UK Statement at Norway's World Trade Organization Trade Policy Review. Delivered by the UK's Permanent Ambassador to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.
State Secretary, a very warm welcome to you and your delegation both from Oslo and here from Geneva. Thank you for bringing the spark of the land of Midnight Sun, beautiful Fjords and magical Northern Lights.
Thank you to the WTO Secretariat, as ever, for their report. Thank you, Chair, for your introductory comments. Thank you to our distinguished discussant for his insightful comments. I thought your final point about the value shown by the Norwegian case, but obviously a much broader point about institutions, is a very worthwhile one.
Thank you, also, to the government of Norway for piloting the new Trade Policy Review portal. We were particularly pleased to see it come to life given that we have our own TPR coming up later this year so we may see it in use again.
Report Analysis
Chair, the reports highlight Norway's extraordinary economic resilience, keeping up its very high GDP per capita level despite the challenges of COVID-19 and the rest.
Its transformation into a high-income, knowledge-based economy, for us, reflects the power of open trade and strategic investment. The World Bank says that international trade accounts for over 80% of its GDP, which is remarkable.
Between 2018 and 2024, foreign trade rose steadily. Imports grew from over 700 billion Norwegian Krone to over one trillion Krone, and exports from just over one trillion Krone to almost two trillion Krone. Extraordinary figures. Excluding oil, gas, ships and drilling platforms, traditional goods trade rose by about 50% and services trade by 110%.
Testimony, if I may say, State Secretary, to your commitment to open trade and investment, but also the rewards of that commitment.
Digitoll
As noted in our Advance Written Questions, we're particularly interested in the Digitoll customs declaration system, set for full rollout next year.
We very much welcome its aim to automate customs proceedings and speed up clearances, especially given imports represent over 40% of Norway's GDP.
We look forward to
