Uzbekistan phases out export subsidies for WTO membership readiness

The document introduces amendments to several regulatory legal acts related to export financing mechanisms. The changes are being made in accordance with international trade rules and WTO requirements.

In particular, starting from the beginning of 2025, compensation for expenses related to the export of goods via air and rail transport will be canceled.

Subsidies and compensations for exports conducted before December 31, 2024, will be paid no later than February 1, 2025. According to Narodnoe Slovo (The People's Word), the decree aims to improve the effectiveness of support for exporters.

In early November, the president’s special representative on WTO issues, Azizbek Urunov, announced the conclusion of 14 months of negotiations between Tashkent and Washington regarding Uzbekistan's accession to the organization. In recent months, corresponding protocols were also signed with China, the Philippines, El Salvador, Thailand, and Pakistan.

At a meeting with entrepreneurs on December 20, the president stated that Uzbekistan’s accession process to the WTO is entering its "final stage." At the same time, he emphasized that the state will continue to support businesses and create favorable conditions for their operations.

Accession to the WTO

In April 2023, Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the government to accelerate efforts for Uzbekistan’s membership in the WTO. The president highlighted the importance of this step for significantly increasing exports, particularly of finished products.

That summer, the position of special representative to the president on WTO issues was established, and divisions for interaction with the representative were created within 20 government agencies. Additionally, the president prohibited the creation of regulatory legal acts that do not comply with WTO standards.

At the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2023, the president identified swift WTO accession as a priority for Uzbekistan. The WTO’s Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, agreed to expedite the next meeting of the working group on the matter.

Uzbekistan plans to join the WTO before the 14th Ministerial Conference, which will take place in 2026 in Cameroon. During an open dialogue with businesses in August of this year, Mirziyoyev called WTO accession an "integral part of reforms."

The first deputy head of the Tax Committee, Mubin Mirzayev, stated that Uzbekistan will receive a transition period of 2-3 years upon joining the WTO. Customs duties will be determined based on agreements with other member countries.

Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov, speaking to the Oliy Majlis on November 27 about the abolition of benefits for exporters, described the WTO as "a generally fair trade system." He stressed that local entrepreneurs must learn to operate under conditions of open competition.