G/L/1386/Add.5  
 
30 November  2023 
(23-8055) Page: 1/1 
Council for Trade in Goods  Original: English  
 
  
ARTICLE  XXVIII:5 NEGOTIATIONS  
UNITED KINGDOM'S WITHDRAWAL FROM  THE EUROPEAN UNION  
Communication from the United Kingdom  
Addendum  
The following communication, dated 28 November  2023, is being circulated at the request of the  
Delegation of the United Kingdom.  
 
_______________  
 
 
On 24  July 2018 the United Kingdom's (UK) draft Schedule of concessions and commitments on 
goods was circulated for certification in document  G/MA/TAR/RS/570  under the 1980 Procedures. 
Subsequ ent addenda to that schedule were circulated in documents  G/MA/TAR/RS/570/Add.1 , 
G/MA/TAR/RS/570/Ad d.2 and G/MA/TAR/RS/570/Add.3  (together Schedule  XIX-United Kingdom). 
In document  G/SECRET/44, the UK notified WTO  Members that it would enter into negotiations and 
consultations with the appropriate WTO Members pursuant to Article  XXVIII of the GATT  1994 
("Modification of Schedules") with respect to its obligations concerning tariff rate quotas (TRQs).  
 
In connection with these ongoing negotiations and consultations under Article  XXVIII of GATT  1994, 
the UK refers to WTO  document  WT/GC/226 . That communication highlighted that the UK remained 
fully committed to successfully conducting negotiations and consultations. Furthermore, that 
communication recognized the practical mechanisms available to WTO  Members to ex tend the 
timelines envisaged under Article  XXVIII:3 of GATT  1994, should that prove necessary. Members 
will be aware that pursuant to those mechanisms, and as set out in communication  G/L/1386/Add. 4, 
the timelines envisaged under Article  XXVIII:3 have  already been extended on five different 
occasions, the most recent of which extended negotiations until 1  January  2024. 
 
Ahead of this date, the UK would like to inform Members that it will extend the time -period set forth 
in Article  XXVIII:3 by a further six  months, i.e. until 1  July 2024, without prejudice to the question 
of whether there are any rights to withdraw concessions pursuant to Article  XXVIII:3(a) and (b). 
The UK therefore wishes to inform the Membership that the UK will not assert that the WTO  Members 
who submitted a valid claim in this process are precluded from withdrawing substantially equivalent 
concessions under Article  XXVIII:3 of GATT  1994 because this withdrawal occurs later than 
six months after the UK's modification  of its concessions, which occurred on 1  January  2021, 
provided that the WTO  Member in question withdraws concessions no later than 42 months after the 
UK's modification of concessions. The extended time -period will enable the UK and those Members 
that hav e signalled their satisfaction with the outcome of negotiations to finalise relevant 
administrative procedures under this process.  
 
The UK will further update Members following the conclusion of relevant administrative procedures 
under Article  XXVIII of GA TT 1994. The UK proposes that the WTO  Council for Trade in Goods takes 
note of this communication and of the extension of the deadline at its next meeting, as indicated in 
this communication, until 1  July 2024.  
 
__________