Uzbekistan still intends to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) by 2026. At a meeting on May 6, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave instructions on “quality implementation of comprehensive work to formalize full membership” in the WTO, his press service reported.
The process was initially planned to be completed by the organization's 14th Ministerial Conference in March 2026, but this deadline was not met. According to the president's representative on WTO issues, chief negotiator Azizbek Urunov, some countries are delaying the review of documents. At the end of last year, he noted the risk of an “involuntary slowdown” in the process.
In 2025, “important results” were achieved within the framework of multilateral and bilateral negotiations. Two meetings of the working group on Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO were held. At them, the country answered more than 200 questions from WTO members and presented over 30 documents related to foreign trade.
More than 40 rounds of bilateral negotiations were conducted. The number of countries with which the negotiation process has been completed reached 33 (at the beginning of the year, it was reported that only negotiations with Taiwan remained). Last year, negotiations were completed with 11 states.
During the year, 68 regulatory legal acts of Uzbekistan were brought into line with WTO requirements and international norms. In particular, the procedure for registering intellectual property objects was simplified and liability for violations in this area was strengthened. Export restrictions were lifted, export duties with a transparent mechanism were introduced, and the practice of setting minimum export prices for certain types of products was stopped.
Reforms were carried out to reduce technical barriers to trade, as well as in the field of sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Instead of mandatory state registration of high-risk products, a certification system was introduced. Control over food safety was transferred to the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health.
14 technical regulations on food products were canceled, as well as the requirement for mandatory certification for 747 product items. The list of such items was reduced by 27%.
Future plans include the adoption of new laws on food safety and trade defense measures, as well as the introduction of risk analysis, traceability and scientific justification procedures in the sanitary, veterinary and quarantine fields.
Source: www.gazeta.uz