RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/L/271
7May1998
ORGANIZATION(98-1815)
IMPLEMENTATION OFTHE PROVISIONS FOR REVIEW, FUTURE
WORK ORNEGOTIATIONS INTHE WTO AGREEMENT AND
RELATED DECISIONS AND DECLARATIONS
Note bytheSecretariat
InOctober 1995, attherequest ofanumber ofdelegations, theSecretariat prepared aninitial
compilation ofprovisions intheWTO Agreement, Multilateral Trade Agreements, Plurilateral
Agreements andrelated Decisions andDeclarations which contain elements forreview, future work
ornegotiations inthoseAgreements andinstruments. Thepresent note,prepared inresponse torequests
fromdelegations, shows thesituation regarding theimplementation ofthese provisions. Thetextsin
italics within square brackets havebeenadded forclarification orcompleteness ofthequotes from
theWTO provisions.
_______________WT/L/271
Page2Provision Implementation
1.Marrakesh Declaration
-".... [Ministers ]agree tokeep under regular review bytheMinisterial
Conference andtheappropriate organs oftheWTO theimpact oftheresults of
theRound ontheleast-developed countries aswellasonthenetfood-importing
developing countries, withaview tofostering positive measures toenable them to
achieve their development objectives." (Paragraph 5)Inthelight ofparagraph 5oftheMarrakesh Declaration, among other
provisions, theCommittee onTrade andDevelopment established aSub-
Committee onLeast-Developed Countries inJuly1995 withthefollowing terms
ofreference: (a)togiveparticular attention tothespecial andspecific problems
ofleast-developed countries; (b)toreview periodically theoperation ofthe
special provisions intheMultilateral Trade Agreements andrelated Ministerial
Decisions infavour oftheleast-developed country Members; (c)toconsider
specific measures toassist andfacilitate theexpansion oftheleast-developed
countries 'trade andinvestment opportunities, with aview toenabling them to
achieve their development objectives; and, (d)toreport totheCommittee on
Trade and Development for consideration and appropriate action
(WT/COMTD/2). Itwasalso agreed thattheSub-Committee would give
consideration, inter alia,toanyreports oftheAgriculture Committee referred to
itfollowing paragraph 6oftheDecision onmeasures concerning possible
negative effects ofthereform programme onleast-developed andnetfood-
importing developing countries, andArticle XVIoftheAgriculture Agreement.
TheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment, furthermore, keeps under continuous
review theparticipation ofdeveloping country Members inthemultilateral
trading system andconsiders measures andinitiatives toassist such Members,
andinparticular theleast-developed country Members, intheexpansion oftheir
trade andinvestment opportunities.
AttheSingapore Ministerial Conference, Ministers committed themselves to
addressing theproblem ofmarginalization ofleast-developed countries, andto
work towards greater coherence ininternational economic policy making and
improved cooperation with other agencies inproviding technical assistance.
Ministers alsoagreed toaComprehensive andIntegrated WTO Plan ofAction
fortheLeast-Developed Countries, togiveitoperational content, andtoorganize
ameeting withUNCTAD andITCin1997 withtheparticipation ofaidagencies,
multilateral financial institutions andLDCs tofoster anintegrated approach to
assisting these countries inenhancing their trading opportunities. Information on
theHigh-Level Meeting andthefollow-up thereto isprovided inSection 23
below.WT/L/271
Page3Provision Implementation
Inaddition totheabove, theCommittee onAgriculture follows uponthe
Decision onmeasures concerning thepossible negative effects ofthereform
programme onleast-developed andnetfood-importing developing countries. The
Committee made specific recommendations inthisregard totheSingapore
Ministerial Conference which were adopted andaredescribed indocument
WT/COMTD/W/35. Therecommendations havebeenfollowed-up intherelevant
bodies andmonitored within theCommittee onAgriculture.
2.Marrakesh Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization
-"With aview toachieving greater coherence inglobal economic policy-making,
theWTO shall cooperate, asappropriate, withtheInternational Monetary Fund
andwith theInternational Bank forReconstruction andDevelopment andits
affiliated agencies." (Article III:5)TheWTO hassigned Agreements withboththeIMF andtheWorld Bank; the
Agreements aimtostrengthen inter-agency relations through further cooperation
andcollaboration with both institutions. TheAgreements arethuscentral to
meeting themandate fortheWTO topursue anddevelop cooperation with the
IMF andtheWorld Bank with aview toachieving greater coherence inglobal
economic policy making.
Since thesignature ofthese Agreements, theWTO Secretariat hasbeen
frequently present atimportant meetings oftheExecutive Board ofboththeIMF
andtheWorld Bank, andthestaffofthose organizations have observed many of
theWTO 'smeetings. Inaddition, there hasoften been contact atavery senior
management level, including inthecontext oftheAsian crisis, andstaff ofall
three organizations arefrequently intouch atthetechnical level; thishelps the
organizations tobetter understand each others 'policies totheinterest ofall
Members. Also, there hasbeen significant cooperation atthetechnical assistance
level, including inthecontext oftheongoing programme fortheintegrated
framework forleast-developed countries pursuant totheSingapore Ministerial
Conference andtheHigh Level Meeting onLeast-Developed Countries 'Trade
Development. With theWorld Bank, theWTO hasalsoestablished ajoint
internet web-site toassist developing countries intheirintegration intothetrading
system.WT/L/271
Page4Provision Implementation
Specifically, with respect tothecoherence mandate, there isanongoing active
process ofexchange ofviews, aimed atestablishing aninformal common
framework onthematter. Inthisprocess, efforts arebeing made bythethree
institutions towork toward harmonious implementation oftheir common and
complementary objectives; this isdone while carefully respecting the
confidentiality needs andautonomy indecision-making ofeachinstitution. Work
iscontinuing onthecoherence mandate, andMembers willbekept fully
informed ofdevelopments.
-".... Aspartofitsfunctions, theCommittee onTrade andDevelopment shall
periodically review thespecial provisions intheMultilateral Trade Agreements in
favour oftheleast-developed country Members andreport totheGeneral Council
forappropriate action." (Article IV:7)Inpursuance ofthisprovision andofparagraph 2(i)oftheMinisterial Decision
onMeasures inFavour ofLeast-Developed Countries, theCommittee onTrade
andDevelopment conducted reviews ofthespecial provisions intheMultilateral
Trade Agreements infavour oftheleast-developed country Members andother
developing country Members atitsmeetings inSeptember 1996, November 1997
andMarch 1998. TheCommittee reported onitswork totheGeneral Council
initsreports contained respectively indocuments WT/COMTD/9 for1996 and
WT/COMTD/13 for1997. TheCommittee iscurrently continuing itsreview
based onacomprehensive background document prepared bytheSecretariat for
thispurpose (WT/COMTD/W/35).
3.GATT 1994
-"The Ministerial Conference shall review thisexemption [allowing measures
thatprohibit theuse,saleorlease offoreign-built orforeign-reconstructed vessels
incommercial applications between points innational waters orthewaters ofan
exclusive economic zone]notlater thanfiveyears after thedateofentry into
force oftheWTO Agreement andthereafter every twoyears foraslong asthe
exemption isinforce forthepurpose ofexamining whether theconditions which
created theneed fortheexemption stillprevail." (Paragraph 3(b))Thisexemption istobereviewed notlaterthan31December 1999 andthereafter
every twoyears.WT/L/271
Page5Provision Implementation
4.Understanding ontheInterpretation ofArticle XVII oftheGATT 1994
-"Aworking party shall besetup,onbehalf oftheCouncil forTrade inGoods,
toreview notifications andcounter-notifications. Inthelight ofthisreview and
without prejudice toparagraph 4(c)ofArticle XVII, theCouncil forTrade in
Goods maymake recommendations withregard totheadequacy ofnotifications
andtheneed forfurther information. Theworking party shall alsoreview, inthe
light ofthenotifications received, theadequacy oftheabove-mentioned
questionnaire onstate trading andthecoverage ofstate trading enterprises
notified under paragraph 1.Itshall alsodevelop anillustrative listshowing the
kinds ofrelationships between governments andenterprises, andthekinds of
activities engaged inbythese enterprises, which mayberelevant forthepurposes
ofArticle XVII.... Itshall report annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods1."
(Paragraph 5)AWorking Party onState Trading Enterprises wassetupbytheCouncil for
Trade inGoods on20February 1995. Inaddition toitsongoing task of
reviewing thenotifications andcounter-notifications onstatetrading, theWorking
Party adopted arevised questionnaire onstate trading (contained indocument
G/STR/3 andapproved bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods inApril 1998), thus
fulfilling itsmandate toreview theadequacy ofthequestionnaire onstate trading
andthecoverage ofenterprises notified. Indoing so,italsoagreed tocontinue
itswork, inawayconsistent with itsmandate, onpossible further information
needed toenhance transparency, andagreed toreconvene asearly aspossible to
thisend. Regarding themandate todevelop anillustrative listofrelationships
between state trading enterprises andgovernments, andtheactivities conducted
bythese enterprises, thiswork, which hasadvanced considerably, remains tobe
completed bytheWorking Party; afinal textisforeseen within thecoming
months. TheWorking Party reports annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods.
5.Understanding onthe Interpretation ofArticle XXVIII ofthe
GATT 1994
-".... Itishowever agreed thatthisparagraph willbereviewed bytheCouncil
forTrade inGoods fiveyears from thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement with aview todeciding whether this criterion hasworked
satisfactorily insecuring aredistribution ofnegotiating rights infavour ofsmall
andmedium-sized exporting Members. Ifthisisnotthecase, consideration will
begiven topossible improvements, including, inthelight oftheavailability of
adequate data, theadoption ofacriterion based ontheratioofexports affected by
theconcession toexports toallmarkets oftheproduct inquestion."
(Paragraph 1)Thisparagraph istobereviewed fiveyears from 1January 1995.
1Footnote toParagraph 5oftheUnderstanding: Theactivities ofthisworking party shallbecoordinated withthose oftheworking group provided forinSection IIIoftheMinisterial
Decision onNotification Procedures adopted on15April 1994.WT/L/271
Page6Provision Implementation
6.Agreement onAgriculture
-"Members undertake towork toward thedevelopment ofinternationally agreed
disciplines togovern theprovision ofexport credits, export credit guarantees or
insurance programmes ...." (Article 10:2)Work onthese disciplines hasyettobeundertaken intheCommittee on
Agriculture. Itmay benoted thatwork onsuch disciplines hasbeen under
consideration since 1995 intheframework oftheOECD Understanding on
Officially Supported Export Credits, sofarwithout result.
-"Progress intheimplementation ofcommitments negotiated under theUruguay
Round reform programme shall bereviewed bytheCommittee onAgriculture."
(Article 18:1)TheCommittee closely monitors theimplementation ofthecommitments on
market access, domestic support andexport subsidies. Alarge number of
notifications havebeen scrutinized ateachofthemeetings oftheCommittee, and
Members have frequently usedtheir right under Article 18.6oftheAgreement to
raise anymatter relevant totheimplementation ofthereform process atanytime.
-"Recognizing thatthelong-term objective ofsubstantial progressive reductions
insupport andprotection resulting infundamental reform isanongoing process,
Members agree thatnegotiations forcontinuing theprocess willbeinitiated one
year before theendoftheimplementation period, taking intoaccount ...."
(Article 20)Thenegotiations willhave tobeinitiated inaccordance withthetimetable setout
inArticle 20.
While notanelement ofArticle 20,Committee activities relevant inthiscontext
include theAnalysis andInformation Exchange process, asendorsed byMinisters
inSingapore. Under arrangements adopted attheMarch 1997 meeting ofthe
Committee onAgriculture, theAIE process hasbeen undertaken through
informal open-ended meetings oftheCommittee with widespread andactive
participation byMembers. Theprocess isongoing.
7.Agreement ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
-"The Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures provided forin
paragraphs 1and4ofArticle 12(referred tointhis Agreement asthe
"Committee") shall develop aprocedure tomonitor theprocess ofinternational
harmonization andcoordinate efforts inthisregard withtherelevant international
organizations." (Article 3:5)InOctober 1997, theCommittee adopted aprovisional procedure under which
Members willregularly propose standards formonitoring (G/SPS/11). Forthose
which theCommittee agrees tomonitor, allMembers willbeasked toindicate
whether theyapply such astandard forimport purposes and,ifnot,thereasons
therefor. Ithasbeen agreed thattheappropriateness andefficacy ofthis
procedure willbereviewed after aninitial 18-month period.WT/L/271
Page7Provision Implementation
-With theobjective ofachieving consistency intheapplication oftheconcept of
appropriate level ofsanitary orphytosanitary protection against risks tohuman
lifeorhealth, ortoanimal andplant lifeorhealth, each Member shall avoid
arbitrary orunjustifiable distinctions inthelevels itconsiders tobeappropriate in
different situations, ifsuch distinctions result indiscrimination oradisguised
restriction oninternational trade. Members shall cooperate intheCommittee, in
accordance with paragraphs 1,2and3ofArticle 12,todevelop guidelines to
further thepractical implementation ofthisprovision." (Article 5:5)TheCommittee hasheld aseries ofinformal consultations andconsidered an
evolving draft oftheguidelines. Theprocess isongoing.
-"The Committee shall review theoperation andimplementation ofthis
Agreement three years after thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement,
andthereafter astheneed arises. Where appropriate, theCommittee maysubmit
totheCouncil forTrade inGoods proposals toamend thetextofthisAgreement
having regard, inter alia,totheexperience gained initsimplementation."
(Article 12:7)Following informal consultations, theCommittee agreed inOctober 1997 ona
procedure forconducting thereview exercise (G/SPS/10). Inlinewith these
procedures, theCommittee began thereview exercise inMarch 1998 onthebasis
ofimplementation issues identified byMembers. Theexercise isongoing.
8.Agreement onTextiles andClothing
-Inorder tooversee theimplementation ofthisAgreement, theCouncil for
Trade inGoods shall conduct amajor review before theendofeach stage ofthe
integration process2.Toassist inthisreview, theTMB shall, atleastfivemonths
before theendofeach stage, transmit totheCouncil forTrade inGoods a
comprehensive report ontheimplementation ofthisAgreement during thestage
under review, inparticular inmatters withregard totheintegration process, the
application ofthetransitional safeguard mechanism, and relating tothe
application ofGATT 1994 rules anddisciplines asdefined inArticles 2,3,6
and7respectively. The TMB 'scomprehensive report may include any
recommendation asdeemed appropriate bytheTMB totheCouncil forTrade in
Goods." (Article 8:11)Thereview duebefore theendofthefirststage oftheintegration process was
conducted bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods in1997, andatextcontaining a
detailed summary ofthediscussions andtheconclusions ofthereview (G/L/224)
wasadopted bytheCouncil inFebruary 1998.
2Inother words, before theendof1997, 2001 and2004.WT/L/271
Page8Provision Implementation
9.Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade
-"The Committee shall review annually theimplementation andoperation ofthis
Agreement taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof." (Article 15:3)TheCommittee hasbeen meeting regularly tocarry outitstaskofreviewing the
implementation andoperation oftheAgreement andhasreported annually tothe
Council forTrade inGoods.
-"Not laterthantheendofthethird yearfrom thedateofentry intoforce ofthe
WTO Agreement andattheendofeach three-year period thereafter, the
Committee shall review theoperation andimplementation ofthisAgreement,
including theprovisions relating totransparency, withaview torecommending
anadjustment oftherights andobligations ofthisAgreement where necessary to
ensure mutual economic advantage andbalance ofrights andobligations, without
prejudice totheprovisions ofArticle 12. Having regard, inter alia,tothe
experience gained intheimplementation oftheAgreement, theCommittee shall,
where appropriate, submit proposals foramendments tothetext ofthis
Agreement totheCouncil forTrade inGoods." (Article 15:4)TheCommittee conducted thefirsttriennial review in1997 (G/TBT/5).
10.Agreement onTrade-Related Investment Measures
-"The Committee shall monitor theoperation andimplementation ofthis
Agreement andshall report thereon annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods."
(Article 7:3)TheCommittee hasbeen meeting twice ayeartocarry outitstaskofmonitoring
theoperation andimplementation oftheAgreement andhasreported annually to
theCouncil forTrade inGoods.
-"Not later than fiveyears after thedate ofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement, theCouncil forTrade inGoods shall review theoperation ofthis
Agreement and, asappropriate, propose totheMinisterial Conference
amendments toitstext. Inthecourse ofthisreview, theCouncil forTrade in
Goods shall consider whether theAgreement should becomplemented with
provisions oninvestment policy andcompetition policy." (Article 9)This provision istobereviewed notlater thanfiveyears after 1January 1995.
Itmight benoted thattheSingapore Ministerial Declaration requires thatthe
work under wayintheWorking Group ontheRelationship between Trade and
Investment takeplace "having regard totheexisting WTO provisions onmatters
related toinvestment andcompetition policy andthebuilt-in agenda inthese
areas, including under theTRIMs Agreement, ...".WT/L/271
Page9Provision Implementation
11.Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VIofGATT 1994
-"The Committee shall review annually theimplementation andoperation ofthis
Agreement taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shall
inform annually theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during the
period covered bysuch reviews." (Article 18:6)TheCommittee hasbeen meeting regularly tocarry outitstaskofreviewing the
implementation andoperation oftheAgreement andhasreported annually tothe
Council forTrade inGoods. InApril 1996, theCommittee established anAd
HocGroup onImplementation toprepare recommendations totheCommittee on
issues where agreement seems possible. InOctober 1998, theCommittee
decided onagroup oftopics thatitreferred totheAdHocGroup fordiscussion
andconsideration ofpossible recommendations totheCommittee. TheGroup
continues tomeet regularly.
12.Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VIIofGATT 1994
-"The Committee shall review annually theimplementation andoperation ofthis
Agreement taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shall
annually inform theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during the
period covered bysuch reviews." (Article 23)TheCommittee hasbeen meeting regularly tocarry outistaskofreviewing the
implementation andoperation oftheAgreement andhasreported annually tothe
Council forTrade inGoods.
13.Agreement onPreshipment Inspection
-"Attheendofthesecond yearfrom thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement andevery three years thereafter, theMinisterial Conference shall
review theprovisions, implementation andoperation ofthisAgreement, taking
intoaccount theobjectives thereof andexperience gained initsoperation. Asa
result ofsuch review, theMinisterial Conference mayamend theprovisions of
theAgreement." (Article 6)AWorking Party wasestablished bytheGeneral Council inNovember 1996,
following arecommendation bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods, toconduct the
firstreview provided forinArticle 6.TheWorking Party 'sreport wassubmitted
inDecember 1997. TheGeneral Council approved therecommendations ofthe
Working Party andagreed toextend itslifeforoneyeartoexamine issues which
theWorking Party considered were inneed ofafurther exchange ofviews.
These issues, aswell asanassessment oftechnical assistance activities in
accordance withArticle 3oftheAgreement, willbethesubject ofwork in1998.WT/L/271
Page10Provision Implementation
14.Agreement onRules ofOrigin
-"The Committee shall review annually theimplementation andoperation of
Parts IIandIIIofthisAgreement having regard toitsobjectives. The
Committee shallannually inform theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments
during theperiod covered bysuch reviews." (Article 6:1)TheCommittee hasbeen meeting regularly tocarry outitstaskofreviewing the
implementation andoperation oftheAgreement andhasreported annually tothe
Council forTrade inGoods.
-"The Committee shall review theprovisions ofParts I,IIandIIIandpropose
amendments asnecessary toreflect theresults oftheharmonization work
programme." (Article 6:2)These provisions willbereviewed upon completion oftheharmonization work
programme.
-"The Committee, incooperation withtheTechnical Committee, shall setupa
mechanism toconsider and propose amendments totheresults ofthe
harmonization work programme, taking intoaccount theobjective andprinciples
setoutinArticle 9."(Article 6:3)Amechanism toconsider andpropose amendments totheharmonized rules of
origin will besetupfollowing theconclusion oftheharmonization work
programme.
-"The work programme shall beinitiated assoonafter theentry intoforce ofthe
WTO Agreement aspossible andwillbecompleted within three years of
initiation." (Article 9.2(a))TheCommittee initiated theharmonization work programme inJuly1995 witha
deadline ofJuly1998 foritscompletion.
-"The Ministerial Conference shall establish theresults oftheharmonization
work programme [setoutinArticle 9:1]inanannex asanintegral partofthis
Agreement.3TheMinisterial Conference shall establish atime-frame forthe
entry intoforce ofthisannex." (Article 9:4)Theresults aretobeestablished upon completion oftheharmonization work
programme.
-"The ongoing responsibilities ofthetechnical Committee shall include the
following:
(d)toreview annually thetechnical aspects oftheimplementation andoperation
ofParts IIandIII." (Annex I,paragraph 1(d))TheTechnical Committee hasmetregularly tocarry outitstaskofreviewing the
technical aspects oftheimplementation andoperation ofParts IIandIIIofthe
Agreement.
3Footnote toArticle 9:4oftheAgreement: Atthesame time, consideration shall begiven toarrangements concerning thesettlement ofdisputes relating tocustoms classification.WT/L/271
Page11Provision Implementation
15.Agreement onImport Licensing Procedures
-"The Committee shall review asnecessary, butatleast once every twoyears,
theimplementation andoperation ofthisAgreement, taking intoaccount the
objectives thereof, andtherights andobligations contained therein." (Article 7:1)Thefirstbiennial review oftheimplementation andoperation oftheAgreement
wasconducted in1996.
-"The Committee shall inform theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments
during theperiod covered bysuch reviews." (Article 7:4)TheCommittee hasreported annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods.
16.Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
-"Not later than 18months after thedate ofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement, theCommittee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures provided
forinArticle 24(referred tointhisAgreement as"theCommittee") shall review
theoperation oftheprovisions ofsubparagraph 2(a)withaview tomaking all
necessary modifications toimprove theoperation ofthese provisions. Inits
consideration ofpossible modifications, theCommittee shall carefully review the
definitions ofthecategories setforth inthissubparagraph inthelight ofthe
experience ofMembers intheoperation ofresearch programmes andthework in
other relevant international institutions." (Article 8:2(a), footnote 25)TheCommittee reviewed theoperation ofthisprovision inMay 1996. Itwas
noted thatabroader review oftheoperation ofArticles 6.1,8and9ofthe
Agreement would berequired notlater than5July1999 under Article 31ofthe
Agreement.
-".... TheCommittee shall review theoperation ofthisprovision fiveyears
from thedateoftheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement." (Article 27:6)Thisprovision istobereviewed fiveyears from 1January 1995.
-"The provisions ofparagraph 1ofArticle 6andtheprovisions ofArticle 8and
Article 9shall apply foraperiod offiveyears, beginning withthedateofentry
intoforce oftheWTO Agreement. Notlaterthan180daysbefore theendofthis
period, theCommittee shallreview theoperation ofthose provisions, withaview
todetermining whether toextend their application, either aspresently drafted or
inamodified form, forafurther period." (Article 31)These provisions aretobereviewed notlater than5July1999. InApril 1998,
theCommittee authorized itsChairman toconsult informally regarding the
review process.
-"The Committee shall review annually theimplementation andoperation ofthis
Agreement, taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shall
inform annually theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during the
period covered bysuch reviews." (Article 32:7)TheCommittee hasbeen meeting regularly tocarry outitstaskofreviewing the
implementation andoperation oftheAgreement andhasreported annually tothe
Council forTrade inGoods.WT/L/271
Page12Provision Implementation
-"Anunderstanding among Members should bedeveloped, asnecessary, on
matters which arenotspecified inthisAnnex orwhich need further clarification
forthepurposes ofparagraph 1(a)ofArticle 6."(Footnote 62,Annex IVofthe
Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures)TheCommittee, atitsmeeting on13June 1995, established anInformal Group
ofExperts toexamine suchmatters andtosubmit areport andrecommendations
totheCommittee. InJuly1997, theInformal Group circulated itsreport, which
included 21recommendations. TheCommittee gave thereport preliminary
consideration inOctober 1997. TheInformal Group heldaninformal session in
January 1998, andmade anumber ofrevisions tothereport totakeintoaccount
Members 'comments. InApril 1998, theCommittee tooknoteofthereport and
recommendations, aswell asofstatements bydelegations, andauthorized the
Informal Group tocontinue itswork with respect toissues onwhich no
conclusion wasreached andnorecommendation made bytheGroup.
17.Agreement onSafeguards
-"ACommittee onSafeguards ishereby established, under theauthority ofthe
Council forTrade inGoods, which shall beopen totheparticipation ofany
Member indicating itswish toserve onit.TheCommittee willhave the
following functions:
(a)tomonitor, andreport annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods on,the
general implementation ofthisAgreement andmake recommendations
towards itsimprovement." (Article 13:1(a))The Committee hasmetregularly tocarry outitstask ofmonitoring the
implementation oftheAgreement andhasreported annually totheCouncil for
Trade inGoods.
18.General Agreement onTrade inServices
-"With aview toensuring thatmeasures relating toqualification requirements
andprocedures, technical standards andlicensing requirements donotconstitute
unnecessary barriers totrade inservices, theCouncil forTrade inServices shall,
through appropriate bodies itmayestablish, develop anynecessary disciplines.
Such disciplines shall aimtoensure thatsuch requirements are,inter alia...."
(Article VI:4)The Working Party onProfessional Services (WPPS) has started the
implementation oftheArticle VI:4 work programme forprofessional services
with thesector ofaccountancy being thepriority. TheWPPS hasconcluded
work onasetofguidelines forthenegotiations ofmutual recognition
agreements. Theguidelines were adopted bytheCouncil forTrade inServices
on29May 1997. TheWPPS iscurrently close toconcluding itswork on
disciplines fordomestic regulation intheaccountancy sector. Those disciplines
aretoensure thatmeasures relating toqualification requirements, procedures,
technical standards andlicensing requirements andprocedures donotconstituteWT/L/271
Page13Provision Implementation
unnecessary barriers totrade. Itisexpected thatwork onthedisciplines willbe
concluded inthevery near future. While thiswork hasbeen focused onthe
accountancy sector, thework programme inArticle VI:4 isofahorizontal
nature. Work onother aspects ofthismandate isexpected tostart soon under
theauspices oftheCouncil forTrade inServices.
-"There shall bemultilateral negotiations onthequestion ofemergency
safeguard measures based ontheprinciple ofnon-discrimination. Theresults of
such negotiations shall enter intoeffect onadatenotlater thanthree years from
thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement." (Article X:1)Negotiations onemergency safeguard measures have been taking place inthe
context oftheWorking Party onGATS Rules. Asubstantial amount ofwork has
been done onconceptual andsubstantive issues relating totheneed for,
desirability andtechnical viability ofhaving anemergency safeguard mechanism
fortrade inservices. Thedeadline forthese negotiations hasbeen extended by
theCouncil forTrade inServices until theendofJune 1999.
-"There shall bemultilateral negotiations ongovernment procurement in
services under thisAgreement within twoyears from thedateofentry intoforce
oftheWTO Agreement." (Article XIII:2)Negotiations ongovernment procurement inservices have been taking place in
thecontext oftheWorking Party onGATS Rules since itsestablishment on
3March 1995. Article XIIIoftheGATS does notsetanydeadline forthese
negotiations. Substantive discussions have been taking place intheWorking
Party onvarious aspects ofpossible disciplines, particularly inrelation to
transparency. Members have alsoconsidered theimplications oftheexistence of
theAgreement ofGovernment Procurement foranydisciplines thatmight be
developed under theGATS. Members have alsoengaged, onavoluntary basis,
inaninformation gathering exercise relating toprocurement regimes affecting
trade inservices onthebasis ofaquestionnaire prepared bytheSecretariat.
-"Members recognize that, incertain circumstances, subsidies may have
distortive effects ontrade inservices. Members shall enter intonegotiations with
aview todeveloping thenecessary multilateral disciplines toavoid such trade-
distortive effects.4Thenegotiations shall alsoaddress theappropriateness of
countervailing procedures. Such negotiations shall recognize theroleofsubsidies
inrelation tothedevelopment programmes ofdeveloping countries andtakeinto
account theneeds ofMembers, particularly developing country Members, for
flexibility inthisarea. Forthepurpose ofsuch negotiations, Members shall
exchange information concerning allsubsidies related totrade inservices that
theyprovide totheir domestic service suppliers." (Article XV:1)TheWorking Party onGATS Rules hassofarconducted preliminary discussions
onthesubject ofsubsidies. Discussions have revealed theinherent complexity of
thesubsidy issue inservices. Many delegations have urged acareful and
systematic approach tothenegotiating mandate. TheWorking Party hasbegun
consideration ofthemodalities fortheinformation exchange exercise called forin
Article XV.
4Footnote toGATS Article XV:1: Afuture work programme shall determine how, andinwhat time-frame, negotiations onsuch multilateral disciplines willbeconducted.WT/L/271
Page14Provision Implementation
-"Inpursuance oftheobjectives ofthisAgreement, Members shall enter into
successive rounds ofnegotiations, beginning notlater thanfiveyears from the
dateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement andperiodically thereafter, with
aview toachieving aprogressively higher level ofliberalization. Such
negotiations shallbedirected tothereduction orelimination oftheadverse effects
ontrade inservices ofmeasures asameans ofproviding effective market access.
This process shall take place with aview topromoting theinterests ofall
participants onamutually advantageous basis andtosecuring anoverall balance
ofrights andobligations." (Article XIX:1)Onthebasis oftherecommendations endorsed byMinisters inSingapore, the
Council forTrade inServices hasstarted itspreparations forthenextround of
negotiations onservices mandated byArticle XIXoftheGATS. According to
these recommendations theCouncil isrequired todevelop aninformation
exchange programme theaimofwhich istofacilitate access ofallMembers, in
particular developing country Members, forinformation regarding laws,
regulations, administrative guidelines andpolicies affecting trade inservices.
The Council iscurrently discussing themodalities andthetiming forthis
programme. Atanappropriate time, theCouncil willbegin theconsideration of
guidelines andprocedures forthenext round ofnegotiations asmandated by
Article XIX.
-"The Council forTrade inServices shall review allexemptions granted fora
period ofmore than5years. Thefirstsuchreview shall takeplace nomore than
5years after theentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement." (Annex onArticle II
Exemptions, paragraph 3)Thereview ofMFN exemptions istotakeplace before theendof1999.
-"The Council forTrade inServices shallreview periodically, andatleastevery
fiveyears, developments intheairtransport sector andtheoperation ofthis
Annex with aview toconsidering thepossible further application ofthe
Agreement inthissector." (Annex onAirTransport Services)Areview oftheairtransport sector andtheoperation oftheAnnex onAir
Transport istotake place atleast every five years (presumably from
1January 1995).
19.Agreement onTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights
-"Inorder tofacilitate theprotection ofgeographical indications forwines,
negotiations shall beundertaken intheCouncil forTRIPS concerning the
establishment ofamultilateral system ofnotification and registration of
geographical indications forwines eligible forprotection inthose Members
participating inthesystem." (Article 23:4)Initsreport totheSingapore Ministerial Conference, theTRIPS Council agreed
toinitiate, in1997, preliminary work onissues relevant tothenegotiations
specified inArticle 23.4oftheTRIPS Agreement concerning theestablishment of
amultilateral system ofnotification andregistration ofgeographical indications
forwines. Itfurther agreed thatissues relevant toanotification andregistration
system forspirits would bepartofthispreliminary work. Thepreliminary work
undertaken hastaken theform ofthecollection ofinformation about existing
national andinternational systems ofrelevance. TheChairman oftheTRIPS
Council isscheduled tohold consultations onhow thework might becarried
forward.WT/L/271
Page15Provision Implementation
-"The Council forTRIPS shall keep under review theapplication ofthe
provisions ofthisSection [Section 3ofpartIIoftheAgreement]; thefirstsuch
review shall takeplace within twoyears oftheentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement. Anymatter affecting thecompliance withtheobligations under these
provisions maybedrawn totheattention oftheCouncil, which, attherequest of
aMember, shall consult withanyMember orMembers inrespect ofsuchmatter
inrespect ofwhich ithasnotbeen possible tofindasatisfactory solution through
bilateral orplurilateral consultations between theMembers concerned. The
Council shall takesuch action asmaybeagreed tofacilitate theoperation and
further theobjectives ofthisSection." (Article 24:2)Asagreed initsreport totheSingapore Ministerial Conference, theTRIPS
Council took upwork onthismatter atitsNovember 1996 meeting after and
taking into account thereview oflegislation intheareas oftrademarks,
geographical indications andindustrial designs thatitundertook atthatmeeting.
Following informal consultations held onthebasis ofpapers from Members
setting outsuggestions onthepurpose ofandprocedures forthereview, the
Chairman reported totheFebruary 1998 meeting oftheCouncil thatdelegations
supported theapproach ofdeveloping achecklist ofquestions about national
regimes fortheprotection andenforcement ofgeographical indications towhich
Members would beasked toreply andthatadraft ofsuch achecklist, which
would beprepared bytheSecretariat onthebasis ofquestions suggested by
delegations, would bethesubject ofinformal consultations bytheChairman prior
totheMay 1998 meeting oftheCouncil.
-".... Theprovisions ofthissubparagraph shall bereviewed fouryears after
thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement." (Article 27:3(b))Thereview under Article 27:3(b) istotakeplace four years after 1January
1995. TheTRIPS Council 'sreport totheSingapore Ministerial Conference
provides forcarrying outasand when appropriate analytical work and
information exchange soastoallow Members abetter prior understanding ofthe
issues involved intheTRIPS built-in agenda without prejudice tothetiming or
scope ofthereviews ornegotiations envisaged.
-"During thetime period referred toinparagraph 2,theCouncil forTRIPS
shall examine thescope andmodalities forcomplaints ofthetypeprovided for
under subparagraphs 1(b) and1(c) ofArticle XXIII ofGATT 1994 made
pursuant tothisAgreement, andsubmit itsrecommendations totheMinisterial
Conference forapproval. Anydecision oftheMinisterial Conference toapprove
suchrecommendations ortoextend theperiod inparagraph 2shall bemade only
byconsensus, andapproved recommendations shall beeffective forallMembers
without further formal acceptance process." (Article 64:3)Nosuggestions have been made intheTRIPS Council inregard tothe
examination called forunder Article 64:3.
-"The Council forTRIPS shall review theimplementation ofthisAgreement
after theexpiration ofthetransitional period referred toinparagraph 2of
Article 65. TheCouncil shall, having regard totheexperience gained inits
implementation, review ittwoyears after thatdate, andatidentical intervals
thereafter. TheCouncil mayalsoundertake reviews inthelight ofanyrelevant
new developments which might warrant modification oramendment ofthis
Agreement." (Article 71:1)Thetransitional period referred toinArticle 65:2 hasnotyetexpired.WT/L/271
Page16Provision Implementation
20.Trade Policy Review Mechanism
-"The TPRB shall undertake anappraisal oftheoperation oftheTPRM not
more thanfiveyears after theentry intoforce oftheAgreement establishing the
WTO. The results oftheappraisal will bepresented totheMinisterial
Conference. Itmaysubsequently undertake appraisals ofthetprm atintervals to
bedetermined byitorasrequested bytheMinisterial Conference." (Section F)Theappraisal ofthemechanism bytheTPRB should take place atthelatest
during 1999. Todate, various steps have been taken tomodify andimprove the
operation ofthemechanism. These have been reported intheannual reports of
theTPRB totheGeneral Council orMinisterial Conference (WT/TPR/27 and
WT/TPR/41).
-"Anannual overview ofdevelopments intheinternational trading environment
which arehaving animpact onthemultilateral trading system shall alsobe
undertaken bytheTPRB. Theoverview istobeassisted byanannual report by
theDirector-General setting outmajor activities oftheWTO andhighlighting
significant policy issues affecting thetrading system." (Section G)Theannual overviews for1995 and1997 were undertaken atthefinal meeting of
theGeneral Council foreach year, andtheannual overview for1996 was
undertaken attheSingapore Ministerial Conference.
21.Agreement onTrade inCivil Aircraft
-"The Committee shall review annually theimplementation andoperation ofthis
Agreement taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shall
annually inform theCONTRACTING PARTIES totheGATT ofdevelopments
during theperiod covered bysuch review." (Article 8:2).Consistent with Article IV:8 oftheAgreement Establishing theWTO, the
Committee informs theGeneral Council annually ofitsactivities.
-"Not later than theendofthethird year from theentry intoforce ofthis
Agreement and periodically thereafter, Signatories shall undertake further
negotiations, with aview tobroadening andimproving thisAgreement onthe
basis ofmutual reciprocity." (Article 8:3).Article 8:3negotiations commenced inJuly1992. These negotiations, which
now also cover thequestion ofbringing theAgreement into theWTO
framework, have notyetbeen completed withtheresult thattheAgreement does
notoperate within theWTO framework.
22.Agreement onGovernment Procurement
-"Following theconclusion ofthework programme fortheharmonization of
rules ororigin forgoods tobeundertaken under theAgreement onRules of
Origin inAnnex IAoftheAgreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization
(hereinafter referred toas"WTO Agreement") andnegotiations regarding trade in
services, Parties shall take theresults ofthatwork programme andthose
negotiations into account inamending paragraph 1asappropriate."
(Article IV:2)Theharmonization work programme andthenegotiations ontrade inservices
referred tointhisprovision have notyetconcluded.WT/L/271
Page17Provision Implementation
-"The Committee shall review annually theoperation andeffectiveness ofthis
Article and,after each three years ofitsoperation onthebasis ofreports tobe
submitted byParties, shall carry outamajor review inorder toevaluate its
effects. Aspartofthethree-yearly reviews andwith aview toachieving the
maximum implementation oftheprovisions ofthisAgreement, including in
particular Article III,andhaving regard tothedevelopment, financial andtrade
situation ofthedeveloping countries concerned, theCommittee shall examine
whether exclusions provided forinaccordance with theprovisions of
paragraphs 4through 6ofthis Article shall bemodified orextended."
(Article V:14)Nosuggestions have been made intheCommittee inregard tothereviews called
forinArticle V:14.
".... Totheextent thatsuch information isavailable, each Party shall provide
statistics onthecountry oforigin ofproducts andservices purchased byits
entities. With aview toensuring thatsuch statistics arecomparable, the
Committee shall provide guidance onmethods tobeused. With aview to
ensuring effective monitoring ofprocurement covered bythisAgreement, the
Committee may decide unanimously tomodify the requirements of
subparagraphs (a)through (d)asregards thenature andextent ofstatistical
information tobeprovided andthebreakdowns andclassifications tobeused."
(Article XIX:5)Based onareport ofaWorking Group onStatistical Reporting, established
before theentry intoforce oftheAgreement (GPA/IC/8), theCommittee has
agreed thattherules oforigin ofproducts used forthepurposes ofstatistical
reporting inArticle XIX:5 oftheAgreement should bethesame asthose applied
under Article IV,which were those used inthenormal course oftrade
(GPA/M/1). Asfortherequirement toreport statistics ontheorigin ofservices,
theCommittee postponed application ofthisrequirement until practicable rules
fordetermining theorigin ofservices hadbeen defined. TheCommittee also
adopted classification systems forgoods andservices tobeused instatistical
reporting under theAgreement (GPA/4). TheCommittee hasinitiated work on
thesimplification andimprovement oftheprovisions onstatistical reporting inthe
context ofitsreview oftheAgreement pursuant toArticle XXIV:7(b). Statistics
onprocurements covered bytheAgreement in1996 and1997 areawaited from
Parties.
-"With aview toensuring that theAgreement does notconstitute an
unnecessary obstacle totechnical progress, parties shall consult regularly inthe
Committee regarding developments intheuseofinformation technology in
government procurement andshall, ifnecessary, negotiate modifications tothe
Agreement. These consultations shall inparticular aimtoensure thattheuseof
information technology promotes theaims ofopen, non-discriminatory and
efficient government procurement through transparent procedures, thatcontracts
covered under theAgreement areclearly identified andthat allavailable
information relating toaparticular contract can beidentified...."
(Article XXIV:8)Information technology issues have been aregular itemontheagenda offirstthe
Interim Committee (before theentry intoforce oftheAgreement) andtheninthe
Committee itself. Thiswork hasincluded thegathering ofinformation ontheuse
ofinformation technology ingovernment procurement aswellasconsideration of
itsimplications fortheAgreement andforinternational cooperation. More
recently, theCommittee haspursued thismatter inthecontext ofitswork on
simplification andimprovement oftheAgreement under thereview pursuant to
Article XXIV:7(b).WT/L/271
Page18Provision Implementation
-"The Committee shall review annually theimplementation andoperation ofthis
Agreement taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shall
annually inform theGeneral Council oftheWTO ofdevelopments during the
periods covered bysuch reviews." (Article XXIV:7(a))TheCommittee hasheldannual reviews oftheimplementation andoperation of
theAgreement under thisprovision andinformed theGeneral Council of
developments annually.
-"Not later thantheendofthethird yearfrom thedateofentry intoforce of
thisAgreement andperiodically thereafter, theParties thereto shall undertake
further negotiations, withaview toimproving thisAgreement andachieving the
greatest possible extension ofitscoverage among allParties onthebasis of
mutual reciprocity, having regard totheprovisions ofArticle Vrelating to
developing countries." (Article XXIV:7(b))Asagreed inits1996 Report totheGeneral Council, theCommittee hasinitiated
anearly review, starting in1997 withanexamination ofmodalities, withaview
totheimplementation ofArticle XXIV:7(b) and(c)oftheAgreement. The
review will, inparticular, cover thefollowing elements: simplification and
improvement oftheAgreement, including, where appropriate, adaptation to
advances intheareaofinformation technology; expansion ofthecoverage ofthe
Agreement; andelimination ofdiscriminatory measures andpractices which
distort open procurement (GPA/8 andAdd.1). Thework onthereview was
initiated inFebruary 1997 ininformal consultations andonthebasis ofproposals
byvarious Parties. Thestatus ofthediscussion oftheelements ofthereview is
contained inaninformal Checklist ofissues which isregularly updated. An
objective ofthereview istheexpansion ofthemembership oftheAgreement by
making itmore accessible tonon-Parties. Inthisconnection, acommunication
wassentbytheChairman oftheCommittee totheWTO Members, drawing their
attention, aswell astheattention ofgovernments which areintheprocess of
acceding totheWTO, tothereview andinviting them toparticipate asobservers
inthemeetings oftheCommittee (WT/L/206).
23.Decision onMeasures inFavour ofLeast-Developed Countries
-"[Ministers agree that:]
Expeditious implementation ofallspecial anddifferential measures taken in
favour ofleast-developed countries including those taken within thecontext ofthe
Uruguay Round shall beensured through, inter alia,regular reviews."
(Paragraph 2(i))These reviews currently takeplace intheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment,
which hasconducted reviews atitsmeetings inSeptember 1996 and
November 1997.WT/L/271
Page19Provision Implementation
-"[Ministers ]agree tokeep under review thespecific needs oftheleast-
developed countries andtocontinue toseek theadoption ofpositive measures
which facilitate theexpansion oftrading opportunities infavour ofthese
countries." (Paragraph 3)Attheir firstMinisterial Conference inSingapore, Ministers, concerned bythe
problems ofleast-developed countries torespond tothechallenges and
opportunities offered bythemultilateral trading system, agreed toa
Comprehensive andIntegrated WTO Plan ofAction fortheLeast-Developed
Countries; toseektogiveitoperational content; andtoorganize ameeting with
UNCTAD andtheITC in1997, with theparticipation ofaidagencies,
multilateral financial institutions andLDCs tofoster anintegrated approach to
assisting these countries inenhancing their trading opportunities.
Inpursuance, theWTO, with thesupport andactive participation oftheIMF,
ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP andtheWorld Bank, organized aHigh-Level Meeting
onIntegrated Initiatives forLeast-Developed Countries 'Trade Development at
theWTO on27-28 October 1997 which addressed theissues ofincreased market
access forleast-developed countries andtechnical assistance tohelpthem take
advantage ofsuch increased access andgenerally toimprove their overall
capacity tointegrate intothetrading system. TheMeeting encouraged allWTO
Members tokeep under active review alloptions forimproving market access for
least-developed countries presented intheComprehensive andIntegrated WTO
Plan ofActions forLeast-Developed Countries, and tomonitor the
implementation ofcommitments made inthisregard. The Meeting also
recommended thatafullreport ontheoutcome andfollow-up oftheMeeting and
announcements ofimplementation ofautonomous market access measures and
commitments infavour ofleast-developed countries beprepared bytheDirector-
General andsubmitted totheMinisterial Conference inMay 1998. Areport by
theDirector-General onthesteps thathave been taken tobuild ontheresults of
theHigh Level Meeting insupport ofthetrade andtrade-related activities ofthe
LDCs hasbeen prepared fortheinformation ofMinisters andcirculated as
document WT/MIN(98)/2.WT/L/271
Page20Provision Implementation
24.Declaration ontheContribution oftheWTO toAchieving Greater
Coherence inGlobal Economic Policymaking
".... The World Trade Organization should therefore pursue anddevelop
cooperation with theinternational organizations responsible formonetary and
financial matters, while respecting themandate, theconfidentiality requirements
andthenecessary autonomy indecision-making procedures ofeach institution,
andavoiding theimposition ongovernments ofcross-conditionality oradditional
conditions." (Paragraph 5)Seeunder Section 2above.
25.Decision onNotification Procedures
-"The Council forTrade inGoods willundertake areview ofnotification
obligations andprocedures under theAgreements inAnnex IAoftheWTO
Agreement. Thereview willbecarried outbyaworking group, Membership in
which willbeopen toallMembers. Thegroup willbeestablished immediately
after thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement.
The terms ofreference oftheworking group will be...tomake
recommendations totheCouncil forTrade inGoods notlaterthantwoyears after
theentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement." (Section III)InFebruary 1995, theCouncil forTrade inGoods established aWorking Group
onNotification Obligations andProcedures tocarry outthetasks setoutinthe
Decision. TheWorking Group submitted itsreport (G/L/112 andAdd.1) in
October 1996. Atitsmeeting on15October 1996, theCouncil forTrade in
Goods considered thereport andtookaction onitsrecommendations assetoutin
G/C/M/14.
TheCouncil forTrade inGoods, inter alia,made thefollowing recommendations
totheGeneral Council: (a)"totake thenecessary steps toeliminate the
notification obligations intheDecisions oftheGATT 1947 CONTRACTING
PARTIES relating toimport licensing procedures"; and(b)"toconsider the
establishment, atanappropriate time, ofabody with amandate toreview the
notification obligations and procedures throughout theWTO Agreement.
Alternatively, consideration might begiven totheestablishment ofabody, orthe
extension/modification ofthemandate ofthecurrent Working Group, toconduct,
atanappropriate time, afurther comprehensive review ofthenotification
obligations andprocedures intheagreements inAnnex 1AoftheWTO
Agreement. Itwassuggested thatfuture work alsoencompass matters relating to
theCentral Registry ofNotifications, electronic transmission ofnotifications and
further work onthenotifications handbook" (G/L/134, Section II). In
February 1998, inpursuance ofthese recommendations, theGeneral Council
adopted adecision toeliminate thenotification obligations relating toimportWT/L/271
Page21Provision Implementation
licensing procedures intherelevant Decision oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES
totheGATT 1947 and,onthebasis ofdiscussions heldbytheformer Chairman
oftheWorking Group, agreed thattherecommendation oftheCouncil forTrade
inGoods insub-paragraph (b)bekeptunder review andreverted toatafuture
dateasappropriate.
26.Decision onMeasures Concerning thePossible Negative Effects ofthe
Reform Programme onLeast-Developed and Net Food-Importing
Developing Countries
-"The provisions ofthisDecision willbesubject toregular review bythe
Ministerial Conference, andthefollow-up tothisDecision shall bemonitored, as
appropriate, bytheCommittee onAgriculture." (Paragraph 6)Thefollow-up totheDecision hasbeen monitored bytheCommittee ateach of
itsregular November meetings. Thisannual monitoring exercise isconducted on
thebasis ofnotifications relating, inter alia,toactions taken bydeveloped
country Members regarding thequantity andconcessionality offoodaid,aswell
astechnical andfinancial assistance, provided tothe48least-developed andtothe
18developing country Members which arecurrently listed inG/AG/5/Rev.2 as
netfood-importing developing countries. Relevant observer international
organizations also contribute tothisannual monitoring exercise, including the
IMF andtheWorld Bank withrespect toaccess totheir facilities foraddressing
short-term difficulties infinancing normal levels ofcommercial imports ofbasic
foodstuffs.
Specific recommendations were adopted bytheSingapore Ministerial Conference
ontheimplementation oftheDecision (G/L/125, paragraph 18refers), in
particular with respect tonegotiations oninternational food aidcommitment
levels andrelated concessionality guidelines. Inresponse, theFood Aid
Committee inLondon decided, inDecember 1997, toextend thelifeoftheFood
AidConvention, 1995, byoneyearto30June1999 andtoopen theConvention
forrenegotiation. Inthisendeavour, FAC members have expressed their
intention tomaintain, asappropriate, adialogue with food aidrecipients,WT/L/271
Page22Provision Implementation
potential FAC members andrelevant international organizations. Progress in
these negotiations iskept under review ateach oftheregular meetings ofthe
Committee onAgriculture. The Singapore Ministerial Conference
recommendations also confirm, inter alia,thecommitment toensure that
appropriate provision ismade fordifferential treatment infavour of
least-developed andnetfood-importing developing countries inanyagreement
relating toagricultural export credits.
27.Decision onAnti-Circumvention
-"Ministers,
Noting thatwhile theproblem ofcircumvention ofanti-dumping dutymeasures
formed partofthenegotiations which preceded theAgreement onImplementation
ofArticle VIofGATT 1994, negotiators were unable toagree onspecific text,
Mindful ofthedesirability oftheapplicability ofuniform rules inthisareaas
soon aspossible,
Decide torefer thismatter totheCommittee onAnti-Dumping Practices
established under thatAgreement forresolution."Discussions onthissubject have been held inanInformal Group onAnti-
Circumvention established bytheCommittee onAnti-Dumping Practices inApril
1997, which isconducting ongoing discussions under aframework agreed by
Members.
28.Decision onReview ofArticle 17.6 oftheAgreement onImplementation
ofArticle VIofGATT 1994
-"The standard ofreview inparagraph 6ofArticle 17oftheAgreement on
Implementation ofArticle VIofGATT 1994 shall bereviewed after aperiod of
three years with aview toconsidering thequestion ofwhether itiscapable of
general application".Thereview hastobeconducted after aperiod ofthree years (presumably from
1January 1995). Todate, there have been nodecisions applying thestandard of
review inArticle 17.6.WT/L/271
Page23Provision Implementation
29.Decision onTrade inServices andtheEnvironment
-"[TheCouncil forTrade inServices decides asfollows :]Inorder todetermine
whether anymodification ofArticle XIV oftheAgreement isrequired totake
account ofsuch measures, torequest theCommittee onTrade andEnvironment
toexamine andreport, withrecommendations ifany,ontherelationship between
services trade and theenvironment including theissue ofsustainable
development. The Committee shall also examine therelevance ofinter-
governmental agreements ontheenvironment andtheir relationship tothe
Agreement." (Paragraph 1)Aspartofitswork under item 9ofitswork programme, namely "The work
programme envisaged intheDecision onTrade inServices and the
Environment", theCommittee onTrade andEnvironment hasexamined and
reported onthisissue, inparticular inparagraphs 210and211ofWT/CTE/1.
-"The Committee shall report theresults ofitswork tothefirstbiennial meeting
oftheMinisterial Conference after theentry into force oftheAgreement
Establishing theWorld Trade Organization." (Paragraph 2)TheCommittee reported totheSingapore Ministerial Conference indocument
WT/CTE/1.
30.Decision onNegotiations onMovement ofNatural Persons
-"The negotiating group shall hold itsfirstnegotiating session nolater than
16May 1994. Itshall conclude these negotiations andproduce afinal report no
laterthansixmonths after theentry intoforce oftheAgreement Establishing the
World Trade Organization." (Paragraph 3)TheNegotiating Group onMovement ofNatural Persons concluded itswork on
28July1995. Thecommitments resulting from thenegotiations were annexed to
theThird Protocol totheGATS. 20schedules representing 20Members were
annexed totheProtocol. TheThird Protocol entered intoforce on27July1996
forthemajority oftheMembers concerned.WT/L/271
Page24Provision Implementation
31.Decision onFinancial Services
-"Attheconclusion ofaperiod ending nolaterthansixmonths after thedateof
entry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, Members shall befreetoimprove,
modify orwithdraw allorpartoftheir commitments inthissector without
offering compensation, notwithstanding theprovisions ofArticle XXI ofthe
General Agreement onTrade inServices. Atthesame time Members shall
finalize theirpositions relating toMFN exemptions inthissector, notwithstanding
theprovisions oftheAnnex onArticle IIExemptions. From thedateofentry
intoforce oftheWTO Agreement anduntil theendoftheperiod referred to
above, exemptions listed intheAnnex onArticle IIExemptions which are
conditional upon thelevel ofcommitments undertaken byother participants or
upon exemptions byother participants willnotbeapplied." (Paragraph 1)Thenegotiations onfinancial services have been extended forthesecond time.
TheCouncil forTrade inServices adopted theSecond Decision onFinancial
Services on21July1995 toextend thenegotiations until December 1997. These
negotiations were concluded on12December 1997. The results ofthe
negotiations areannexed totheFifth Protocol totheGATS. TheProtocol is
open foracceptance until 29January 1999. 56Schedules representing 70
Members areannexed totheFifth Protocol. TheProtocol shall enter intoforce
upon acceptance ofallMembers whohave annexed commitments toit.
-"The Committee onTrade inFinancial Services shall monitor theprogress of
anynegotiations undertaken under theterms ofthisDecision andshall report
thereon totheCouncil forTrade inServices nolater thanfourmonths after the
dateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement." (Paragraph 2)Seeunder previous indent.
32.Decision onNegotiations onMaritime Transport Services
-"The NGMTS shall hold itsfirstnegotiating session nolater than 16May
1994. Itshall conclude these negotiations andmake afinal report nolater than
June 1996. The final report oftheNGMTS shall include adate forthe
implementation ofresults ofthese negotiations." (Paragraph 4)Thenegotiations onmaritime transport were suspended on28June 1996 tobe
resumed withthecommencement ofthecomprehensive round ofnegotiations on
services inaccordance withArticle XIXoftheGATS. Thenegotiations shall be
concluded nolater thanattheendofthatround.
33.Decision onNegotiations onBasic Telecommunications
-"The NGBT shall holditsfirstnegotiating session nolaterthan16May 1994.
Itshall conclude these negotiations andmake afinal report nolaterthan30april
1996. Thefinal report oftheNGBT shall include adatefortheimplementation
ofresults ofthese negotiations." (Paragraph 5)The negotiations on basic telecommunications were concluded on
15February 1997. The commitments resulting from thenegotiations were
annexed totheFourth Protocol totheGATS. 55Schedules representing 69
Members were annexed totheProtocol. TheFourth Protocol entered intoforce
on5February 1998.WT/L/271
Page25Provision Implementation
34.Decision onProfessional Services
-".... AWorking Party onProfessional Services shall beestablished to
examine andreport, withrecommendations, onthedisciplines necessary toensure
thatmeasures relating toqualification requirements andprocedures, technical
standards andlicensing requirements inthefield ofprofessional services donot
constitute unnecessary barriers totrade." (Paragraph 1)Seeunder Section 18above, firstindent.
-"Asamatter ofpriority, theWorking Party shall make recommendations for
theelaboration ofmultilateral disciplines intheaccountancy sector, soastogive
operational effect tospecific commitments ...." (Paragraph 2)Seeunder Section 18above, firstindent.
35.Decision ontheApplication andReview oftheUnderstanding onRules
andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes
-"[Ministers ]invite theMinisterial Conference tocomplete afullreview of
dispute settlement rules andprocedures under theWorld Trade Organization
within fouryears after theentry intoforce oftheAgreement Establishing the
World Trade Organization, andtotakeadecision ontheoccasion ofitsfirst
meeting after thecompletion ofthereview, whether tocontinue, modify or
terminate such dispute settlement rules andprocedures."Inafirststage, delegations wishing todosoareinvited tosubmit informal
suggestions totheChairman oftheDispute Settlement Body withrespect tothe
issues tobetaken upinthecontext ofthereview. Inearly June 1998, theDSB
willhold aninformal meeting totakestock ofthesuggestions received andto
discuss howtoproceed further.
36.Decision onTrade andEnvironment
-"[Ministers decide ]todirect thefirstmeeting oftheGeneral Council ofthe
WTO toestablish aCommittee onTrade andEnvironment open toallMembers
oftheWTO toreport tothefirstbiennial meeting oftheMinisterial Conference
after theentry intoforce oftheWTO when thework andterms ofreference of
theCommittee will bereviewed, inthelight ofrecommendations ofthe
Committee".TheCommittee 'sreport totheSingapore Ministerial Conference waspresented
andendorsed bytheMinisters (WT/CTE/1). Asdirected bytheSingapore
Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(96)/DEC), theCommittee onTrade and
Environment hascontinued towork with themandate andterms ofreference
contained intheMarrakesh Ministerial Decision onTrade andEnvironment. All
items ofthework programme setoutintheMinisterial Decision onTrade and
Environment areontheagenda oftheCommittee inaccordance with the
recommendations contained intheReport oftheCTE totheSingapore Ministerial
Conference. Inorder tobroaden anddeepen thediscussions, athematic
approach hasbeen followed soastoallow allitems tobeaddressed ina
systematic manner.
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