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PRESS RELEASE: PRESS/TPRB/317

TRADE POLICY REVIEW:

Further trade reforms would sustain economic growth

The economic and trade reforms pursued by Morocco since its previous Trade Policy Review in 2003 have contributed to the positive overall performance of its economy, including its growing diversification, with an annual real GDP growth rate of 4.5% on average during the period 2002-2007, and 5.8% in 2008; nonetheless, the economy is beginning to feel the negative impact of the current economic crisis, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Morocco.

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The WTO report, along with a policy statement by the Government, will be the basis for the Trade Policy Review (TPR) by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO.

Morocco has taken steps to liberalize its economic sectors, in particular key services. It has reduced the level of its average tariff protection by 13.2 percentage points to 20.2%. However, Morocco still imposes some tariffs at rates higher than the bound levels, and maintains a VAT regime that does not respect the principle of national treatment.

The report notes that a taxation reform, including the simplification of the tariff structure through the elimination of variable duties, and a reduction of the number and levels of rates, particularly in the agricultural sector, would help Morocco to fully honour its multilateral commitments and would further simplify its trade regime.

Improved commitments under the GATS would enable Morocco to consolidate its reforms in areas such as tourism and telecommunications, where its commitments fall short of the liberalization efforts already achieved.

The report, along with a policy statement by the Government of Morocco, will be the basis for the fourth Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Morocco by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 24 and 26 June 2009.

The following documents are available in MS Word format.

• Secretariat report
  > Contents and summary observations
  > Economic environment
  > Trade and investment regimes
  > Trade policies and practices by measure
  > Trade policies by sector
  > Appendix tables
    
• Government report
    

Note  back to top

Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ 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.

Print copies of previous TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop.

The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States.

Schedule of forthcoming reviews  back to top

Guyana: 8 and 10 July 2009
Zambia: 27 and 29 July 2009
Chile: 7 and 9 October 2009

SEE ALSO    > Full list of previous TPRs

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