RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/ADP/Q1/MAC/1
G/SCM/Q1/MAC/1
ORGANIZATION 10October 1996
(96-4157)
Original: English Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
NOTIFICATION OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS UNDER
ARTICLES 18.5AND 32.6OFTHE AGREEMENTS
Replies ofMACAU1
toquestions posed byHONG KONG2
Thefollowing communication, dated 3October 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofMacau.
________________
Pursuant toArticle 18.5 above, andinrespect ofthequeries from theGovernment of
Hong Kong, theGovernment ofMacau hereby notifies theCommittee onAnti-Dumping andthe
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures ontheclarification requested bytheabove-
mentioned authorities, withtherequest itbecirculated intheusual manner.
1. (a) What isthetimetable ofthepublication intheOfficial Gazette ofthePortuguese version
oftheAgreement establishing theWTO? What isthelegaleffect oftheincorporation
oftheAgreement intoMacau 'slegalsystem? Would thisgivetheAgreement theforce
oflawinMacau? AreMacau 'sADofficials required, legally orotherwise, toabide
bytheprovisions oftheAgreement intheconduct ofADproceedings?
TheAgreement instituting theWorld Trade Organization, itsAnnexes 1,2and3,along
withtheFinal Actenshrining theresults fromtheUruguay Round multilateral trade
negotiations werepublished inPortuguese (official language oftheTerritory ofMacau)
on26February 1996 intheMacau Government Gazette, 1stSeries, No.9,by
Governor 'sDecision No.9/GM/96.
From thedateofgazetting, thedocuments referred toabove aresaidtohavebeen
embodied inMacau 'sjuridical system. Thismeans thattheyareinforceintheTerritory
inthesame equal terms andrelevance ofanynorms created andenforced locally,
without needing tobeconverted intodomestic law. They, therefore, constitute an
autonomous source of(domestic) law.
1G/ADP/N/1/MAC/1-G/SCM/N/1/MAC/1
2G/ADP/W/347-G/SCM/W/355
./.G/ADP/Q1/MAC/1
G/SCM/Q1/MAC/1
Page2
Withregard torelevance, under Macau 'sjuridical organization thereisonesingle legal
system onlythatincorporates bothdomestic andinternational law,notwithstanding
thefactthatthelatter prevails overtheformer (except where constitutional lawis
concerned), thatis:international lawprecepts mayabrogate, derogate orchange
domestic lawnorms.
Finally, there isnoGovernment Department inMacau withspecific jurisdiction to
supervise orcontrol theimplementation ofthe1994 GATT Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VI.However, since theAgreement isdirectly binding of
bothpublic andprivate bodies, eventual non-compliance thereof issupervised bythe
Macau Economic Services (inPortuguese, DirecçãodosServiçosdeEconomia )which
is,bylaw,responsible forenforcing therulesandregulations governing theTerritory 's
economic activities andoverseeing localbusiness operators andtheircommercial and
industrial activities.
1. (b) DoesMacau contemplate initiation ofanyanti-dumping action? Ifyes,howwillMacau
ensure compliance withtheAgreement before andaftertheAgreement isincorporated
intoMacau 'slegal system?
Noanti-dumping measures arecurrently being considered.
1. (c) DoesMacau plantotakefurther stepstoensure theconformity ofitslaws, regulations
andadministrative procedures withtheAgreement, inaccordance withArticle 18.4?
What isthetime-frame?
Inorder toensure consistency ofitsdomestic lawwiththeprecepts ofthecurrent
Agreement, some domestic lawswhich were found tobeconflicting withthenew
regulations were revoked byMacau. Moreover, andpursuant totheprovisions of
Article 18.4oftheAgreement, theGovernment iscurrently drafting supplemental
legislation thatshould begazetted sometime bytheendof1996, orearly 1997.
2. What judicial review procedures hasMacau putinplace inobservance ofitsobligations under
Article 13(Judicial Review) oftheAgreement?
There arenodomestic lawsonanti-dumping. Therefore, nolegislation wassubmitted tore-
examination procedures foreseen inArticle 13oftheAgreement.
3. What isMacau 'spolicy andlawfortheimplementation ofWTO Panel Reports?
MacauhasnotyetestablishedspecificprocedurestocollectinformationrequiredbytheTechnical
Committee istheambit oftheDispute Settlement Understanding. However, andsimilarly towhat
hasalready beenreferred inparagraph 1subsection (c)above, supplemental legislation totheAgreement
iscurrently being drafted, thatshould beready forgazetting sometime between theendof1996 and
early 1997.