RESTRICTED  
  
G/ADP/W/284/Rev.1  
G/SCM/W/293/Rev.1  
 
19 November 2014  
(14-6781)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices 
Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures   
 
 NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMEN 
Revision 
1. At the joint special meeting of the Committ ees on Anti-Dumping Practices and on Subsidies 
and Countervailing Measures, the Committees agreed that the proposed procedures for the future 
review of legislations would be circulated in written form to Members, for their consideration and 
comment, with a view to reaching a decision on procedures for future review of legislations at the Committees' meetings in April.   
2. The Committees also asked the Secretariat to prepare a status list of notifications of 
legislation. That list is being circulated to Members separately.  
3. The Committees have almost completed the review of all notifications received in 1995. The 
Committees agreed to hold one more joint special meeting to review notifications of legislation in conjunction with the regular meetings of the Commi ttees scheduled for the last week in April. The 
Committees further agreed that the procedures for this meeting will be the same as for the first 
three legislation review meetings. That is, Member s would submit written questions three weeks in 
advance of the meeting. At the meeting, Members whose notification of legislation is being reviewed would have an opportunity to respond to the written questions, and there would be an 
opportunity for follow up questions at the meet ing. Written responses to all written questions 
would be submitted at a later date.  
4. At present, the Chairmen of the Committees do not believe that additional special meetings 
to review notifications of legislation are necessa ry. Therefore, after the special joint meeting in 
April, the review of Member legislation will take place during regular Committee meetings. It is 
recognized that regular Committee meetings may have to be longer to accommodate discussion of 
legislations.  5. Starting with the October regular meetings of the Committees, the Chairmen propose that 
the agenda of every regular meeting of the Comm ittees include an item for discussion entitled 
"National Legislation." Under this agenda item, tw o categories of legislations will be open for 
discussion. The Chairmen envisage different procedures for review of these two categories of 
legislations. 
 6. The first category is notifications of new or amended legislations not previously reviewed by 
the Committees ("new notifications"). This category would automatically include all new or 
amended legislations circulated to Members in all three working languages at least six weeks prior to the scheduled date of the meeting.   
7. The second category is legislations that have already been reviewed by the Committees 
("previously reviewed legislation"). This category would include only legislations concerning which written questions had been received by the Secretariat at least six weeks prior to the scheduled 
date of the meeting, in conformity with the procedures discussed below.  
 8. For new notifications, the procedures for revi ew will be those followed in the joint special 
meetings. That is, Members submit written questions three weeks in advance of the meeting to the 
Members whose legislation is concerned, and to the Secretariat. The Members whose legislation is concerned would provide oral responses to the writ ten questions at the meeting, and subsequently 
would provide written answers. There would be an  opportunity for additional oral questions and G/ADP/W/284/Rev.1 • G/SCM/W/293/Rev.1 
 
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  follow up questions at the meeting. In the even t that written answers are not provided by the 
relevant deadline, the subject legislation shall remain on the Committee's agenda.  
 9. Previously reviewed legislations will be included on the agenda only if the Secretariat 
receives written questions concerning such legislation no later than six weeks before the date of 
the meeting. If no questions regarding a partic ular Member's legislation are received by the 
deadline, that legislation will not be on the agenda for discussion. Any Member wishing to discuss 
previously reviewed legislation would submit written questions no later than six weeks before the 
meeting directly to the Member whose legislation is concerned, and to the Secretariat for circulation. Members receiving written questions wo uld be required to submit written answers to 
those questions no later than two weeks prior to the meeting directly to the Member asking the 
questions and to the Secretariat for circulation. 
 10. The Secretariat will circulate to Members a list of both new notifications and previously 
reviewed legislations on the agenda for each re gular meeting approximately six weeks before the 
date of the meeting.   
11. It is intended that discussion of previously reviewed legislations at the meeting would focus 
on follow up to the written answers. The propos ed procedures are not intended to preclude 
Members from raising additional questions. Howe ver, the proposed procedures, by relying on 
written questions and answers, with follow up at the meetings, are intended to ensure that 
Members have the fullest possible opportunity carefully to consider questions and provide 
complete responses, which can, if necessary, be  further discussed at the meeting. Discussion at 
regular meetings without prior written questions and answers is less likely to result in fruitful 
dialogue. 
 12. It should be noted that the proposed procedures for review of legislations are without 
prejudice to any Member's right to include specific questions or issues regarding another Member's 
implementation of the Agreements on the agenda of any meeting.  
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