RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/RO/M/13
17February 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-0549)
Committee onRules ofOrigin
MINUTES OFTHE MEETING OF2-6FEBRUARY 1998
Chairperson: Mrs. L.Berrig (Philippines)
Theagenda proposed forthemeeting, contained inWTO/AIR/756, wasadopted bythe
Committee onRules ofOrigin (theCRO) asfollows:
Page
1. Update oforigin rules adopted bytheCRO (G/RO/W/22/Rev.1) ..2
2. Implementation ofArticle 2(h)oftheAgreement onRules of
Origin .......................................2
3. Endorsement ofbasket 1decisions contained intheNinth Report
oftheTechnical Committee onRules ofOrigin (theTCRO) to
theCRO (G/RO/19 andG/RO/19/Add.1) .................2
4. Examination ofproduct-specific rules oforigin .............3
- Chapters 1-24(agricultural products)
5. Election ofofficers ...............................4
6. Other business ..................................4
- DateofthenextmeetingG/RO/M/13
Page2
1. Update oforigin rules adopted bytheCRO (G/RO/W/22/Rev.1)
1.1 TheChairpersonstatedtheSecretariathadcirculated,indocumentG/RO/W/22/Rev.1,anupdated
listoftheorigin rules endorsed bytheCRO atitsmeeting from 10to21November 1997. The
Committee, atthemeeting on3October 1997, agreed thattherulescontained inthisdocument should
notbereopened, keeping inmind that,inaccordance withArticle 9.3(b) oftheAgreement, theCRO
would finally consider theresults oftheHarmonization Work Programme interms oftheiroverall
coherence.
1.2 TheCommittee tooknoteofthedocument (G/RO/W/22).
2. Implementation ofArticle 2(h)oftheAgreement onRules ofOrigin
2.1 TheChairperson recalled that,atthemeeting on3October 1997, theCRO hadmandated the
Secretariat toconduct abriefsurvey onmethods andprocedures applied byMembers forthepurpose
ofimplementing Article 2(h)aswellasparagraph 3(d)ofAnnex IIoftheAgreement. TheSecretariat
hadsentoutanotedated 8October 1997inwhich Members wererequested toprovide theSecretariat,
totheextent possible, withcertain categorized information concerning thissurvey by1December 1997.
TheSecretariat, on8January 1998, hadsentreminders tothose 95Members whohadnotyetresponded
bythatdate. Todate, 26Members hadprovided theinformation.
2.2 Thedelegate oftheUnited States encouraged allMembers torespond tothesurvey assoon
aspossible.
2.3 TheCommittee tooknoteofthestatements made andagreed torevert tothisissueatthenext
meeting.
3. Endorsement ofbasket 1decisions contained intheNinth Report oftheTCRO totheCRO
(G/RO/19 andG/RO/19/Add.1)
3.1 TheChairperson recalled thattheCRO, atthemeeting from10to21November 1997, agreed
torevert tothisagenda itemattoday'smeeting, onthegrounds thattheNinth Report oftheTCRO
wasprovisional. TheTCRO, atitsmeeting from27November to5December 1997, officially adopted
theReport ontheNinth Session oftheTCRO towhich theNinth Report totheCRO isannexed, with
anumber ofamendments tothebasket 1decisions. Thefollowing amendments were made:
- ex70.06(a) onpage339ofdocument G/RO/19/Add.1; thedescription ofgoods incolumn B
hasbeenamended from"thin filmcoated flatglass" to"thin dielectric ormetallic coated flat
glass"; afootnote onthisproduct hasalsobeenadded;
- ex7106.10(a) onpage358ofthesame document; thedescription ofgoods incolumn Bhas
beenamended from "spangles classified withpowder" to"flakes classified withpowder";
accordingly, afootnote onthisproduct hasalsobeenamended;
- ex71.07(a) onpage 359; thedescription ofgoods incolumn Bhasbeen amended from
"unwrought forms" to"semi-manufactured form"; theorigin criteria incolumn Chasbeen
amended from "CTH" to"CTHS";
- ex71.07(b) onthesame page; thedescription ofgoods incolumn Bhasbeenamended from
"semi-manufactured forms" to"other"; theorigin criteria incolumn Chasbeenamended from
"CTHS" to"CTH";G/RO/M/13
Page3
- ex7108.11(a) onpage360;column Bhasbeenamended from"spangles classified withpowder"
to"flakes classified withpowder"; accordingly, thefootnote onthisproduct hasalsobeen
amended;
- ex7108.12(c) onpage361ismistyped andhasthusbeencorrected toex7108.20(c);
- ex71.10(a) onpage361; column Bhasbeenamended from"spangles classified withpowder"
to"flakes classified withpowder"; accordingly, thefootnote onthisproduct hasalsobeen
amended; and
- ex73.06(b) onpage389; column Bhasbeenamended from"linepipeofakindusedforoil
orgaspipelines: other" to"other".
3.2 TheCRO, inaccordance withArticle 9.3(a) oftheAgreement, endorsed therules oforigin
forproducts classifiable inChapters 25,27,28-32, 41,44-49, 50-58, 65-67, 68-70, 71,72-73 and
92which were indicated asbasket 1decisions inparagraph 4.AoftheNinth Report totheCRO
(G/RO/19) andthetemplate (G/RO/19/Add.1), asamended bytheTCRO. Itwasalsoagreed that
thefollowingfootnotebeaddedtothesplitheadingex3005(b):"Duringthereviewforoverallcoherence,
specific consideration willbegiven tothequestion astowhether aseparate ruleisneeded for"adhesive
dressings andotherarticles having anadhesive layer, notimpregnated withpharmaceutical substances"."
3.3 TheCRO confirmed thathesebasket 1items should notbereopened attheleveloftheCRO,
keeping inmind however that,inaccordance withArticle 9.3(b) oftheAgreement, theCRO would
finally consider theresults oftheHarmonization Work Programme interms oftheiroverall coherence.
4. Examination ofproduct-specific rulesoforigin concerning Chapters 1-24(agricultural products)
4.1 TheChairperson stated thattheTCRO, atitsmeeting from24November to5December 1997,
haddiscussed Chapters 1to24.Ithadsubmitted theresults ofthediscussions totheCRO initsTenth
Report. TheSecretariat hadcirculated theTenth Report andthetemplates indocuments G/RO/22
andG/RO/22/Add.1, respectively.
4.2 Based onthebilateral andplurilateral meetings which tookplace from 2-6February 1998,
theCRO agreed asfollows:
"The Committee examined unresolved issues submitted totheCommittee.
A. There wasagrowing consensus onIssue forDecision No.14toward Option B,on
Issue forDecision No.26toward Option A,andonIssues forDecision Nos.27,34,
38,41and42,toward Option B.
B. TheCommittee agreed tocontinue itsexamination oftheunresolved issues atthenext
meeting."
4.3 Thedelegates ofColombia andKorea expressed concern about thedelays insubmitting the
TCRO Report intimeformeetings oftheCRO.
4.4 TheCRO tooknoteofthestatements made.G/RO/M/13
Page4
5. Election ofofficers
5.1 TheChairperson informed theCRO thatinaccordance withtheestablished guidelines for
appointment ofofficers, theChairman oftheCouncil forTrade inGoods wascarrying outinformal
consultations onaslateofnames fortheappointments ofchairpersons ofsubsidiary bodies. Todate,
theconsultations hadnotyetbeencompleted.
5.2 Inlightofthissituation theCRO agreed topostpone theelection oftheChairperson and
Vice-chairperson oftheCRO andtotakeupthematter asthefirstagenda itematthenextmeeting.
6. Other business
- Dateofthenextmeeting
Itwasagreed thattheCRO holditsnextmeeting from 16-27 March 1998.
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