The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Michael Fallon)
My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Livingston, has today made the following statement:
I wish to inform the House that on 23 June 2014 the Government opted in to the Council decision relating to the accession of Afghanistan to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The Government have supported the accession of Afghanistan to the WTO on the right terms. In acceding to the WTO, Afghanistan will embrace a series of rules and commitments which form the foundation of an open, transparent and non-discriminatory global trading system and which will provide important guarantees for them and for other WTO members. Accession to the WTO will bring Afghanistan more firmly into the global economy and help make Afghanistan a more attractive place to do business.
Afghanistan’s accession to the WTO is consistent with the UK’s policy of helping least developed countries to take advantage of the international trading system. It is also in line with the UK’s policy of helping to establish a viable Afghan state, to help Afghanistan develop a more dynamic economy and become more able to meet its economic needs without external support.
The Council decision has the effect of extending to Afghanistan the horizontal commitments the UK makes to all WTO members, including in the provision of services by natural persons from third countries, otherwise known as “mode 4”. It is the presence of these mode 4 commitments in the relevant instruments which triggers the UK Justice and Home Affairs opt in.