A two-day informal mini-Ministerial meeting of Trade Ministers was organized by Norway in Oslo on 21-22 October 2016. Ministers and officials from 25 member countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Director General of the WTO attended the meeting. The meeting was convened to discuss the way forward in the WTO, including possible issues for the Eleventh Ministerial Conference of the WTO to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2017.

At the meeting, India highlighted the centrality of the development dimension of the Doha Round of trade negotiations in the WTO, the need to work on issues of special interest to developing countries and to prioritize the implementation of Ministerial Decisions adopted at the previous WTO Ministerial Conferences held in Bali and Nairobi, in 2013 and 2015 respectively. India stressed the importance of ensuring adequate policy space for developing countries in the negotiations and underlined, inter alia, the need for creating a level playing field for developing countries in agricultural trade by addressing inequities and distortions which are threatening the livelihood of millions of poor farmers across the world.

The Ministers also discussed potential issues on which outcomes could be achieved by the next Ministerial Conference in 2017 and beyond, and the ways to develop convergence on such outcomes. They reaffirmed the importance of implementing the outcomes of the Ministerial Conferences held in Bali and Nairobi. They agreed that it is important that the WTO’s negotiating function continue to deliver meaningful outcomes and discussed the need to maintain the relevance of the multilateral trading system and to find ways to update the system in line with developments in the global economy. Ministers put development at the centre of discussions and also highlighted the need to view issues in light of the interests and concerns of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

Given the increasing importance of trade in services for the world as a whole and for India in particular, India has taken the initiative to launch discussions on a Trade Facilitation in Services (TFS) Agreement at the WTO, as a services counterpart of the goods-specific Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). A TFS Agreement will address the key issues that are pertinent to facilitating trade in services.

India circulated a communication titled 'Concept Note for an Initiative on Trade Facilitation in Services' at the WTO, which was discussed by the WTO Members on 6 October 2016. India’s initial submission on the Concept Note was followed by a more detailed communication on ‘Possible Elements of a TFS Agreement’ to WTO members on 14 November 2016. The submissions by India detail the rationale behind the initiative for a TFS Agreement and the possible constituent elements of a TFS Agreement.

This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

Trade Facilitation in Services proposal seeks to ease cross-border services trade while preserving developing countries' policy space. Trade facilitation in services is proposed as a WTO initiative to remove barriers and operationalise measures that facilitate cross-border services trade. The initiative foregrounds the development dimension, seeks to preserve policy space for developing countries, and prioritises implementation of Bali and Nairobi Ministerial Decisions. India circulated a Concept Note and a subsequent detailed communication outlining the rationale and possible constituent elements of a Trade Facilitation in Services Agreement, aiming to create a services counterpart to the goods Trade Facilitation Agreement and to identify negotiable elements for future ministerial outcomes.