Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced to have joined forces to help secure a WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement as part of global efforts to increase trade's contribution to development. Trade facilitation refers to measures aimed at simplifying, modernising and harmonising merchandise import, improving tax collection at the border, export and transit procedures, especially customs requirements.

The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, as part of global efforts to increase trade's contribution to development, could create an international framework for reforms. Therefore, Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced to have joined forces to help secure the agreement as part of global efforts to increase trade's contribution to development. Recently, the Commission proposed the Council to participate in negotiations on a new international agreement on trade in services.

The EU hopes that such a deal could be adopted at the WTO's 9th Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia on 3-6 December 2013. According to the Commission, the cost of implementing trade facilitation reforms is relatively modest, though costs will vary from country to country. The World Bank has found country costs ranging from $3 to $11 million and OECD from $3.5 to $19.7 million.

Trade facilitation falls under Aid for Trade, which covers all financing for trade or trade-related activities. The EU and its Member States are the largest provider of Aid for Trade in the world, despite the current economic crisis. In 2010, they accounted for around a third of the total in committing some €10.7 billion.