The World Trade Organization expands the suspension of customs duties on e -Commerce

The World Trade Organization initially agreed to extend the suspension of customs duties across e -commerce after difficult negotiations in Abu Dhabi, with other major commercial issues – including support for agriculture and fisheries – without a solution. “We have agreed to preserve the current practice of failing customs on electronic transport operations until the fourteenth session of the Ministerial Conference” which will be held after two years, according to the draft statement published on the World Trade Organization website pending the final approval. The talks were closed late Friday, and the late agreement reached was the first important achievement after some officials indicated that the prospects for negotiations that lasted a week in the Emirates capital could go to failure. Almost 25 %of total global trade is digitally implemented, and commercial pressure groups have warned that the termination of the suspension would cause a condition of uncertainty on a large scale and increase costs. “It is very important that it is not tolerated, because in reality if our e -commerce, or the digital economy, wants to thrive, the basic building block is not to impose customs duties on it,” according to the word John Denton, president of the International Chamber of Commerce during the conference earlier this week. The negotiations continued to exceed the final date scheduled for Thursday night, as the most controversial discussions on India took place. The delegates said that the largest country in the world in terms of the population impeded it to reach an agreement on the stop of e -commerce unless it obtained one of its main goals, which is concessions to support his farmers.