World Trade Organization - History of Creation. Structure. Main functions. WTO - what is it? Organization of the WTO: conditions, countries, membership The supreme governing body of the WTO is

World Trade organisation (WTO; English World Trade Organization (WTO), fr. Organization mondiale du commerce(OMC), Spanish Organization Mundial del Comercio ) is an international organization established on January 1, 1995 with the aim of liberalizing international trade and regulating trade and political relations of member states. The WTO was formed on the basis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), concluded in 1947 and for almost 50 years actually performed the functions of an international organization, but was, nevertheless, not an international organization in the legal sense.

The WTO is responsible for the development and implementation of new trade agreements, and also monitors compliance by members of the organization with all agreements signed by most countries of the world and ratified by their parliaments. The WTO builds its activities on the basis of decisions taken in 1986-1994 within the framework of the Uruguay Round and earlier GATT agreements. Discussions of problems and decision-making on global problems of liberalization and prospects for further development of world trade are held within the framework of multilateral trade negotiations (rounds). To date, 8 rounds of such negotiations have been held, including the Uruguay one, and in 2001 the ninth one started in Doha, Qatar. The Organization is trying to complete negotiations on the Doha Round, which was launched with a clear focus on meeting the needs of developing countries. As of December 2012, the future of the Doha Round remains uncertain: the program of work consists of 21 parts, and the originally set deadline of January 1, 2005 has long been missed. During the negotiations, a conflict arose between the desire for free trade and the desire of many countries for protectionism, especially in terms of agricultural subsidies. So far, these obstacles remain the main ones and hinder any progress to launch new negotiations in the Doha Round. As of July 2012, there are various negotiating groups in the WTO system to address current issues in terms of agriculture, which leads to a stalemate in the negotiations themselves.

The headquarters of the WTO is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The head of the WTO (general director) is Roberto Carvalho di Azevedo, the organization itself has about 600 people.

WTO rules provide for a number of benefits for developing countries. Currently, developing countries - members of the WTO have (on average) a higher relative level of customs and tariff protection of their markets compared to developed ones. However, in absolute terms, the total amount of customs tariff sanctions in developed countries is much higher, as a result of which market access for highly valued products from developing countries is seriously limited.

WTO rules regulate only trade and economic issues. Attempts by the United States and a number of European countries to start a discussion about working conditions (which would make it possible to consider insufficient legislative protection of workers as a competitive advantage) were rejected due to protests from developing countries, which argued that such measures would only worsen the well-being of workers due to a reduction in the number of jobs, decrease in incomes and level of competitiveness .

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History of the WTO

The growing role of world trade forced the industrial countries already in the 19th century to maintain limited cooperation at the international level on customs duties. The global economic crisis that erupted in 1929 and attempts to overcome it in some developed countries by directly protecting the domestic market with high customs duties from foreign imports showed that with increasing volumes of foreign trade, its institutionalization and supranational regulation are necessary within the recognized international legal framework.

The economic foundation of the requirements for the liberalization of foreign trade is the economic theory of comparative advantage developed at the beginning of the 19th century by David Ricardo.

The idea of ​​creating an international organization to regulate international trade arose even before the end of World War II. In 1944, the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development were founded by the efforts of the United States and Great Britain at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. The third pillar of the new economic order, along with the organizations mentioned, was the creation of the International Trade Organization (ITO). To this end, in 1946, an international conference on trade and employment was convened in Havana, which was supposed to work out the substantive and legal framework for an international agreement on tariff reduction, propose to interested countries the charter of this organization, take on a coordinating role in facilitating foreign trade and reducing customs burden on the way of goods from country to country. Already in October 1947, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed, which was initially considered only as part of a comprehensive agreement within the new international trade organization. This agreement, regarded as temporary, entered into force on January 1, 1948.

The USSR was not invited to participate in the Havana Conference, as it refused to be a member of the IMF and IBRD. The Soviet government feared that the great influence that the United States had in these organizations and the beginning of the confrontation between ideological blocs (the Cold War) would not allow the interests of the USSR to be properly taken into account within these organizations.

The US Congress, however, unexpectedly refused to ratify the WTO Charter, despite the fact that the United States was the main driving force behind the organization of the WTO, and the GATT, originally an interim agreement, continued without any of the organizational structure that the WTO was supposed to be.

In subsequent years, the GATT, although cut from its original form, proved to be a fairly effective system, in which the average customs duty decreased from 40% by the time the agreement was signed in the mid-forties to 4% in the mid-nineties. In order to reduce direct customs duties and hidden, so-called non-tariff restrictions on the import of products from abroad, rounds of negotiations between member countries were regularly held within the framework of GATT.

The so-called Uruguay Round of negotiations, which lasted from 1986 to 1994, was the most successful. As a result of long negotiations in 1994 in Marrakech, an agreement was signed on the establishment of the WTO, which entered into force on January 1, 1995. The participating countries have agreed that this organization will not only regulate trade in goods (which has been the subject of GATT since 1948), but also in connection with the ever-increasing role of services in a post-industrial society and their growing share in world trade ( at the beginning of the 21st century - about 20%), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) was adopted, which regulates this area of ​​foreign trade. Also, within the framework of the Marrakesh Agreement, the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) was adopted, which regulates trade issues of rights to the results of intellectual activity and is an integral part of the legal foundation of the WTO.

Thus, almost 50 years after unsuccessful attempts to create an international organization and the existence of a temporary GATT structure regulating foreign trade issues, on January 1, 1995, the WTO began to work.

In autumn 2001, the Doha round of WTO negotiations on further liberalization of world trade was launched in the capital of Qatar. Among the issues included in it are the liberalization of world trade in agricultural products, including the reduction of tariffs and the abolition of subsidies, financial services and the protection of intellectual property. However, negotiations are dragging on, largely due to the problem of access to non-agricultural markets. Developed countries want to get more access to the industrial sector of developing countries, the latter, in turn, fear that this may lead to a slowdown in economic growth. Russia joined the World Trade Organization and became its 156th member on August 22, 2012.

Purposes and principles of the WTO

The task of the WTO is not the achievement of any goals or results, but the establishment of general principles of international trade. According to the declaration, the work of the WTO, like the GATT before it, is based on basic principles, including:

There are three types of activities in this direction:

Articles allowing trade measures to be used to achieve non-economic goals; - Articles aimed at ensuring "fair competition";. Members shall not use environmental measures as a means of disguising protectionist policies - Provisions allowing intervention in trade for economic reasons. Exceptions to the MFN principle also include developing and least developed countries that enjoy preferential treatment in the WTO, regional free trade areas and customs unions.

Organizational structure of the WTO

The official supreme body of the organization is the Ministerial Conference WTO, which meets at least once every two years. During the existence of the WTO, ten such conferences were held, almost each of which was accompanied by active protests from the opponents of globalization.

The organization is headed by the General Director with a corresponding council subordinate to him. Subordinate to the Council is a special commission on trade policy of the participating countries, designed to monitor their compliance with their obligations under the WTO. In addition to general executive functions, the General Council manages several other commissions created on the basis of agreements concluded under the WTO. The most important of these are: the Council on Commodity Trade (so-called GATT Council), the Council on Trade in Services and the Council on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. In addition, there are many other committees and working groups subordinate to the General Council, designed to provide the highest bodies of the WTO with information on developing countries, budgetary policy, financial and budgetary issues, etc.

Dispute Resolution Authority

In accordance with the adopted “Agreement on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes” arising between WTO member states, disputes are settled by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). This quasi-judicial institution is designed to impartially and effectively resolve conflicts between the parties. De facto, its functions are performed by the WTO General Council, which makes decisions on the basis of reports of arbitration panels dealing with a particular dispute. Over the years since the founding of the WTO, the DSB has been forced many times to resolve complex, often quite politicized trade problems between influential WTO member states. Many decisions of the DSB over the past years are perceived ambiguously.

Individual Solutions

Some decisions of the Dispute Resolution Commission of the World Trade Organization that caused a great public outcry:

• 1992 GATT decision regarding US law governing tuna imports. The US Marine Mammal Protection Act banned the import of fish caught using certain types of nets that killed dolphins. The law applied to both U.S. and foreign fish sellers and was considered by the U.S. government to have a "legitimate goal" of protecting the environment. Mexico, as a country in which this method of catching tuna was used, filed a complaint against this law, arguing that it violates free trade agreements and is a non-tariff restriction prohibited under the GATT. The Commission's predecessor indeed recognized this law as inconsistent with free trade standards and pointed out that the US government, although pursuing the contested ban, pursued the legitimate goal of protecting dolphins, however, this goal could be achieved by other methods that would not infringe on other countries. Tuna/Dolphin Case I
• A similar dispute over a law banning the importation of shrimp into the United States that was caught in a method that is dangerous to sea turtles was already before the Commission in the WTO in 2000. The Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand) that used this fishing method were of the opinion that such restrictions on imports to the United States were nothing more than "green protectionism", behind which, in fact, the desire of developed countries to restrict the import of cheap imports is behind. and environmental justifications are just a pretext. In considering this case, although the Commission recognized in the reasoning of its decision the possibility that environmental protection measures could theoretically be a legitimate reason for restricting the import of certain products, however, in the specific case, the law on the ban on the import of shrimp, in its opinion, does not comply with the norms. WTO, and the US is ordered to abolish it. Shrimp/Turtle Case
• The bulk of trade disputes within the framework of the WTO are disputes between the largest subjects of international trade - the European Union and the United States. For example, the conflict over the high duties imposed by the United States in March 2002 on imports of European steel in order to support the American steel industry received wide publicity. The European Union regarded this as discrimination prohibited by WTO rules and challenged these measures with a complaint to the Commission, which recognized the measures to protect the US market as violating WTO rules. The US was forced to abolish discriminatory duties.

Accession and membership in the WTO

The WTO has 162 members, including: 158 internationally recognized UN member states, partially recognized Taiwan, 2 dependent territories (Hong Kong and Macau) and the European Union. To join the WTO, a state must submit a memorandum through which the WTO reviews the trade and economic policy of the organization concerned.

Post-Soviet countries thus joined the WTO:

Four post-Soviet countries remain outside the WTO: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In 2013, Turkmenistan took the initiative to join the WTO. In 2016, Belarus began active negotiations on WTO accession.

Negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO

Negotiations on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization lasted 18 years, from 1993 to 2011.

Based on the results of the negotiations, the Report of the Working Group on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the World Trade Organization dated November 16, 2011 No. WT/ACC/RUS/70, WT/MIN(11)/2 was prepared.

Act on Russia's accession to the WTO

December 16, 2011 - the Protocol "On the Accession of the Russian Federation to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization of April 15, 1994" was signed in Geneva.

June 7, 2012 - registered in the State Duma of the Russian Federation Bill No. 89689-6 "On Ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization of April 15, 1994"

July 23, 2012 - Federal Law of July 21, 2012 No. 126-FZ "On Ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization of April 15, 1994" published in "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" N 166, on the "Official Internet Portal of Legal Information" (www.pravo.gov.ru), in the Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation N 30 Art. 4177.

August 3, 2012- Federal Law of July 21, 2012 No. 126-FZ "On Ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization of April 15, 1994" It entered into force (after 10 days after the day of its official publication).

August 22, 2012- according to the message of Pascal Lami - Director General of the WTO, Russia with serial number 156 included in the official list of WTO member countries.

Official reports on the results of Russia's accession to the WTO

Critics also believe that small countries have very little influence on the WTO, and despite the stated goal of helping developing countries, developed countries focus primarily on their commercial interests. Also, according to them, issues of health, safety and environmental protection are constantly being ignored in favor of additional benefits for business, which, however, directly contradicts the goals and charter of the WTO. [ ]

In particular, the activities of the WTO are often criticized and condemned by anti-globalists.

Contrary to its stated aims, WTO membership does not protect member countries from the imposition of politically motivated unilateral economic sanctions.

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international organization created to liberalize international trade and regulate trade and political relations of member states. The WTO is the legal successor of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which has been in force since 1947.

The goals of the WTO are the liberalization of world trade through its regulation mainly by tariff methods with a consistent reduction in the level of import duties, as well as the elimination of various non-tariff barriers and quantitative restrictions.

The functions of the WTO are to monitor the implementation of trade agreements concluded between WTO members, organize and ensure trade negotiations among WTO members, monitor the trade policy of WTO members, and resolve trade disputes between members of the organization.

The fundamental principles and rules of the WTO are:

Mutual granting of the most favored nation treatment (MFN) in trade;

Mutual granting of national treatment (NR) to goods and services of foreign origin;

Regulation of trade mainly by tariff methods;

Refusal to use quantitative and other restrictions;

Trade policy transparency;

Resolution of trade disputes through consultations and negotiations, etc.

WTO members, as of May 2012, are 155 states. In 2007, Vietnam, the Kingdom of Tonga and Cape Verde joined the organization; in 2008 - Ukraine. In April and May 2012, Montenegro and Samoa became WTO members, respectively.

More than 30 states and more than 60 international organizations, including the UN, the IMF and the World Bank, have observer status in the WTO.

Among the observer countries are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and others.

The vast majority of observer countries are at various stages of accession to the WTO.

The WTO accession procedure consists of several stages. This process takes an average of 5-7 years.

At the first stage, within the framework of special Working Groups, a detailed consideration at the multilateral level of the economic mechanism and the trade and political regime of the acceding country is carried out for their compliance with the norms and rules of the WTO. After that, consultations and negotiations begin on the conditions for the applicant country's membership in this organization. These consultations and negotiations, as a rule, are held at the bilateral level with all interested member countries of the Working Group.

First of all, the negotiations concern the "commercially significant" concessions that the acceding country will be willing to give to WTO members for access to its markets.

In turn, the acceding country, as a rule, receives the rights that all other WTO members have, which will practically mean the end of its discrimination in foreign markets.

In accordance with the established procedure, the results of all negotiations on the liberalization of market access and the terms of accession are formalized in the following official documents:

Report of the Working Group, which sets out the entire package of rights and obligations that the applicant country will assume as a result of the negotiations;

List of obligations on tariff concessions in the field of goods and on the level of support for agriculture;

List of Specific Service Obligations and List of MFN (Most Favored Nation) Exemptions;

Accession Protocol, legally formalizing the agreements reached at the bilateral and multilateral levels.

One of the main conditions for the accession of new countries to the WTO is to bring their national legislation and practice of regulating foreign economic activity in line with the provisions of the package of agreements of the Uruguay Round.

At the final stage of accession, the national legislative body of the candidate country ratifies the entire package of documents agreed within the framework of the Working Group and approved by the General Council. After that, these obligations become part of the legal package of WTO documents and national legislation, and the candidate country itself receives the status of a WTO member.

The supreme governing body of the WTO is the Ministerial Conference. Convened at least once every two years, as a rule, at the level of ministers of trade or foreign affairs. The conference elects the head of the WTO.

The current management of the organization and monitoring of the implementation of the adopted agreements is carried out by the General Council. Its functions also include resolving trade disputes between WTO member countries and monitoring their trade policies. The General Council controls the activities of the Council for Trade in Goods, the Council for Trade in Services, and the Council for Intellectual Property.

Members of the General Council are ambassadors or heads of missions of WTO member countries.

The executive body of the organization is the WTO Secretariat.

The WTO has working and expert groups and specialized committees whose functions include establishing and monitoring compliance with competition rules, monitoring the operation of regional trade agreements and the investment climate in member countries, and admitting new members.

The WTO practices decision-making on the basis of consensus, although de jure voting is provided. Interpretation of the provisions of agreements on goods, services, as well as exemption from obligations assumed are accepted by 3/4 of the votes. Amendments that do not affect the rights and obligations of participants, as well as the admission of new members, require a 2/3 vote (in practice, as a rule, by consensus).

The working languages ​​of the WTO are English, French and Spanish.

WTO Director General since September 1, 2005 - Pascal Lamy.

The headquarters of the organization is located in Geneva.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

On August 22, 2012 Russia became a memberWorld Trade Orga downgrading (TO) . Negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO lasted almost 20 years: from 1993 to 2011. 18 years is an absolute record for the duration of negotiations. Even the People's Republic of China has been seeking WTO membership for less than 15 years.

The essence of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international non-profit association that regulates member countries. It has been in force since January 1, 1995 and is the legal successor of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that has been in operation since 1947. The creation of the WTO was determined by a multilateral agreement during the Uruguay Round of GATT (1986-1994). Performs the following functions:

control over the execution of trade agreements of member countries;

organization and provision of negotiations between member countries;

monitoring the trade policy of member countries;

resolution of trade disputes between member countries.

Russia's accession to the WTO

History of Russia's accession to the WTO

Russia applied for accession to the WTO back in 1993. The negotiation process began in 1995, but for the first three years it was of a consultative nature and was limited to Russia providing data on its economy and foreign trade regime, that is, in areas regulated by the WTO. At this stage, the Russian representatives answered more than 3,000 questions from the Working Group and submitted hundreds of documents for consideration.

The most difficult negotiations were with the US and China. Differences with the European Union were resolved after Russia supported Kyoto Protocol. The most difficult were the negotiations with the United States, which lasted for six years. The main disagreements concerned the issues of financial markets, the supply of agricultural products to the Russian Federation and the protection of intellectual property rights. Russia and the United States signed a protocol on Russia's accession to the WTO on November 20, 2006. The signing took place within the framework of the session of the Asia-Pacific Forum in Hanoi (Vietnam).

The terms of entry were repeatedly postponed: 2003, 2006, then 2007 was indicated as the final date. After the success of 2010, when differences with the US and the EU were resolved, it was announced that Russia would become a member of the WTO in 2011.

Conditions for Russia's accession to the WTO

In December 2006, detailed preliminary information on the main results of the negotiations was published, which provides both information on the most important commodity items and consolidated data on the rest. The results for November 2011 for all thousands of positions are published in English on the website of the Ministry of Economic Development . Prior to this, negotiations were conducted behind closed doors, which is said to be a common practice for negotiations on economic issues, including the WTO. According to these data, during the first year after accession, not a single foreign trade duty will be reduced. For different groups of goods, transitional periods are provided from 1 year to 7 years; within 7 years, duties on industrial goods will decrease from 11.1% to 8.2% on average. Customs duties on consumer goods that are mass-produced in Russia will hardly decrease (with the exception of cars and shoes). At the same time, duties on computers and element base will be abolished, duties on consumer electronics and electrical engineering, medicines, technological and scientific equipment will be reduced. The state will be able to provide assistance to agriculture in the amount of no more than 9 billion dollars a year (now the amount of assistance is 4.5 billion dollars a year, but the amount of subsidies will still be discussed at multilateral negotiations).

The direct part of the Protocol, which determines the conditions under which Russia joined the WTO, is the List of obligations for goods and the List of obligations for services. The list of service obligations contains certain restrictions on the access of foreign persons from WTO members to a particular Russian service market (business, financial, transport services, etc.). If such restrictions are not stipulated by Russia, or if they are stipulated in this list, but are not enshrined in Russian law, then according to WTO rules, two principles will have to operate: 1) the principle of “national treatment”, that is, the same rules will apply to foreigners (often legal, tax, procedural, etc.), as for Russian persons (unless otherwise follows from the Russian federal law, which does not contradict the rules of the WTO and the obligations of Russia as a member); 2) the “most favored nation” principle, which means that if Russia provides some kind of favorable legal treatment for foreign persons from one WTO member (but not for Russian persons), then it should automatically apply to foreign persons from any other WTO member . The most significant changes in the legal regime of access and work of foreign persons in the Russian market have occurred in the field of insurance, financial, telecommunications services. By signing the Protocol, Russia also expressed its consent to join the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO with all its annexes, the text of which is posted in English on the official website of the WTO. Russia became a WTO member on August 22, 2012.

Russia's Concessions on WTO Accession

Agriculture

In 2010, Russia made significant concessions on the regulation of its agriculture. On September 27, the Minister of Agriculture met with representatives of 20 states and announced that until 2012 the volume of state support for the national agro-industrial complex will remain at the same level, and in 2013-2017 it will be halved - from $9 billion a year to $4.4 billion . According to data published in 2008 by RIA Novosti, the level of state support for agriculture in Russia is already significantly lower than in other states: in the United States, state support for the ruble of manufactured products is 16 kopecks, in the EU countries 32 kopecks, in the Russian Federation - 6 kopecks .

According to former Minister of Agriculture Alexei Gordeev, by accepting the WTO terms, Russia risks a reduction in the share of exports from 1.3% to 1%, and the share of foreign agro-industrial goods will increase from 1.9% to 2.3%. The costs will amount to $4 billion.

Market access

As a result of negotiations, Russia agreed to give foreign insurance companies the opportunity to open direct branches in the country. In the field of business services, distribution of goods and production of computer equipment, the emergence of companies with 100% foreign capital is allowed.

Russia has shown persistence in matters of the inviolability of the banking sector and has not supported the proposal of the Americans to allow direct branches of foreign banks into the Russian market. The need to fix this condition is set out in law in the draft Strategy for the Development of the Banking Sector until 2015. At the same time, the Russian side made certain concessions, increasing the share of foreign capital from 25% to 50% and allowing 100% foreign ownership of banks, brokerage and investment companies.

Air taxes

Russia agreed to the abolition of air taxes for trans-Siberian flights of passenger aircraft of foreign air carriers through its territory. The fact that planes flying over Siberia paid Russia up to $400 million a year caused the greatest claims from the European Union. For example, the amount of fees for the Boeing-757 was $87 per 100 km.

duties

In 2006, shortly before the completion of consultations with the United States, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade said that after joining the WTO, customs duties on imported goods would decrease from an average of 10.2% to 6.9%, including agricultural products - from 21%. .5% to 18.9%. Duties on computers and components for them will be abolished (in 2005 they were 5-10%), the duties on copper for scrap metal will be reduced to zero.

Import duties on fruits will be reduced to 2-5%; for wine - from 20 to 12.5%; for some categories of drugs up to 3-5%; for imported clothes by 2.5-5%; for new foreign cars - up to 15%, for aircraft - up to 12.5%. For alcohol, the prohibitive duty will remain - 100%, but not less than 2 euros.

In 2005, Russia undertook to freeze export duties on oil and gas.

Since 2006, Russia has been planning to gradually increase export duties on raw wood to prohibitive levels. In July 2007, the rate increased from 6.5% to 20% of the customs value, and for every cubic meter of roundwood the state received 10 euros. And in 2010 they should have reached 80% (50 euros per cubic meter).

In 2007, due to the unwillingness of domestic industrial enterprises to rapidly increase the volume of wood processing, a moratorium on export restrictions was introduced, fixing duties at the level of 25%.

Since 2006, Russia has been planning to gradually increase export duties on raw wood to prohibitive levels. In July 2007, the rate increased from 6.5% to 20% of the customs value, and for every cubic meter of roundwood the state received 10 euros. And in 2010 they should have reached 80% (50 euros per cubic meter).

In 2007, due to the unwillingness of domestic industrial enterprises to rapidly increase the volume of wood processing, a moratorium on export restrictions was introduced, fixing duties at the level of 25%.

The prospect of abandoning Russian timber caused a strong protest from Finland and Sweden, which once again complicated relations with the European Union. In 2010, this issue, according to the European Commissioner for Trade Karel de Gucht, called into question the early integration of Russia into the WTO.

Russia eventually agreed to a compromise: the duties would remain, but would be significantly reduced. Depending on the type of wood, they will amount to 5-15% of the customs value. The maximum duty on birch is 7%, on aspen - 5%. The economic publication BFM.ru wrote that by agreeing to such concessions, Russia would not incur significant financial losses, but would risk complicating the development of its own woodworking industry.

Business support under the WTO will cost 75 billion rubles over three years

Accession to the WTO will cost the budget of the Russian Federation at least 75 billion rubles in the next three years: currently 60 billion rubles have been spent. This money is needed to support the branches of Russian business, which found itself in the difficult conditions of the World Trade Organization. The State Duma believes that the amount of support can be further increased.

After Russia's accession to the WTO, customs duties on many imported goods fell, after which domestic producers were not in a winning position. For example, for products of light industry enterprises, import duties fell from 40 to 5% of the cost of goods, while imports account for 80% of the Russian market. It is to support this industry that the most significant amounts are allocated.

In addition to allocating additional funds, the deputies also propose to exempt the industry from income tax (for five to ten years). Budget revenues from light industry enterprises amount to about 2.4 billion rubles a year, of which 2.1 billion goes to regional budgets, 300 million to the federal treasury. The head of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Igor Rudensky, said that a proposal is now being considered to compensate the regions for shortfalls in income.

According to him, now the government is also considering the option of assistance to the agro-industrial complex in the amount of 15 billion rubles. The number of industries that could suffer from WTO accession and need support also included the timber industry and fisheries, the production of aircraft, helicopters and aircraft engines, as well as composite materials and rare earth metals.

So far, all "infusions" into Russian production fall short of the amounts allowed by WTO rules. Thus, only for supporting agriculture under the so-called yellow box (measures that affect the final price of products - subsidizing the interest rate on loans, subsidizing fertilizers, etc.), the Russian limit for 2012 is about $ 9 billion. “And we have only $3.6 billion in the budget for the middle of the year under the “yellow box”. The problem is that there is not enough money in the budget,” says Aleksey Portansky, professor at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

Benefits for Russia from joining the WTO

According to expert forecasts, WTO membership will provide Russia with an annual growth of 1.2%, and according to estimates - up to 11% of GDP in the long term. It will open access for Russian products to world markets, give the country an effective mechanism for interacting with foreign partners, increase the investment attractiveness of Russian business and guarantee the growth of foreign trade.

Russian exporters will receive equal rights with other participants in the world market, which will benefit competitive players oriented to the external market, primarily large exporters of steel and agricultural products, mineral fertilizers, grain and timber, and the oil and gas industry.

WTO membership will allow Russian products to overcome trade barriers in the form of duties, quotas and restrictions, the annual costs of which are estimated at $2 billion. For example, more than 120 different restrictions currently apply to goods of the Russian metallurgical, chemical and light industries. According to the Vedomosti newspaper, this will allow diversifying exports through non-commodity goods.

According to the supporters of the idea, for an ordinary consumer, Russia's integration into the WTO will result in lower prices due to the influx of foreign goods and increased competition and cheap consumer loans.

Results of the first year of Russia in the WTO

In December 2013, Rossiyskaya Gazeta published official export statistics. From January to September 2013, Russia supplies 9.6% more oil products to the world market, and 5.6% more processed timber. Passenger cars were exported by 14.2% more than in the same period last year (the statistics take into account exports to Belarus and Kazakhstan). However, these statistics will not help to draw conclusions about the negative or positive experience of Russia's accession to the WTO. Deputy Minister of Economic Development Andrei Klepach explains that "quite a short time has passed since the entry into the WTO. For some serious progress, a period of no less than several years is needed."

"Competing on the domestic market with foreign" heavyweights "in the future will be more and more difficult, since we have a gigantic depreciation of fixed assets of 70-75 percent. It is difficult to buy Russian when it is almost gone," says Gennady Voronin, president of the All-Russian Organization for Quality. Today, Russians are 90% dressed in imported clothes, almost 60% of foreign food is on their tables, and 70% of foreign medicines. In this situation, only more effective practical measures of state support for Russian goods on the market can help.

"World Trade Organization (WTO)" in publications website

• RUSSIA
• Yekaterinburg
• Chelyabinsk
• Rostov-on-Don
• Krasnoyarsk
• Nizhny Novgorod
• Novosibirsk
• Kazan

Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded: January 1, 1995
Created: Based on Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-94)
Number of members: 164
Staff of the Secretariat: about 640 employees
Chapter: Robert Kovalho de Azvevedo

Goals and principles:

The World Trade Organization (WTO), which is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that has been in force since 1947, began its activity on January 1, 1995. The WTO is designed to regulate trade and political relations of the Organization's members on the basis of a package of agreements of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade negotiations (1986-1994). These documents are the legal basis of modern international trade.

The Agreement Establishing the WTO provides for the creation of a permanent forum of member countries to resolve issues affecting their multilateral trade relations and to monitor the implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements and arrangements. The WTO functions in much the same way as the GATT, but oversees a wider range of trade agreements (including trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) and has much greater powers due to improved decision-making and implementation by members organizations. An integral part of the WTO is a unique mechanism for resolving trade disputes.

Since 1947, the discussion of global problems of liberalization and the prospects for the development of world trade has been held within the framework of multilateral trade negotiations (MTP) under the auspices of the GATT. To date, 8 rounds of the ICC have been held, including the Uruguayan one, and the ninth is ongoing. The main goal of the WTO is to further liberalize world trade and ensure fair competition.

Fundamental principles and rules GATT/WTO are:

• mutual granting of the most favored nation treatment (MFN) in trade;
• mutual granting of national treatment (NR) to goods and services of foreign origin;
• regulation of trade mainly by tariff methods;
• refusal to use quantitative and other restrictions;
• transparency of trade policy;
• resolution of trade disputes through consultations and negotiations, etc.

The most important functions WTO are:

• control over the implementation of agreements and arrangements of the package of documents of the Uruguay Round;
• conducting multilateral trade negotiations between interested member countries;
• resolution of trade disputes;
• monitoring the national trade policy of member countries;
• technical assistance to developing states within the competence of the WTO;
• cooperation with international specialized organizations.

General benefits of WTO membership can be summarized as follows:

• obtaining more favorable conditions for access to world markets for goods and services based on the predictability and stability of the development of trade relations with WTO member countries, including the transparency of their foreign economic policy;
• elimination of discrimination in trade by accessing the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, which ensures the protection of national interests in case they are infringed by partners;
• the possibility of realizing their current and strategic trade and economic interests through effective participation in the ICC in the development of new rules for international trade.

For a long 18 years, the Russian Federation has been seeking entry into the World Trade Organization. In 2012, our country nevertheless entered this union. Such a grandiose event gave rise to many disputes between politicians and public figures. And in 2018, news appeared about a possible withdrawal of Russia from the organization. What could have happened? Why and when did Russia join the WTO? We will try to understand everything in our article.

The role of the WTO on the world stage

Before examining the question of why Russia joined the WTO, it is necessary to give a brief description of the organization itself. The World Trade Union (or organization) was established on January 1, 1995. It aimed to liberalize interstate trade and regulate the political relations of its member countries. The WTO is formed on the basis of GATT - the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

The headquarters of the trade union is located in the capital of Switzerland. There are 164 states in the union. The WTO is responsible for the formation and implementation of new trade agreements. It monitors compliance by its members with all ratified norms. Member countries of the union have a relatively high level of customs and tariff protection. The main principles of the organization are reciprocity, equality and transparency.

Russia's accession to the WTO

The date of the start of negotiations can be called 1986. Even then, the leadership of the Soviet Union announced its intention to conclude an agreement with the GATT. The application was rejected at the urging of the US. The states motivated this by the fact that the USSR was carrying out a planned economy incompatible with the free market. However, 4 years later, the Soviet Union still received observer status.

The USSR collapsed, a new state appeared - the Russian Federation. In 1993 the Constitution was adopted. At the same time, official negotiations began on accession to the WTO. They went on for an incredibly long time. Most of the problems for the Russian Federation were created by the European Union and the United States.

The question of when Russia will join the WTO was complicated by the Russian government itself. 208 people out of 446 who voted strongly opposed the participation of the Russian Federation in the international trade union. However, the law was still ratified. It was approved by the Federation Council and the President. At the beginning of 2012, a number of conditions were presented to Russia, under which the country could enter the union.

Conditions for joining the WTO

The full text of the requirements put forward by WTO members to Russia can be found on the website of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. Most of the changes concerned customs duties. Two lists of commitments were presented - for goods and services. Russia was temporarily limited in the admission of foreign persons from WTO members to the domestic market.

Two important principles have come into force. The first is "about the national regime". It means that tax, procedural and private law rules are equivalent for both Russians and foreigners. The second principle is "the favored nation". If Russia provides favorable treatment for certain persons of one WTO member country, then such a regime will automatically work for all other persons of any other member of the organization.

When did Russia join the WTO? On July 21, 2012, the Russian President signed the Federal Law "On Russia's Accession to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Union."

Why did Russia join the WTO?

"The country has confidently stepped forward to meet the West, and this will affect, first of all, the quality of life of the Russians themselves." Such speeches could be heard from the domestic media when Russia joined the WTO. The authorities also began to assure the people of the importance and epochal nature of the event. Was it all true? Opinions on this issue differ. You can independently form a conclusion for yourself by looking at the main goals that Russia wished to achieve in the WTO

The primary task of the state when entering into a trade union was the modernization of relations with the West in the form of opening domestic markets and lowering tariffs. Russia's goals in the WTO are as follows:

• participation in the formation of the rules of interstate trade, taking into account national interests;
• improving the image of Russia on the world stage;
• access to an interstate mechanism for resolving trade conflicts;
• obtaining the best conditions for access of domestic products to the world market;
• expanding opportunities for Russian investors in WTO member states.

In pursuit of these goals, the Russian authorities have developed an important principle for themselves: the rights and obligations of the country in the WTO should contribute to economic growth, but not vice versa.

Russia in the WTO: main advantages

What positive developments should have followed Russia's accession to the WTO? The first undeniable advantage that immediately comes to mind is the improvement of the country's image on the world stage. It is unlikely that anyone will dare to ignore the fact that Russia is an incomprehensible country for many and in many ways even dangerous. This is far from a European state, but there are not so many eastern elements in it. The Russian authorities should try very hard to show how our country can be useful on the world stage. The long-awaited access to the WTO is a clear improvement in the image of the Russian Federation.

When Russia joined the WTO, the Russian media relentlessly reported on the early price cuts for most products. Allegedly, the cost of goods will fall within a couple of years after joining the trade union. Prices have really dropped. But the decrease was insignificant and it affected far from all goods. Free access to the established trading schemes bore fruit, which was undoubtedly a great advantage for Russia at that time. However, the joy was short-lived. Two years later, the United States and the European Union applied the first package of sanctions against our country.

Economic growth

Russia joined the WTO in a year of optimal economic development. 2012 was marked by presidential elections and new reforms. Numerous sanctions have not yet denigrated the economic and political state of affairs in the country. Thanks to the alliance with the WTO, competition has increased in Russia. The result was the modernization of the domestic economy.

The credit rate was lowered - both for the ordinary population and for small and large businesses. Some domestic producers were able to enter the world market. This forced them to pay attention to the quality of their products. This has resulted in increased competition.

Some import duties have been significantly reduced. Medicines, clothing, IT products and other goods have become more accessible to the population. Finally, the principle of transparency in WTO trade legislation has made it possible to build complex and high-quality relations between the parties.

So why did Russia join the WTO? Looking at the listed advantages, it becomes not at all difficult to answer this question. The country could experience a real economic recovery. Unfortunately, this did not happen due to the Ukrainian conflict, in which Russia intervened. Sanctions were imposed on the country, and some deputies seriously thought about withdrawing from the WTO. In their bill, they gave a list of disadvantages that membership in a trade union gives Russia.

Russia in the WTO: main shortcomings

The possibility of unemployment in the domestic market is the first and main disadvantage. Russian enterprises may simply not be able to compete with foreign manufacturers. The situation may worsen in the so-called "factory" cities - where most of the population is involved in production.

Import duties have been lowered. This led to the fact that a number of goods became unprofitable to produce in Russia. These are agricultural products, and most importantly - the automotive industry. Thus, the customs duty on the import of used cars fell 4 times. The authorities are already actively fighting this phenomenon. It diligently, although not very successfully, promotes the policy of "import substitution".

In addition to import duties, export duties may also be reduced. Because of this, the country's budget may be at a loss. However, there is no reason to be afraid of an increase in the state debt: the authorities have created many other problems for themselves.

Consequences of Russia's accession to the WTO

Experts are confident that joining a trade union will entail a reduction in duties on many goods. So, by 2019, the duty on cars should fall from 30 to 15 percent. Following the car industry, alcohol, household appliances, clothing and much more will fall in price.

It is expected that Russia's participation in the WTO will provide an additional $2 billion per year. The Russian economy will grow at the expense of foreign investments. The external environment will change. Competition will rise, tariff barriers will decrease, the state will reduce a number of protectionist measures.

Criticism of Russia's participation in the WTO

The question of whether Russia joined the WTO has worried many political scientists and economists. Experts worried that the losses from joining the union would be much higher than the possible benefits. Back in 2006, experts calculated that after joining the WTO, domestic enterprises would gain $23 billion and lose $90 billion. However, things turned out a little differently. Russia joined the union on preferential terms, which allowed it not to change its customs policy at all during the first three years.

In 2012, Vladimir Putin did not side with the critics of the WTO. He said that the modernization of the Russian economy would be simply impossible if the government decides to ignore the issue of joining the union. When Russia joined the WTO (date and year indicated above), the main critics of this step were members of the Communist Party faction.

The question of Russia's withdrawal from the WTO

Deputies from the Communist Party faction have already developed a bill aimed at the systematic withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the World Trade Union. The document refers to the year in which Russia joined the WTO and what followed. 900 billion rubles were lost over the five years of membership, and by 2020 the amount of damage will be 12-14 trillion rubles

What threatens Russia's exit from the WTO? Unfortunately, no one knows. Under an international agreement, there is a right of withdrawal, but no one has exercised it. Russia can set a precedent. With a high degree of probability, it will entail the imposition of severe sanctions on the guilty party.