./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/164/Rev.2
14 June 1999
(99-2383)
General Council Original:  English/
Spanish
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 1999 MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures
Communication from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras,
India, Indonesia, Nicaragua and Thailand
Revision
The following communication, dated 11 June 1999, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of the Dominican Republic.
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I. BACKGROUND
1. There is a serious imbalance in the Agreement on Subsidies Countervailing Measures.  The
subsidies commonly used by developing countries for their industrialization and development have
been included in the actionable or banned (prohibited) category, while those used by developed
countries are in the non-actionable category.  It is important to emphasize that the subsidies presentlyused by developing countries were previously instruments of development policies in the developed
countries of today.  This demonstrates that these initiatives are indispensable for developing countries,
especially those with small and vulnerable economies, to be able to strengthen their industrial sector
and diversify their exports, in order to have a more active participation in international trade.  These
measures have had extremely effective results in the creation of new industries, the attraction offoreign investment, the creation of direct or indire ct jobs, the improvement of trade balances, as well
as the development of less advantaged areas in developing countries.  All this has contributed
progressively towards social stability and to a greater participation in international trade.
2. There is a need to revise Annex VII of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing
Measures in order to allow those developing-country Members of the WTO, included in the Low andLower-Middle Income Category of the World Bank, which currently face economic and social
difficulties, to benefit from the provisions of the Annex.
3. The Agreement also does not foresee the possibility of countries who have graduated from
Annex VII of the Agreement experiencing a sudden fall in their GNP per capita to a level below the
agreed threshold.  In this regard, there should be a clear guidance/provisions that would enabledeveloping countries to be automatically considered  as having the same treatment as provided for in
Annex VII of the Agreement, if their GNP per capita fell below the agreed threshold.WT/GC/W/164/Rev.2
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II. PROPOSAL
4. In the next Ministerial Conference to be held in Seattle, USA, from 30 November to
3 December 1999, the Annex VII of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures has to
be modified as follows:
Annex VII
The developing-country Members not subject to the provisions of paragraph 1(a) of Article 3
under the terms of paragraph 2(a) of Article 27 are:
(a) The developing countries, including the least-developed countries, Members of the
WTO that are included in the Low and Lower-Middle Income Category of the
World Bank.
(b) Countries indicated in paragraph (a) above will be excluded from this Annex if their
GNP per capita has exceeded the top level of the Lower-Middle Income Category of
the World Bank.  They will be automatically included in this Annex, if their GNP per
capita falls under the top level of the Lower-Middle Income Category of theWorld Bank.
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