Targeted technical assistance shall be provided to acceding landlocked developing countries on a priority basis, covering all stages of the accession negotiations and taking into account the high costs involved in the accession negotiations.

a capacity to offer neutral advice on sensitive subjects (eg. Accession to WTO, or Paris Club negotiations).

Further support to the accession process would continue to include monitoring of the WTO accession negotiations, assessing their development implications as well as evaluating their implications for institution building and national policymaking.

In the ongoing GATS negotiations and in the current WTO accession negotiations, discussion on audiovisual services has emerged in the area of distribution services in connection with distribution licensing of rights.

Special priority should be given to facilitating and accelerating negotiations with acceding landlocked developing counties through simplified and streamlined accession procedures.

16. Recognizes that the decision of the European Union concerning the opening of accession negotiations with Cyprus is an important development

It is crucial to ensure fair and equitable terms of accession, commensurate with the trade, financial and development needs of acceding developing countries, and increased support in all stages of the accession negotiations, as well as to address specific needs of newly acceded countries in the Doha work programme negotiations.

The question of accession to membership of WTO was one of the areas in which the work of UNCTAD was indispensable, for although WTO and its Secretariat could help countries with the legal formalities of accession they could not help them to deal with the trade negotiations leading to accession.

Accession.

Accession

The issue of WTO accession appeared to have been pushed to the back burner, probably as a result of members' preoccupation with the Doha development agenda negotiations.

14. Reaffirms that the decision of the European Union concerning the opening of accession negotiations with Cyprus is an important development that should facilitate an overall settlement

After all, given broad resistance to any further EU enlargement at the moment, the accession process will undoubtedly move very slowly. The objective should thus be to find new, more efficient modes of cooperation that avoid the issues and conflicts that have impeded accession negotiations.

accession a

c Accession.

Accession a

accession a

Accession to WTO

ratification accession a

Accession, succession (d)

State Ratification Accession

In fact, enlargement fatigue has been the dominant feature of EU relations with the western Balkan states and explains why the accession process has been flat lining along a path of frozen negotiations and mutual mistrust toward an increasingly uncertain destination. This remains the case even after Croatia s accession.

India and Pakistan should build on the momentum of the recent warming of their relations through simultaneous accession to the CTBT and negotiations on a fissile material cut off treaty.

The Union started accession negotiations with the Republic of Cyprus on 31 March of this year. The accession process and progress towards a political solution should reinforce one another. Accession to the Union should benefit all communities and help to bring about peace and reconciliation on the island. In this context, we welcome the appointment of the new United Nations Deputy Special Representative, Dame Ann Hercus.

UNCTAD has also been providing extensive training to and building the capacity of the least developed countries in trade negotiations and commercial diplomacy, including on issues related to accession to WTO.

On the political front, the decision of the European Union to start accession negotiations with the Greek Cypriot side has altered all the parameters and the established framework for a settlement.

The size of these transfers, however, would depend on the EU's financial policies at the time of admission, the outcome of accession negotiations, and economic developments in Turkey. In any case, the EU's practice of capping its budget would prevent an explosion in the financial costs entailed by Turkey's accession.

of ratification or accession

Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the depositary.

12 Austria (accession) 25 September 2003, Oman (ratification) 12 March 2004, Denmark (accession) 16 November 2004, Mauritius (accession) 22 December 2004, Chile (ratification) 8 February 2005.

This autumn, the European Commission is scheduled to issue a progress report on accession negotiations with Turkey. A dangerous situation may well emerge, as this report threatens to derail the whole process.

The Group supported countries in the process of accession to the WTO. Considering that 10 out of 31 landlocked developing countries were negotiating their accession to the WTO, and taking into account the exigencies and difficulties related to this process, the Paraguayan delegation in Geneva had delivered statements at each of the Working Group meetings convened in order to discuss the negotiations surrounding the accession of each landlocked developing country.

Now that Croatia was a candidate for European Union membership and a date had been set for accession negotiations, one of its priorities was to bring its legislation into line with European legislation.

In his address to the European Union Ministerial Council meeting on 3 October 2005, after the decision of the European Union to open accession negotiations with Croatia, the Prime Minister reiterated that position.

Signature, ratification, acceptance, approval, accession

Ratification, acceptance, approval or accession

Accession China (3 October 1997)

Accession Paraguay (8 October 1997)

Accession Estonia (8 October 1997)

Accession Suriname (14 October 1997)

Accession Singapore (23 October 1997)

Accession Jordan (29 October 1997)

Accession Tajikistan (29 October 1997)

Accession Ecuador (4 November 1997)

Accession Jamaica (12 November 1997)