Challenges for Trade Liberalization and WTO Rules: The Case of Macedonia

The collapse of communist systems in the Former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia led the way for the states of these systems to the democratic systems of governance and market liberalization. Membership of the former communist bloc countries in the Euro-Atlantic alliances and international organizations of various characters has been accompanied by political, economic and social challenges. The reforms which should be realized by the governments, aimed at meeting the standards that are imposed as conditions for membership, these reforms in the field of economy and trade, accompanied by the cost that the state, domestic companies, and the population had paid to the membership process. Through this research, we aim to highlight the challenges with which it was faced the Macedonian State and Government during the process of market liberalization, with emphasis on the costs associated with and during the World Trade Organization (WTO) membership process. Following the analysis of the official reports of the WTO and the Macedonian Statistical Office, as well as the interviews with Macedonian officials, we conclude that the WTO rules and principles have had an impact on the reduction of revenues from customs, domestic businesses and legislative changes in terms of foreign trade.

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