Lebanon's Accession Process

Lebanon’s WTO Accession in Brief:
Interactive Accession Chart

Progress to Date

• Lebanon Applied for WTO accession in January 1999
• A Working Party was established in April 1999 chaired by H.E. Mrs. Laurent Dubois Destrizais (France).
• In October 2000, the Government Adopted an Accession Master Plan for the implementation of the WTO Accession. The document provided an assessment of the economic and legislative reform required for conformity to requirements of the WTO and ushered in the required legislative reform drive.

• In October 2000, The Ministry of Economy and Trade, was designated to lead the accession process. A WTO unit was set up in May 2001 and was allocated the necessary human resources of lawyers and trade specialists.

• In June 2001, The Memorandum of Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR) covering all aspects of Lebanon’s trade and legal regime was presented to the Working Party.

• Four Working Party meetings have taken place in Geneva whereby the Working Party examined Lebanon’s replies to the questions posed by WTO Members based on the information provided in the memorandum (MFTR). Working Party meetings took place on Oct. 14, 2002, December 4, 2003, July 8, 2004 and March 3, 2006.

• The Fifth Working Party Meeting took place on May 3, 2007. Topics that have been discussed were Lebanon’s Legislative Agenda, The Elements of the Draft Working Party Report, Lebanon’s Agriculture Subsidy Policy. The Working Party moved to the last phase of Multilateral Accession, preparing the Draft Working Party Report. Bilateral Meetings with interested WTO member Countries were held on the margins of Lebanon’s 5th working party on May 2&4, 2007.

• Initial Offers on Goods and Services were submitted on November 5, 2003. Revised offers based on specific WTO Member Countries’ request were resubmitted in June 2004.

• New revised offers were sent on bilateral basis to interested Members on March and April 2007 prior to the 5th Working Party meeting.

Outlook for 2008

· Enacting Laws for WTO Conformity

Law	WTO Agreement(s)	Status of the Law	Expected Date of Enactment
International Trade and Licensing Law	Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures	Currently pending approval by last Parliamentary Committee (Administration and Justice) before being sent to General Parliamentary Assembly for ratification.	December 2008
General Food Law	Agreement on SPS	Draft Law was approved by Council of Ministers on 12 June 2006 and was transferred to Parliamentary Committees.	December 2008
Law on Standards, Technical Regulation and Conformity Assessment Procedures (revised version)	Agreement on TBT	Currently being revised again. To be split into two separate laws.	December 2008
Law on Anti-dumping, Countervailing and Safeguard Measures (Trade Remedies Law)	Agreement on Anti-Dumping Agreement on Safeguards Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures	Ratified by Parliament on 31 October 2006.	Enacted
Implementing Decrees of Trade Remedies Law	Agreement on Anti-Dumping Agreement on Safeguards Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures	The implementing Decrees of the Draft Law were approved by the Council of Ministers on Oct. 9, 2007	Enacted
Law on Animal Quarantine	Agreement on SPS	Law already approved by the Agriculture Parliamentary Committee.	December 2008
Law on Plant Quarantine: “SPS & Plant Quarantine” Law 778	Agreement on SPS	Ratified by Parliament and published in the Official Gazette on 28/10/2006.	Enacted

Other Legislation

Legislation	WTO Agreement(s)	Status of the Law	Expected Date of Enactment
Legislation to deal with discrimination in tax exemptions for tobacco	Article III of GATT	Discrimination removed through Council of Ministers Decision 27 dated 13 April 2006 to implement the excise duties on locally produced tobacco products.	Enacted
Amendments to the Budget Law to unify/transform the ad valorem fees for services rendered	Article VIII of the GATT	Approved by Minister of Finance (letter 2106 dated 12 November 2005). Table 9 of draft Budget law 2008 has been amended cancelling import license fees. The budget Law 2008 was approved by Council of Ministers on 27/10/2007 and sent to Parliament for ratification.	December 2008
Legislation to remove unjustified import licenses	Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures	Inconsistency with WTO Agreement removed. Unjustified import licenses imposed by Decision No. 1/33 Ministry of Industry, dated 28 October 1977 on silk, juices and pyjamas falling under HS 051199, 20091190, 20091990, 20093090, 20097090, 500100, 500390, 500400, 620721, 620722, 620729, 620821, 620822, 620829 were removed by Minister of Industry Decision 75/1 dated 20 October 2006.	Enacted
Transfers the regulatory activities of the Regie Libanaise des Tabacs et Tombacs to the government		Law 157 dated 27 December 1995 has transferred the regulatory activities of the Regie to the Government. Accordingly, the commercial functions of the Regie are totally separate from the Government’s regulatory activities.	Enacted
Cancelling Ministry of Economy and Trade Decisions on profitability controls	None	Decisions No. 277/1 of 15 June 1972 and No. 75 of 27 April 1983 on profitability controls have been repealed by Minister of Economy and Trade Decision 263/1/A.T. dated 16 October 2006.	Enacted
Article 7 of the Internal Regulation of the Order of Pharmacists dated 4 November 1958) authorizes the setting of minimum prices	Article XI of the GATT.	Repealed by Article 80 of Decree No. 394 dated 1 August 1994 which amended the Internal Regulation of the Order of Pharmacists dated 4 November 1958.	Enacted
Amending Decision No. 147/1 dated 3 December 2002 to remove the restriction on foreign natural persons to engage in import/ export activity		Restriction removed. MOL new Decision 29/1 dated April 28, 2007.	Enacted
Removal of Import License on Wheat and derivatives	None	Decision 38/1 dated 27/9/2007 removed the import license on Wheat and wheat derivatives	Enacted

Status of Additional laws

Law	WTO Agreement(s)	Status of the Law	Expected date of Enactment
Additional IPR legislation to modernize Law No. 2385/24 "Laws and Systems of Commercial and Industrial Property". - The Law on Trademarks (TM) - The law on Geographical Indications (GIs) - The Law on Unfair Competition (UC) - The Law on Industrial Designs (ID)	TRIPS	- The Draft Law on TM was approved by the Council of Ministers and sent to Parliament Oct.27, 2007. - The draft law on GIs was approved by the Council of Ministers and sent to Parliament May 21, 2007. - The draft Law on UC was sent on 31 March 2006 to the Ministry of Public Health for completion and comments. - The draft Law on IDs was approved by the Council of Ministers and sent to Parliament Oct.27, 2007.	December 2008 December 2008 December 2008 December 2008
New telecom decrees establishing a regulatory body	None	The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has been established under the Telecommunications Law No. 431 dated July 22, 2002 Decree 14264 on Administrative and Financial Regulations was enacted on 4/3/2005	Enacted
Competition Law	None	Draft approved by Council of Ministers and sent to Parliament on Oct. 27, 2007	December 2008

Law

WTO Agreement(s)