Progress of the accession process to the World Trade Organization reviewed

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the work carried out in 2025 on Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization and on priorities to accelerate the accession process.

Last year, significant progress was made in the multilateral and bilateral negotiations held as part of Uzbekistan’s accession process.

In particular, two meetings of the Working Party on Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization were held. During these meetings, responses to more than 200 questions and over 30 documents on foreign trade were presented to WTO members.

In addition, more than 40 rounds of bilateral negotiations were held. In 2025, negotiations were completed with 11 countries, bringing the total number of countries with finalized negotiations to 33.

WTO members view the intensive reforms underway in Uzbekistan as part of the transition to a market economy positively. In particular, last year, 68 legal and regulatory acts were brought into compliance with WTO requirements and international standards.

It was noted that, as part of harmonization with WTO rules, procedures for registering intellectual property have been simplified, and liability for violations in this area has been strengthened. Export restrictions have been abolished, export duties based on a transparent mechanism have been introduced, and the practice of setting minimum export prices for certain categories of goods has been eliminated.

Furthermore, as part of large-scale reforms to reduce technical barriers to trade and improve sanitary and phytosanitary measures, a certification system has replaced the bureaucratic procedure of mandatory state registration for high-risk products. Oversight of food safety has been transferred to the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-being and Public Health. In addition, 14 technical regulations on food products have been abolished, and mandatory certification requirements for 747 commodity items have been eliminated, reducing the list by 27 percent.

During the presentation, the adoption of new laws on food safety and trade defense measures was reviewed, along with progress in implementing procedures for risk analysis, traceability, and scientific justification across sanitation, veterinary medicine, and quarantine.

The Head of State issued instructions to ensure the effective implementation of comprehensive measures to formalize Uzbekistan’s full membership in the World Trade Organization in 2026.

The necessary measures were identified to systematically continue efforts to bring legislation governing foreign economic activity into full compliance with World Trade Organization rules and international trade standards, to complete bilateral and multilateral accession negotiations, and to finalize WTO membership.