WTO launches new import licensing platform

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has launched a new import licensing database, after four years of information collation.

The new database was presented at a meeting of the Committee, chaired by Dr Mohammad Irfan of Pakistan.

The new platform gathers together import licensing information, analysis and reporting and streamlines notification procedures for WTO members.

Deputy Director-General Yi Xiaozhun provided opening remarks to mark the launch of the new platform, recalling that the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures is one of the oldest agreements in the history of the WTO and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

DDG Yi stressed that as one of the most frequently used trade policy instruments applied by almost all governments, the use of import licensing has extended from enforcing quantitative restrictions and collecting trade statistics to safeguarding product quality, the environment, consumer welfare, public health and national security.

“Transparency makes trade more inclusive and predictable. Enhanced efficiency, achieved through easy access to information, further reduces trade costs of both exporters and importers.

“I fully believe that the new WTO import licensing database will significantly improve transparency in this important field and will benefit all members, especially those developing members who have capacity and resource constraints, as well as SMEs and MSMEs,” DDG Yi said.

The new database is a comprehensive information centre containing all members’ legislation, procedures and product information relating to import licensing.

Offering a user-friendly interface, the platform will allow members and the business community to find import licensing information more efficiently and to make better use of the information contained in members’ notifications.