G/L/1335  
G/STR/23  
 
8 November  2019 
(19-7588) Page: 1/2 
    
 
REPORT (201 9) OF THE WORKING PAR TY ON  
STATE TRADING ENTERP RISES  
(ADOPTED 1 NOVEMBER 2019)  
1  ORGANIZATION OF THE WORK OF THE WORKING PARTY  
1.  The Working Party on State Trading Enterprises (the Working Party) was established by the 
Council for Trade in Goods at its meeting of 20  February  1995, pursuant to paragraph  5 of the 
Understanding on the Interpretation of Article  XVII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 
1994 (the Understanding). Membership of the Working Party is open to all Members indicating their 
wish to serve on it. Observer governments in the Gen eral Council of the WTO have observer status 
in the Working Party.  
2.  The mandate of the Working Party is set out in paragraph  5 of the Understanding. The 
Working  Party completed its mandate to develop an illustrative list of state trading relationships and 
activities with the adoption of the Illustrative List by the Council for Trade in Goods on 
15 October  1999 (G/STR/4). Having also completed the mandated revision of the questionnaire on 
state trading, the Working Party now reviews notifications, in light o f the revised questionnaire 
adopted on 14  November  2003 (G/STR/3/Rev.1), as well as counter -notifications.  
3.  This Report is submitted under paragraph  5 of the Understanding, which provides that the 
Working Group shall report annually to the Council for Trade  in Goods. It sets out the activities of 
the Working Party during the review period, which runs from 20 October 2018 through 
1 November  2019. During this period, the Working Party held two formal meetings under the 
Chairmanship of Mr. Kristian Henk  (Austri a), on 16 July and 1 November 2019, respectively . The 
minutes of the former have been circulated as document G/STR/M/3 5, while minutes of the latter 
will be circulated as G/STR/M/3 6. 
2  NOTIFICATION AND REV IEW OF MEMBERS' STAT E TRADING ACTIVITIES  
4.  Article  XVII:4 of GATT  1994 and paragraph  1 of the Understanding require Members to notify 
their state trading enterprises to the Council for Trade in Goods. New and full notifications were first 
required in 1995 and, subsequently, every third year thereafter, with up dating notifications to be 
made in the intervening years. Beginning in 2003, updating notifications were eliminated and the 
frequency of new and full notifications was increased to once every two years. This new approach 
was initially implemented on a tria l basis. On 8  June 2012, the Working Party adopted the 
recommendation contained in document G/STR/8 to extend the current frequency of notification s on 
an indefinite basis.  
5.  During the period under review, the Working Party reviewed new and full notificatio ns from 
Australia, Chile, Costa Rica, Georgia, Honduras, India, Mauritius, the Republic of Moldova, 
Montenegro, Samoa, the Republic of Seychelles, the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, 
Kinmen and Matsu , Zambia, and Ukraine. It also  returned to the previously reviewed notifications of 
New Zealand and Viet Nam.  
6.  During both of the Working  Party's meetings during the period under review, the Working Party 
also took up the following agenda items: (i) non-notification of STEs by Brazil  (item requested by 
the United States) ; (ii) c ontinued non-notification of STEs by the Russian Federation (it em requested G/L/1335 • G/STR/23  
 
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  by the United States); and (ii) continued non-notification of STEs by the United Arab Emirates (item 
requested by the United  States).   
3  COMPLIANCE WITH THE NOTIFICATION OBLIGAT ION  
7.  As of the end  of the review period , 40 new and full notificatio ns have been received for the 
2016-2017 notification period (G/STR/ 22). 
8.  The following Members have not submitted any notification for this period: Afghanistan, Albania; 
Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Armenia;  Kingdom of  Bahrain; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belize;  Benin; 
Plurinational State of Bolivia; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; 
Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad;  Colombia; Congo; Côte d'Ivoire; Cuba; Democratic 
Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republi c; Ecuador; Egypt; Fiji; Gabon; The 
Gambia; Ghana; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea -Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Israel; Jamaica; 
Jordan; Kenya; the State of Kuwait; Kyrgyz Republic; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Lesotho; 
Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Mald ives; Mauritania; Mexico; Mongolia; Morocco; Mozambique; 
Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; Niger; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; 
Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent 
and the Grenadines; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Solomon Islands; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Swaziland; 
Tajikistan; Tanzania; Thailand; Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey; Uganda; United 
Arab Emirates; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Viet Na m; Yemen; and 
Zimbabwe.  
9.  Document G/STR/ 22 sets out the status of state trading notifications since 1995.  
4  VICE -CHAIRPERSON FOR  THE WORKING PARTY  
10.  At the meeting of 16 July 2019, the Working Party also took up the following agenda item: 
Discussion regarding a  vice-chairperson for the Working Party on State Trading Enterprises (item 
requested by the United States).  
11.  It was noted that the first meeting of the Working Party during the review period had been 
delayed because the appointment of new officers by the Council for Trade in Goods had been 
delayed, the former Chairperson of the Working Party was no longer availab le, and the Working 
Party did not have a vice -chairperson. It was therefore proposed to take measures to avoid this 
happening in the future, such as having a vice -chairperson or an interim chairperson.  
12.  The officers of the Working Party that are appointed on an annual basis are elected by the 
Council for Trade in Goods, and the Council for Trade in Goods does not elect a vice -chairperson for 
the Working Party. The Chairperson of the Working Party therefore proposed that he would convey 
to the Chairperson of  the Council for Trade in Goods the interest expressed in allowing the Working 
Party to have a vice -chairperson, and the Working Party took note of this proposed course of action. 
The Chairperson of the Working Party accordingly conveyed this interest to t he Chairperson of the 
Council for Trade in Goods and reported back to the Working Group.  
5  ADOPTION OF THE ANNU AL REPORT  
13.  The Working Party adopted its Annual Report to the Council for Trade in Goods for the 
year 2019.  
 
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