The Board of Foreign Trade (國貿局) has asked for the Legislature's cooperation on the screening and approval of 14 revision bills related to laws important to the Taiwan's accession to the WTO.
Board of Foreign Trade Director-General Wu Wen-ya (
The trade official said that in the process of WTO membership application, a total of 41 law revision bills has been approved by the Legislature in accordance with WTO trade negotiations. However, 14 revision bills were left outstanding after the end of the last legislative session in June.
According to the board, before early November the Legislature is expected to complete revisions to the attorney law, accountant law, commodity tax act, grain control law, construction law, motion picture regulatory measures, commercial harbor law, foreigners' employment law, tobacco and wine import regulations, civil aeronautics law, import tariff regulations, veterinarian law patent law and copyright law.
The Legislative Yuan will begin its autumn session on Sept. 18. Even some legislators, however, said that they were doubtful that all the needed legislation could be completed before early November.
Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), a member of the special task force for the planning of WTO-related legislation, pointed out that the Legislative Yuan needs to screen the central government's budget for the new fiscal year, and that the legislative session will be cut short by a one-month special recess before the year-end elections for a new legislature.
It is unclear how the Legislature might coordinate with the administration to have the bills passed in time, he said.
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