WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/C/W/447
25 February 2003
(03-1139)
Council for Trade in Goods Original:  Spanish
COLOMBIA - REPORT TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS
ON THE PROGRESS MADE IN PHASING OUT TRIMs
Communication from Colombia
The following communication, dated 20 January 2003, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Colombia.
_______________
By means of Decision G/L/498, the Council for Trade in Goods extended until
31 December 2003 the transition period for Colombia with regard to trade-related investment
measures (TRIMs).  Pursuant to point 2 of this Decision, Colombia hereby reports to the Council for
Trade in Goods on its progress in phasing out TRIMs.
On 13 January 2003, the Government of Colombia issued Decree No. 047, the purpose of
which is to provide for the exemption of applications for the importation of a group of tariff
subheadings in the Trade-Related Investment Measure Phase-Out Programme for the Agricultural
Sector (document G/C/W/340) from mandatory approval by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development.
Colombia hereby notifies that, with the amendment of its national legislation through
Decree No. 047 attached hereto, it is in full comp liance with the Council for Trade in Goods Decision.G/C/W/447
Page 2
OFFICIAL JOURNAL NO. 45,063
Bogota, D.C.
Tuesday, 14 January 2003  
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
 DECREE NO. 047 OF 2003
(13 January 2003)
amending Article 1 of Decree No. 2439 of 1994
The President of the Republic of Colombia, by virtue of his constitutional and legal powers
and in particular those conferred upon him by Article 189, paragraph 25, of the Political Constitution,
subject to the general provisions of Laws No. 6 of 1971 and No. 7 of 1991, upon the recommendationof the Higher Council for Foreign Trade, and
WHEREAS:
By means of Law No. 170 of 1994, Colombia approved the Agreement Establishing the
World Trade Organization (WTO);
Colombia, pursuant to Article 5.1 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures
(TRIMs), notified the WTO of its policy of absorbing domestic agricultural production;
The Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures forms part of the WTO multilateral
agreements on trade in goods;
On 29 November 1999, Colombia requested that  the WTO Council for Trade in Goods grant
an extension of the transition period for the implementation of its policy of absorbing domesticagricultural production (document G/C/W/169 of 1 December 1999);
The Higher Council for Foreign Trade, at Session No. 61 of 16 March 2001, recommended
that the National Government make the absorption policy contingent upon the outcome of the
negotiations being held at that time by the WTO;
Under paragraph 1 of the Decision of 31 July 2001 of the WTO Council for Trade in Goods
(document G/L/461 of 7 August 2001), Colombia was granted an extension until 31 December 2001
of the transition period for the elimination of TRIMs;
Pursuant to paragraph 2 of the above-mentioned Decision of the WTO Council for Trade in
Goods, as set out in document G/L/461, Colombia re quested a further extension for a period of two
years as from 1 January 2002 for the implementation of its policy of absorbing domestic agricultural
production;
The said extension covers the phasing out of the products subject to the policy of absorbing
domestic agricultural production by 31 December 2003 at the latest;
The Council for Trade in Goods, by its Decisi on of 5 November 2001 (document G/L/498 of
9 November 2001), extended until 31 December 2003 the transition period for Colombia with regard
to the TRIMs for which an additional extension of the transition period had been requested;
Colombia is under an obligation to report to the Council for Trade in Goods on its progress in
phasing out its remaining TRIMs;G/C/W/447
Page 3
The products to be phased out during the period ended 31 December 2001 are those classified
under the following tariff headings:
0207320000 0207330000 1502001100 1502001900
1502009000 1503000000 1506001000 15060090001515900000 1516100000 1516200000 3823110000
3823120000
In accordance with the phase-out programme undertaken by Colombia and as set forth in
documents G/C/W/296 and G/C/W/340, the products which should cease to be covered by the
absorption policy as from 1 January 2003 are those classified under the following tariff subheadings:
1507100000 1507900010 1507900090 1511100000
1511900000 1512110000 1512190000 1512210000
1512290000 1513110000 1513190000 1513211000
1513291000 1514110000 1514190000 1514910000
1514990000 1515210000 1515290000 15155000002309101000 2309109000
HEREBY DECREES:
Article 1.  Article 1 of Decree No. 2439 of 1994 is hereby amended to provide for the
exemption from mandatory approval by the Mini stry of Agriculture and Rural Development of
applications for the importation of products classified under the following Harmonized Tariff
Schedule subheadings:
0207320000                         0207330000                        15 02001100                        15 02001900
1502009000                         1503000000                        15 06001000                        15 06009000
1507100000                         1507900010                        15 07900090                        15 11100000
1511900000                         1512110000                        15 12190000                        15 12210000
1512290000                         1513110000                        15 13190000                        15 13211000
1513291000                         1514110000                        15 14190000                        15 14910000
1514990000                         1515210000                        15 15290000                        15 15500000
1515900000                         1516100000                        15 16200000                        23 09101000
2309109000                         3823110000                        38 23120000
Article 2.  This Decree shall enter into force on the date of its publication and revoke any
contrary provisions.
For publication and implementation.
Done at Bogotá, D.C., on 13 January 2003.
ÁLVARO URIBE VÉLEZ
Minister of Finance and Public Credit,
Roberto Junguito Bonnet.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Carlos Gustavo Cano Sanz.
Minister of Foreign Trade,
Jorge Humberto Botero Angulo.
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