Editing World Trade Organization (section)

===Accession process===
[[File:WTO enlargement.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.8|WTO accession progress:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/status_e.htm|title=Summary Table of Ongoing Accessions|date=April 2014|access-date=25 October 2014|publisher=World Trade Organization|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929083614/http://wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/status_e.htm|archive-date=29 September 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> {{legend|#008000|Draft Working Party Report or Factual Summary adopted}} {{legend|#0000ff|Goods or Services offers submitted}} {{legend|#eeee00|Working party meetings}} {{legend|orange|Memorandum on Foreign Trade Regime submitted}} {{legend|#ff1111|Working party established}}]]
[[File:General Council (15850309447).jpg|thumb|The accession process can take several years before a country becomes an official member of the organization.]]

A country wishing to accede to the WTO submits an application to the General Council, and has to describe all aspects of its trade and economic policies that have a bearing on WTO agreements.<ref name="BM">[http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/org3_e.htm#join Membership, Alliances and Bureaucracy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316000217/http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/org3_e.htm#join |date=16 March 2007 }}, WTO official site</ref> The application is submitted to the WTO in a [[memorandum]] which is examined by a working party open to all interested WTO Members.<ref name=autogenerated1>C. Michalopoulos, ''WTO Accession'', 62–63</ref>

After all necessary background information has been acquired, the working party focuses on issues of discrepancy between the WTO rules and the applicant's international and domestic trade policies and laws. The working party determines the terms and conditions of entry into the WTO for the applicant nation and may consider transitional periods to allow countries some leeway in complying with the WTO rules.<ref name="AS"/>

The final phase of accession involves bilateral negotiations between the applicant nation and other working party members regarding the concessions and commitments on tariff levels and market access for goods and services. The new member's commitments are to apply equally to all WTO members under normal non-discrimination rules, even though they are negotiated bilaterally.<ref name="BM"/> For instance, as a result of joining the WTO, [[Armenia]] offered a 15 per cent ceiling [[bound tariff rate]] on accessing its market for goods. Together with the tariff bindings being [[ad valorem]] there are no specific or compound rates. Moreover, there are no [[tariff-rate quota]]s on both industrial and agricultural products.<ref>[http://www.wto.am/en/wto-membership Armenia – WTO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512153250/http://www.wto.am/en/wto-membership |date=12 May 2019 }}, www.wto.am</ref> Armenia's economic and trade performance growth was noted since its first review in 2010, especially its revival from the 2008 global financial crisis, with an average annual 4% GDP growth rate, despite some fluctuations. [[Armenia]]'s economy was marked by low inflation, diminishing poverty, and essential progress in enhancing its macroeconomic steadiness in which trade in goods and services, which is the equivalent of 87% of GDP, played a growing role.<ref>[https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp479_crc_e.htm Concluding remarks by the Chairperson] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512195924/https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp479_crc_e.htm |date=12 May 2019 }}, WTO official site</ref>

When the bilateral talks conclude, the working party sends to the general council or ministerial conference an accession package, which includes a summary of all the working party meetings, the [[Protocol of Accession]] (a draft membership treaty), and lists ("schedules") of the member to be commitments. Once the general council or ministerial conference approves of the terms of accession, the applicant's parliament must ratify the Protocol of Accession before it can become a member.<ref>[http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/acces_e.htm How to Become a Member of the WTO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313234319/http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/acces_e.htm |date=13 March 2007 }}, WTO official site</ref> Some countries may have faced tougher and a much longer accession process due to challenges during negotiations with other WTO members, such as Vietnam, whose negotiations took more than 11 years before it became an official member in January 2007.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Napier | first1 = Nancy K. | last2 = Vuong | first2 = Quan Hoang | title = What we see, why we worry, why we hope: Vietnam going forward | publisher = Boise State University CCI Press | year = 2013 | location = Boise, ID | page =140 | isbn = 978-0-9855305-8-7}}</ref>