Call for Extension and Permanency of the WTO Moratorium
The WSC welcomes the renewal of the WTO Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions at the 13th Ministerial Conference and urges WTO Members to extend it at the 14th Ministerial Conference and make it permanent.
Since its introduction in 1998, the Moratorium has provided a foundation for predictable, open, and innovation-driven trade in semiconductor technologies. Imposition of customs duties and related customs procedures on the electronic transmissions vital to the semiconductor industry’s smooth operation and development - including semiconductor design, development, and manufacturing data - would have a significant detrimental impact on global semiconductor supply chains, technology innovation cycles, and our manufacturing operations globally.
In a rapidly digitizing global economy, maintaining the WTO Moratorium is a matter of economic stability, innovation, and predictability. Allowing it to expire would increase fragmentation, raise costs, and hinder participation in semiconductor value chains globally.
The WSC urges WTO Members to demonstrate leadership at MC14 by making the Moratorium permanent, reaffirming the WTO’s commitment to open, rules-based digital trade and ensuring a stable framework that benefits businesses, workers, and consumers in all economies.