ACCESSIONS
Bulgaria
This page gathers key information on Bulgaria's negotiations to join the WTO. Bulgaria became the 130th WTO member on 1 December 1996. As of 1 January 2007 it is a member State of the European Union (more info). All EU member States are WTO members, as is the EU (until 30 November 2009 known officially in the WTO as the European Communities for legal reasons) in its own right.
News
WTO accession process in brief
Share
Problems viewing this page? If so, please contact [email protected] giving details of the operating system and web browser you are using.
Bulgaria's Timeline
I. Overview | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GATT application received | 08/09/1986 | L/6023 | |||||
- revised | 17/10/1986 | L/6023/Add.1 | |||||
GATT Accession Working Party established | 05/11/1986 | C/M/204 | |||||
GATT Terms of reference & accession Working Party membership | 20/02/1990 | C/M/239 | |||||
- updated | 10/04/1990 | L/6667 (rev.1; rev.2; rev.3; rev.4;) | |||||
WTO application received & WTO accession Working Party established | 11/04/1995 | WT/L/58 (Request to transform the Working Party on the Accession of Bulgaria to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1947 into a WTO accession Working Party. As per document WT/L/58 of 11 April 1995, the Working Party on the Accession of Bulgaria to the GATT 1947 was transformed into a WTO Accession Working Party, in accordance with the decision adopted by the General Council on 31 January 1995. Document WT/L/58 also reproduced the name of the Chairperson and the terms of reference of the Working Party.) | |||||
WTO terms of reference & accession Working Party membership | 05/08/1996 | WT/ACC/BGR/4 | |||||
Chairperson of the Accession Working Party | |||||||
2nd | 11/1990 - 12/1996 | Ambassador Erik CARLSON SELMER (Norway) | |||||
1st | 04/1990 - 10/1990 | Ambassador Michael LILLIS (Ireland) | |||||
Formal Meetings of the Working Party | Date of the meeting | Convening notice | Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation | Statement(s) by Working Party members | Delegation list | Other documents for the meeting | News item |
1st (GATT) | 15/07/1991 | GATT/AIR/3201 | — | — | SPEC(91)72 | — | — |
2nd (GATT) | 12/07/1993 | GATT/AIR/3454 | — | — | — | — | — |
3rd (GATT) | 04/11/1993 | GATT/AIR/3469 | — | — | — | — | — |
4th (GATT) | 28/03/1994 | GATT/AIR/3558 | — | — | — | — | — |
5th (GATT) | 07/07/1994 | GATT/AIR/3601 | — | — | — | — | — |
6th (WTO) | 05/07/1995 | — | — | — | — | — | |
7th (WTO) | 10/07/1996 | — | — | — | — | — | |
8th (WTO) | 29/07/1996 | — | — | — | — | — | |
9th (WTO) | 17/09/1996 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Informal Meetings of the Working Party | Date of the meeting | Convening fax | Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation | ||||
— | — | — | — | ||||
Plurilateral Meetings | Date of the meeting | Convening fax | Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation | ||||
— | — | — | — | II. Multilateral Negotiations | |||
Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR) | 22/06/1988 | L/6364 (+ addendum & corrigendum) | |||||
- updated | 01/07/1993 | L/7244 | |||||
Initial cycle(s) of Questions and Replies, following the circulation of the MFTR | 04/05/1990 | L/6673 | |||||
26/06/1991 | L/6867 | ||||||
26/06/1991 | L/6867 | ||||||
12/07/1991 | L/6880 (+ addendum 1; addendum 2; addendum 3; addendum 4; addendum 5;) | ||||||
Factual Summary of Points Raised | — | — | |||||
Additional Questions & Replies | 28/10/1993 | L/7309 (+ addendum & revision) | |||||
Elements of a Draft Report of the Working Party | — | — | |||||
Draft Report of the Working Party | 31/05/1994 | SPEC(94)20 (+ revision) | |||||
Agriculture-specific (WT/ACC/22/Add.1), Questions and Replies | 12/06/1995 | SPEC(95)4/Add.1 | |||||
SPS Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | — | — | |||||
TBT Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | — | — | |||||
TRIPS Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | — | — | |||||
Import Licensing Procedures Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions) | — | — | |||||
Customs Valuation Checklist (WT/ACC/22 + revisions) | — | — | |||||
State-Trading Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions) | — | — | |||||
Draft Subsidies Notification (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | — | — | |||||
Comprehensive Legislative Action Plan (LAP) | 08/06/1989 | L/6512 | |||||
Rule-specific Action Plans | — | — | |||||
Legislation and implementing regulations | Click for details | Legislation notice | Notified legislation | ||||
05/11/1987 | L/6250 |
|
|||||
14/06/1989 | SPEC(89)30 |
|
|||||
22/07/1991 | L/6888 |
|
|||||
09/07/1993 | L/6880/Add.4 |
|
|||||
09/08/1993 | L/6880/Add.5 |
|
|||||
Consultation documents | Click for details | Consultation notice | Notified consultation document | ||||
25/11/1977 | MTN/NTM/R/17 (+ addendum) |
|
|||||
17/07/1979 | MTN/TAR/11 |
|
|||||
23/10/1986 | M.TNC/W/3 |
|
|||||
05/11/1987 | L/6250 |
|
|||||
12/07/1991 | L/6880/Add.1 | Information on Bulgaria's Foreign Trade Regime | |||||
04/09/1992 | L/6880/Add.2 |
|
|||||
16/10/1992 | L/6880/Add.3 | Information on new import tariff as of 1 July 1992 and information on changes after 12 July 1991 to Bulgaria's Foreign Trade Regime | |||||
20/01/1995 | WT/L/10 | Request by Bulgaria For Observer Status in WTO Bodies | |||||
24/05/1995 | WT/ACC/BGR/1 | Checklist of documents | |||||
29/05/1995 | WT/ACC/BGR/2 (+ corrigendum) | Consistency of Bulgaria's MFTR with WTO Agreements, including TRIPS and Services | |||||
18/07/1996 | WT/ACC/BGR/3 | List of Bulgarian Firms Engaged in Trade with Participation in Ownership by the State | III. Bilateral Market Access Negotiations | ||||
Goods Offer(s) | 30/06/1979 | MTN/TAR/10 | |||||
30/06/1979 | Instrument_No_160 | ||||||
28/11/1979 | L/4890 | ||||||
21/02/1995 | SPEC(95)4 | ||||||
additional information related to agriculture | 21/02/1995 | SPEC(95)4 | |||||
Services Offer(s) | 26/10/1994 | SPEC(94)46 | |||||
revised | 21/02/1995 | SPEC(95)4 | |||||
Register of Bilateral Market Access Agreements | |||||||
Draft Goods Schedule | — | — | |||||
Draft Services Schedule | — | — | |||||
Goods and Services Technical Verification Meetings | — | — | IV. Summary of Final Meeting of the Working Party | ||||
— | — | — | V. Accession Package (“Terms of Accession”, de-restricted) | ||||
Ministerial Conference/General Council Decision on the Accession | 02/10/1996 | WT/GC/M/14 & WT/ACC/BGR/6 | |||||
Protocol of Accession | 11/10/1996 | WT/ACC/BGR/7 | |||||
Report of the Working Party | 20/09/1996 | WT/ACC/BGR/5 ; WT/ACC/BGR/5/Corr.1 | |||||
Goods Schedule (Schedule of Concessions and Commitments Annexed to the GATT 1994) | 20/09/1996 | WT/ACC/BGR/5/Add.1 | |||||
Services Schedule (Schedule of Specific Commitments Annexed to the GATS) | 20/09/1996 | WT/ACC/BGR/5/Add.2 | VI. Accessions Commitments Database (ACDB) | ||||
Specific Accession Commitments | http://acdb.wto.org/ click on “Report by Member”, select “Bulgaria” in drop down list then click on “View Report” | VII. Instrument of Acceptance | |||||
Notification of Acceptance and Entry Into Force of the Protocol of Accession | 01/11/1996 | WT/LET/117 | VIII. Date of Membership | ||||
01/12/1996 | 130th Member | WT/MIN(96)/ST/101 | IX. Since 1995, this is the… | ||||
2nd economy that joined the WTO pursuant to Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement. |
Note:
The de-restriction of documents is a key component of the transparency obligations of the Multilateral Trading System. Paragraphs 1 and 2(e) of the Ministerial Council Decision WT/L/452 of 14 May 2002 provide that “documents relating to working parties on accession shall be restricted and shall be automatically de-restricted upon the adoption of the report of the working party” by the Ministerial Conference/General Council. The time of completion of the de-restriction process depends on the amount and complexities of the documents involved. Prior to 2002, the de-restriction of accession-related documents was governed by a different set of rules (i.e. General Council Decision WT/L/160/Rev.1 of 26 July 1996), which only affect documents circulated prior to 2002.