RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/C/W/180
26 January 2000
(00-0297)
Council for Trade in Goods Original:  English
QUESTIONS FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES
REGARDING THE TRIMS EXTENSION REQUEST MADE
BY THE GOVERNMENT OF COLOMBIA
The following communication, dated 24 January 2000, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of the United States.
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Measures
1. Please describe in detail the measure covered by the Government of the Colombia’s (“GOC”)
extension request.  For example:
a. On a commodity-specific basis, what amount of local products must be acquired in
order to receive permission to import (i.e. how much domestic product must be
purchased for each commodity before imports are allowed)?
b. Is the acquisition of local products mandatory or is it done in order to receive an
advantage?
c. If there is an advantage, please describe it.d. Describe the current “agricultural policy” which according to your notification
(G/TRIMS/N/1/COL/2) de termines the products that are included in this programme.
e. What kinds of local goods qualify (anything?  some goods but not others? etc.).f. What types of imported goods are covered by the programme?g. What entities are required to comply with the TRIMs-inconsistent measures?  Only
processors of agricultural products, or other entities as well?
h. Are there any (local or foreign-owned) entities that are exempt?i. What domestic and foreign producers are affected by these measures?
j. Describe what the import licence authorizes.  Do all imports of agricultural products
that enter into Colombia need such an import licence?  Is the licence specific to
certain products and/or quantities of agricultural products?  Can a licence be received
by means other than by purchasing agricultural products locally?G/C/W/180
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k. Are imports subject to Colombia’s WTO tariff-rate quota commitments treated any
differently than imports not subject to such a framework?
2. How have the measures changed over time?
a. Describe the agricultural policy on 1 January 1995?  Have there been any changes
since then?  If so, what are they?
b. Have any new measures increased the amount or percentage of local products that
must be purchased in order to receive an import licence?
c. Has the number of products covered that can be used to satisfy the “buy local” policy
increased since 1995 or has it decreased over time?
3. The implementing agency, as listed in Colombia’s TRIMs notification is the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development.  Is this statement still accurate?
a. What responsibilities does this Ministry have generally?b. What are their responsibilities with respect to the TRIMs measures and the
agriculture sector?
c. Are there any other GOC agencies or other entities or persons with responsibility for
implementing or otherwise supervising the measures identified in question 1?
d. What organization within your Government develops the agricultural policy criteria?
e. How is this policy developed?f. What other groups participate in the development of this policy (e.g., local agriculture
companies)?
4. Can these measures be eliminated consistently with the Colombian political constitution?  If
not, how can Colombia’s trading partners have any confidence that the transition will ever
come to an end?
Basis for the Extension Request
5. The GOC’s submission to the Council for Trade in Goods dated 1 December 1999 asserts that
Colombia is having particular difficulties in eliminating the measure covered by its extensionrequest for several reasons.  The first is structural flaws in domestic marketing. Specifically, it
is stated that this problem is due “to the previous very high level of State intervention.”
a. What empirical evidence can be provided to show that the programme is working to
solve the structural problems outlined in your submission and that such problems willnot be alleviated until 31 December 2006?
b. What changes have been undertaken to reduce government intervention and increase
competitiveness?
c. Describe the “largely unfavourable macroeconomic situation.”G/C/W/180
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6. What steps have the relevant industry and the GOC undertaken to begin the transition to a
system that did not rely on TRIMs?
a. What types of liberalization adjustments were or were not completed?b. Did the GOC conduct discussions with the private sector and with labour
organizations at that time and even well before the completion of the Uruguay Round
to inform them that these policies would be eliminated in 2000?
c. What kind of domestic consultation process concerning TRIMs has been conducted
over the past five years?
d. What administrative or legislative steps have which offices and officials explored
with which industry and labour groups?
e. Are there legislative or administrative drafts regarding removal of the GOC
agricultural TRIMs that were submitted for consideration over the past five years?
f. What plans exist for adjusting to the e limination of such TRIMs if no extension is
granted?
g. What would the process be for changing the local content requirements – (i.e.
administrative changes, legislative changes)?
h. How quickly could such changes be conducted?
7. Another issue that the Council has been asked to  take into account is the issue of eradication
of illegal crops.  Please provide supporting evidence that such a programme has beensuccessful in pushing individuals “towards economically viable and competitive agricultural
activities.”
8. Has the GOC considered other non-TRIMs options that would address some of your
concerns, but would allow for the elimination of your TRIMs regime as it currently exists?For example, have programmes that would focus on converting agricultural workers to
participate in other sectors of the economy been explored?
9. Has Colombia analyzed the effect on its economy and employment, particularly in the food
processing and value-added sectors, of these import restrictions?
10. Has Colombia evaluated less trade-distorting measures to achieve its rural economic
development goals, such as increasing extension services and expanding infrastructure?
Statistics
11. The 1 December submission notes that the land area devoted to agriculture decreased by
782,000 hectares.
(a) What was total number of hectares that were devoted to agriculture in 1990?(b) What are the causes of this reduction?G/C/W/180
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12. What is the country of origin, broken out by product, for the imported products listed in the
tables found in your supplementary submission?  Also, provide similar information for
exports of agricultural products from Colombia (e.g., products, quantities and destinations).
Other TRIMs
13. What is the status of the automotive TRIM notified by the GOC?
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