Trade Agreements
Our Commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO)
Overview
Mauritius has been a Member of the WTO since its inception in 1995. The WTO built up on the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) of which Mauritius was a Member since 1970.
The WTO Agreements
- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
- General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
- Trade Related-Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
Trade Policy Review
As a member of the WTO, Mauritius is subject to surveillance of national trade policies by the WTO. In this context, a Trade Policy Review (TPR) is carried out every 5 years by officials of the WTO.
The latest Trade Policy Review was published in 2014 and highlights the commitment of Mauritius to a continuous economic reform process aimed at further improving its economic and doing business climate; increasing economic resilience and more efficient use of its limited resources.
More information on TPR can be obtained from WTO - Latest Trade Policy Reviews.
Main Principles of the WTO
Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) Treatment : Under the WTO agreements, countries cannot normally discriminate between their trading partners. Thus, if one trading partner is granted a special treatment such as lower customs duties, the same has to be done for all other WTO members, except when they have signed a bilateral or regional trade agreement.
National Treatment Rule : Imported and locally-produced goods should be treated equally — at least after the foreign goods have entered the market. The same taxes and legislation should apply to foreign and domestic goods & services, and to foreign and local trademarks, copyrights and patents.
The Doha Development Round
The Doha Round is the latest round of trade negotiations among the WTO membership. Its aim is to achieve major reform of the international trading system through the introduction of lower trade barriers and revised trade rules.
The work programme covers about 20 areas of trade and endeavours to improve the trading prospects of developing countries. More information can be obtained from: The Doha Agenda.
Useful Links
Australia
June 1995
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)
Austria
September 2014
Austrian Federal Economic Chamber
China
April 1997
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) - Beijing
China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission - Shanghai
November 1998
CCPIT Guangdong Sub-Council
September 2008
CCPIT Qingdao
May 2007
CCPIT Qingdao
Comores
April 2017
L´Union des Chambres de Commerce, d´Industrie et d´Agriculture
Djibouti
August 2008
Chamber of Commerce of Djibouti
Estonia
September 2015
Estonia Chamber of Commerce and Industry
France
September 1996
l’Assemblée des Chambres Françaises de Commerce et d’Industrie (ACFCI)
India
November 1985
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
May 1996
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
June 1995
Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry
January 2004
India International Trade Center
May 2004
Seafood Exporters Association of India
October 2005
Seafood Exporters Association of India
Kenya
January 2011
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI)
Madagascar
November 2004
Fédération des Chambres de Commerce, d’Industrie, d’Artisanat et d’Agriculture de Madagascar
Malaysia
August 1994
The National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia
June 2005
Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Mozambique
September 2012
Chamber of Commerce of Mozambique
Nigeria
June 2019
Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture
Pakistan
October 2004
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI)
Réunion
June 1995
Chambre of Commerce and d’Industrie de la Réunion
March 2002
L’Association pour le Développement Industriel de la Réunion
Russia
May 2007
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Seychelles
November 2005
Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry
April 2014
Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Slovakia
September 2018
Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI)
South Africa
September 2016
South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Sri Lanka
May 2004
National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka
Taiwan
September 2017
Taiwan External Trade Development Council
Tanzania
January 2011
The Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA)
Thailand
August 2004
The Federation of Thai Industries (F.T.I)
February 2013
TUSKON
Turkey
August 2014
DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Board)
TOBB (The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey)
