./.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/RO/N/43 
15 March 2004 
 
 (04-1131) 
Committee on Rules of Origin  
  
 
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 5 AND PARAGRAPH 4 OF 
ANNEX II TO THE AGREEMENT ON RULES OF ORIGIN  
 
 A. N
ON-PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN  
1. Article 5.1 of the Agreement on Rules of Origin  envisages that each Member shall provide to 
the Secretariat, within 90 days after the date entry in  to force of the WTO Agreement for it, its rules of 
origin, judicial decisions and admini strative rulings of general applicati on relating to rules of origin in 
effect on that date.  If by inadvertence a rule of origin has not been provide d, the Member concerned 
shall provide it immediately after this fact becomes k nown.  Lists of informatio n received and available 
within the Secretariat shall be circulated to the Members by the Secretariat. 
 2. Article 5.2 of the Agreement on Rules of Origin provides that during the period referred to in 
Article 2, Members introducing modifications, other than  de minimis  modifications, to their rules of 
origin or introducing new rules of origin, which, for the purpose of the Article, shall include any rule of 
origin referred to in paragraph 1 and not provided to the Secretariat, shall publish a notice to that effect 
at least 60 days before the entry into force of the mo dified or new rule in such a manner as to enable 
interested parties to become acquainted with the intention to m odify a rule of origin or to introduce a 
new rule of origin, unless exceptional circumstances arise or threaten to arise for a Member.  In these exceptional cases, the Member shall publish th e modified or new rule as soon as possible. 
 
3. Previous notifications received are listed in the G/RO/N/- series.  Further notifications have 
been received as follows:
1 
 SURINAME (Notification in English)  
– The law on rules of origin, dated 29 December  1995, has been revised.  The new law on rules 
of origin, dated 12 September 2003, is now in effect. 
 B. PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN  
1. Paragraph 4 of Annex II of the Agreement on  Rules of Origin envisages that Members shall 
provide to the Secretariat promptly their preferential rules of origin, including a listing of the preferential 
arrangements to which they apply, judicial decisi ons, and administrative rulings of general application 
relating to their preferential rule s of origin in effect on the date of entry into force of the WTO 
Agreement for the Member concerned.  Members shall provide any modifications to their preferential 
rules of origin or new preferential rules of origin as soon as possible to the Secretariat.  Lists of 
information received and available within the Secretariat shall be circulated to Members by the Secretariat.  
                                                     
 
1 The notifications are available for consultation in the Secretariat (Market Access Division). G/RO/N/43 
Page 2  
 
 2. Previous notifications received are listed in the G/RO/N/- series.  Further notifications have 
been received as follows
2: 
 EL SALVADOR (Notification in Spanish) 
 
– Bilateral free trade agreem ents between El Salvador and the following countries: 
 –  Mexico – Free Trade Agreement in force as of 15 March 2001 –  Dominican Republic – Free Trade Agreement in force as of 4 October 2001 
–  Chile – Free Trade Agreement in force as of 1 June 2002 
–  Panama – Free Trade Agreement in force as of 11 April 2003  SURINAME (Notification in English) 
 
– The law on rules of origin, dated 29 December  1995, has been revised.  The new law on rules 
of origin, dated 12 September 2003, is now in effect. 
 
__________ 
 
                                                     
 
2 The notifications are available for consultati on in the Secretariat (Market Access Division).