Market access for goods

Market access for goods in the WTO means the conditions, tariff and non-tariff measures, agreed by members for the entry of specific goods into their markets. Tariff commitments for goods are set out in each member's schedules of concessions on goods. The schedules represent commitments not to apply tariffs above the listed rates — these rates are “bound”. Non-tariff measures are dealt with under specific WTO agreements (see list below). WTO Members seek to continually improve market access through the regular WTO work programme and through negotiations such as those launched at the Doha Ministerial Conference in November 2001.

See also:
> Non-agricultural market access negotiations
> Negotiations, implementation and development: the Doha agenda
> Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration

Derestriction of bilateral negotiating material from earlier GATT Rounds of negotiations

In line with WTO's efforts to enhance transparency, Members have agreed to derestrict an important number of documents relating to earlier GATT Rounds of negotiations. 1

The derestricted material includes more than 5,000 records kept by the Secretariat, including bilateral requests, offers, and agreements negotiated using the “request and offer” approach.

The bilateral material has been scanned in a joint project with Stanford University Libraries to ensure its preservation.

1. For more background information on the subject please see minutes of the meetings of the Committee on Market Access (G/MA/M/52, G/MA/M/53, and G/MA/M/55) and the General Council Decision of 25 July 2013, “Derestriction of some GATT 1947 historical bilateral negotiating documentation” (WT/L/892).

> GATT bilateral negotiating material by Round

> GATT bilateral negotiating material by Contracting Party

 


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News 

  

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Introduction   

Information on market access for goods in the WTO
Links to market access and tariff information in the WTO guide “Understanding the WTO”
Includes: Tariff; Bindings; Agriculture;
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The mandate   

Consult or download the Marrakesh Protocol

 

Summary of the legal texts of the GATT
A technical summary   

Browse or download the text of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT 1947) from the legal texts gateway
 
Find decisions of WTO bodies concerning the GATT in the Analytical Index — Guide to WTO Law and Practice

The Doha negotiating mandate
Section on market access in the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration

Consult the goods schedules for WTO members and new members
 
Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration

  

 

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Committee on Market Access  

The CMA has a broad mandate, covering all market access issues that are not dealt by any other WTO body. It reports to the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG). The current chair is .

Full details

  

Market access on specific subjects is dealt with directly under the relevant gateways

> Agriculture
> Anti-dumping
> Balance of payments
> Customs valuation
 > Import licensing
 > Information technology agreement
 > Rules of origin
 > Safeguards
> Sanitary and phytosanitary measures
> State trading enterprises (working group)
> Subsidies and countervailing measure
> Technical barriers to trade
> Textiles
> Trade facilitation

 

Quantitative Restrictions Database

> Database
> FAQ
Video: Quantitative Restrictions in the WTO framework
> Full details