Diplomacy
Ethiopia's WTO Terms Harden as Members Press for More
Addis Fortune · 2 hours ago · Read the Full Story on Addis Fortune
AI SUMMARY
Ethiopia's trade negotiators face upcoming WTO meetings after missing their accession target, while major trading partners demand stricter commitments.
- Ethiopia's trade negotiators face a WTO Working Party meeting scheduled for November 9 and 10 after missing their target of joining at the 14th Ministerial Conference in March.
- The General Council can approve a completed accession package between ministerial conferences, meaning the missed deadline does not automatically delay entry by two years.
- Applicant countries set their own accession deadlines to speed reform and keep talks moving.
- Ethiopia applied for WTO accession in 2003 and has submitted more than 400 pieces of legislation for multilateral and bilateral reviews.
- Ethiopia has signed 11 bilateral market-access agreements which are locked in and cannot be reopened, while talks continue with about half a dozen partners including Canada.
- Applicants negotiate on two tracks covering bilateral market access for goods and services and multilateral compliance with WTO agreements.
- Major trading partners view Ethiopia's large population and fast-growing economy as setting it apart from smaller least developed countries, pressing for rigorous concessions beyond usual flexibilities.
- WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stated that joining the organization and participating in the African Continental Free Trade Area are complementary.
- The National Bank of Ethiopia reported that the country's economy grew by 9.2pc in 2024/25, a rate endorsed by the IMF.
- Local analyst Endalamaw Kebede warns that membership may introduce cheap imports and multinational competition that could undermine infant domestic industries and cause layoffs.
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