negotiating group on market access

report by the Chairman, Ambassador Didier Chambovey,
to the trade negotiations committee

Meeting of 19 November 2021

1.      This report summarizes the work done by the Negotiating Group on Market Access since the Eleventh Session of the Ministerial Conference (MC11) which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2017. 

2.      During the intervening period since December 2017, I have prepared two reports for the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC); one for its meeting of 7 May 2018 (TN/MA/32) and the other for its meeting of 24 July 2018 (TN/MA/33). 

3.      It may be recalled that the last proposal to be submitted to the Negotiating Group on Market Access was in late October 2017.  This proposal which was subsequently taken up for consideration by Ministers in MC11 was entitled "Ministerial Decision on Transparency of Regulatory Measures for Trade in Goods" (WT/MIN(17)/14/Rev.1).  However, no progress was made on this draft decision at that time.   Following MC11, on 13 April 2018, I held consultations with the proponents regarding next steps but was advised that their intention was to pursue this proposal in other fora. 

4.      Since that date, no other proposal, paper or contribution has been presented to the Negotiating Group, and in light of this situation, the Negotiating Group has not met formally or informally during this period of time. I have consulted informally on different occasions with a number of delegations. My appraisal of the situation was that Members were not ready to give impetus to the NAMA negotiations under the current circumstances. Having said this, my assessment remains that the situation may change depending on developments that may occur in global international trade relations, including progress in negotiations taking place under the aegis of the WTO.