Le commerce électronique au sein de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce : Historique et dernières avancées des négociations dans le cadre de la déclaration conjointe

This report details the history and current state of e-commerce negotiations at the WTO, focusing on the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI). It examines how existing WTO rules apply to digital trade, the growth of the JSI membership to 83 countries, and the critical divides between developed and developing nations regarding data flows, customs duties, and technical capacity.

• The WTO defines e-commerce broadly as "la production, la distribution, la commercialisation, la vente ou la livraison de biens et de services par des moyens électroniques". This definition is wider than that of the OECD, which excludes orders made via telephone or hand-typed emails.
• Existing WTO rules apply to e-commerce across three layers: infrastructure (covered by the ITA and GATT), technical elements (covered by TRIPS and TBT), and content (covered by GATT, GATS, and TRIPS). The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is particularly relevant due to its "technological neutrality", allowing it to cover intangible digital products like e-books and downloadable music.
• Since 1998, WTO members have maintained a moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions. This practice has been renewed biennially, most recently in December 2019, to last until the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June 2020. However, some developing countries express concern over the loss of customs revenue as physical goods are replaced by digital versions.
• The Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce began with 71 members in December 2017 and grew to 83 participants by the end of 2019. The group includes all developed countries and five African members: Benin, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, and Cameroon. Only three Least Developed Countries (LDCs) joined: Benin, Laos, and Myanmar.
• Negotiations under the JSI are organized into 15 thematic categories. Areas of relative convergence include the prohibition of unsolicited commercial electronic messages (spam), the validity of electronic contracts, and online consumer protection. Conversely, significant divergences persist regarding data flows, data localization, and the transfer of source code.
• A significant 'digital divide' exists between developed and developing economies in these negotiations. Many developing countries lack the technical understanding or national policy frameworks to implement complex electronic transaction rules, leading to a reliance on technical explanations from developed nations during negotiation rounds.
• Three primary challenges are identified for achieving a result at MC12: a lack of consensus on whether to create new specific rules or revise existing WTO rules; the digital divide hindering the participation of developing nations; and deep contradictions between the US, EU, and China regarding data governance and internet censorship.
• The application of Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) is a point of contention. This is complicated by a US proposal to the General Council to redefine member categories to limit which countries can claim SDT in future engagements.

APA

Ismail, Y. (2020). Le commerce électronique au sein de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce : Historique et dernières avancées des négociations dans le cadre de la déclaration conjointe. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/commerce-electronique-organisation-mondiale.pdf

Chicago

Ismail, Yasmin. Le commerce électronique au sein de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce : Historique et dernières avancées des négociations dans le cadre de la déclaration conjointe. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/commerce-electronique-organisation-mondiale.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ismail |first1=Yasmin |title=Le commerce électronique au sein de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce : Historique et dernières avancées des négociations dans le cadre de la déclaration conjointe |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/commerce-electronique-organisation-mondiale.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ismail2020commerce, author = {Ismail, Yasmin}, title = {{Le commerce électronique au sein de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce : Historique et dernières avancées des négociations dans le cadre de la déclaration conjointe}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/commerce-electronique-organisation-mondiale.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }