WORLD TRADE WT/L/160
22July1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2882)
PROCEDURES FOR THE CIRCULATION
AND DERESTRICTION OFWTO DOCUMENTS1
Decision adopted bytheGeneral Council on18July19962
TheGeneral Council decides toadopt thefollowing procedures withrespect tothecirculation3
andderestriction ofdocuments:
1. Documents circulated afterthedateofentryintoforceoftheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing
theWorld Trade Organization (hereinafter referred toas"WTO Agreement") inanyWTO document
series shall becirculated asunrestricted withtheexception ofdocuments specified intheattached
Appendix, which shallbecirculated asrestricted andsubject toderestriction, orconsideration thereof,
asprovided. Notwithstanding theexceptions specified intheAppendix, anydocument thatcontains
onlyinformation thatispublicly available orinformation thatisrequired tobepublished under any
agreement inAnnex 1,2or3oftheWTO Agreement shallbecirculated onanunrestricted basis.
2. Notwithstanding theexceptions toparagraph 1setforth intheAppendix,
(a) anyMember may, atthetimeitsubmits anydocument forcirculation, indicate tothe
Secretariat thatthedocument beissued asunrestricted ;and
(b) anyrestricted document circulated after thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement maybeconsidered forderestriction atanytime bytheMinisterial
Conference, theGeneral Council, orthebodyunder theauspices ofwhich thedocument
wascirculated, ormaybeconsidered forderestriction attherequest ofanyMember.
3. Requests forconsideration forderestriction shallbemade inwriting andshallbedirected to
theChairman oftheMinisterial Conference, theGeneral Council ortherelevant WTO body. Such
requests shallbecirculated toallMembers andplaced ontheagenda ofaforthcoming meeting ofthe
bodyconcerned forconsideration. However, inorder topreserve theefficiency ofwork ofthebody
concerned, theMember concerned mayindicate totheSecretariat thatitcirculate toMembers anotice
advising them ofthedocuments proposed forderestriction andthedateproposed forderestriction,
1Acopy ofthisdecision shallbetransmitted tothebodies established under thePlurilateral Trade Agreements fortheir
consideration andappropriate action. Thedecision doesnot,furthermore, cover documents outside ofaformal document
series, suchasasubmission toadispute settlement panel, oraninterim report ofadispute settlement panel submitted to
theparties thereto.
2Inadopting these procedures, theGeneral Council tooknotethatMembers attached particular importance totherestricted
nature ofdocuments sodesignated, andthatindividual governments should proceed accordingly intheirhandling ofsuch
documents.
3Theterms "circulation" and"circulated" when used inthisdecision shall beunderstood torefer tothedistribution
bytheSecretariat ofdocuments toallWTO Members.WT/L/160
Page2
which shallnormally besixty daysafterthedatethenotice iscirculated. These documents shallbe
derestricted onthedatesetforthinthenotice unless, priortothatdate,aMember notifies theSecretariat
inwriting ofitsobjection tothederestriction ofadocument, oranyportion ofadocument.
4. TheSecretariat shallprepare andcirculate alistofalldocuments eligible forconsideration
forderestriction, indicating theproposed dateofderestriction, which shallnormally besixtydaysafter
thecirculation ofthelist.These documents shallbederestricted onthedatesetforth inthenotice
unless, priortothatdate,aMember notifies theSecretariat inwriting ofitsobjection tothederestriction
ofadocument, oranyportion ofadocument.
5. Ifadocument4considered forderestriction isnotderestricted because ofanobjection byany
Member, andremains restricted attheendofthefirstyearfollowing theyearinwhich anobjection
wasraised, thedocument shallbeconsidered forderestriction atthattime.
6. TheSecretariat willcirculate periodically (e.g., every sixmonths) alistofnewly derestricted
documents, aswellasalistofalldocuments remaining restricted.
7. Inthelightoftheexperience gained from theoperation ofthese procedures andchanges in
anyotherrelevant procedures under theWTO, theGeneral Council willreview, andifnecessary modify,
theprocedures twoyears aftertheiradoption.
4These procedures shallapply mutatis mutandis totheconsideration forderestriction ofaportion ofadocument that
remains restricted asaresult ofanobjection made pursuant toparagraph 4.WT/L/160
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APPENDIX
(a) Working documents inallseries (i.e.,draftdocuments suchasagendas, decisions and
proposals, aswellasother working papers, issued as"-/W/-" documents inaparticular
series), including documents intheSpec/- series.
Suchdocuments shallbederestricted upontheadoption ofthereport5orofthedecision
pertaining totheirsubject matter, orconsidered forderestriction sixmonths afterthe
dateoftheircirculation6,whichever isearlier. However, working documents relating
tobalance-of-payments consultations, theCommittee onMarket Access, theCommittee
onTradeandDevelopmentandtheTradePolicyReviewMechanism,shallbeconsidered
forderestriction attheendofeachsix-month period.7,8Allbackground notes bythe
Secretariat, however, shallbeconsidered forderestriction sixmonths afterthedate
oftheircirculation.
(b) Documents intheSECRET/- series (i.e., those documents relating tomodification or
withdrawal ofconcessions pursuant toArticle XXVIII oftheGATT 1994 ).
Suchdocuments shallbederestricted upon completion oftheArticle XXVIII process
(including suchprocess initiated pursuant toArticle XXIV:6) through certification of
thechanges intheschedule inaccordance withtheDecision bytheCONTRACTING
PARTIES toGATT 1947 of26March 1980 (BISD 27S/25).
(c) Minutes ofmeetings ofallWTO bodies (other thanminutes oftheTrade Policy Review
Body,whichshallbecirculatedasunrestricted),includingSummaryRecordsofSessions
oftheMinisterial Conference.
Suchdocuments shallbeconsidered forderestriction sixmonths afterthedateoftheir
circulation.
(d) ReportsbytheSecretariatandbythegovernmentconcerned,relatingtotheTradePolicy
ReviewMechanism,includingtheannualreportbytheDirector-Generalontheoverview
ofdevelopments intheinternational trading environment.
Such documents shallbederestricted upon theexpiry ofthepress embargo thereon.
5Reference to"adoption" ofareport inthisdecision isintended tomean itsadoption bytheMinisterial Conference,
General Council orother relevant WTO body.
6The"date ofcirculation" means thedateprinted onthefront page ofadocument indicating when ithasbeen made
available toMembers 'delegations.
7Documents circulated during theperiod January through Junewould beconsidered forderestriction directly afterthe
endofthatperiod. Documents circulated during theperiod Julythrough December would beconsidered forderestriction
directly after theendofthatperiod.
8Notwithstanding these provisions, budget working documents intheSpec/- series shall notbederestricted.WT/L/160
Page4
(e) Documents relating toworking parties onaccession.
Such documents shallbederestricted upon theadoption ofthereport oftheworking
party. Prior totheadoption ofthereport, anysuchdocuments shallbeconsidered
forderestriction attheendofthefirstyearfollowing theyearinwhich theywere
circulated.
(f) Documents (other thanworking documents covered by(a)above) relating tobalance-of-
payments consultations, including thereports thereon.
Such documents shall beconsidered forderestriction attheendofeachsix-month
period.9
(g) Documents submitted totheSecretariat byaMember forcirculation if,atthetime
theMember submits thedocument, theMember indicates totheSecretariat thatthe
document should beissued asrestricted.
Such documents shall beconsidered forderestriction attheendofeachsix-month
period.8
(h) Reports ofpanels which arecirculated inaccordance withtheprovisions ofthe
Understanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes.10
Suchreports shallbecirculated toallMembers asrestricted documents andderestricted
nolaterthanthetenth daythereafter if,prior tothedateofcirculation aparty tothe
dispute thatforms thebasis ofareport submits totheChairman oftheDispute
Settlement Body awritten request fordelayed derestriction. Areport circulated as
arestricted document shallindicate thedateupon which itwillbederestricted.11
9Documents circulated during theperiod January through Junewould beconsidered forderestriction directly afterthe
endofthatperiod. Documents circulated during theperiod Julythrough December would beconsidered forderestriction
directly after theendofthatperiod.
10Thisprovision willbesubject toreview atthetimeofreview oftheDispute Settlement Understanding, andwillbe
discontinued ifthere isnoconsensus onthematter.
11Thefollowing standard cover notewillbeplaced onpanel reports: "The report ofthePanel on[name ofdispute]
isbeing circulated toallMembers, pursuant totheDSU. Thereport isbeing circulated asanunrestricted document from
[date] pursuant totheprocedures fortheCirculation andDerestriction ofWTO Documents [document number]. Members
arereminded thatinaccordance withtheDSU onlyparties tothedispute mayappeal apanel report, anappeal shallbelimited
toissues oflawcovered inthepanel report andlegal interpretations developed bythepanel, andthatthere shallbenoex
parte communications withthepanel orAppellate Body concerning matters under consideration bythepanel orAppellate
Body."