trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each review, two documents are prepared: a policy statement by the government of the member under review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO's full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These documents and the proceedings of the TPRB's meetings are published shortly afterwards.

The European Communities (EC) has a generally liberal regime for non-agricultural products and has granted market access to developing countries under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheme or the Cotonu Agreement, and to LDCs under the “everything but arms” (EBA) initiative, according to a report on the trade policies and practices of the EC released by the WTO Secretariat in 2004.

WTO: Press Release, 27.10.04 http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp238_e.htm

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