In June 1993, the Russian Federation formally applied to join the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the main global trade rules system before the WTO. This began a long negotiation over how Russia would align its trade laws and market access rules with international standards.
In July 1993, a GATT accession Working Party was created to examine Russia’s trade regime and negotiate entry terms. This Working Party became the central forum where WTO members asked questions, demanded reforms, and negotiated specific commitments on goods and services.
When the WTO began operating in 1995, Russia’s earlier GATT working party was transformed into a WTO accession working party. This mattered because Russia’s entry terms now had to cover the broader WTO rulebook, not just tariffs on goods.
In July 1995, the WTO working party held its first formal meeting on Russia’s accession. This launched detailed, multi-year questioning and negotiation on topics like customs procedures, import rules, and how Russian laws would be brought into line with WTO commitments.
In December 2003, Ambassador Stefán Jóhannesson of Iceland became chair of the Working Party on Russia’s accession. Leadership changes mattered because the chair helps organize talks, push compromises, and guide the drafting of the final accession package.
In November 2006, the United States and Russia reached a bilateral market access agreement as part of Russia’s WTO accession process. These bilateral deals were key steps because major trading partners used them to lock in tariff cuts, services openings, and related reforms before approving accession.
In November 2011, Russia and Georgia reached a Swiss-mediated compromise on monitoring trade flows at disputed border crossings. This was crucial because Georgia had been the final WTO member still blocking Russia’s entry, and WTO accessions require consensus among members.
On 10 November 2011, the Working Party approved (subject to final confirmation) the package defining Russia’s terms of entry, including commitments to reform trade rules. This cleared the way for the accession documents to be sent to WTO ministers for formal adoption.
In mid-December 2011, WTO ministers adopted Russia’s accession terms, including the Working Party report and the Protocol of Accession. This was the political decision to accept Russia as a member—provided Russia completed its domestic ratification procedures on time.
In July 2012, Russia’s legislature approved the ratification steps needed for WTO entry, including passage in the State Duma. Ratification mattered because Russia could not join until it legally accepted the negotiated obligations under Russian law.
In late July 2012, Russia officially notified the WTO that it had completed ratification and related implementation steps. Under WTO rules, membership would take effect 30 days after this notification.
On 22 August 2012, the Russian Federation officially joined the WTO as its 156th member, ending an accession process that began in 1993. Membership placed Russia under WTO disciplines (such as binding tariff ceilings and dispute settlement) and integrated it more fully into the post-war global trading system.
Russia's WTO Accession (1993–2012)