The European Council has published a proposal for a decision to conclude the Agreement on Electronic Commerce, following a declaration by 41 WTO Members at the Yaoundé Ministerial Conference in March 2026. The interim arrangements, annexed to the proposal, aim to implement the agreement pending full WTO consensus, covering digital trade rules from electronic signatures to paperless customs.
The proposal, dated 13 July 2026, stems from the WTO Ministerial Conference held in Yaoundé from 26 to 30 March 2026, where 41 WTO Members—including the European Union, China, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom—issued a Declaration on Interim Arrangements for the Agreement on Electronic Commerce. The participants reaffirm their commitment to WTO rules on electronic commerce, first announced on 25 January 2019, and note that the General Council could not reach consensus on adding the agreement to Annex 4 of the WTO Agreement, despite requests on 18 February 2025 and 16 December 2025. The participants intend to implement the agreement as soon as possible, subject to completing domestic procedures, and have prepared interim arrangements in a new annex. The agreement will enter into force under Article 29.2 when 45 instruments of acceptance are deposited. Participants will continue seeking a decision to add the agreement to Annex 4 and encourage all other WTO Members to join.
The agreement applies to measures affecting trade by electronic means but excludes government procurement, services supplied in governmental authority, and (except Articles 8, 9, and 12) information held or processed by a party. Key obligations include legal frameworks for electronic transactions based on the UNCITRAL Model Law 1996, electronic authentication and signatures, electronic contracts, electronic invoicing, paperless trading, single windows, and electronic payments.
EU digital businesses benefit from harmonised rules on e-signatures and paperless customs, reducing transaction costs. EU consumers gain legal certainty for electronic contracts and payments. National authorities face implementation costs for single windows and paperless systems. Non-participating WTO members may face trade diversion as digital trade flows shift toward participants. The interim arrangement creates a dual-track system: participants apply the rules while the full WTO membership remains deadlocked, potentially fragmenting global digital trade governance. Institutional follow-up: The Council will now examine the proposal; the European Parliament will need to give consent before the EU can deposit its instrument of acceptance.