WTO countries shape the scope of the plurilateral negotiations on e-commerce

Countries continue to advance their views about the topics that should be included under the informal plurilateral negotiations on e-commerce taking place at the WTO, which became known as the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI), after the adoption of the Joint Statement on Electronic Commerce on 25th January 2019, in Davos. Australia introduced a communication on July 5 (INF/ECOM/36) highlighting the importance of trade facilitation and enabling logistics for e-commerce. Paperless trading and e-invoicing were two of the topics included in their communication. On 9 July, Brazil introduced a proposal (INF/ECOM/27/Rev.1), structured in the format of a draft agreement, encompassing issues that should be discussed under the JSI, encompassing sections on: definitions, principles, electronic contracts, taxation, competition, consumer protection, regulatory environment, cross-border transfer of information, cybersecurity, data protection and general exceptions. Kenya (INF/ECOM/37) and Côte d’Ivoire (INF/ECOM/38) introduced communications announcing that they decided to take part in the Joint Initiative on Electronic Commerce.