Trade Policy Review Body - Trade policy review - 12 and 14 February 2025 - Madagascar - Minutes of the meeting

Trade Policy Review

Madagascar

Minutes of the Meeting

Chairperson: H.E. Dr Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid (Nigeria)

CONTENTS

1   INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 2

2   OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF Madagascar. 4

3   STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT. 9

4   STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS. 11

5   REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF madagascar AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. 37

6   CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 43

7   remarks by madagascar trade minister. 44

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Advance written questions and additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies provided by Madagascar are reproduced in document _WT/TPR/M/466/Add.1 and will be available online at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.

1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON

1.1.  The fourth Trade Policy Review of Madagascar was held on 12 and 14 February 2025. The Chairperson, H.E. Dr Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid (Nigeria), welcomed the delegation of Madagascar, headed by H.E. Ms Priscilla ANDRIANARIVO, Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Head of Delegation; the rest of the delegation who joined virtually from the capital; and the discussant, H.E. Ms Clara DELGADO JESUS (Cabo Verde).

1.2.  The Chairperson was pleased that, in addition to physical presence, the meeting also benefited from the Interprefy online connection, allowing for a wider participation of the Membership.

1.3.  The Chairperson recalled the purpose of TPRs and the main elements of procedures for the meeting. The Report by Madagascar is contained in document _WT/TPR/G/466, and that of the WTO Secretariat in document _WT/TPR/S/466.

1.4.  Questions by the following delegations were submitted in writing before the deadline: Singapore, China, United Kingdom, Japan, European Union. The following delegations submitted written questions after the deadline: Dominican Republic, United States, India, Iceland, and Türkiye.

HIGHLIGHT OF KEY ISSUES

1.5.  Please allow me now to turn to substance – by recalling some elements of Madagascar's previous Review on 2015 and developments since then, as well as by identifying some key issues arising from the advance written questions submitted by Members for this TPR.

1.6.  During the previous Review, Members praised Madagascar for the resilience of its economy. They commended Madagascar on its plans to further liberalize services. Members welcomed Madagascar's efforts to facilitate trade through the implementation of customs modernization, including the introduction of the Electronic Single Window TradeNet; and paperless customs clearance procedures.

1.7.  Several Members encouraged Madagascar to restructure its customs services, ratify the TFA, and notify its TFA commitment categories. Concerns were expressed by some Members about over-fishing in Madagascar's continental waters, including by unregulated foreign fleets.

1.8.  Let me now focus on developments since Madagascar's last Review. During the review period, real GDP growth averaged 2.7% per year, despite an important economic contraction in 2020. This contraction was largely due to the pandemic which significantly impacted most economic activities, notably tourism.

1.9.  The simple average applied MFN tariff rate is 12.2% in 2023 which remains the same as last Review. 50 tariff lines are subject to applied tariffs that exceed bound tariffs.

1.10.  During the review period, Madagascar ratified the Agreement on Trade Facilitation in 2016, the Protocol Amending the TRIPS Agreement in 2017 but has not yet ratified the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. In November 2024, Madagascar ratified the AfCTA. It submitted numerous notifications to the WTO during the review period, but a total of 35 notifications are pending.

1.11.  Madagascar enacted or amended trade related laws since 2015 including: the Special Economic Zone Act (2017), the Industrial Property Act (2017), the Copyright Act (1994); the Electricity Code (2017); the Public Procurement Code (2016); the Mining Code (2023); the Public Private Partnership Act (2015); the Public Finance Management Act (2024); the Fishery Act (2015); the Organic Farming Act (2019); the Microfinance Act (2017) and the Investment Act (2023).

1.12.  As highlighted in the advanced written questions, several trade and related measures were of great interest to Members, in particular the new Investment Code, the applied tariff lines that appear to exceed bound rates, the "sensitive list of products". Other areas of Members' interest included customs procedures as well as the transition to a green energy policy.

1.13.  For this Review, Madagascar has received 197 advance written questions from 10 delegations, out of which 95 questions from 5 delegations were sent within the established deadline. Prior to this meeting, Madagascar already provided written replies to all members that submitted questions.

1.14.  This meeting will be a good opportunity for Members to discuss in greater detail issues of interest to them and of systemic importance to the multilateral trading system. I look forward to a fruitful exchange.