WORLD TRADE WT/REG/6
11March 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-0988)
Committee onRegional Trade Agreements
REPORTING ONREGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
Recommendations bytheCommittee onRegional Trade Agreements
totheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment
Infulfilmentofitsmandateunderitem1(b)ofitstermsofreference,1theCommitteeonRegional
Trade Agreements (CRTA) adopted, on20February 1998, recommendations totheCommittee on
Trade andDevelopment withrespect tohowtherequired reporting ontheoperation ofregional trade
agreements (RTAs) should becarried out.These recommendations arecontained intheAnnex tothis
document.
Thenature oftheserecommendations isessentially procedural andtheirimplementation would
notentail anychange inMembers 'legalrights andobligations. Therecommendations aregeared toward
standardizing, asmuch aspossible, thepresentation ofreports onRTAs toWTO Members; ensuring
theprovision ofconsistent information totheCRTA ondevelopments insuchagreements, which may
beuseful totheCommittee 'swork under itsterms ofreference; andmaking operational the
implementation ofreporting requirements contained inWTO legaltexts.
TheCRTA maysubmit further recommendations inlight oftheexperience gathered in
implementing therecommended procedures.
1"[T]o consider howtherequired reporting ontheoperation ofsuch[regional trade] agreements should be
carried outandmake appropriate recommendations totherelevant body"(WT/L/127).
./.WT/REG/6
Page2
ANNEX
REPORTING ONREGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
Recommendations bytheCommittee onRegional Trade Agreements
totheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment
TheCommittee onRegional Trade Agreements recommends, inthecontext ofitem1(b)of
itsterms ofreference, thattheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment adopt thefollowing procedures,
asgeneral guidelines, withrespect toinformation onregional trade agreements submitted toit:1
1. Such information willalsobeavailable totheCommittee onRegional Trade Agreements, as
aninput totheCommittee 'swork under item1(d)ofitsterms ofreference.
2. Where appropriate, details ondevelopments intheagreements notcontained intheinformation
previously presented totheGATT/WTO should beprovided. Summary trade statistics covering the
lastrepresentative period, forbothtradeamong parties totheagreements andtrade withthirdparties,
would alsobedesirable.2
3. Where appropriate, parties totheagreements maymake use,inthepresentation ofthe
information, oftheStandard Format forInformation onRegional Trade Agreements (document
WT/REG/W/6). Thiswould facilitate boththetaskofparties inpresenting information ontheir
agreements andthetaskofWTO Members inconsidering thisinformation.
Theabove procedures willnotinanywayaffect thelegal rights andobligations ofWTO
Members.
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1Regional trade agreements reporting totheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment areregional orglobal
arrangements entered intoamongst developing countries forthemutual reduction/elimination oftariffs andof
non-tariffmeasures,notifiedunderparagraph4(a)oftheDecisiononDifferentialandMoreFavourableTreatment,
Reciprocity andFuller Participation ofDeveloping Countries (theEnabling Clause). After initial notification
andprovision ofappropriate data, parties tosucharrangements arerequired tonotify andsubmit appropriate
information when "taking action tointroduce modification orwithdrawal ofthedifferential andmore favourable
treatment soprovided" (paragraph 4(a)oftheEnabling Clause).
2Statistical information could bebased onrelevant annual datasubmitted totheSecretariat bytheparties
inaccordance withtheGeneral Council Decision on16July1997 (WT/L/225).