Gov't to collect information for WTO negotiations

The WTO will launch negotiations on electronic commerce, and as a result the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is collecting information on the priorities of Finnish actors for the negotiations.

76 WTO members are about to launch negotiations on electronic commerce, said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in May. WTO members announced their intention to start negotiations at the World Economic Forum in January 2019.

The WTO held preparatory talks over the course of 2018 with the objective of identifying potential themes for the negotiations. During these talks, the EU submitted two thematic papers; one outlining elements the EU would like to address and the other on the revision of a reference paper on telecommunications services.

"We want to promote the interests of Finnish actors in the best possible way. Therefore we would like to receive information from you regarding topics of key importance for the future negotiations," read the statement.