Russia Accedes to WTO

Russia formally became the 156th member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Thursday. The protocol on Russia’s accession to the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO took effect on August 22. The protocol was signed in Geneva on December 16, 2011. Ministers of the WTO member states approved Russia’s accession to the organization after 18 years of negotiations. Russia will assume all obligations under the agreement as a WTO member state. The transitional period for liberalizing market access is generally 2-3 years, or 5-7 years for sensitive goods. Russia has been seeking WTO membership since 1993. Active talks on Russia’s membership began in 1995. In mid-November 2011, the working group created to facilitate Russia’s accession to the WTO confirmed all relevant agreements. The federal law "On the Ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization of April 15, 1994" was adopted by the Russian parliament's lower house on July 10 and endorsed by the upper house on July 18. The Constitutional Court announced on July 9 that it saw no violations involved in signing the protocol on Russia's accession to the WTO. In July 2012, President Vladimir Putin signed the WTO accession law into force.

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