World Trade Organisation Members Must Implement Trade Facilitation Agreement Without Delay

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Ireland has today (01/08/14) called on World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to continue working to reach a solution that will see the Trade Facilitation Agreement implemented as soon as possible.

Under the terms of the WTO’s Bali deal – agreed to by all WTO members last December – a “legal protocol” to operationalize the TFA was due to be agreed today by the WTO membership. This deadline has now been missed due to a standoff over the negotiation of a separate agreement on national food security programmes. 

Speaking this morning, Ian Talbot, ICC Ireland Secretary General said, ““There’s huge frustration that a deal with the potential to inject a US$1 trillion stimulus into the global economy has been blocked by a diplomatic standoff in Geneva. The deal agreed in Bali last December matters to us all. We’re talking about a common-sense package of reforms that will make it easier for small businesses to export, reduce prices for consumers and help tackle corruption.”

ICC Secretary General John Danilovich added: “Our message is clear. Get back to the table, save this deal and get the multilateral trade agenda back on the road to completion sooner rather than later, to grow the economy and create jobs without further delay.”

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For further information contact Amy Woods on 01 400 4319, 086 6081605 or email amy.woods@www.chambers.ie 

Notes to Editor
About the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Ireland
Chambers Ireland is the official representative of the International Chamber of Commerce in Ireland. ICC is the largest, most representative business organisation in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 120 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise.

A world network of national committees keeps the ICC International Secretariat in Paris informed about national and regional business priorities. More than 2,000 experts drawn from ICC’s member companies feed their knowledge and experience into crafting the ICC stance on specific business issues.

The United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, the G20 and many other intergovernmental bodies, both international and regional, are kept in touch with the views of international business through ICC.