Accession to the World Trade Organization : issues and recommendations for Central Asian and Caucasian economies in transition

Abstract

The publication aims to provide an understanding of the WTO accession process. It considers assisting economies in transition and others in the accession process, or contemplating to start application formalities to become WTO members. Studies indicate that the accession process is long, arduous, requires full commitment from the government and allocation of the necessary resources for all stages of the accession process. The process includes data and information collection, translation for the memorandum and attending numerous negotiation sessions. There is also a need to acquire necessary specialized skills for negotiations and cope with the implementation of required legislative changes as part of WTO membership. This publication is a compilation of proceedings and papers presented at the 'Subregional Workshop on Accession to the World Trade Organization, Economies in Transition,' held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 25 to 27 July 2001.