trade policy review mechanism
Communication from the
Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body
Albania
Arrangements
for Review Meeting
1._
In pursuance of Article IV, paragraph 4 and Annex 3 of
the WTO Agreement, a meeting of the Trade Policy Review Body is scheduled for 22 and 24 November 2023
to conduct the third review of the trade policies and practices of Albania (_WTO/AIR/TPR/154).
2._
This communication sets out arrangements concerning the review meeting.
In this connection, attention is also drawn to the procedures for the conduct
of reviews contained in the rules of procedure of the Trade Policy Review Body
(_WT/TPR/6/Rev.4).
1 Questions in writing in advance of the meeting AND MAIN POINTS
3._
Members wishing to submit written questions to the Member under review
should do so normally at least two weeks before the review meeting to allow
replies to be prepared in time for the first session of the meeting. For the forthcoming review, such
questions should therefore be with the Trade Policies Review Division of the
Secretariat (tprd@wto.org) by 5.30 p.m.
on Wednesday 8 November 2023, at the latest. Advance
written questions should reach the Secretariat no later than the day before the
start of the meeting, by 2 p.m. at the latest to allow time for the Secretariat
to process them. Questions sent on the day of the meeting will be processed
after the end of the first session of the meeting.
4._
Delegations are encouraged
to use the TPR Q&A online system (https://tprqa.wto.org)
to send their advance written questions using the username and password
provided by the Secretariat. Albania has agreed to use this system to provide
answers to the questions submitted through the system. Delegations are invited
to contact tprqa@wto.org to request a
username and/or password in case they need it.
5._
In accordance with the rules of
procedure of the TPRB (_WT/TPR/6/Rev.4, paragraph 17), Members are
reminded that they should group their written questions into the following
three categories so as to facilitate responses: those related to the
Secretariat report (with a reference to relevant paragraph numbers); those
concerning the Government report (with a reference to relevant paragraph
numbers); and other questions.
6._
The Secretariat shall identify the main points contained in the
questions submitted at least two weeks before a review meeting, post them
on the Members' Website one week before the meeting, and distribute a revised
list of main points during the first session of a review when questions
received after the two‑week deadline give rise to significantly new issues. The
main points may be found on the Members' Website under "Forthcoming
Meetings: Documents for Meetings".
2 Answers in writing by the MEMBEr under review
7._
Answers by the
Member under review should be distributed in writing; advance questions
submitted by the two-week deadline before the start of the TPRB review should
be answered in writing by the Member under review by the start of the meeting.
Questions posed subsequently should be answered, to the extent possible, before
the start of the second session of the meeting. Questions left unanswered at
the end of the second session should be answered in writing no later than one
month after the meeting with some latitude in the Chair's discretion for
Members reviewing a very large number of questions.
3 Discussant
8._ In consultation with the Member
under review, the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body may choose a
discussant who, in his personal capacity, will introduce the discussions in the
Body. H.E. Mr Sabri BACHTOBJI (Tunisia)
will act as discussant
for the review of Albania.
4 Structure of the meeting
9._
Trade policy reviews cover four broad headings:
a._ appreciation of the full range of the Member's trade policies and
practices;
b._ relevant background: wider economic and developmental needs,
including the external environment;
c._ impact of the Member's trade policies and practices on the
functioning of the multilateral trading system; and
d._
general comments
by way of assessment and evaluation.
10._ Meetings take place in two sessions. The first session is
devoted to the opening statements by the Member under review and the
discussant, and remarks and questions from the floor. The discussion in
the second session, when the Member under review will reply to questions, is based
on main themes identified after the opening meeting by the Chairperson, the
discussant and the Secretariat in consultation with the Member.
11._
As indicated in
the rules of procedure for TPRB meetings (_WT/TPR/6/Rev.4,
paragraph 21), the speakers' list will follow the order in which questions
are received by the Secretariat and in the event of more than one batch, the
final batch will determine the order of speakers. Delegations not submitting
written questions will continue to speak second, in the order in which their
flags are raised. On the day before each review meeting, the Secretariat will
post on the WTO Members' website a provisional list of speakers for the first
session of that meeting, for Members' advance information.
5 Documentation and press arrangements
12._
Reports by the Member under review and the Secretariat are contained in
the following documents:
_WT/TPR/G/449 Report by Albania
_WT/TPR/S/449 Albania: Report by the Secretariat
13._
The press embargo for the review of Albania will end at 2.00 p.m.
Geneva time on 22 November 2023.
6 RECORD OF THE MEETING
14._
The record of the meeting will be circulated as a draft to Members for
comments on their own statements and placed on the WTO website.