RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/REG/W/7
28August 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3383)
Committee onRegional Trade Agreements
CHECKLIST OFPOINTS RAISED BYDELEGATIONS ON
PROCEDURES TOFACILITATE AND IMPROVE THE EXAMINATION PROCESS
Note bytheSecretariat
Thisnotewasprepared following arequest attheCommittee onRegional Trade Agreements
(CRTA) on31July1996. Itcontains achecklist ofpoints thatmaybeofrelevance forthediscussion
intheCRTA under item1(c)ofitsTerms ofReference -thatis,"todevelop, asappropriate, procedures
tofacilitate andimprove theexamination process". Itdraws onsuggestions made bydelegations both
informally andatmeetings oftheCRTA, aswellassubmissions bydelegations. TheSecretariat stands
ready toaddtoorotherwise modify thisnoteasthought necessary.
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Notification
1. Development ofa"Standard Format forInformation onEconomic Integration Agreements"
providing fortheliberalization oftrade inservices.
2. Agreement onthespecific timing ofthenotification ofregional trade agreements (RTAs).
3. Consideration ofhowtodealwithnon-compliance withWTO notification requirements on
RTAs.
4. Development ofan"early warning system" forthenotification ofRTAs, sothatMembers could
beinformed ofthevarious developments atdifferent stages leading totheentry intoforce oftheRTA.
5. Consideration ofthetiming ofthesubmission oftheStandard Format.
Examination
6. Reconsideration oftheobjectives oftheexamination ofRTAs inthelightoftheestablishment
oftheCRTA.
7. Development ofguidelines fortheprocess oftheexamination ofRTAs.
8. Consideration oftheduration oftheexamination process forindividual RTAs.
9. Consideration ofthepossibility todevelop anexpedited procedure fortheexamination ofRTAs
which haveminimal effects onother Members andonthemultilateral trading system.
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10. Establishment oftimeframes foreachstepoftheexamination process andfortheexamination
asawhole. Consideration astowhether theagreed timeframes arebinding orgeneral guidelines.
11. Consideration ofthepossibility toestablish amaximum number ofmeetings fortheexamination
ofanRTA.
12. Confirmation thatMembers havethepossibility toposewritten questions toparties toRTAs.
13. Inrespectoftheabove(i.e.point9),agreementonthetimeframeforthesubmissionofquestions
andthereceipt ofreplies.
14. Consideration oftheroleoftheSecretariat intheexamination process; inparticular, itsrole
withrespect tothecompletion oftheStandard Format forInformation onRTAs.
15. Ensuring themaximum effectiveness intheprocess oftheexamination ofRTAs dealing with
bothgoods andservices (e.g.timing ofmeetings).
Reports oftheExamination ofaRTA
16. Agreement onthenature andcontent ofthereports oftheexamination oftheRTA.
17. Agreement ontheprocedures involved inthepreparation andadoption ofthereport; in
particular, theprocess ofreaching agreement ontheconclusions.
General
18. Consideration oftheadvantages offormalizing theprocedures fortheexamination ofRTAs.
19. Consideration ofthetransference totheCRTA ofthefunctions relating tothenotification and
examination ofRTAs currently performed bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods, Council forTrade in
Services andtheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment.
20. Agreement onalltheelements relating tothesubmission oftrade datainthecaseofcustoms
unions.
21. Exploration ofthepossibility tosubmit information inelectronic form.