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Ukraine becomes full WTO member
RBC, 16.05.2008, Moscow 11:15:18.Today, on May 16, Ukraine has become a full WTO member. The country began the application process to join the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, which was transformed into the WTO in 1995) on November 30, 1993. The protocol on Ukraine's entry into the Marrakech Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization was signed in Geneva on February 5, 2008. Ukraine had until July 4 to ratify it. Ukraine's parliament ratified the protocol on April 10. It was supported by 411 deputies from the Party of the Regions, Yulia Timoshenko's bloc, Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defense and the Vladimir Litvin's bloc. The Communist faction abstained from voting. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a bill on the WTO entry protocol ratification on April 16. Today, 30 days after it was signed into law, Ukraine becomes a full WTO member. As a new member of the world trade family, Ukraine will have to pay an annual membership fee of 350,000 Swiss francs, together with a one-off entrance fee, before the end of 2008. The country's state budget allocated about $400,000 for the purpose. The Ukrainian government has one month to approve the plan on bringing the country's economy in line with WTO standards. According to Article 16 of the Marrakech Agreement, each WTO member shall ensure the conformity of its laws, regulations and administrative procedures with its obligations as provided in the WTO agreements. To comply with this provision, Ukraine's parliament passed 58 bills from 2002 to 2007. Other laws will be changed over certain transition periods. Ukraine is the 152nd country to join the WTO.
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