MC14 outcome: Signatories of the WTO Plurilateral Agreement on E-Commerce with Interim Arrangements

The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, between March 26 and 29. 66 WTO members (with the European Union as the 67th), covering around 70% of the world trade, announced that they adopted a plurilateral E-Commerce agreement on an interim basis. The participating countries commit to a permanent ban on customs duties on electronic transmissions to foster an open environment for digital trade. This will not entirely replace the E-Commerce moratorium, which expired on March 31 and was not extended at MC14. The negotiations on the moratorium will resume at the next WTO General Council, scheduled for May 2026. Credit for this agreement lies with three co-convenors: Australia, Japan, and Singapore. Through coordination, medium-sized countries can help shape the future of trade among themselves. The E-Commerce agreement will enter into force for members who adopt it 30 days after at least 45 members have deposited their instruments of acceptance. In parallel, these members will continue to work towards the agreement’s incorporation into the WTO legal framework of rules, and will engage and encourage all WTO Members to join the E-Commerce agreement.