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WT/COMTD/PTA/M/1  
 
10 April 2014  
(14-2247)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Trade and Development 
First Dedicated Session on Preferential Trade 
Arrangements    
 
 NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 2 APRIL 2014 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr. Pierre Claver Ndayiragije (Burundi) 
A. ADOPTION OF TH E AGENDA .................................................................................... 1  
B. CONSIDERATION OF PREFERENTI AL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS ................................. 1  
(i) Status of the work of the Dedicated Session - report by the Chairperson  ...................... 1  
(ii) European Union - Emergency Autonomous Trade Preferences for Pakistan 
(WT/COMTD/N/41, WT/COMTD/PTA/1/1)  ..................................................................... 2  
C. OTHER BUSINESS .................................................................................................... 3  
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA 
1. The draft agenda as contained in document WTO/AIR/4256/Rev.1 of 21 March 2014 was 
adopted. 
B. CONSIDERATION OF PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS 
(i) Status of the work of the Dedicate d Session - report by the Chairperson 
2. The Chairman said that he wished to provide Members with a brief update on the 
preferential trade arrangements (PTAs) that were to be considered in the Dedicated Sessions on 
PTAs of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD). He indicated firstly that the EU's 
Emergency Autonomous Trade Preferences for Pakistan (EATPP) would be considered at the 
present meeting. With regard to the four other PTAs that had been notified since the establishment of the Transparency Mechanism (TM) for PTAs - PTAs being implemented by China, India, the 
Russian Federation and Chinese Taipei - he said  that the full set of data required for the 
preparation of the Factual Presentations had not yet been provided to the Secretariat. He urged the notifying Members to provide the data as soon as possible.  
3. The representative of the European Union said that her delegation was pleased that the 
CTD could hold its First Dedicated Session on PT As. She observed, however, that the EU had not 
expected the EATPP to be the first PTA to be cons idered in the Dedicated Session, since three PTAs 
had been notified under the TM for PTAs before the EATPP. In this light, she called on the Members 
that had notified their PTAs to follow the steps laid out in the PTAs TM and provide the necessary 
data to the Secretariat for the preparation of the Factual Presentations. She also referred to China's intervention regarding its PTA at the CTD's 90
th Regular Session, and welcomed the 
indication by China that steps were being taken to provide the required data to the Secretariat.  
4. The representative of the United States expr essed support for the intervention by the EU. 
He noted that China had indicated at the 90th Regular Session that steps were being taken to 
provide the required data concerning its PTA to the Secretariat. More generally, he encouraged 
delegations to submit the information and data laid out in the PTAs TM, so that all Members could benefit from the transparency envisioned by the Mechanism. WT/COMTD/PTA/M/1 
 
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  5. The representative of Colombia welcomed the convening of the present meeting, which her 
delegation believed responded well to two decisions in favour of least-developed countries (LDCs) 
taken at the Ninth Ministerial Conference. Both of  these decisions - one concerning duty-free and 
quota-free (DFQF) market access and the other concerning preferential rules of origin - mentioned 
the TM for PTAs. She called on Members implementi ng PTAs to notify their preferential schemes 
under the PTAs TM.  
6. The Committee took note of all interventions. 
(ii) European Union - Emergency Autonomous Trade Preferences for Pakistan (WT/COMTD/N/41, 
WT/COMTD/PTA/1/1) 
7. The Chairman said that the EATPP entered into force on 15 November 2012 and was 
notified under paragraph 1(c) of the TM for PTAs on 15 January 2013. The notification was 
contained in document WT/COMTD/N/41. The Factual Presentation on the EATPP – document 
WT/COMTD/PTA/1/1 dated 18 October 2013 – had been  prepared by the Secretariat on its own 
responsibility, in full consultation with the notify ing Member and in accordance with paragraph 7(c) 
of the TM for PTAs. A fax had been sent to Memb ers on 18 October 2013 inviting the submission of 
written questions to the Secretariat on the EATPP, for onward transmission to the EU. In this regard, he informed the Committee that no written questions had been received by the 
Secretariat. Turning to the consideration of the EATPP at the present meeting, he said that, 
following similar procedures to the CTD's Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements, he would first give the floor to the EU - and then Members - to provide any general comments.  Members could then consider the specifics of the EATPP on the basis of the Factual Presentation, 
after which the EU could make any final comments if it so wished. Members would also have the 
opportunity to submit written questions after the meeting was concluded.  
8. The representative of the European Union expr essed appreciation for the collaboration with 
the Secretariat in the preparation of the Factual Presentation and said that her delegation 
welcomed the opportunity to discuss the EATPP. Sh e recalled that, following the devastating floods 
of July and August 2010 in Pakistan, the EU had put together a comprehensive package of 
short-term, medium-term and long-term measures  to help Pakistan's recovery and future 
development. These measures included trade measures, which the EU considered essential for economic recovery and growth. In order to impl ement the trade preferences for Pakistan, the EU 
had requested - and was granted by the General Council in its decision of 14 February 2012 
contained in document WT/L/851 - a waiver from the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article I and 
from the provisions of Article XIII of the GATT 1994. The trade preferences were subsequently 
enacted by the European Council and the Europe an Parliament in EU Regulation 1029/2012 of 
25 October 2012, and entered into force on 15 November 2012.  
9. She went on to say that the products which were subject to preferences under the EU 
Regulation were identical to those which were included in the waiver decision of the 
General Council, but there was a difference in terms of those subject to DFQF treatment that were 
listed in Annex I, and those which were subject to  duty-free treatment within limits of tariff rate 
quotas as listed in Annex II. She explained that , in the EU Regulation, six products had been 
moved from Annex I to Annex II. Therefore, in the EU Regulation 49 products were exempted from 
duties without limitations - as compared to 55 products in the waiver decision - and 26 products 
were under tariff rate quotas, as compared to 20 products in the waiver decision. In accordance 
with the terms of the waiver decision and the EU Regulation, the preferences granted under the 
EATPP expired on 31 December 2013 and were not renewed. Preliminary data indicated that the 
EU's total imports from Pakistan had increased by 10% in 2013 relative to 2012, in the same period when the EU's imports from the world had decreased by about 6%. Data at the 2-digit level 
showed that, with the exception of Chapter 7 of  the Harmonized System (HS), all HS Chapters 
covered by the trade preferences saw positive grow th. It was hoped that the export opportunities 
provided by the EATPP would support Pakistan's  economic recovery from the 2010 floods. As 
Pakistan's largest trading partner, the EU continued to engage with Pakistan to enhance bilateral 
trade and investment opportunities.  
10. The representative of Pakistan expressed appreciation to the Secretariat for the 
preparation of the Factual Presentation. WT/COMTD/PTA/M/1 
 
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  11. The representative of Bangladesh said that his delegation appreciated that the EU had 
come forward to address a humanitarian cause through trade measures. He noted that Members in 
the General Council had similarly taken the waiver decision approving the EATPP on humanitarian grounds and expressed his hope that the same spir it would prevail when granting preferences to 
LDCs, which also faced humanitarian difficulties. Noting that the trade preferences granted under 
the EATPP had substantially contributed to increasi ng Pakistan's exports to the EU, he indicated 
that any preferences granted to LDCs should also  substantially contribute to increasing their 
exports to their trading partners. 
12. No questions were raised by Members on the specifics of the EATPP.    
13. The Chairman said that oral discussion of the EATPP could be concluded in accordance with 
paragraph 11 of the TM for PTAs. Any questions by delegations were to be submitted in writing to 
the Secretariat within one week, by 9 April 2014. Th e EU would then be given two weeks to submit 
written replies, by no later than 23 April 2014. In accordance with paragraph 13 of the TM for PTAs, all written submissions as well as the minutes of the meeting would be circulated promptly 
in all WTO official languages, and would be made available on the WTO website. 
 14. The Committee took note of all interventions. 
C. OTHER BUSINESS 
15. No matter was raised under "Other Business". 
16. The meeting was adjourned. 
 
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