RESTRICTED  
  
G/IT/M/56  
 
14 March 2013  
(13-1394)  Page: 1/9  
Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in 
Information Technology Products    
 
 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 1 NOVEMBER 2012 
CHAIRMAN: MR AARON FOWLER (CANADA)  
 
1  REVIEW OF THE STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MINISTERIAL 
DECLARATION ON TRADE IN INFO RMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS 
(G/IT/1/REV.47) ............................................................................................................. 1  
2  REVIEW OF PROD UCT COVERAGE ................................................................................. 2  
3  NON-TARIFF MEASURES WO RK PROGRAMME (G/IT/19, 
G/IT/SPEC/Q4/19/RE V.2 AND G/IT/SPEC/ Q2/11/REV.1) ............................................. 4  
4  EMC/EMI PILOT PROJECT - DRAFT LI ST OF THE TYPES OF CONFORMITY 
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES FOR EMC/EMI USED BY ITA PARTICIPANTS 
(G/IT/W/17/REV.8) ........................................................................................................ 5  
5  DIVERGENCES IN CLASSIFYING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS 
(G/IT/14/REV.1/ADD.1, G/IT/W/6/REV .3, G/IT/W/33 AND G/IT/W/34) .................... 6  
6  NEW PARTIC IPANTS .................................................................................................... 7  
7  DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT (2012) OF  THE COMMITTEE TO THE COUNCIL FOR 
TRADE IN GOODS (G/IT/W/37) ...................................................................................... 8  
8  OTHER BUSINESS ......................................................................................................... 9  
 
 
_______________ 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
The Committee adopted the proposed agenda for the meeting which was circulated in 
WTO/AIR/4030 dated 19 October 2012. An annotated agenda for the meeting was circulated in document JOB/IT/8 dated 22 October 2012. The Chairman stated that he would take up the "cost savings in document production and meetings",  and "date of the next meeting" under Other 
Business.   
1  REVIEW OF THE STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MINISTERIAL DECLARATION 
ON TRADE IN INFORMATION TECHNO LOGY PRODUCTS (G/IT/1/REV.47) 
1.1.  The Chairman stated that an overview of th e implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on 
Trade in Information Technology Products was contained in document G/IT/1/Rev.47. 
This document updated the Participants on issues pertaining to the WTO procedures for 
implementation. He pointed out that as indicated in the document, he wanted to flag two pending 
issues: the completion of domestic legal procedural requirements by El Salvador and the submission by Morocco of its ITA schedule of commitments.  G/IT/M/56 
 
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  1.2.  The representative of El Salvador informed the Committee that she did not have updated 
information from her authorities on the status of these internal procedures. However, she would 
update the Committee when she received the information from her capital.  
1.3.  With respect to Morocco, the Chairman noted that Morocco had become a participant to the 
ITA on 14 November 2003. However, it had never submitted its final ITA schedule of 
commitments. He stated that his predecessor had written a letter to the delegation of Morocco on 14 November 2011 concerning the status of Morocco 's ITA schedule. He had in the past weeks 
contacted the delegation of Morocco and had not yet received a formal response. Since the 
delegation of Morocco was not at the meeting, th e Chairman suggested that the issue be discussed 
at the next meeting.  
1.4.  The Chairman urged those Participants that  had not completed the procedures for the formal 
rectification and modification of schedules, as  required by the Decision of 26 March 1980 on 
Procedures for Modification and Rectification of Schedules of Tariff Concessions, to make their submissions in this regard as soon as possible.  
1.5.  The Committee took note of the statements made.  
2  REVIEW OF PRODUCT COVERAGE 
2.1.  The Chairman stated that as requested by some delegations at the last Committee meeting 
of 15 May 2012, the "review of product coverage" was introduced as a regular agenda item in 
order to permit the Committee to receive report s and updates from those participants who were 
engaged in bilateral and plurilateral consultations related to the review of product coverage pursuant to Paragraph 3 of the Annex to the ITA. He invited delegations who wished to do so, to 
report or make statements on this matter.  
2.2.  The representative of Korea reported on the technical meeting on ITA product expansion, as 
well as the subsequent transparency meeting whic h were held in the Korean Mission on 30 and 31 
October 2012. With New Zealand; the Philippines; and Hong Kong, China joining in the technical 
discussions, participants to the technical group had increased to 17 ITA Participants. The transparency meeting was attended by 28 ITA Pa rticipants. Since its September meeting, the 
technical group had entered into more in-depth discussions and the participants had engaged 
more with each other on a bilateral basis in order to reconcile their differences on the various proposals. Some added their support to the products proposed by others while some expressed their sensitivities or concerns on certain items. Descriptions were further refined to make them 
more ICT-relevant though, it was clear that there were competing descriptions to be further 
reconciled. As a result, the group had made relatively modest changes to the list itself. Participants in the technical discussions were increasingly aware of the differing vi ews on several product 
groups. There was a shared understanding that they  needed to do what was necessary so as to 
consider more fully, ways of refining positions on each description under the product groups which were being discussed. More attention would be given to the format and ways of discussing these 
topics. As a result of these technical meetings, the group had moved much closer regarding their 
substantive discussions on the ITA expansion. They were now considering what would be the realistic range of products that could be discussed. However, more work was required in order to make the list more feasible and attainable as well as to reconcile any competing proposals. 
2.3.  He stated that with regard to the future process, the technical group would meet again in the 
week of 3 December 2012. There was also conver gence on the proposal that a revised working 
consolidated list be circulated mid-December for consideration by Participants. The technical group 
planned to meet in 2013, during the weeks of 14 January, 25 February and 18 March. The 
technical group had agreed henceforth to invite all ITA Participants to the transparency meetings. ITA Participants could join the process of the technical group, as a kind of incentive, through the 
submission of a product list or by providing co mments on the draft working consolidating list. The 
technical group also encouraged other ITA Participants, in their process of preparations to undertake domestic consultations.  For the next round consultations in the week of 3 December 
2012, participants were invited to submit their inputs, product list or comments by 28 November 
2012.  G/IT/M/56 
 
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  2.4.  The representative of El Salvador thanke d Korea for the update on the technical group's 
discussions. She informed the meeting that her delegation would pursue consultations with her 
capital in this regard, and  hoped that the group would take into account some of their concerns which they had already aired. El Salvador remained open to continue the discussions on this topic. 
2.5.  The representative of Nicaragua thanked Korea for its report on the work regarding ITA 
product expansion. He reiterated that Nicaragua had expressed its reservation concerning the 
revision of the ITA product coverage. The draft working consolidated list had been sent to his 
capital and his authorities were still analysing this matter. He expressed his delegation's 
willingness to continue working on the issue.  
2.6.  The representative of the European Union th anked Korea for the report. He highlighted that a 
lot of work had been achieved since the start of the process. A list of products had been compiled 
although it was not an agreed list. As was said by  Korea, the list in terms of number of tariff lines 
had not changed. His delegation had made the point at the last Committee meeting that the 
number should not be seen as over whelming as some items overlapped with existing ITA items. 
This was due to competing proposals. A lot of work had been done in terms of increasing 
convergence between delegations and the group wa s getting a better sense of sensitivities. The 
group agreed with the notion that the discussions were entering into a different stage, where 
delegations were meeting more on a bilateral basis to see different possibilities. He encouraged 
other Participants who were not directly involved, to do so through transparency meetings and through this Committee to ensure that they were fully aware of what was going on and finalize their domestic consultations. The group encouraged those Participants to fully participate in the 
group technical discussion process that was and would continue taking place.  
2.7.  The representative of the United States thanked Korea for summarising the continuing 
technical discussions to refine the consolidated list of proposals for ITA product expansion. Her 
delegation was pleased with the dynamic technical discussions, and the positive and constructive 
approach by each of the very diverse delegations involved. Her delegation was also encouraged by 
the growing number of delegations engaging in the pr ocess. There was still work to be done on the 
landscape of products for negotiations. She agreed with the EU that it was clear that the group 
was getting close to a point where delegations needed to start product-specific negotiations as evidenced by the increasing number of bilateral and plurilateral meetings to that effect. The group 
aimed to re-issue the consolidated list by mid-December, which would then be the basis for further 
negotiations. She encouraged delegations to work  through the document over the winter break 
and finalize their specific positions on the products included in the list in time for negotiations taking place the week of 14 January, 2013. The group invited other ITA Participants to submit 
comments or a product list by 28 November, as mentioned by Korea.  
2.8.  The representative of Japan thanked Korea for its report on recent developments in the 
technical meeting. Japan also felt quite positive that the technical group was growing with each 
meeting. The group started with six delegations and had now increased to 17. If counting the EU 
as 27 ITA Participants, this meant that 43 ITA Participants had attended the technical meetings. The review of the product coverage was quite an  important exercise in terms of the global 
economy and trade, and in trying to reflect the technological developments for the past 15 years. 
Furthermore, it was quite important in terms of the credibility of the multilateral trading system. 
Japan therefore agreed with the US and the EU, an d wanted to encourage other ITA Participants to 
further consult with domestic related industries and authorities. Japan welcomed further 
participation to the technical meetings by the other Participants.   
2.9.  The representative of Costa Rica thanked Korea for the summary. At the last Committee 
meeting, her delegation had expressed its support  for the discussions on ITA product expansion, 
and felt that this would make a significant cont ribution to economic development and growth.  
Costa Rica had been working with that object ive in mind and there had been advances in 
discussions since the draft list (JOB/IT/7/Rev.1) was circulated in July, resulting in consultations with experts back in capital, which meant a better and stronger involvement with delegations 
taking part in the process. The initiative was very important and was within the objectives that had 
guided Costa Rica's trade policy over the last 20 years. Exports of ITA products accounted for more than one third of total industrial export s of Costa Rica for 2011 and therefore were very 
important to its economy. Costa Rica underscored its support and strong commitment in favour of 
the process. She hoped that technical discussions would increasingly become intense with greater G/IT/M/56 
 
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  input from other delegations and believed that ITA Participants would be able to advance and 
generate benefits from the trade liberalization of these products. 
2.10.  The representative of India thanked Korea for hosting both the technical discussions as well 
as the transparency session. India's position on the effects of ITA was well known as articulated 
during the symposium in May. India's IT manufactu ring had dipped quite profusely due to the ITA 
I. In the spirit of constructiveness, India had conducted stakeholder consultations around the  
country. The general concern was the relevance of many of the IT products or the ICT sector. The 
consolidated list (JOB/IT/7/Rev.1) could create an inversion in the duty structure, the multiple-use 
of many products and the difficulty in monitoring at the customs level for many of the products which had multiple-use. He informed the Committee about his government's national electronics policy with ambitious targets in terms of manufacturing in the electronics sector, as well as the 
overall manufacturing sector of the country. As a result, stakeholders had expressed serious 
reservations and he wanted to place these reservations on record.  
2.11.  The Chairman thanked the delegations who took the floor for their reports and 
interventions. He encouraged delegations to continue with bilateral and plurilateral consultations 
and asked them to update the Committee on developments. He suggested that the Committee take note of all the statements made and agree to revert to this matter at its next meeting.  
2.12.  It was so agreed.  
3  NON-TARIFF MEASURES WORK PROGRAMME (G/IT/19, G/IT/SPEC/Q4/19/REV.2 
AND G/IT/SPEC/Q2/11/REV.1)  
3.1.  The Chairman recalled that in 2000, the Committee had approved a Work Programme on 
Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) with the objective of identifying impediments to trade in ITA products. 
He invited Participants to present any reports or updates concerning their work on NTMs, including any relevant efforts that had been undertaken in the context of bilateral and plurilateral 
consultations or in other bodies of the WTO.  
3.2.  The representative of Norway made a br ief report on discussions held by a group of 
delegations on NTBs in the ITA context.  The gr oup consisted of approximately 15 delegations and 
had met twice to discuss these issues. Switzerland and Norway hosted meetings on 20 September 
and 25 October respectively. The discussions were still at an early and conceptual stage with a view to developing some common ground on which they could base further talks, or to finding a basis for concrete work or looking at areas wher e they could proceed. There remained substantial 
work to be done before starting any possible work on actual texts. The group welcomed other 
interested delegations to join these discussions and would update the Committee on their discussions in the future.  
3.3.  The representative of the European Union stated that governments joined the ITA because 
they were in favour of obstacle-free trade. Elimination and reduction of tariffs to zero would at 
some stage make NTBs the actual obstacle to trade. During the ITA Symposium, a number of 
Participants had called for work to be done on NTBs and also, a co-sponsored concept paper 
advised the Committee to take some concrete steps in this regard.  
3.4.  With respect to the said concrete steps, he stressed that the most important issue was to 
focus on work done. The EU had no particular interest in any prescriptive discipline development. 
The focused work should be very much on self -commitment and not on obligations. He thanked 
Norway for the report and agreed that the work had just begun and would continue as indicated. The Committee needed to bring to complete the wo rk that had been achieved over the past 12 
years, and make it readily accessible and relevant to interested parties outside the Committee, 
including regulators, manufacturers and exporter s. He suggested three areas that the Committee 
should look at: (1) transparency for enterprises,  investors and regulators; (2) good regulatory 
practices in relation to the existing global production value chains; and (3) regulatory convergence 
through reviews and shared experiences. Elaborat ing further on transparency, he suggested that 
the Committee collect and build on the conformity  assessment work that was happening under the 
EMC/EMI pilot project. The results of the work  should be shared with interested parties 
(enterprises, investors, regulators, and academia) through the creation of a webpage providing 
easy access.  G/IT/M/56 
 
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  3.5.  With regard to good regulatory practices,  he stated that the concept paper summarised the 
rational for the proposal, which was that supply chains had become much more global, strengthening regional integration and deepening interdependency of trade relations as more and more countries added value along the production chain. On NTBs, these changes had not yet been 
taken into account by many regulators who still operated in a pre-IT age where what was decided 
would rarely have an impact beyond the borders. He proposed to orientate these regulators to think beyond their borders. He recalled that some relevant work had actually been done in the ITA 
Committee and captured in the 2005 Guidelines on NTBs.  
3.6.  He emphasised that the world was living in  an age of constant change and innovation, in 
particular for the ITA sector. Therefore, Participan ts needed to reflect on the change and advise 
regulators, though not in an obligatory manner but rather guiding them to conduct domestic 
reviews of the system.  
3.7.  The Committee should act as a forum for exchanging domestic experiences on conducting 
any such reviews, Participants could then learn th rough real experiences and find ways of further 
facilitating trade. Though this was at a very early stage, he hoped that the summary of ideas 
proposed by the EU would help convince others  in the smaller group mentioned by Norway or 
bilaterally for any country that may have an interest in getting a better reading of their intentions 
in this context.  
3.8.  The representative of Switzerland than ked Norway for the update and the EU for the 
elaboration of the relevance of the process on NT Bs. He indicated that the group was working on 
building solid common ground, based on which, the group had found a good and efficient path to 
move forward. The group welcomed the bottom-up process which in his view showed ingredients 
to reach not only ambitious, but also achievable results.  
3.9.  The representative of the United States stated that in the concept paper that her delegation 
and a number of co-sponsors had put out in May, they believed that the ITA Committee should 
take concrete steps to advance the important on -going work under the NTMs Work Programme to 
further facilitate trade in this important sector. In that spirit, her delegation had been participating 
in brainstorming sessions, trying to find proposals that were doable in the tradition of the 
Committee's Work Programme but not overly prescriptive. She thanked Norway both for their chairmanship of the last meeting and the good su mmary that they had provided on the status of 
work of the group. She noted that there were a range of approaches being suggested by several 
delegations in those discussions and her delegation looked forward to finding a common ground.  
3.10.  The representative of Japan thanked Norway for the update. As a co-sponsor for the 
c o n c e p t  p a p e r ,  J a p a n  w a n t e d  t o  t a k e  s o m e  c o n c r e t e  s t e p s  w i t h  r e g a r d  t o  N T M s  b a s e d  o n  t h e  
development in the NTM Work Programme. He ec hoed the remarks of Switzerland and thought 
that the bottom-up approach was quite a practical way to proceed and they were also looking for further concrete steps.  
3.11.  The Chairman thanked those who had intervened for their reports and statements. He 
encouraged Participants to continue with consultations, and inform to the Committee on any 
developments. He suggested that the Committee take  note of the statements made and agree to 
revert to this matter as appropriate at the next meeting.  
3.12.  It was so agreed.  
4  EMC/EMI PILOT PROJECT - DRAFT LIST OF  THE TYPES OF CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT 
PROCEDURES FOR EMC/EMI USED BY ITA PARTICIPANTS (G/IT/W/17/REV.8) 
4.1.  The Chairman recalled that one of the outcomes of the NTM Work Programme was the 
completion of a pilot project which led to the adoption of the "Guidelines for Electromagnetic 
Compatibility (EMC) and Electromagnetic Interfer ence (EMI) Conformity Assessment Procedures" 
on an ad referendum  basis. Upon adoption of these "Guidelines", the Secretariat, based on the 
survey responses submitted by and notifications received from Participants, had prepared a note on the "Draft List of Types of Conformity Assessment Procedures for EMC/EMI used by ITA 
Participants" (G/IT/W/17). During subsequent proceedings of this Committee, Participants had 
indicated that they had found the information cont ained therein very useful and hoped to have it G/IT/M/56 
 
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  completed. Since the last Committee meeting in May, four delegations had submitted or updated 
the information concerning their conformity asse ssment procedures for EMC/MEI. The draft list, 
G/IT/W/17/Rev.8 included the information that was provided by both Croatia and Switzerland regarding changes to the types of conformity as sessment procedures in place. The Philippines' 
confirmed that its procedures had remained unchanged. Most recently, Colombia notified its 
conformity assessment procedures for EMC/EMI. The information provided by Colombia would be included in the next revision of the draft lis t. To date, among the 48 ITA Participants, 28 had 
provided information through survey responses or notifications. However, 20 Participants had 
neither submitted a survey response nor a no tification regarding the type of assessment 
procedures used by their authorities in respect of EMC/EMI. According to delegations, this information had greatly increased transparency in  respect of the types of conformity assessment 
procedures used and had facilitated international trade in this particular sector. He encouraged the 
remaining 20 delegations to provide information to the Secretariat as soon as possible so that the Committee could continue its work in this area. Delegations with queries in this regard were 
invited to contact the Secretariat for detailed information, clarification and assistance. He asked 
the Secretariat to continue contacting those delegations with outstanding information and provide technical assistance where needed. Members were asked to reflect on the best way of maximising 
the value of the information on EMC/EMI conformity assessment procedure that had already been 
provided as well as that which was to be provided by the remaining Participants.  He suggested the Committee take note of his statement and revert to this matter at its next meeting.  
4.2.  It was so agreed. 
5  DIVERGENCES IN CLASSIFYING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS 
(G/IT/14/REV.1/ADD.1, G/IT/W/6/REV.3, G/IT/W/33 AND G/IT/W/34)  
5.1.  The Chairman stated that, his predecesso r had invited Participants to consider a draft 
decision he had proposed regarding the endorsement of List I - A items. The document entitled: 
"Decision for the Classification of Certain Attachment B Products" was circulated as document G/IT/W/34. Once adopted, each Participant would reflect the agreed classifications in its WTO 
Schedule of concessions, as appropriate, following the procedures set forth in the 1980 Decision on 
Procedures for Modification and Rectification of Schedules of Tariff Concessions (BISD 27S/25). Participants would be required to submit the relevant documentation in connection with such modification no later than the date specified in the document. The Secretariat prepared a technical 
note "Classification Divergences: Transpositio n of Items in List I-A into HS2002 and HS2007", 
contained in G/IT/W/33 of 16 May 2011. This was meant to assist Participants better understand the difficulties that they might encounter as a result of the process of transposition. He asked if 
the Committee was in a position to adopt the proposed Decision as contained in document 
G/IT/W/34.  
5.2.  The representative of El Salvador informed the Committee that consultations between her 
delegation and capital were at an advanced stage but were not yet completed thus they were not 
ready to adopt List I-A. They were aware that th e adoption of this list had been pending for a 
number of years hence they had intensified the consultations with a very positive mind-set.  
5.3.  The representative of Switzerland stated  that the Committee had been working for years 
trying to reduce the classification divergences and progress had been less than modest, as 
Participants had not even been able to agree on the List I-A items. His delegation did not see the relevance of pursuing the exercise using the HS96 parameters. In Switzerland's opinion there was 
no value in continuing to work on the basis of an HS nomenclature that was no longer used as it 
would not solve the difficulty faced by both traders and customs officers in identifying the relevant 
tariff lines for specific ITA products. He was in agreement that work on reduction of classification 
divergences was important and had to be done. He proposed to (1) use, as a basis, the JOB 
document issued by the Secretariat in June 2007 (JOB(07)/96), which contained a model ITA list in HS2007; (2) on that basis, Participants could indi cate which of the tariff lines had classification 
divergences from the model list as well as where th ey classified the products in question; and (3) 
if possible, the Secretariat would compile comments from each Participant so as to see where work 
on reducing classification divergences would be possible and still could be done. He asked Participants to consider his delegation's proposal.  
5.4.  The representative of the European Union stated that as previously indicated, his delegation 
was ready to endorse List I-A. He was encouraged by El Salvador's statement that domestic G/IT/M/56 
 
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  consultations were intensifying. He urged those delegations that still had on-going consultations to 
accelerate the process so that the Committee could finalise the list as soon as possible.  
5.5.  The representative of India stated that based on Switzerland's comments, it was important 
for the Committee to discuss this issue on the basis of HS2007. It was therefore important that 
Participants looked at whether the JOB document by the Secretariat could be a useful tool and 
whether these products on List I-A could actually be directly classified under HS2007, rather than going through the lists in HS96, HS2002 and then finally HS2007.  
5.6.  The representative of Malaysia said he was of the understanding that divergence in the 
classification of IT products which went through changes in classification from HS96 to HS2002, 
and then from HS2002 to HS2007 had to be reflected in each Participant's WTO schedule of concessions under the Uruguay round. His delegation would therefore be concerned should the 
Committee abandon this process.  
5.7.  The representative of the Philippines stated that her delegation was ready to endorse the 
draft decision. She, however, saw some merit in the Swiss proposal and thought that some more 
work had to be done in this regard.  
5.8.  The representative of the United States stated that her delegation continued to support 
adoption of the draft decision proposed by the Chairman. She agreed that it was important for the 
Committee to continue its work on resolving classification divergences for products covered by the 
ITA. This was consistent with the mandate set-ou t in Paragraph 5 of the Annex to the ITA. Her 
delegation wanted to consider further the Swiss proposal and appreciated receiving more detailed information.  
5.9.  The Chairman indicated that while the prop osed decision before the Committee regarding List 
I-A might be on the verge of being accepted by Part icipants, he took note of the proposal made by 
Switzerland as well as others' comments. It was worth coming back to that decision one more time 
at the next Committee meeting recognising that List I-A was only the very first part of a very 
broader issue regarding classification. He was certain that there was room to look at new proposals and new ideas on this issue, such as that of Switzerland. He was sure that the 
Committee would welcome new ideas that any delegation might have to put forward in this regard. 
He proposed that the Committee take note of the statements made, and continue to hold consultations up to the next meeting. He suggested the Committee revert to this matter at the next meeting.  
5.10.  It was so agreed. 
6  NEW PARTICIPANTS 
6.1.  The Chairman stated that under this item, there were two sub-items:  
6.1  Progress report by the Russian Federation 6.2.  The Chairman stated that further to the undertaking communicated by the Russian 
Federation during the Committee meeting of 24 October, 2011 (as reflected in the minutes of that 
meeting, G/IT/M/54), on 31 July 2012, the Russian Federation had submitted its draft ITA 
schedule to the Secretariat. On 1 August 2012, the Russian ITA schedule, together with the Secretariat's verification sheet were circulated to Participants for their review and approval. On 16 August 2012, he had transmitted to the Russian Federation, the comments that had been received 
from delegations.  He invited the delegation of the Russian Federation to update the Committee on 
this matter.  
6.3.  The representative of the Russian Federation  reported that their internal work continued in 
order to take into account comments received from delegations on their draft ITA Schedule. 
6.4.  The representative of the United States th anked the delegation of the Russian Federation for 
the update, and stated that Russia's commitment to join the ITA was a critical part of its WTO 
accession package. A number of Participants, in cluding the United States, had made a joint 
submission to the Russian Federation on 8 August  2012, indicating the changes that needed to be G/IT/M/56 
 
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  made to the draft schedule to ensure a full ITA product coverage with accurate product 
descriptions. In her view, these technical changes were fully in line with Russia's commitment to implement the ITA. She encouraged Russia to address them as such, in its internal consultations and to do so as soon as possible so that Russia could be in compliance with its accession 
commitments. 
6.5.  The representative of the European Union welcomed Russia's submission of its draft schedule 
to ITA Participants with a view to becoming an ITA Participant. He agreed that this was an 
important step forward and hoped to welcome Russia as a full ITA Participant very soon. They had 
made some comments on the Russian ITA draft schedule, which he hoped would be resolved as soon as possible.  
6.6.  The representative of Japan welcomed the Russian Federation to the meeting, and echoed 
the remarks of the previous speakers. As one of  the Participants who had submitted comments, 
Japan looked forward to receiving feedback in a timely manner.  
6.7.  The Chairman thanked Russia and the delega tions that had intervened and suggested that 
the Committee take note of all the statements made.  
6.8.  It was so agreed. 
6.2  Participation of Tajikistan 
6.9.  The Chairman stated that on 25 September 2012, the Secretariat had received a 
communication from the Ministry of Economic Deve lopment and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan 
confirming its commitment to become a Participant of the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products (ITA) upon its accession to the WTO. On the same day, the 
Secretariat had received Tajikistan's draft ITA sched ule and performed the electronic verification of 
the schedule which showed no discrepancies. On 26 September 2012, hard copies of Tajikistan's 
draft ITA schedule and the verification sheet were distributed to Participants for their review and 
approval by 19 October, 2012. Only one delegati on submitted technical comments. The Chairman 
indicated that once the necessary technical changes were incorporated, a fax relating to this effect 
would be circulated to Participants giving them  one week to comment. Tajikistan would become a 
full member of the ITA upon its accession to the WTO.  
6.10.  The Committee took note of the statement made.  
7  DRAFT ANNUAL REPORT (2012) OF THE COMMITTEE TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN 
GOODS (G/IT/W/37) 
7.1.  The Chairman stated that as the Committ ee reported annually to the CTG, a draft had been 
prepared in G/IT/W/37, which would be updated to  take into account the developments of this 
meeting. He turned to the draft report for comments and opened the floor for comments.  
7.2.  The representative of the United States said that it would be important to reflect in the 
report, that Participants had repeatedly raised concerns regarding Russia's ITA schedule and that it 
was hoped that steps would be taken by the Russian Federation to complete its ITA schedule as 
soon as possible.  
7.3.  The Chairman informed the Committee that factual statements would be incorporated in the 
report to reflect that Participants had expressed their interest in, and concern over the issue. He 
further assured them that the updated report woul d be circulated to the Participants before its 
submission to the CTG.  
7.4.  The draft annual report was approved with th e proposed updates in light of the discussions in 
the Committee meeting. G/IT/M/56 
 
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  8  OTHER BUSINESS 
8.1  Cost Savings in Document Producti on and Meetings - Recommendation by the 
Committee on budget, Finance and Administra tion which were adopted by the General 
Council 
8.1.  The Chairman drew the Committee's attention to the recommendations concerning cost 
savings in document production and meetings drawn up by the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration which were adopted by the Gene ral Council on 30 November 2011, and contained 
in paragraphs 29, 30 and 31 of document WT/BFA/128. As the WTO was moving to a paperless 
environment, the distribution of hard copies of documentation within the Secretariat and to 
Members had been stopped or would soon cease. He, therefore, proposed for Participants' consideration, that as part of the implementati on of these recommendations, the Committee agree 
to discontinue distribution to delegations of hard copies of the draft schedule of commitments of 
new Participant. Instead, draft schedules would be transmitted electrically via e-mail. However, in the event a delegation had difficulties receiving dr aft schedules electronically, a hard copy would 
be provided to that delegation upon request.   
8.2.  It was so agreed. 
8.2  Date of the next meeting 
8.3.  The Chairman proposed the Committee hold its next meeting in the first half of 2013, likely in 
March, with the exact date to be decided in consultation with delegations.  
8.4.  It was so agreed. 
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