Switzerland
Report by Switzerland and Liechtenstein
This report together with that of Liechtenstein and the Secretariat report on the two countries establishes the basis for the review of their trade policy by WTO Members on 15 and 17 December 2008 given the fact that they form an economic and monetary union and Liechtenstein is an integral part of Swiss customs territory.
Negotiating for Switzerland
Learning is a continuing process in one’s life. Some lessons are well archived on our “personal hard disk” with learning by doing being the most efficient method of saving those lessons. Negotiating the TRIPS Agreement was “unforgettable” to cite a famous American TV series. Indeed it is one of the most well-archived and prominent learning experiences of my career. Having been born and grown up in a developing country namely Viet Nam (south) with its realities printed in my DNA I came a long way eventually working at representing a small developed country. Switzerland which is characterized by an economy based on free enterprise innovation and exports of manufactured goods and services as well as by a compromise-oriented “culture” in terms of policy law-making and negotiating set the stage for this learning experience in the field of IP prior during and after the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations under the GATT.