Benin

The first Trade Policy Review of Montenegro has offered us a good opportunity to deepen our understanding of recent developments in, and challenges to, its trade, economic, and investment policies. Since its accession in 2012, Montenegro’s initiatives to integrate into the multilateral trading system have been greatly appreciated. Indeed, the more than 195 advance written questions submitted by 17 Members and the 28 delegations that took the floor during the first day underline the importance attached to Montenegro’s trade and investment policies and practices.

This fifth Trade Policy Review has allowed us to deepen our understanding of Colombia’s trade and investment policies, and in particular, of the several reforms and changes introduced since the last Review in 2012. I would like to thank the Colombian delegation headed by Mrs. Olga Lucía Lozano, Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade, for her very constructive engagement throughout this exercise. I would also like to thank our discussant, Ambassador José Luis Cancela, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the WTO, for his interesting and insightful remarks, as well as the 39 delegations which took the floor the first day, for their active participation in this review.

Benin is a West African country situated in the inter-tropical zone, covering a total area of 114,763 km2. It is bordered by Niger and Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the west, and Nigeria to the east, and has a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It has a virtually unrelieved landscape, rising from south to north, and 70,500 km2 of arable land, only 15 per cent of which is farmed. As far as climate is concerned, annual rainfall is relatively low (an average of 800 mm.). Benin has two major basins: the Niger River basin and the coastal basin.

This third Trade Policy Review has allowed us to deepen our understanding of Ecuador’s trade and investment policies, in particular in regard to the reforms and changes introduced since the last Review in 2011. I would like to thank the Ecuadorian delegation headed by Mr. Diego Caicedo, Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade, for its engagement throughout this exercise. I would also like to thank our discussant, Ambassador Eduardo Sperisen-Yurt, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the WTO, for his remarks, which set an important basis for this Review, as well as the 33 delegations which took the floor.