Now that the WTO members failed to adopt the protocol on the Trade Facilitation (TF) Agreement, APEC members try to fill in the gap. APEC Leaders instructed their officials to work toward the APEC TF Agreement between APEC members and other WTO members.
The Chair of the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment, John Larkin, stated that
“Many elements of the [TF] agreement like single windows, authorized economic operators and the move from paper-based to electronic processes are objectives that APEC economies have long championed. We’re working to ensure that we take full advantage of them.”
Perhaps, this could be another contribution of APEC to the attainment of broader WTO goals after the “APEC List of Environmental Goods.” In July 2014, fourteen WTO members launched negotiations on the Environmental Goods Agreement based on the list.
