WTO Says Final E-Commerce Text Expected by This Summer

Australia, Japan and Singapore believe a second version of a text on e-commerce reforms "could pave the way for the conclusion of the agreement by the summer," the World Trade Organization said in a press release last week.

According to the WTO, Australia's deputy permanent representative to the WTO, Jeremy Green, said that provisions on "electronic payments, development issues, and information and communications technology products that use cryptography have all now been incorporated into the Chair’s text for the first time." Other discussed topics include "scope and horizontal carve outs" and customs duties.

Japan's Atsuyuki Oike, briefing all WTO members taking part in the e-commerce negotiations, said that the negotiation session planned for April will mark the final "technical discussion" of the negotiating text, after which the final version will be sent to all participating members, the WTO said.