WTO | 2026 News items

Information session on trade facilitation and rules of origin

Un information session held on 12 May explored the intersection between trade facilitation and rules of origin. The session was jointly opened by the Chair of the CRO together with the Chair of the Committee on Trade Facilitation, Mr Edem Kossi of Togo, underscoring the close links between the two committees’ areas of work.

The session provided members with an opportunity to exchange experiences on initiatives aimed at facilitating trade and compliance with origin-related requirements. Le discussions covered four broad themes: the digitization of origin-related procedures, good practices pertaining to proofs of origin, trends and reforms aimed at simplifying rules of origin, and the role of advance rulings under the Agreement on Rules of Origin.

In her opening remarks, Ms Tsang stated: “In an increasingly complex trading environment, simplification is not just a technical exercise – it is a real necessity. By reducing unnecessary complexity in rules of origin and promoting their transparency, we can help unlock trade opportunities, support businesses, and strengthen the resilience of global supply chains.” The CRO, she added, has a role to play in promoting this agenda and fostering experience sharing among WTO members.

Mr Kossi said: “By continuing to modernize and facilitate all aspects of import and export processes, including rules of origin, we can further reduce trade costs, improve efficiency, and ensure that the benefits of international trade are more widely shared. In this respect, the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement can provide new impetus for rules of origin reform and origin administration.”

Presentations were delivered by the WTO Secretariat, the COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) Secretariat, the World Customs Organization (WCO), A.P. Moller – Maersk, and representatives of Canada, Chile, China, Japan and Viet Nam.

Ms Tsang noted that bringing together members, international organizations and the private sector helps ground the Committee‘s technical discussions in the practical realities faced by customs authorities, traders and other economic operators.

Transparency initiatives and notifications

Two members submitted updated notifications of their non-preferential rules of origin: the Kyrgyz Republic  et Nigeria. Nigeria’s submission was its first-ever notification under Article 5 of the Agreement on Rules of Origin, while the Kyrgyz Republic notified amendments to the non-preferential rules of origin applicable to goods imported into the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union. Article 5 of the WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin sets out the notification obligations for members regarding their non-preferential rules of origin.

The WTO Secretariat reported that 58 members have notified that they apply non-preferential rules of origin, 61 members do not apply such rules, and 21 members have yet to communicate this information. Nine members have now updated their notifications using the voluntary “template” proposed by the Chair of the CRO in 2024.

Members continued their work on improving transparency in rules of origin. The Secretariat presented practices identified in other WTO bodies that could help improve compliance with notification obligations, drawing on a structured report prepared by the Council for Trade in Goods. These practices included creating training materials and guidelines, notification templates, dedicated databases and online portals et conducting experience-sharing sessions. Members welcomed continued discussion on how to improve the timeliness, quality and usability of notifications.

Members also agreed to a proposal, co-sponsored by Australia, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom, to reorganize the document symbols used for notifications of preferential and non-preferential rules of origin to make it easier for delegations to retrieve notifications and distinguish between different types of rules of origin. Secretariat work on this is expected to be completed later in 2026.

Preferential rules of origin for LDCs

Members devoted substantial attention to charting a way forward for the Committee’s work on preferential rules of origin for LDCs. Two papers framed the discussions: a submission from preference-granting members – Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom; and a communication from the LDC Group titled “Resuming Work on Rules of Origin after MC14”, aimed at resetting the ground for discussions.

The Group identified six areas of best practice, covering both the core disciplines of preferential rules of origin (such as how the ad valorem percentage is calculated) and the procedural requirements that traders must meet to claim preferences (such as proof of origin and cumulation).

Members welcomed both papers as constructive contributions and signalled willingness to continue engagement bilaterally and in the Committee.

Other Committee work

The United Kingdom presented updates to its Developing Countries Trading Scheme, a preferential trading scheme that cuts tariffs and simplifies trading rules for 65 developing countries, including LDCs. The updates, which entered into force on 1 January 2026, are reflected in its revised notification to the Committee. The updates include new and expanded regional cumulation arrangements in Africa and Asia, as well as more flexible rules of origin for apparel products.

Japan presented its outreach and awareness-raising activities for traders on rules of origin, sharing experience from its dedicated online portal, workshops and consultation services. The WCO Secretariat rapporté on the activities of its Technical Committee on Rules of Origin. Switzerland provided an overview of the modernized Specific Annex K of the Revised Kyoto Convention, the international agreement administered by the WCO that sets common standards for simplifying and harmonizing customs procedures. The amended Annex, adopted in April 2026, sets out international standards on both non-preferential and preferential rules of origin, including provisions on cumulation, proof of origin and self-certification.

Next meetings

The next formal meetings of the Committee are scheduled for 7-8 October 2026 and 4-5 May 2027.

Contexte

Rules of origin are the criteria needed to determine the national source of a product. Rules of origin are important in the application of import duties as well as trade policy instruments such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties, origin marking, and safeguard measures.

There is a wide variation in the practice of governments with regard to rules of origin. The WTO’s Agreement on Rules of Origin aims at long-term harmonization of rules of origin, other than rules of origin relating to the granting of tariff preferences, and at ensuring that such rules do not themselves create unnecessary obstacles to trade. It also provides for transitional disciplines. An annex to the Agreement sets out a “common declaration” with respect to the operation of rules of origin on goods which qualify for preferential treatment.

Further information on the WTO’s work regarding rules of origin can be found at www.wto.org/origin.