ACCESSIONS
Afghanistan
This page gathers key information on Afghanistan's negotiations to join the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ. Afghanistan became the 164th °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ member on 29July 2016.
News
Current status in the accession process
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Afghanistan's Timeline
I. Overview | ||||||||
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Application Received | 10/04/2003 | WT/ACC/AFG/1 | ||||||
21/11/2004 | WT/ACC/AFG/2 | |||||||
Accession Working Party established | 13/12/2004 | WT/GC/M/90 | ||||||
Terms of reference & accession Working Party membership | 23/02/2005 | WT/ACC/AFG/3 + ( revisions) | ||||||
Chairperson of the Accession Working Party | ||||||||
3rd | 05/2012 — 07/2016 | Ambassador Roderick van Schreven (Netherlands) | ||||||
2nd | 05/2009 — 5/2012 | Ambassador Boudewijn Van Eenennaam (Netherlands) | ||||||
1st | 12/2005 — 05/2009 | Ambassador Ian M. De Jong (Netherlands) | ||||||
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 | 31/01/2011 | — | — | — | News item | |||
2nd | 18/06/2012 | — | — | News item | ||||
3rd | 07/12/2012 | — | — | News item | ||||
4th | 25/07/2013 | — | Documents | News item | ||||
5th | 11/11/2015 | — | Documents | News item | ||||
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 | |||||
on agriculture | 25/07/2013 | — | II. Multilateral Negotiations | |||||
Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR) | 31/03/2009 | WT/ACC/AFG/4 | ||||||
Initial cycle(s) of Questions and Replies, following the circulation of the MFTR | 26/07/2010 | WT/ACC/AFG/5 (+ addendum) | ||||||
Factual Summary of Points Raised | 03/05/2012 | |||||||
Additional Questions & Replies | 28/10/2011 | WT/ACC/AFG/7 | ||||||
31/10/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/17 | |||||||
10/04/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/24 | |||||||
07/06/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/27 | |||||||
27/06/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/28 | |||||||
02/07/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/29 | |||||||
14/10/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/32 | |||||||
21/10/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/34 | |||||||
Elements of a Draft Report of the Working Party | 09/11/2012 | (+ ) | ||||||
Draft Report of the Working Party | 24/06/2013 | (+ ) | ||||||
~ updated | 19/10/2015 | |||||||
Agriculture (WT/ACC/22/Add.1), including Questions and Replies | 29/10/2012 | |||||||
SPS Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | 06/02/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/11 (+ addendum) | ||||||
TBT Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | 26/04/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/13 | ||||||
TRIPS Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | 28/10/2011 | WT/ACC/AFG/8 (+ revision) | ||||||
Import Licensing Procedures Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions) | 08/11/2011 | WT/ACC/AFG/10 (+ revision) | ||||||
Customs Valuation Checklist (WT/ACC/22 + revisions) | 26/07/2010 | WT/ACC/AFG/6 (+ revisions) | ||||||
State-Trading Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions) | — | — | ||||||
Draft Subsidies Notification (WT/ACC/22/Add.2) | — | — | ||||||
Comprehensive Legislative Action Plan (LAP) | 28/10/2011 | WT/ACC/AFG/9 (+ revisions) | ||||||
15/07/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/30 (+ revisions) | |||||||
Rule-specific Action Plans | — | — | ||||||
Legislation and implementing regulations | Click for details | Legislation notice | Notified legislation | |||||
27/07/2010 | WT/ACC/AFG/5/Add.1 |
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28/10/2011 | WT/ACC/AFG/7/Add.1 |
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07/02/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/12 | |||||||
25/04/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/14 | |||||||
07/06/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/16 | |||||||
14/11/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/19 | |||||||
15/11/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/20 |
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19/11/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/21 |
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22/11/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/22 | |||||||
26/11/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/23 | |||||||
13/05/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/25 |
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23/05/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/26 | |||||||
10/10/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/31 | |||||||
18/10/2013 | WT/ACC/AFG/33 | |||||||
03/03/2014 | WT/ACC/AFG/35 | |||||||
Consultation documents | Click for details | Consultation notice | Notified consultation document | |||||
28/10/2011 | WT/ACC/AFG/7/Add.2 |
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06/06/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/15 |
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09/11/2012 | WT/ACC/AFG/18 | |||||||
24/06/2013 |
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III. Bilateral Market Access Negotiations | ||||||
Goods Offer(s) | 14/11/2012 | |||||||
Services Offer(s) | 13/06/2012 | |||||||
Register of Bilateral Market Access Agreements | ||||||||
Draft Goods Schedule | 14/02/2014 | (+ ) | ||||||
~ updated | 19/10/2015 | |||||||
Draft Services Schedule | 13/06/2012 | |||||||
~ updated | 19/10/2015 | |||||||
Goods and Services Technical Verification Meetings | Date of the meeting | Convening fax | ||||||
On goods and services | 27/02/2014 | 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 | 17/12/2015 | News item | ||||||
Protocol of Accession | 17/12/2015 | |||||||
Report of the Working Party | 13/11/2015 | WT/ACC/AFG/36, WT/MIN(15)/6 | ||||||
Goods Schedule (Schedule of Concessions and Commitments Annexed to the GATT 1994) | 13/11/2015 | WT/ACC/AFG/36/Add.1; WT/MIN(15)/6/Add.1 | ||||||
Services Schedule (Schedule of Specific Commitments Annexed to the GATS | 13/11/2015 | WT/ACC/AFG/36/Add.2; WT/MIN(15)/6/Add.2 | VI. Accessions Commitments Database (ACDB) | |||||
Specific Accession Commitments | click on “Report by Member”, select “Afghanistan” 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 | 29/06/2016 | News item | VIII. Date of Membership | |||||
29/07/2016 | 164th °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ member | News item | IX. Since 1995, this is the… | |||||
36th economy that joined the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ 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.