"Lithuania's accession to the WTO Executive Council would strengthen our country's position in the international tourism market and would have an impact on Lithuania's promotion in the world. It would also help to establish contacts with other countries around the world, exchange best practices and successfully represent the Baltic and Nordic region at the WTO," said Minister of the Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė.
"Lithuania's tourism sector is already recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pleased that the number of tourists in Lithuania more than doubled last year. Therefore, participation in the most important decision-making unit of the WTO would allow us to strengthen the importance of our country's tourism and to be among the 33 countries in the world that shape global tourism policy. Moreover, it would make a significant contribution to the search for common new tourism solutions in order to be interesting and competitive on a global scale," said Vincas Jurgutis, Deputy Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
In the first eleven months of 2022, Lithuania welcomed around 3.5 million tourists, including more than 1 million foreigners. The number of foreign tourists is likely to gradually recover from the drop of almost 2 million in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
For the 2023-2027 term, 5 WTO Executive Council members will be elected from the European region. The election (secret voting) will take place during the 68th meeting of the PTO Europe Regional Commission in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 31 May to 2 June 2023. Currently, 10 countries have submitted candidates: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, Israel, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The WTO brings together 159 countries worldwide, of which only 33 are elected to the WTO Executive Council. Elected members serve a four-year term. Meetings of the members of the WTO Executive Council are convened at least twice a year.
