RESTRICTED  
  
G/RO/M/81  
 
1 November  2023 
(23-7395) Page: 1/9 
Committee on Rules of Origin    
 
 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 12 OCTOBER  2023  
CHAIRPERSON: MR ELIA N. MTWEVE  (TANZANIA)  
Subjects discussed : 
 
1   PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (WT/L/917 
AND WT/L/917/ADD.1)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 2 
A. Review of Recent Developments in Relation to Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs: 
Update  and Report by Preference -Granting Members Wishing to Share Any Developments  ..........  2 
B. Status of Notifications of Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs and Preferential Import Data – 
Update and Report by the Secretariat (G/RO/W/163/Rev.12)  ................................ ..................  2 
C. China's Study on Utilization by LDCs of China's Preference in 2020: Presentation by China  .. 3 
D. Understanding the Importance of Differentiating Utilization Rates of Preferential 
Arrangements: Lessons Learned and Best Practices - Presentation by Cambodia  ........................  4 
E. Draft Report to the General Council Ahead of the Next Ministerial Conference Reporting 
on Preferential Rules of Origin and the Implementation of the 2013 and 2015  Ministerial and 
2022 Committee Decisions (G/RO/95, WT/L/1135, and G/RO/W/223)  ................................ ...... 5 
F. Modalities and Methodology for the Calculation of Utilization Rates - Update by the 
Secretariat (G/RO/W/161/Rev.1)  ................................ ................................ ........................  5 
2   DRAFT TRANSPARENCY DECISION AND NOTIFICATION TEMPLATE ON 
NON-PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN (JOB/RO/8) – UPDATE BY THE CHAIRPERSON  .. 7 
3   NOTIFICATIONS UNDER ARTICLE  5 AND UNDER PARAGRAPH  4 OF ANNEX  II OF 
THE AGREEMENT ON RULES O F ORIGIN – UPDATE AND REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT 
(G/RO/N/254 – G/RO/N/264)  ................................ ................................ ........................  7 
4   MC12  IMPLEMENTATI ON MATTERS: IMPROVING THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CRO – 
REPORT TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS (G/RO/W/224)  ................................ ... 8 
5   COMPILATION OF ORIGIN -RELATED FACILITATIVE MEASURES TAKEN IN 
RESPONSETO THE COVID -19 PANDEMIC (G/RO/W/219) – REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT
 ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  8 
6   TWENTY -NINTH ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION OF 
THE AGREEMENT ON RULES OF ORIGIN (G/RO/W/225)  ................................ ..................  9 
7   DRAFT REPORT (2023) OF THE CRO TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS 
(G/RO/W/226)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  9 
8   DATES OF NEXT MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE  ................................ ..........................  9 
9   OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  9 
_______________  
 
The Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO) adopted the agenda for the meeting 
(WTO/AIR/RO/18/ Rev.1 ). An annotated agenda had also been circulated (JOB/RO/11 ). 
The Chairperson appreciated that, for the first time, the agenda had been built using the new e -
agenda. Delegations attended the meeting in person or remotely  via the "Interprefy" platform.  
_______________  G/RO/M/81  
 
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  1  PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ( WT/L/917  AND 
WT/L/917/ADD.1 ) 
1.1.  The Chairperson  invited preference granting Members to update the Committee about any 
recent developments in relation to their preferential rules of origin f or LDCs. He informed that the 
information would be used to prepare the Committee's annual report to the General Council . 
A. Review of Recent Developments  in Relation to Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs : 
Update and Report by Preference -Granting Members Wishing to Share Any Developments  
1.2.  The representative of  the United Kingdom  recalled that his delegation had previously updated 
this Committee on the launch of the UK  Developing Country Trading Scheme (DCTS) , which had 
entered into force on the 19  June 2023. He reported  that the UK had now submitted a notification 
with full details about the Scheme. He said that the  scheme  represented a significant improvement , 
since the UK  rules of origin for LDCs were now much simpler and easier to navigate  and added that 
the UK had also significantly simplified product -specific rules, taking into account the provisions of 
the Nairobi Ministerial Decision. Further more, he noted that , under the new scheme, LDCs were able 
to cumulate with 95  countries . The UK had a lso amended their legislation to allow Members  that had 
signed a  Free Trade Agreement ( FTA) with the UK to remain in regional cumulation groups.  
1.3.  The representative  of the European Union  reported that the EU was in the process of extending 
the period of app lication of its current Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Regulation No. 978, 
of 2012 , which was set to expire by the end of 2023. As a result of the extension, the new expiry 
date would be end-2027. He also informed the Committee that discussions we re ongoing regarding 
the revision of the EU  GSP, noting that no agreement had yet been reached on the shape of the new 
GSP. 
1.4.  The representative of Togo, on behalf of the LDC Group , thanked the delegations for their 
updates.  
1.5.  The Committee took note  of the statements made.  
B. Status of Notifications of Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs  and Preferential Import 
Data  – Update and Report by the Secretariat  (G/RO/W/163/Rev.12 ) 
1.6.  The Secretariat  (Mr Simon Neumueller) updated the Committee  about the latest status of 
notifications covering preferential rules of origin and preferential tariffs and imports 
(G/RO/W/163/Rev.12 ). He explained that only minimal changes to notifications on rules of origin 
had been introduced since the last update , most notably a new notification from the United Kingdom 
(G/RO/LDC/N/GBR/1/Rev.1 ). Regarding notifications to  the WTO's Integrated Database (IDB), he 
informed the Committee that several Members had submitted their preferential import statistics and 
tariff rates up to 2022. He also reported that there had been  updates to the data available for China 
and India, and that the Secretariat had been in frequent contact with the two  delegations with a 
view to complement ing the scope of the data available for the analysis of preference utilization.  
1.7.  The representative of India thanked the Secretariat and noted that India had submitted recent 
data regarding its import volumes , and that his d elegation was working with the Secretariat to 
complement the information on preferential tariff rates as soon as possible.  
1.8.  The representative of China  reported that his delegation had submitted to the WTO  its data for 
2021, including data specifically for the calculation of preference utilization.  
1.9.  The representative of Togo, on behalf of  the LDC Group,  welcomed the new notifications and 
encouraged those Members that had gaps in their notifications to provide the necessary information 
to facilitate  the work of the CRO.  
1.10.  The representative of New Zealand  reported  that her government had been working to revise 
its rules of origin for LDCs to align them to the rules used i n New Zealand's FTAs. The  revised rules 
would be communicated when the review had been completed. In addition,  her government had 
been making progress in the preparation of preferential import data to comply with the transparency G/RO/M/81  
 
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  mechanism for PTAs. New Ze aland had also updated its list of countries eligible for the GSP and 
would shortly be notifying these changes.  
1.11.  The Chairperson  urged those  delegations with pending notifications to work with their Capitals 
to ensure that their notifications were updated  and complete . 
1.12.  The Committee took note  of the Secretariat 's report and statements made.  
C. China's Study on Utilization by LDCs  of China's Preference  in 2020 : Presentation by 
China  
1.13.  The representative  of China  presented an overview of the utilization of China's trade 
preferences by LDCs in 2020 ( G/RO/W/227  and RD/RO/107 ). He explained that the presentation 
had been prepared in response to the presentation delivered  by the LDC  Group at the CRO 's previous 
meeting ( RD/RO/102 ). The c alculations followed the methodology agreed to by the CRO 
(G/RO/W/161 ) and considered all types of preferential tariffs available , namely  the LDC  Preferential 
Tariff Arrangement (PTA ), as well as  the FTAs  that a small group of LDCs had signed with China 
(Bangladesh; Cambodia; Lao  PDR; and Myanmar under the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Agreement and 
the China -ASEAN  Free Trade Agreement). In relation to the denominator  in the formula , he 
explained that China had only considered the value of imports that were destined for China's 
domestic market and therefore subject to cus toms duties. The value of goods not subject to customs 
duties had been excluded from the calculations ( for example,  re-exported or bonded goods entering 
special customs zone areas). In addition, goods benefit ting from a temporary tariff concession equal 
or lower to the PTA  preferences were also excluded from the calculations. The results of such 
calculations showed significant differences compared to  the results presented in the LDC  report. The 
utilization of China's preferences  confirmed that China's LDC -PTA rules of origin  were simple and 
convenient , and that utilization rates were generally high, albeit with low utilization by certain LDCs. 
The reasons for low utilization in such cases needed to be studied with the Members concerned. In 
this regard, China  proposed to strengthen  its collaboration with beneficiary Members to further 
understand the actual reasons and difficulties that could be hindering their preference utilization. 
China was willing to provide assistance and capacity building as needed. Fina lly, he explained that 
the calculations had also highlighted the need to use comprehensive data sets for the calculation of 
utilization rates . 
1.14.  The representative of India thanked China for the useful presentation. He agreed that all 
available preferential schemes needed to be considered  in the calculation of preference utilization . 
When all factors were considered, India's effective utilization rate was quite high. Such factors could 
include imports under RTAs or other schemes , or for re -export s. He recalled that his delegation had 
offered to engage with the LDCs to undertake preference utilization calculations and achieve a clearer  
picture of their preference utilization.  
1.15.  The representative  of Australia  thanked the delegation of China for the p resentation. In his 
view, it had been useful to clarify that apparent ly low utilization rates could some times be explained 
by data shortages.  
1.16.  The representative  of Togo, on behalf of the LDC  Group,  thanked China for the presentation. 
He explained that the calculations presented by the LDC  Group had been based on the data available 
with the Secretariat. In his view, it was the responsibility of preference -granting Members to ensure 
that the data concerning their preferences was complete  and available through  WTO databases . 
Furthermore, he  said that it was important to keep a focus on unilateral preferences , since the 
Committee had been mandated to improve rules of origin in the context of PTAs . He reiterated that 
the LDC  Group stood ready to cooperate with de legations with a view to achieving a common 
understanding of the data to be used when calculating utilization rates.  
1.17.  The Chairperson  thanked the delegation of China for undertaking its own calculations and for 
sharing its presentation with the Committee.  
1.18.  The Committee took note  of the statements made.  G/RO/M/81  
 
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  D. Understanding the Importance of Differentiating Utilization Rates of Preferential 
Arrangement s: Lesson s Learned and Best Practice s - Presentation by Cambodia  
1.19.  The Chairperson  welcomed Cambodia's Secretary of State to the meeting and invited  
Cambodia to deliver its presentation.  
1.20.  The representative of Cambodia  made a presentation ( RD/RO/108 ) about possible lessons 
learned  and best practices in relation to the calculation and interpretation of preference utilization 
rates. He explained that utilization rates were a useful and powerful tool for identify ing trade poli cy 
priorities for LDC and preference -granting Members. In this sense, he contended that  the concept 
of "underutilization " was too general because  it lumped together preferences that had different legal 
requirements, including different rules of origin. For  this reason, this approach did not allow for 
informed decisions by policymakers. The full potential of the concept of preference utilization for 
trade policy required the monitor ing of  utilization rates for each individual preferential scheme. This 
point was then illustrated with differences in utilization rates between Cambodia and Japan under 
the ASEAN -Japan  FTA and Japan's GSP for LDCs. In conclusion, he said that his delegation would 
follow up with a written submission detailing the advantages of monit oring the utilization rates of 
individual preferential schemes.  
1.21.  The representative of  the European Union  thanked the delegation of Cambodia.  Her delegation 
looked forward to reviewing  Cambodia's submission.  
1.22.  The representative of India thanked the delegation of Cambodia for the presentation. He 
noted that the presentation was insightful in its emphasis on how lumping schemes and calculation s 
under a single umbrella could have certain implications in terms of analysis. However,  the 
presentation  assumed that differences in utilization under both preferential schemes could be 
explained by differences in the applicable rule of origin. In his view, other factors could also explain 
why utilization rates went up or down under  one scheme as compared to a nother. Such factors also 
needed  to be taken into consideration . In addition, he noted that individual analyses required a level 
of detail that was difficult to achieve in the Committee. At the end of the day, what mattered was 
the overall  level of  prefere nce utilization by LDCs.  
1.23.  The representative of Nepal  thanked the delegation of Cambodia for the informative and 
useful presentation.  
1.24.  The representative of Togo, on behalf of the LDC  Group , thanked Cambodia  for the 
presentation and highlighted that such presentations  could be made more frequently by all 
preference -granting Member s to enhance the Committee 's understanding  of how preference 
utilization rates  were to be interpreted . 
1.25.  The representative of Burkina Faso  thanked the del egation of Cambodia for the presentation , 
which well-illustrated  the complexity of preference utilization rates.  
1.26.  The representative  of Zambia  thanked the delegation of Cambodia for sharing their experience 
of utilizing trade preferences.  
1.27.  The representative  of Niger  thanked Cambodia for reminding delegations that the Committee 
had adopted a methodology for the calculation of utilization rates that was simple to use and easy 
to understand. He believed that this was the method that should be used  in the context of the work 
of the CRO.  
1.28.  The representative of Japan  appreciated Cambodia's presentation and noted that the 
spaghetti bowl of rules of origin created complexities for all users, not only LDCs. He explained that 
it was important to identify t he specific problems that users were facing in order to propose specific 
solutions . His delegation looked forward to holding constructive bilateral discussions with the 
LDC Group  on this topic . 
1.29.  The representative of Bangladesh  thanked Cambodia for the presentation and hoped that the 
preference -granting Members would consider the issues that had been raised.  G/RO/M/81  
 
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  1.30.  The representative of Senegal  thanked Cambodia for the presentation , which had included 
information that would be useful for the Committee 's future work . 
1.31.  The representative of Guinea  thanked Cambodia for the presentation and proposed that the 
Committee use the agreed formula to calculate utilization rates.  
1.32.  In response, the representative of Cambodia  indicated that Cambodia stood ready to engage 
in bilateral discussions with other preference -granting Members  on any matters . He also clarified 
that the source of the data in their calculations  was the UNCTAD utili zation portal , which contained 
import statistics for four preference -granting Members . The delegation of Cambodia further 
requested that preference -granting Members make available their imports under each preferential 
scheme, whether it was under the GSP, an FTA , or any other scheme.  
1.33.  In conclusion , the Chairperson  proposed that the Committee continue discussing the possible 
lessons  learned in relation to the calculation and interpretation of utilization rat es. 
1.34.  The Committee took note  of the statements made and agreed  to proceed accordingly.  
E. Draft Report to the General Council Ahead of the Next Ministerial Conference Reporting 
on Preferential Rules of Origin and the Implementation of the 2013 and 2015  Ministerial 
and 2022  Committee Decisions  (G/RO/95 , WT/L/1135 , and G/RO/W/223 ) 
1.35.  The Chairperson  updated the Committee  on the preparation of the CRO  report to the General 
Council ahead of MC13. As agreed at the CRO's previous formal meeting, the Secretariat had 
prepared  a first  draft report with inputs from several delegations. That report had been shared with 
Members in early August for their comments and corrections. He further noted that the draft and 
the comments received had already been discussed in the informal consultations  held on 
18 September.  A consolidated version of the document had subsequently been prepared that 
reflected the changes proposed by several preference -granting Members , and by  the LDC  Group. 
However, instead of immediately presenting the latest version of the document for the Committee's 
review , he proposed that the Committee move into informal mode to discuss the repor t at the end 
of that day's formal meeting . Once Members had discussed the report and agreed on how it should 
be modified, he would request the Secretariat to circulate a clean revised version for the Committee's 
further consideration  and approval . 
1.36.  The representative  of the European Union  proposed to resume this item in the afternoon.  
1.37.  The representative of Togo sought to clarify the nature of the informal meeting , and whether 
or not it would be open to all Members.  
1.38.  The Chairperson  clarified that the meeting would be open -ended and would begin immediately 
following that day's  formal meeting.  
1.39.  It was so agreed . 
F. Modalities and Methodology for the Calculation of Utilization Rates - Update by the 
Secretariat  (G/RO/W/161/Rev.1 ) 
1.40.  The Chairperson  invited the Secretariat to present a revised note on the methodology for the 
calculation of utilization rates. He clarified  that the note did not propose any change to the 
methodology that had been adopted by the CRO in 2017. Instead , it sought to better reflect the 
ongoing discussions in the CRO in relation to the data needed to calculate utilization rates , as well 
as the factors that were relevant to interpret  the results of such calculations . 
1.41.  The Secretariat  (Mr Darlan Martí) explained that the note had been updated to better reflect 
the most recent discussions in the CRO concerning the calculation of preference utilization rates. It  
contained a discussion of the benefits of considering "underutilization rates " in addition to utilization 
rates of individual preferential schemes. In his view,  utilization and non -utilization rates (or 
underutilization) were complementary concepts that could be used sequentially to support the work 
of the CRO. In addition, in light of  recent discussions in the Committee, the note also acknowledged  
the need for access to a wider range of import statistics . Specifically, the Secretariat needed to G/RO/M/81  
 
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  access data on imports under all available preferential schemes. In this respect, he noted t hat the 
WTO Integrated Database (IDB) did not have any structural limitations. It could accommodate 
submissions of import statistics under PTAs, under FTAs, and even under other types of tariff 
concessions. However, only the notification of imports under P TAs was mandatory for WTO Members , 
whereas Members submitted information about imports  under other preferences on a voluntary 
basis. 
1.42.  The representative of Senegal  thanked the Secretariat for the presentation and asked if it 
would be possible to add another  methodology for the calculation of underutilization that would be 
based on the aggregation of utilization rates under specific schemes , as opposed to a subtraction of 
the volume of trade that did not receive any preferences.  
1.43.  The representative of India acknowledged the Secretariat 's emphasis on the note not 
proposing any change in methodology , and that it only reflected what had been discussed in the 
Committee . He reiterated that using the concept of  underutilization represent ed a good way of 
attaining a comprehensive view of trade patterns , noting that  the use of the underutilization rates 
addressed certain shortcomings in the calculations.  He recalled that Cambodia had raised concerns 
with respect to this methodology , and that he looked forward to reviewing Cambodia 's submission. 
He also sought to clarify why paragraph  4.2 of the revised note mentioned "applied internal taxes 
and other duties and charges" . In his view, such taxes and duties were not relevant to the calculation 
of preference utilization rates.  
1.44.  The representative of Japan  thanked  the Secretariat and noted that there were limitations to 
the use of utilization rates as a tool to examine the impact of rules of origin. Other factors could also 
hinder prefe rence utilization, including a lack of awareness among operators , and small preferential 
tariff margins . His delegation would provide further comments on the note as soon as his Capital 
had completed its review of it . 
1.45.  The representative of Togo thanked the  Secretariat on behalf of the LDC  Group . He confirmed 
that the LDC  Group  valued  the methodology adopted by the Committee in 2017 because it was 
user-friendly and easy to understand.  
1.46.  The representative of  the European Union  thanked the Secretariat for the note and highlighted 
that it was indeed important  to assess all types of preferences in order to have an overview of 
preference utilization. However, she agreed that rules of origin under FTAs and PTAs could differ , 
includi ng in their related documentary requirements. For this reason, she likewise agreed that 
lumping all preferences together also presented certain disadvantages. One  option could be to 
analyse each preference separately , although using underutilization rates was also useful to identify 
those products that were not receiving any preference whatsoever . 
1.47.  The representative of China  thanked the Secretariat for the note  and welcomed the 
methodologies . He indicated that, in China's experience, many factors could affe ct the calculation of 
utilization rates and their interpretation. As Cambodia had explained, product -specific rules of origin 
under a PTA and an FTA could be similar. However, importers could be choosing the FTA more often 
than the PTA , which could raise a n interesting question about the fact that importers may choose 
one scheme over another irrespective of the applicable rules of origin. Regarding the IDB, he agreed 
that the database did not have any structural limitation. However, relying exclusively on the IDB for 
calculations also had its disadvantages since ultimately only Members themselves could access  the 
full data concerning their foreign trade.  
1.48.  The representative of Australia  said that the revised note dealt with elements that were 
important to the work of the Committee ; however, his delegation required additional time to consider 
it. 
1.49.  In response, the Secretariat  (Mr Darlan Marti) thanked delegations for their comments. He 
was pleased  that the note had sparked so much interest, thereby confirming that this was a central 
element  in the work of the Committee. He encouraged delegations to reach out to the Secretariat to 
convey their comments so that the note could faithfully reflect the ongoing  discussions. He added 
that the note could also reflect a methodology based on the aggregation of utiliza tion rates under 
individual schemes. He also clarified that internal taxes were not needed to calculate utilization rates  G/RO/M/81  
 
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  (paragraph  4.2 of the note simply reproduced the text of the IDB  Decision ). He agreed that the  
paragraph could be revised to make this link more explicit.  
1.50.  The Committee  took note  of the statements made.  
2  DRAFT TRANSPARENCY DECISION AND NOTIFICATION TEMPLATE ON 
NON-PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN ( JOB/RO/8 ) – UPDATE  BY THE CHAIRPERSON  
2.1.  The Chairperson  recalled that the Committee had been considering a draft Committee decision 
on improving  the notification and transparency of non -preferential rules of origin. A draft 
Chairperson's  text had already been conside red by the Committee and had enjoyed wide support 
(JOB/RO/8 ). However, at  the Committee's previous  formal meeting, the delegations of Indonesia 
and India had expressed certain reservations concerning the Chairperson's text. For this reason , he 
had invited the delegation of India to submit specific textual changes to the draft decision so that 
he could consult  with other Members on possible alternative language . Accordingly, he invited the 
delegation of India to update the Committee on their deliberations concerning possible changes to 
the draft decision.  
2.2.  The representative of Switzerland  reported that he had met with  Capital -based officials in India 
and held constructive discussions with them on this initiative in the CRO. The  discussions  had helped 
him to understand India's concerns  and had also covered possible ways of address ing them; to this 
end, he had explored possible changes to the text and tested different options to accommodate 
India's concerns. Since then, he had not received  a response  from his Indian counterpart . 
Nevertheless, he  encouraged the delegation of India to build on the current  momentum and to 
continue to engage on this proposal so that the Committee could finalize and adopt  a decision that 
was supported by almost the entire  WTO Membership . 
2.3.  The representative of South Africa  thanked the Chairperson for his brief update and indicated 
that his Capital  was also looking into the draft decision . He welcomed the update from Switzer land. 
He requested to be kept updated on any proposed amendments to the document so that he could 
inform his Capital of any such developments.  
2.4.  The representative of India thanked Switzerland for its update  and confirmed that Switzerland 
was engaging with India on the proposal ; his colleagues from Capital were also part of the discussion. 
He informed the Committee that India had held discussion s with certain other Member s that had 
also expressed concern s over the draft decision . In this regard , he had also held  informal discussions 
with the Chairperson on the text. However, his delegation was overstretched with other files and 
preparation s for the Ministerial Conference ; India needed more time , therefore . 
2.5.  In conclusion, the Chairperson  noted th at this item had already been on the agenda of the 
Committee for quite some time . Accordingly,  he encouraged Members to finalize and adopt the 
decision so that they could focus their discussions on the actual substantive elements concerning 
non-preferentia l rules of origin. He added that updating notifications was just a steppingstone 
towards a more substantive discussion in the CRO on non-preferential rules of origin. He proposed 
to continue his consultations with a view to preparing a revised text that co uld be shared with the 
entire Committee for its consideration and eventual adoption.  
2.6.  The Committee  agreed  to proceed accordingly.  
3  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER ARTICLE  5 AND UNDER PARAGRAPH  4 OF ANNEX  II OF THE 
AGREEMENT ON RULES OF ORIGIN  – UPDATE AND REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT  
(G/RO/N/254  – G/RO/N/264 ) 
3.1.  The Secretariat  (Mr Darlan Marti) informed Members that the Secretariat had received 
one additional notification on non -preferential rules of origin since its previous  meeting (Paraguay, 
G/RO/N/254 ). Including  this additional notification, 44% of Members had now informed the 
Committee that they did not implement any non -preferential origin requirements , while 36% of 
Members had notified that they did. He also drew Members' attention to the multiplication of 
legislation in this area . The number of Members applying non -preferential rules of origin had 
increased  from 15 in 1995 to 55  in 2023. In  conclusion, the Secretariat noted  that the detailed list 
of notifications was available on the WTO  rules of origin website (section " Non-preferential origin ") G/RO/M/81  
 
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  and in Annex  1 of the Committee's draft report on the review of the Agreement 's operation  
(G/RO/W/225 ). 
3.2.  The representative of Switzerland  thanked the Secretariat for the update.  He expressed his 
surprise at the increasing number of Members that had begun applying non -preferential rules of 
origin , which he considered to be an additional reason to improve transparency in this area. 
The Agreement on Rules of Origin contained an obligation to notify non -preferential rules of origin 
only once , and most Members had notified their practice in the years 1995-1996. The multiplication 
of legislation in this area only emphasized the need to improve Members ' understanding of the 
implication of non -preferential rules of origin.  
3.3.  The Committee  took note  of the update and statement made.  
4  MC12  IMPLEMENTATION MATTE RS: IMPROVING THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CRO  – 
REPORT TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS  (G/RO/W/224 ) 
4.1.  The Chairperson  recalled previous discussions in the Committee  about measures to improve 
the functioning of the CRO and facilitate the work of delegations. He recalled that s even measures  
had been adopted at the Committee's previous meeting. Most of these measures had since been 
implemented, including the use of an annotated agenda and an eAgenda. In addition, he informed 
the Committee that a manual on the work of the CRO  had been prepared and could be found on the 
rules of origin portal  of the WTO  website. He asked Members to consider a draft report by the CRO 
to the Council for Trade in Goods describing the Committee 's discussions on this t opic ( G/RO/W/224  
and G/RO/W/224/Corr.1 ). In addition , he invited delegations to inform him if there were any other  
measures that the Committee needed to consider to further improve its work.  
4.2.  The representative of  the European Union  thanked the Chairperson for the document and 
confirmed that the EU had no further comments.  
4.3.  The Chairperson  noted  that delegations  could propose additional measures for discussion at 
any time. Finally, he  proposed that the Committee adopt  the Report.  
4.4.  It was so agreed1. 
5  COMPILATION OF ORIGIN -RELATED FACILITATIVE MEASURES TAKEN IN RESPONSE TO 
THE COVID -19 PANDEMIC (G/RO/W/219 ) – REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT  
5.1.  The Chairperson  recalled the discussions at the Committee 's previous formal  meeting on a 
compilation prepared by the Secretariat of measures taken by Members to facilitate compliance with 
origin -related requirements during the COVID -19 pandemic ( G/RO/W/219 ). He explained that the 
compilation had been made from notifications submitted  to the Committee s on Market Access  and 
Trade Facili tation , as well as from measures identified in the context of the WTO  trade monitoring 
mechanism. Members had been requested  to review the Secretariat's compilation of measures and 
update it as necessary. He confirmed that the Secretariat had received upda tes from the following 
Members: the European Union; Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea;  and the Russian  Federation. 
A revised version of the document would therefore be circulated. He opened the floor for delegations 
wishing to provide any additional updates.  
5.2.  The representative of Japan  thanked the Secretariat for its compilation  of the relevant 
measures . He confirmed that Japan  did not have  additional update to provide but added that it would 
continue to contribute to the work of the Secretariat.  
5.3.  The representative of Canada  appreciated the opportunity to review the Secretariat's 
compilation and provide any factual updates. She confirmed that Canada's Border Services Agency 
(CBSA) had implemented an e -Longroom initiative, which created  a new process for providing 
electronic copies of release documents to the CBSA. The e -Longroom was a permanent service that 
offered a modernized processing of trade documents.  
 
1 The report was subsequently submitted to the Council for Trade in Goods (G/L/1493 and G/RO/98 ). G/RO/M/81  
 
- 9 - 
 
  5.4.  The Chairperson  requested  delegations to send any corrections or additional  information to the 
Secretariat. He informed the Committee that a revised version  of the document would be circulated 
shortly after that day's meeting.  
5.5.  It was so agreed .2 
6  TWENTY -NINTH ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION OF THE 
AGREEMENT ON RU LES OF ORIGIN  (G/RO/W/225 ) 
6.1.  The Chairperson  invited Members to share their views on the operation and implementation of 
the Agreement on Rules of Origin and to complete an annual review of its implementation , as 
required by Article  6.1 of the Agreement. To help the Committee conduct the review, the Secretariat 
had prepared a background note describing the activities of the Committee under Parts  II and III of 
the Agreement ( G/RO/W/225 ). This draft report would be revised in case of any comments . If not, 
it would  be considered for adoption.  
6.2.  The representative of Australia  requested  that the bracketed text in the draft report be updated 
prior to considering its adoption . 
6.3.  The Chairperson  requested  the Secretariat to revise and circulate the report for Members' 
consideration. If no objections were received within a given time-frame, the Committee would 
consider that the review had been completed and that the report had been adopted.  
6.4.  The Committee agreed to proceed accordingly.3 
7  DRAFT REPORT (2023) OF THE CRO TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS 
(G/RO/W/226 ) 
7.1.  The Chairperson  requested  Members to consider the draft annual report of the Committee to 
the CTG ( G/RO/W/226 ). The draft report would be revised in case of any comments. If not, it would  
be considered for adoption.  
7.2.  In the absence of any commen t, Members adopted  the report.  
8  DATES OF NEXT MEETING S OF THE COMMITTEE  
8.1.  The Chairperson  informed delegations that new dates had been identified for the formal 
meetings of the CRO in 2024 , namely  7 May and 28  November.4 
8.2.  The Committee took note  of these dates.  
9  OTHER BUSINESS  
9.1.  There  were no items raised under "Other Business" . 
9.2.  The meeting was adjourned . 
__________  
 
2 A revised compilation was subsequently circulated ( G/RO/W/219/Rev.1 ). 
3 A revised reported was circulated ( G/RO/W/225/Rev.1 ) for adoption.  
4 Members were subsequently informed about changes to those dates. The formal meetings of the CRO 
will be held on 29 April and 21 November 2024.