RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/16
3July 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2531)
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
REPORT OFTHE NEGOTIATING GROUP
ONMARITIME TRANSPORT SERVICES
1. This report ismade inaccordance with theMinisterial Decision onNegotiations onMaritime
Transport Services.
Background
2. MinistersagreedattheMarrakeshmeetingthatnegotiationsoncommitmentsinmaritimetransport
services should becontinued after theWTO Agreement came intoforce. TheMinisterial Decision
onNegotiations onMaritime Transport Services andtheAnnex onNegotiations onMaritime Transport
Services provided amandate forMembers tonegotiate, over anextended period, commitments relating
tomaritime transport services leading totheelimination ofrestrictions within afixed time scale. At
theendofsuch negotiations, Members would inscribe those commitments intheSchedules annexed
totheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices andfinalize their positions relating toMFN exemptions
inthissector. Under theterms oftheAnnex onNegotiations onMaritime Transport Services, Article
IIandtheAnnex onArticle IIExemptions, including therequirement tolistinthatAnnex anymeasure
inconsistent with most-favoured-nation treatment, were suspended until thedateoftheimplementation
oftheresults ofthenegotiations.
3. TheDecision established theNegotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services tocarry out
thenegotiations. TheNegotiating Group hasheld 16meetings since itsinception inApril 1994 and
hasreported periodically onitsprogress totheCouncil onTrade inServices. TheDecision specified
thatparticipation inthenegotiations would beentered into onavoluntary basis. Atthetime of
suspension ofthenegotiations, 56governments (including theEuropean Communities andtheir Member
States) hadelected toparticipate fully inthenegotiations. Another 16governments were participating
intheprocess asobservers.
Activities oftheNegotiating Group
4. InOctober 1994, theNegotiating Group issued aQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
covering market structure andregulatory issues. TheGroup reviewed participants 'responses tothe
questionnaire. Inall,35ofthefullparticipants andtwoobserver governments submitted questionnaire
responses. Another activity oftheGroup wastoexamine outstanding technical andconceptual issues.
Amongissuesdiscussedweretechnicalmattersrelatingtotheschedulingofcommitmentsoninternational
shipping, auxiliary services, access toanduseofport facilities andmultimodal transport services.
Inrelation totheissue ofmultimodal services, modifications ofthedraft schedule, including anumber
ofalternative approaches which would enable participants toschedule commitments inthisarea, were
considered. AttheendofJune 1995, participants began submitting draft offers ofcommitments on
maritime transport services toserve asthebasis forbilateral request/offer negotiations. Atthetime
ofsuspension ofthenegotiations, 24conditional offers hadbeen submitted. During thenegotiations,
participants made itclear that their offers were conditional upon thequality andextent ofthe
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commitments made byothers. Frequent rounds ofbilateral negotiations were heldamong participants,
theresults ofwhich were reported totheGroup.
Conclusions
5. Atitsmeeting on28June 1996, theNegotiating Group agreed toforward totheCouncil for
Trade inServices thisReport andtheattached draft Decision onMaritime Transport Services. The
Group agreed thatparticipants intending tomake specific commitments asaresult ofthese negotiations
should ifpossible make their decisions known, bynotifying theSecretariat fortheinformation ofother
Members, before theexpiry ofthe30dayperiod referred toinparagraph 2oftheDecision.