WT/TPR/OV/16  
 
31 January 2014  
(14-0538)  Page: 1/140  
Trade Policy Review Body   
 
  
OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS 
IN THE INTERNATIONAL TRADING ENVIRONMENT 
ANNUAL REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL1 
  
 
Table of Contents 
1   INTROD UCTION  .......................................................................................................... 6
 
2   TRENDS IN TRADE AND SELE CTED ECONOMIC INDICATORS ....................................... 6  
2.1   Merchandise and comme rcial services  trade .................................................................. 9  
2.1.1   Merchandis e trade volume ....................................................................................... 9  
2.1.2   Merchandise trade values ........................................................................................ 13 
2.1.3   Trade in commercial services ................................................................................... 16 
3   TRADE AND TRADE-RELATED POLICY DEVELOPMENTS .............................................. 18  
3.1   Trade measur es ....................................................................................................... 18 
3.1.1   Trade-faci litating measures ..................................................................................... 18 
3.1.2   Trade remedies ..................................................................................................... 18 
3.1.3   Other trade-related measures .................................................................................. 23 
3.1.4   Sanitary and ph ytosanitary measures ....................................................................... 23 
3.1.5   Technical barriers to trade ...................................................................................... 29 
3.1.6   Developments in  agricultural  policy .......................................................................... 36 
3.1.7   Policy developments in trade in services .................................................................... 37 
3.2   General economic  support me asures ........................................................................... 44 
3.3   Trade policy  reviews in 2013 ...................................................................................... 45 
3.4   Regional tr ade agreem ents ........................................................................................ 53 
3.5   Government  procurement .......................................................................................... 61 
4   TRANSPARENCY OF TRADE POLICIES ........................................................................ 64  
4.1   Notifications and surveillance in WTO Councils and Committees ....................................... 64 
4.2   WTO databases ........................................................................................................ 74 
                                               
1 This Report covers the period mid-October 2012 to mid-November 2013.  It is presented pursuant to 
Paragraph G of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism mand ate and aims to assist the TPRB to undertake its 
annual overview of developments in the international tr ading environment that are having an impact on the 
multilateral trading system.  The Report is issued under th e sole responsibility of the Director-General.  It has 
no legal effect on the rights and obligations of Members, nor does it have any legal im plications with respect to 
the conformity of any measure noted in the Report with  any WTO Agreements or any provisions thereof.   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 5   OTHER TRADE-RELA TED DEVELOPM ENTS .................................................................. 78  
5.1   Trade financ ing ........................................................................................................ 78 
5.2   Dispute settlem ent developments ............................................................................... 78 
5.3   Aid for Trade ............................................................................................................ 79 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
1.1 Trade growth in 2013 reflected the slow and uneven growth that we saw in the global 
economy. The volume of merchandise trade expanded by less than 2.5% last year. It is projected to grow by between 4.0% and 4.5% in 2014 but th at is still below the historical average since 
1990 of 5.5%.  
 1.2 The Bali Package adopted at the 9
th Ministerial Conference in December was a considerable 
achievement for WTO Members and represents a significant boost for trade, growth and 
development. For many years previously the WTO had not delivered negotiated outcomes and, as 
a consequence, the multilateral trading system was being questioned. Bali changed all that.  
 
1.3 In the Bali Declaration Ministers reaffi rmed their "commitment to the WTO as the 
pre-eminent global forum for trade, including ne gotiating and implementing trade rules, settling 
disputes and supporting development through the integration of developing countries into the 
global trading system". There is a clear commitm ent to build on the momentum generated by the 
success of Bali to conclude the Doha Development Agenda. As we prepare to seize this opportunity 
in 2014, it is timely to look back on the challenges which emerged in the international trading 
environment in 2013 and to consider how policymakers might respond.  
 The continued accumulation of trade restrictio ns in 2013 that are detailed in this Report 
falls far short of an outbreak of protectionis m, but it must be a priority for policymakers 
to stop and reverse this trend. 
 1.4 Between October 2012 and November 2013, 407 new trade restrictions and initiations of 
trade remedy actions were reported, compared with 308 in the same period a year earlier. These 
new measures affect about 1.3% of world merchandise imports (valued at US$240 billion) and they add to the existing stock of restrictions and other impediments to the flow of international 
trade.   
 1.5 A total of 355 trade remedy actions were repo rted in 2013, the vast majority anti-dumping 
actions and safeguard measures. As was the case in 2012, more actions were initiated than were 
terminated. There were 217 initiations of trade-re medy investigations covering around 0.2% of 
world imports, and 138 terminations of either investigations or of existing duties covering around 0.1% of world imports. Trade remedy activity is clearly on the rise, and Members should reflect on 
what the causes of that might be.   
 1.6 The number of new trade-facilitating measures reported by Members fell to 107 in 2013, 
well down from 162 a year earlier. These, plus  the number of terminations of trade remedy 
actions, represent little more than one-third of th e total measures covered in this Report, and it 
paints an unflattering picture of the ratio of trade restriction to facilitation that exists at the multilateral level outside the regional trading areas.    
 
1.7 Individual Trade Policy Reviews undertaken in 2013 have shown that WTO Members are making efforts to resist domestic pressures to erect trade barriers. Some slippage is perhaps 
inevitable. However, it must be borne in mind that these new measures continue to swell the stock 
of trade restrictions and distortions that are in  place globally and that are holding back the 
potential for trade to raise incomes, create jobs and advance economic development. Members 
must attend to the risk posed by the cumulative effect of new and existing trade restrictions. The 
G-20 members have a particular responsibility to set an example for the rest of the WTO 
membership in this regard, and to create the confidence that is needed for further multilateral initiatives to liberalize trade under the WTO to succeed.  
 
The positive outcome of MC9 creates an oppo rtunity to take steps to reinvigorate the 
multilateral trading system.  
 
1.8 One of the factors that contributed to the success of MC9 was the importance that Members 
attach to the multilateral trading system. Prior to Bali, the ability of the WTO to manage and move 
forward the multilateral trade agenda through nego tiations was open to doubt. Building on the 
reaffirmation by Ministers in Bali of their commitment to multilateralism, WTO Members need to consider how to mobilize at the domestic level more understanding of, and support for, the benefits of multilateral trade cooperation. Being able to build on support at home will strengthen WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Members' ability to approach the design and impl ementation of the post-Bali work programme in a 
bolder and less constrained manner than they appear to have been able to adopt when tackling the challenges of the DDA over the past several years.    
1.9 There is no single rationale that uniformly explains the value of the multilateral trading 
system for all countries. Its benefits are not viewed in the same way by the large trading powers as they are by smaller countries, nor by develo ped countries in the same way as they are by 
developing countries, nor by exporters of primary products in the same way as they are by 
exporters of manufactured goods or of services . All Members have to be prepared to make 
trade-offs if the WTO's negotiating function is to work, and each Member's political mandate for negotiations needs to factor in the collective benefit to the system that results from a successful 
negotiation alongside the straightforward commercial gains that each Member sets out to achieve. 
This is especially challenging at a time of si gnificant global economic change. WTO Members, 
including the largest trading nations both developed and developing, need a well-functioning, 
rules-based, multilateral trading system to manage  their trade relations with each other. There is 
also a real need to focus on the development component of the WTO's work, and how the system can benefit smaller, less-developed Members, whose options for managing their own trade 
relations are more constrained. The multilateral trading system has a central role to play in 
preventing fragmentation and polarization of the international economy.     1.10 It is sometimes argued that the WTO has become less relevant as it has not sufficiently 
adapted to address challenges arising from de velopments in patterns of trade, production, 
technology and the internationalization of supply ch ains – what is needed is a "21st century trade 
agenda" for the WTO. Trade multilateralism does need  to renew itself to take into account recent 
developments in the global economy. However, that task must not obscure the continuing need to 
address the many remaining traditional trade barrier s and distortions that continue to be at the 
centre of the trade policy agenda for the large majority of WTO Members.  
 
Regional trade negotiations and agreements  have significant ramifications for the 
evolution of the multilateral trading system.   
1.11 During the period covered by this Report, Members notified 23 new regional trade 
agreements (RTAs) to the WTO, bringing the total number in force today to 250.  Negotiations are 
continuing or were launched in 2013 on new RTAs, in some cases between parties that collectively 
account for very substantial shares of world trade and GDP. As WTO Members pursue the work on 
the decisions taken at MC9, it is natural to ask how these new RTAs will affect the multilateral trading system.   
 
1.12 What is distinctive about the RTA agenda to day is the number of large regional agreements 
currently being negotiated. The implications of such agreements for the multilateral trading system are likely to be far greater than more traditional RTAs by virtue of their anticipated scope, the 
sheer economic weight of the parties involved, and the implications of this for the setting of global 
standards.   
1.13 This underscores the need for continuing work by Members on the relationship of RTAs to 
the multilateral trading system. Such work ca n help ensure that these new preferential 
agreements are consistent with and supportive of  the multilateral trading system. Members have 
already advanced well in the DDA negotiations on Rules by establishing the RTA Transparency 
Mechanism on a provisional basis; and there is a strong case for completing that exercise by making the Mechanism permanent. It would also seem appropriate to look at ways to reinvigorate work in the CRTA on the systemic implications of regionalism, using the studies produced by the 
Secretariat to review and reflect on what best practice might be in the design and negotiation of 
RTAs to ensure they operate harmoniously with  the multilateral trading system and that the 
interests of third parties are properly taken into account.   
 
Transparency is a core principle of th e multilateral trading system.  There is 
considerable scope to improve it s application by WTO Members.  
 
1.14 The regular work of the WTO could benefit fr om more attention to the operation of the many 
obligatory transparency mechanisms that exist and that underpin the effectiveness of WTO rules generally. Compliance with those mechanisms has not always been as ideal as envisaged in the 
WTO agreements.   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 1.15 The number of Members that respond to the request to provide information on their new 
trade measures for the trade monitoring exercise is small and, in fact, declined from 38 in 2012 to 35 in 2013. While the exercise appears to be pickin g up the majority of the border trade measures 
introduced in each period, that is not the case with behind-the-border measures such as subsidies 
and state aids, general economic support measures , public procurement and domestic regulations 
that affect trade in goods and services. In addition , as Section 4 of this Report shows, the record 
of Members' compliance with their formal notification requirements is patchy and far from 
satisfactory.  
 1.16 Better transparency of trade and trade-relate d measures is a key factor affecting all aspects 
of the WTO's core functions. Sharing information among Members is essential for the proper 
implementation of WTO agreements, it is a condition for successful negotiations, it can help 
considerably to avoid trade disputes arising unn ecessarily, and it is the essence of the WTO's 
surveillance activities through the TPRM and the tr ade monitoring exercise.  Improving this aspect 
of the functioning of the WTO requires no new ma ndate, it is simply a matter of applying the 
existing rules.  WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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1  INTRODUCTION 
1.1.  This Report is aimed at assisting the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) to undertake its 
annual overview of developments in the international trading environment that are having an 
impact on the multilateral trading system. It reviews trade and trade-related developments during 
the period mid-October 2012 to mid-November 2013.2 The Director-General has reported regularly 
to WTO Members on trade and trade-related policy developments.  
1.2.  At the WTO Ministerial Conference in Dece mber 2011 Ministers recognized the regular work 
undertaken by the TPRB on the monitoring exercise of trade and trade-related measures, took note of the work initially done in the context of the global financial and economic crisis, and directed it to be continued and strengthened. Ministers invited the Director-General to continue 
presenting his trade monitoring reports on a regular basis, and asked the TPRB to consider these 
monitoring reports in addition to its meeting to undertake the Annual Overview of Developments in the International Trading Environment. Minister s committed to duly comply with the existing 
transparency obligations and reporting requirements needed for the preparation of these 
monitoring reports, and to continue to support and cooperate with the WTO Secretariat in a constructive fashion.
3  
1.3.  Information on the measures included in this Report has been collected from inputs 
submitted by Members and Observer Governments, as well as from other official and public sources. Replies to the request of the Director-General for information on measures taken during the period under review were received from 56 Members (counting the European Union (EU) and 
its Member States separately) (Box 1), which represents only 35% of the Membership; compared 
with 38% received for the previous annual report. Two Observer Governments also replied to the request for information. The WTO Secretariat has drawn on these replies, as well as on a variety of 
other public and official sources, to prepare this Report. All country-specific information collected 
was sent for verification to the delegation concerned. The Secretariat has received good cooperation from some delegations that were requested to verify the accuracy of the information 
contained in the annexes. Requests for verificati on of information were sent to 64 delegations 
(counting the European Union and its Member States as one). Around 47%  of them provided 
replies in time for the preparation of this Report, which is lower than the reply rate of 60% recorded for last year's report. Where it has not been possible to confirm the information, this is 
noted in the annexes. The country-specific meas ures listed in the annexes are new measures 
implemented by governments during the period under review.4 
Box 1: Members that replied to the Director-General's request for information 
Argentina 
Australia  
Azerbaijan* 
Brazil  
Canada  
Chile 
China  
Colombia Dominican Republic 
European Union  
Georgia 
Hong Kong, China 
India 
Indonesia  
Japan 
Korea, Republic of Macau, China 
Mexico 
Montenegro 
New Zealand 
Pakistan 
Philippines 
Russian Federation 
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of  
 Serbia* 
Switzerland 
Chinese Taipei 
Thailand 
Turkey  
United States 
 
* Observer 
2  TRENDS IN TRADE AND SELECTED ECONOMIC INDICATORS 
2.1.  Since the last monitoring report was issued  global output growth has been slow and uneven, 
not only in developed economies but also in major emerging markets that have slowed appreciably 
since the middle of 2011. A number of factors cont ributed to the economic slowdown, but the most 
important was the recession in the euro area, which extended into the first quarter of 2013 and 
                                               
2 This Report builds on the Director-General's previous report to the TPRB on trade-related 
developments distributed to Members on 5 July 2013 (WT/TPR/OV/W/7). 
3 WTO document WT/L/848 of 19 December 2011. 
4 The inclusion of any measure in this Report or in its Annexes implies no judgement by the WTO 
Secretariat on whether or not such measure, or its intent , is protectionist in nature.  Moreover, nothing in this 
Report implies any judge ment, either direct or indire ct, as to the consistency of any measure referred to in the 
Report with the provisions of any WTO Agreement. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 has been followed by tepid, albeit positive, grow th. Uncertainty over the timing and impact of the 
phase-out of unconventional monetary policy in the United States also contributed to volatility in global financial markets during the review period. The reduction in activity has weighed heavily on world trade flows, prompting the Secretariat to revise its trade forecast downward on 
19 September 2013.
5  
2.2.  The United States saw its economy expand at  a 2.8% annualized rate in the third quarter, up 
from 2.5% in the second quarter and 1.1% in the first. Overall, U.S. labour market conditions 
improved in October. Despite the jump in hiring, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 7.3% in 
October from 7.2% in the previous month. The accelerating growth in the United States stands in contrast to the sluggishness in the euro area, wh ere the economy grew just 0.4% (annualized) in 
the third quarter with a 12.2% unemployment rate . Growth for the European Union as a whole, 
including countries not using the euro, was slightly faster at 1.0% in the third quarter, but the 
performance of individual European Union members diverged significantly. Output grew 1.4% in 
Germany and 3.4% in the United Kingdom, while in France and Italy output declined by 0.6% and 
0.5%, respectively. Japan's GDP growth slowed to 1.9% in the latest quarter (down from 3.8% in 
the second quarter) and its unemploym ent rate remained steady at 4%. 
2.3.  The slowdown in emerging economies appears to have partly abated in the last two quarters, 
mostly due to faster growth in China. The Chinese economy expanded at a 9.1% annualized rate 
in the third quarter, up from 7.8% in the second quarter and 6.1% in the first quarter. It remains 
to be seen whether this rate can be sustained. Brazil's growth also picked up to 6% in the second quarter from 2.6% in the first quarter, but Indian  growth remained subdued at 2.3% in the second 
quarter and 1.6% in the first quarter. Overall, the global economic recovery remains on track but 
is unbalanced, with areas of relative strength and weakness in both developed and developing regions. 
2.4.  Despite the slower pace of growth in deve loping economies recently, these countries' imports 
have continued to support international trade flows. This is illustrated by Chart 1, which shows contributions of developed and developing economies to year-on-year growth in the dollar value of 
world merchandise imports from the first quarter of 2011 to the third quarter of 2013. World trade 
stagnated between the second quarter of 2012 and the second quarter of 2013, with growth in 
nominal terms ranging from −3.3% to +1%. Developing economies made a positive contribution 
to world import demand in every period over this interval, whereas the contribution of developed 
countries was uniformly negative. For example, in the first quarter of 2013, falling imports in 
developed economies subtracted 2.1 percentage points from nominal world trade growth while 
developing economies' growing import demand added 1.7 points. Without the stronger 
contribution from developing economies, world trade growth would have been more negative. 
Growth in world imports picked up to 2.6% in th e third quarter, with developed economies making 
a positive contribution for the first time since the first quarter of 2012. However, despite this 
turnaround the contribution of developing econom ies remained stronger than that of developed 
countries (1.9% vs. 0.8%).
6  
                                               
5 WTO Press Release 694, 19 September 2013. 
6 Equivalent figures for exports show  a nearly identical trend for world trade as measured by exports.  
However, contributions of developing economies to worl d export growth since the beginning of 2013 have been 
smaller than their contributions to  world import growth, and develope d economies added more to export 
growth in 2013Q3 than developing economies did (1.8% compared to 1.3%, for a total increase of 3.1%). WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 1 Contributions to year-on-year growth in world merchandise imports, 
2011Q1 - 2013Q3 (Percentage change in US$ values) 
 
 a Includes significant re-exports. Also includes the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). 
 Note: Due to scarce data availability, Africa an d Middle East are under-represented in world totals. 
 Source: WTO Secretariat estimates based on data compiled from IMF International Financial Statistics; 
Eurostat Comext Database; Global Tr ade Atlas; and national statistics. 
2.5.  On 19 September 2013, the WTO Secretariat updated its forecast for world trade in the 
remainder of 2013 and in 2014, as a result of a lo nger and deeper-than-expected recession in the 
European Union and a slowdown in emerging ec onomies (Table 1). World merchandise trade is 
expected to grow 2.5% in 2013 (down from 3.3% fore cast at the time of the last report) and 4.5% 
in 2014 (down from 5% previously). Exports of de veloped economies are expected to grow 1.5% 
this year while shipments from developing economies should increase by 3.6%. Zero growth is anticipated for developed economies on the import side for 2013, while developing economies 
should manage to expand their imports by 5.8% . In 2014, exports of developed and developing 
economies are projected to grow 2.8% and 6.3% , respectively. Meanwhile, imports of developed 
and developing economies should advance 3.2% and 6.2%. These growth rates refer to changes in 
the real volume of trade, i.e. they are adjusted to account for fluctuations in prices and exchange 
rates across countries. Projections for 2014 are based on strong assumptions about the medium-term trajectory of the global economy and should be interpreted with caution. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Table 1: World merchandise trade volume, 2009-2014 
 (Annual % change) 
 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013a 2014a 
Volume of world merchandise tradeb -12.5 13.8 5.4 2.3  2.5 4.5 
Exports 
  Developed economies 
  Developing economiesc  
-15.2 
-7.8  
13.3 
15.0  
5.1 
5.9  
1.1 
3.8  
 1.5 
 3.6  
2.8 
6.3 
Imports 
  Developed economies 
 Developing economiesc  
-14.3 -10.6  
10.7 18.2  
3.2 8.1  
0.0 4.9  
-0.1  5.8  
3.2 6.2 
a  Figures for 2013 and 2014 are projections. b  Average of exports and imports. c  Includes the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). 
 Source:  WTO Secretariat estimates. 
2.6.  Despite the downgrade to its forecast, the WTO Secretariat sees conditions for faster trade 
growth gradually falling into place. Numerous risks remain, however, including: unanticipated side-effects from the withdrawal of quantitative easing in the United States; negotiations over the 
United States federal debt ceiling; the threat of  deflation and continued slow growth in the euro 
area; the expectation of fiscal consolidation in Japan; and a more pronounced slowing of output growth in emerging economies.  
2.1  Merchandise and commercial services trade 
2.7.  Recent trade developments can be observed in quarterly and monthly time-series on 
merchandise trade and commercial services prepared by the Secretariat. Merchandise trade statistics are presented below in both nominal (i.e . dollar) and real (i.e. volume) terms, whereas 
data on commercial services are only available in current dollar terms. Developments in the 
European Union tend to be strongly reflected in world and developed economy aggregates due to the large weight of the European Union in both groups (33% of world imports and 58% of 
developed economy imports in 2012, including intra-EU trade). 
2.1.1  Merchandise trade volume 2.8.  Chart 2 shows seasonally-adjusted quarte rly merchandise exports and imports in volume 
terms for developed economies, developing econom ies and the world between the first quarter of 
2010 and the third quarter of 2013. World export s stagnated between the third quarter of 2011 
and the fourth quarter of 2012, rising just 1.1%, and have since only grown moderately, recording an increase of 2.6% between the fourth quarte r of 2012 and the third quarter of 2013. Developed 
and developing economies’ exports have both been relatively flat over the last year, rising 1.3% 
and 3.1%, respectively, between the third qu arter of 2012 and the third quarter of 2013.  
2.9.  In contrast to their performance on the export side, developing economies experienced 
robust growth in imports over the last four quar ters, with a cumulative increase of 4.7% between 
the third quarter of 2012 and the third quarte r of 2013. Meanwhile, imports of developed 
economies fell slightly ( −0.2%), implying an increase of 1.9% for the world.
7 
2.10.  In the third quarter of 2013, world trad e as measured by the average of exports and 
imports grew 0.8% compared to the previous qu arter, which is equivalent to 3.3% annually. 
Exports of developed and developing economies increased by 0.7% (2.7% annualized) and 1.4% 
(5.8% annualized), respectively, in the latest qu arter. Developed economies’ imports rose 1.0% 
(4.5% annualized) during the same period, but im ports of developing economies were unchanged 
(i.e. 0% growth). A rebound in imports of developing economies in the fourth quarter, combined with continued moderate growth in imports of developed economies, should bring trade growth for 
the year closer to the Secretariat’s forecast. 
 
                                               
7 Small discrepancies between world exports and im ports are normal due to differences in data 
recording. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 2 Merchandise exports and imports by level of development, 2010Q1-2013Q3 
 (Seasonally adjusted volume indices, 2010Q1 = 100) 
 
 a Includes the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 2.11.  Since aggregation may obscure significant variation at the country level, it is useful to 
consider trade developments for major economies separately. Chart 3 shows seasonally-adjusted quarterly trade volumes for the United States, the European Union, Japan and developing Asia from the first quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2013. Data for the United States, Japan and 
the European Union were obtained from official sources while figures for developing Asia were 
estimated by the Secretariat.  
2.12.  Between the first quarter of 2011 and the th ird quarter of 2013, United States' exports rose 
9.6% in volume terms while shipments from the European Union to the rest of the world increased 
by 7.8%. During the same period, exports from Eu ropean Union countries to other European Union 
members (i.e. intra-EU exports) declined by 1% due to weak internal demand. Japan's exports dropped 4.2% over this interval. Shipment from developing Asia increased by 12.5%. 
2.13.  Imports of the United States and Japan in volume terms have been mostly flat since the 
fourth quarter of 2011, but both have started to turn up in recent months. European Union imports from other European Union countries (intra-EU impo rts) dropped 2.7% between the first quarter of 
2011 and the third quarter of 2013, while imports from the rest of the world fell by a similar 
amount. Imports of developing Asia increased by  nearly 14% in volume terms over the same 
period, boosting exports from other regions and cushioning the slowdown in world trade. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 3 Volume of exports and imports of selected economies, 2010Q1 - 2013Q3 
 (Seasonally adjusted volume indices, 2010Q1 = 100) 
 
 Source: National statistics for the United States, European Union and Japan; and the Secretariat estimates 
for Developing Asia. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 2.1.2  Merchandise trade values 
2.14.  Merchandise trade statistics in current US$ terms are generally available for more countries 
and more recent time periods than trade statistics in volume terms. Chart 4 shows year-on-year growth in monthly exports and imports for selected economies through October 2013, depending 
on data availability. 
2.15.  Many countries appear to be moving in a positive direction following months of negative, or 
at least mixed, results in 2012 and the first half  of 2013. For example, both exports and imports 
increased sharply in the United States in October, with exports recording their largest increase 
since June 2012. Also in October, Japan recorded its first positive year-on-year growth in imports since September 2012 while the country's exports were the least negative since June 2012. The Republic of Korea’s exports and imports also st rengthened in October, as did exports from 
Singapore. 
2.16.  India's imports were down sharply year-on-year and exports were up sharply in September 
and October, reflecting a weak domestic econ omy and an improving external environment. A 
number of other countries showed no clear trend, either positive or negative, including the 
Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Ki nmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei), Indonesia, 
Thailand and Turkey. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 4 Merchandise exports and imports of selected economies, 
April 2012 - October 2013 
(Year-on-year percentage chan ge in current US$ values) 
 
 
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 4 (continued) 
 
 Source: IMF, International Financial Statistics; Global  Trade Information Services (GTIS) Global Trade Atlas 
database; national statistics. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 2.1.3  Trade in commercial services 
2.17.  Although statistics on trade in commercial services is more limited than existing information 
on merchandise trade, both types of data have displayed similar trends in recent years, rising and falling in line with global economic activity. Short-term developments in commercial services trade 
are illustrated by Chart 5, which shows year-on-year growth in the dollar value of commercial 
services exports and imports for selected major traders over the last five quarters (the second quarter of 2012 to the second quarter of 2013).  
2.18.  Export and import growth for the United States and China have remained consistently 
positive over the last five quarters. On the other hand, Japanese exports have alternated between expansion and contraction since the third quarter of 2012 while the country's imports have turned 
negative. Exports and imports of services have  been trended up for France, Germany and the 
European Union as a whole, but growth has turned negative for the United Kingdom. India’s 
service exports have increased year-on-year in four out of the last five quarters, but its imports have fallen year-on-year for three consecutive quarters, which is indicative of its economic 
slowdown. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 5 Commercial services exports and imports of selected economies, 2012Q2 - 2013Q2 
(Year-on-year percentage chan ge in current US$ values) 
 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3  TRADE AND TRADE-RELATE D POLICY DEVELOPMENTS 
3.1  Trade measures 3.1.  The Director-General's mid-year report to the TPRB on trade-related developments 
(distributed on 5 July 2013) noted that during the period from mid-October 2012 to mid-May 2013 
there was a slowdown in the imposition of trade re strictions. This trend changed over the following 
six months, with the result that for the previous  twelve months up to mid-November 2013, more 
restrictions were observed than in the preceding one-year period. During the reviewed period, 407 
new trade restrictions were recorded up from 30 8 measures listed in the previous annual report.
8 
The new restrictive measures cover around US$240 billion, the equivalent of slightly more than 1.3% of world merchandise imports (which is broadly the same as at the time of the last annual report). Around 38% of the total number of me asures recorded for this Report (658) can be 
considered as trade-facilitating measures (they cover around 1.5% of world trade). At the time of 
the previous annual report, 51% of the reco rded measures were facilitating ones. 
3.2.  As indicated in the 2012 annual report and the July 2013 mid-year report, the trade 
measures compiled for this Report are now presented in three separate categories: (i) measures 
that clearly facilitate trade; (ii) trade remedy measures; and (iii) other trade measures. 
3.1.1  Trade-facilitating measures 
3.3.  During the review period, 107 trade-facilitat ing measures were recorded compared with 162 
measures listed in last year's report (Annex 1). Close to 80% of these measures were tariff reductions, some of them implemented on a temporary basis (Table 2). Easier customs procedures were the second most frequently used trade-facilitating measure. These measures cover the 
equivalent of 1.4% of world merchandise imports (close to US$258 billion). 
Table 2 Measures facilitating trade 
Type of measure Mid-October 2011 to 
mid-October 2012 Mid-October 2012 to 
mid-November 2013 
Import 136 101 
- Tariff 120 82 
- Customs procedures 13 15 
- Tax 2 3 
- Quantitative restriction 1 1 
Export 18 6 
- Duties 7 3 
- Quantitative restrictions 11 3 
Other 8 0 
Total 162 107 
 Source: Annex 1. 
3.4.  The main sectors benefiting from trade-facilitating measures during this period were: capital goods and machinery; plastics and articles of plasti c; live animals, animal and vegetable products, 
and food products; and organic and inorganic chemicals.  
3.1.2  Trade remedies 
3.1.2.1  Trade remedy measures 
3.5.  Trade remedy measures taken between mid-October 2012 and mid-November 2013 are 
listed in Annex 2. During this period, 355 measures  were recorded, out of which the vast majority 
                                               
8 These numbers result from the approach used in prev ious trade monitoring repo rts that considered all 
recorded measures (including trade re medy actions) as either  restricting or facilitating trade.  They are 
provided only to give an indication of trends in trade measures. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 19 - 
 
 was anti-dumping actions, followed by safeguards.9 As was the case last year, more initiations 
were recorded than terminations: out of the to tal number of trade remedy measures, 217 were 
initiations of new trade remedy investigations covering around 0.2% of world merchandise imports (close to US$40 billion), and 138 measures were termin ations of either investigations or of existing 
duties covering around 0.1% of world imports.  
3.6.  Anti-dumping actions continue to account for the vast majority of both initiations (72% of all 
initiations) and terminations (81% of all terminations). 
3.1.2.2  Trade remedy trends 
3.7.  This analysis provides an assessment of tr ends in trade remedy measures adopted during the 
period from mid-October 2011 to mid-November 2012 ("first period") in comparison with mid-October 2012 to mid-November 2013
10 ("second period"). Concerning anti-dumping, the 
recent data indicate an increase in the number of new investigations initiated. The number of 
safeguard investigations initiated also increased significantly, albeit from a low base, and there have not been any significant changes in the number of countervail investigations initiated. 
3.8.  Table 3 shows that global anti-dumping  initiations increased by more than 12%, from 226 
during the first period to 254 during the second.  
Table 3 Initiations of anti-dumping investigations  
 (Counted on the basis of exporting countries affected) 
Reporting Member 15 October 2011- 
15 November 2012 15 October 2012- 
15 November 2013 
Argentina 10 19 
Australia 14 20 
Brazil 48 39 
Canada 12 17 
Chile 0 5 
China 12 12 
Colombia 2 9 
Egypt 2 0 
European Union 19 5 
India 19 35 
Indonesia 7 0 
Israel 1 2 
Japan 1 0 
Korea, Republic of 2 4 
Malaysia 11 8 
Mexico 3 7 
Morocco 1 4 
New Zealand 0 1 
Pakistan 8 5 
Peru 1 1 
Philippines 0 1 
Russian Federation 6 0 
South Africa 2 9 
Chinese Taipei 9 2 
                                               
9 For trade-monitoring purposes, the actions retained were the initiation of new investigations and the 
termination of either investigations (without imposition  of measures) or existing duties.  A single measure 
affecting several trading partners is counted only once, as listed in Annex 2.  The data provided in the following 
section on trade remedy trends is based on counting  the number of exporting countries affected by the 
measure. 
10 Data for July – November 2013 is partly unverified and collected from various unofficial sources.  WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 20 - 
 
 Reporting Member 15 October 2011- 
15 November 2012 15 October 2012- 
15 November 2013 
Thailand 4 1 
Turkey 14 10 
Ukraine 3 0 
United States 15 34 
Viet Nam 0 4 
Total 226 254 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.9.  The trend in the two periods examined confir ms the trend in annual figures shown in Chart 6. 
In fact, the number of investigation initiations through 15 November 2013 rose to levels reported 
in the first trade monitoring report circulated in 2009.11 However, the total number of new 
initiations during the most recent period is still well short of the peak of 366 initiations observed 
in 2001. 
Chart 6 Total anti-dumping investigation initiations (2008-2013a) 
 
 a Data available only through November 2013; data for July through November 2013 partly unverified 
and collected from various unofficial sources. 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.10.  While anti-dumping investigations do not necessarily lead to the imposition of measures, a 
rise in the number of investigations initiated is an early indicator suggesting a likely rise in the 
number of measures imposed. 
3.11.  Table 3 shows that the number of new investigations initiated by the United States more 
than doubled in the second period compared to the first period (34 initiations from 15), while 
initiations by Argentina (19 initiations compared to 10 in the first period) and India (35 initiations 
compared to 19 in the first period) almost double d. Brazil and the European Union decreased their 
activity (from 48 in the first period to 39 in the second period, and from 19 in the first period to 
five in the second period, respectively). This  was not enough, however, to offset increased 
                                               
11 Report to the TPRB from the Director-General on the Financial and Economic Crisis and Trade-Related 
Developments, 26 March 2009. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 initiations by several other Members, notably Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and 
South Africa.  
3.12.  There was relatively little change in the breakdown of products affected by anti-dumping 
investigations initiated during the two periods examined. Chart 7 shows that in both periods, 
metals dominated the investigations, accounting for 34% of total initiations in the second period 
compared to 35% in the first period. While plastics and resins were the second most important sector in the first period, accounting for 17% of total initiations, they were the third most 
important sector in the second period, accounting for 11% of initiations. Chemicals were the 
second most important sector in the second period, accounting for 16% of total initiations, the same as during the first period. While stone and plasters increased to 11% of total initiations during the second period, from 4% in the firs t period, minerals, wood and textiles decreased 
during the second period. Machinery and electrical goods increased from 5% in the first period to 
9% in the second. 
Chart 7 Anti-dumping initiations by product 
 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.13.  In terms of countries affected by new anti-dumping investigations, 45 exporting Members 
were affected during the second period while 36 were affected during the first period. China 
remained, by far, the Member most affected by anti-dumping initiations during the two periods – 
investigations on China accounted for 28% of all investigations during both periods. The second m o s t  a f f e c t e d  M e m b e r  d u r i n g  b o t h  p e r i o d s  -  t h e  R e p u b l i c  o f  K o r e a  -  a c c o u n t e d  f o r  1 0 %  o f  investigations during the first period and 8% during the second period.   
3.14.  Table 4 shows that global initiations of countervailing duty  investigations increased 
slightly during the second period – 35 investigations compared to 30 in the first period. 
3.15.  Among the Members using countervail during the two periods, the United States showed the 
largest increase in initiations (10 in the first period to 19 in the second period). This may be due to 
an emerging trend of simultaneous anti-dumping  and countervailing duty investigations. Canada 
and the European Union showed the largest decreases in the number of investigations from seven 
in the first period to four and three respectively  in the second period. These decreases were more 
than offset by the increases in investigations by the United States and, to a smaller extent, Australia and Brazil.   
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3.16.  Concerning the types of products affected by these investigations, while metals accounted 
for roughly the same number of investigations during the two periods examined (13 and 14 respectively), the percentage share in total investigations increased from 43% in the first period to 54% in the second period. Prepared food stuffs (frozen warm-water shrimp) accounted for the 
second largest sector during the second period (8 out of 35 initiations).  
3.17.  Regarding the affected exporting Members, similarly to anti-dumping, China's share 
continued to account for most of the initiations during the two periods. It increased from 11 
initiations in the first period to 15 during the second, increasing from 37% of total initiations to 
43% respectively. Other affected countries (Argen tina, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, 
Republic of Korea, Malaysia, South Africa, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Turkey and Viet Nam) accounted for one or two initiations, except India which accounted for five initiations during the 
second period.  
Table 4 Initiations of countervailing duty investigations  
 (Counted on the basis of exporting countries affected) 
Reporting Member 15 October 2011- 
15 November 2012 ber 2012- 
mber 2013 
Australia 1 3 
Brazil 0 3 
Canada 7 4 
China 2 2 
European Union 7 3 
Mexico 0 1 
Pakistan 2 0 
Peru 1 0 
United States 10 19 
Total 30 35 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.18.  Initiations of safeguard  investigations increased 75% from 16 in the first period to 28 
initiations in the second period (Table 5). Colombia initiated four new safeguard investigations in 
the second period compared with none in the firs t period. Most other Members initiated one or, at 
most, two investigations during the second period. The overall increase in initiations can be 
attributed to more active countries during the second period. Specifically, 14 countries initiated 
safeguard investigations during the second period , as compared with nine in the first period.  
3.19.  In terms of product coverage, safeguard init iations did not reveal any particular pattern in 
either period. During the second period, metals (9), foodstuffs (5) and textiles (4) were the 
sectors which accounted for most of the initiations. During the first period metals, textiles and 
vegetable products (3 each) were the sectors that topped the initiations. 
Table 5 Initiations of safeguard investigations  
 (Number of new investigations) 
Reporting Member 15 October 2011- 
15 November 2012 15 October 2012- 
15 November 2013 
Australia 0 2 
Brazil 1 0 
Chile 1 2 
Chinese Taipei 0 1 
Colombia 0 4 
Costa Rica 1 0 
Egypt 3 2 
India 1 3 
Indonesia 4 4 
Kyrgyz Republic 0 1 
Jordan 1 0 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Reporting Member 15 October 2011- 
15 November 2012 15 October 2012- 
15 November 2013 
Morocco 1 0 
Philippines 0 2 
Russian Federation 3 0 
South Africa 0 2 
Thailand 0 2 
Turkey  0 1 
Ukraine 0 1 
Viet Nam 0 1 
Total 16 28 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.1.3  Other trade-related measures 
3.20.  There has been an increase in the number of other trade and trade-related measures. 
During the review period, a total of 190 such measures were recorded, up from 164 last year. Out of this, 153 were applied on imports (covering ar ound 1.1% of world merchandise imports, close 
to US$201 billion). More than 55% of the measures  listed in Annex 3 refer to import tariff 
increases and 13% to customs procedures (Table 6). More than 14% of these measures were 
applied on exports.  
Table 6 Other trade and trade-related measures 
Type of measure Mid-October 2011 to 
mid-October 2012 Mid-October 2012 to 
mid-November 2013 
Import 118 153 
- Tariff 54 106 
- Customs procedures 38 25 
- Tax 6 6 
- Quantitative restriction 20 15 
- Other 0 1 
Export 32 27 
- Duties 8 4 
- Quantitative restrictions 24 11 
- Other 0 12 
Other 14 10 
Total 164 190 
 Source: Annex 3. 
3.21.  The main sectors targeted by these types of measure during the period under review were: capital goods and machinery; food products, live animals and vegetables; precious and 
semi-precious metals; iron and steel; textiles, apparel and footwear; and toys. 
3.1.4  Sanitary and phytosanitary measures 
3.22.  In the period from October 2012 to September 2013, 1,260 SPS notifications (regular and 
emergency) were submitted to the WTO. Notifications from developing-country Members accounted for 63% of the total. In the previous year, while the total number of notifications was 
broadly similar, the proportion of measures noti fied by developing-country Members was lower: 
from October 2011 through September 2012, a total of 1,220 notifications (regular and emergency) were submitted, of which 54%  were by developing-country Members. 
3.23.  From October 2012 through September 2013, WTO Members submitted 1,171 regular SPS 
notifications, 61% of which were submitted by developing-country Members. Compared with the WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 24 - 
 
 previous period (2011-12), there was a 5% increase in the total number of notified measures, and 
a 17% increase in the share of notifications by developing-country Members. 
3.24.  The number of notifications of emergency measures dropped compared with the previous 
period (Chart 8). However the share of emergency notifications submitted by developing-country 
Members increased compared with the previous period. About 90% of the notifications of 
emergency measures were submitted by developing-country Members (79 out of 89 emergency notifications). For the previous period (2011- 12), 78% of the 102 emergency notifications were 
submitted by developing-country Members. This high proportion of emergency measures notified 
by developing-country Members might stem from the fact that they do not have extensive SPS regulatory systems as developed-country Members do, and consequently, when facing emergency challenges, they are more likely to have to in troduce new regulations or change existing ones. 
Chart 8 Number of SPS notifications  
 
 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.25.  Many Members are following the recommendation to notify SPS measures even when these 
are based on a relevant international standard, as this substantially increases transparency 
regarding SPS measures. Of the 847 regular notifi cations (excluding addenda) submitted from 
October 2012 to September 2013, 439 (52% of the total) indicated that an international standard, 
guideline or recommendation was applicable to the notified measure (Chart 9). Of these, 80% 
indicated that the proposed measure was in conformity with the existing international standard. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 25 - 
 
 Chart 9 Regular SPS notifications and international standards 
 
 Source: WTO Secretariat 
3.26.  International standards often provide useful guidance regarding measures to address 
disease outbreaks and other emergency situations . Indeed, 88% of the 73 emergency notifications 
(excluding addenda) submitted during the period  under review indicated that an international 
standard, guideline or recommendation was applicable to the notified measure (Chart 10). Of 
these, 97% indicated that the measure was in conformity with the existing international standard.  
Chart 10 Emergency SPS notificati ons and international standards 
 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 26 - 
 
 3.27.  Of the 847 regular notifications submitted, th e majority were related to food safety and the 
protection of humans from animal diseases or plant pests.12 The remaining notifications related to 
plant protection, animal health and to the protecti on of the Member's territory from other damage 
from pests. Several of the regular notifications identified more than one objective per measure. 
3.28.  Of the 73 emergency measures notified in the same period, the majority related to animal 
health, followed by measures related to the protection of humans from animal diseases or plant pests, food safety, plant protection, and protecti on of the Member's territory from other damage 
from pests. Similarly, the majority of emergency notifications during this period identified more 
than one objective per measure. 
3.29.  While there is no formal provision for "counter notification", concerns regarding the failure 
to notify an SPS measure, or regarding a notifi ed measure, can be raised as a specific trade 
concern (STCs) at any of the three regular meetings of the SPS Committee each year. In the two 
Committee meetings of June and October 2013, 18 new trade concerns were raised. Ten of these STCs related to food safety, fi ve to animal health, and three to plant health (Table 7). 
Table 7 SPS specific trade concerns raised between June and October 2013  
STC Document title Members 
maintaining 
the measure Members 
raising 
the 
concern Members 
supporting 
the concern Date raised Primary 
objective 
351 EU temperature 
treatment requirements for imports of processed meat products
 EU Russian 
Federation  27/06/2013 Animal health 
352 U.S. proposed rule 
on good 
manufacturing 
practice for human 
food U.S. China  27/06/2013 Food safety 
353 EU renewal of GMO 
approvals EU Argentina  27/06/2013  Food safety 
354 Import restrictions 
in response to the 
Japanese nuclear 
power plant accident  Certain 
Members Japan  27/06/2013  Food safety 
355 EU import 
requirements for orchid tissue culture plantlets in flasks EU Chinese 
Taipei Senegal 27/06/2013
 Plant health 
356 Phytosanitary 
measures on citrus 
black spot EU South 
Africa Argentina 27/06/2013  Plant health 
357 Accreditation of 
third-party bodies to conduct food safety 
audits and to issue 
certifications U.S. China Belize, Brazil, 
Korea, Republic of  16/10/2013 Food safety 
358 Import conditions 
for pork and pork 
products India EU  16/10/2013 Animal health 
359 Strengthened import 
restrictions on fishery products with regard to radionuclides Korea, 
Republic of Japan  16/10/2013 Food safety 
360 Import policy on 
swallow nests China Indonesia  16/10/2013 Food safety 
                                               
12 The objective of an SPS measure falls under one or more of the following cate gories:  (i) food safety, 
(ii) animal health, (iii) plant protection, (iv) protect hu mans from animal/plant pest or disease, and (v) protect 
territory from other damages from pests.  Members are required to identify the purpose of the measure in their 
notifications. It is not uncommon for more than  one objective to be id entified for a measure. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 27 - 
 
 STC Document title Members 
maintaining 
the measure Members 
raising 
the 
concern Members 
supporting 
the concern Date raised Primary 
objective 
361 Non-recognition of 
testing laboratories for meat products Russian 
Federation India  16/10/2013 Food safety 
362 Import restrictions 
on beef due to BSE South Africa Brazil  16/10/2013 Animal health 
363 
 Import restrictions 
on beef due to BSE China Brazil  16/10/2013 Animal health 
364 
 Import restrictions 
on beef due to BSE Japan Brazil  16/10/2013 Animal health 
365 Import conditions on 
poultry Saudi Arabia, 
Kingdom of EU  16/10/2013 Food safety 
366 Quarantine 
requirement for 
blueberries Japan Argentina  16/10/2013 Plant health 
367 Import requirements 
on traditional foods Turkey Japan Chile, EU, 
U.S. 16/10/2013 Food safety 
368 Import restrictions 
on confectionary 
products Russian 
Federation Ukraine  16/10/2013 Food safety 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.30.  Fifteen previously raised STCs were di scussed at the June and October 2013 SPS Committee 
meetings. Of these, six addressed persistent problems that have been discussed five times or 
more. In particular, three STCs have been discussed on 10 or more occasions (Table 8). 
Table 8 Previously-raised SPS specific trade concerns discussed in June and October 2013  
STC Document title Members 
maintaining 
the measure Members 
raising 
the 
concern Members 
supporting 
the concern First date 
raised Times raised 
193 General import 
restrictions due to 
BSE Certain 
Members, 
specifically 
China, Japan, Korea, Republic of, Australia EU, U.S. Canada, 
Switzerland, 
Uruguay 01/06/2004 20 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 28 - 
 
 STC Document title Members 
maintaining 
the measure Members 
raising 
the 
concern Members 
supporting 
the concern First date 
raised Times raised 
238 Application and 
modification of the 
EU Regulation on 
Novel Foods EU Colombia, 
Ecuador, 
Peru Argentina, 
Bolivia, 
Plurinational 
State of, 
Brazil, Chile, 
China, Costa 
Rica, Cuba, 
Benin, El 
Salvador, 
Honduras, 
India, 
Indonesia, 
Mexico, 
Paraguay, 
Philippines, 
Uruguay, 
Venezuela, 
Bolivarian 
Republic of 01/03/2006 14 
306 Maximum residue 
levels of pesticides EU India Argentina, 
Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand 20/10/2010 10 
314 Ban on offals Viet Nam EU, U.S. Australia, 
Canada, 
Chile, New 
Zealand 30/03/2011 9 
319 Chinese quarantine 
and testing procedures for salmon China Norway EU, 
Switzerland, U.S. 30/06/2011 8 
330 Indonesia's port 
closures 
 Indonesia China, EU, 
New 
Zealand, 
U.S. Argentina, 
Australia, 
Canada, 
Chile, Japan, 
Korea, 
Republic of, 
South Africa, 
Chinese 
Taipei, 
Thailand, 
Uruguay 27/03/2012 6 
340 
 Requirements for 
importation of sheep meat Turkey 
 Australia 
  18/10/2012 
 4 
 
342 Restrictions on 
shrimp due to 
anti-oxidant 
residues Japan 
 India 
  18/10/2012 
 4 
 
286 Import restrictions 
on poultry meat Indonesia Brazil  28/10/2009 3 
321 Japan's MRLs 
applied to sesame Japan 
 Paraguay 
 Ecuador, 
Indonesia, 
Mexico 30/06/2011 
 3 
 
323 Import restrictions 
on pork and pork products Malaysia EU Canada, U.S. 19/10/2011 3 
327 EU Court of Justice 
ruling regarding 
pollen derived from 
GMOs EU Argentina Canada, 
Mexico, 
Paraguay, 
U.S., 
Uruguay 19/10/2011 2 
332 Restrictions related 
to FMD Japan Argentina  10/07/2012 2 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 29 - 
 
 STC Document title Members 
maintaining 
the measure Members 
raising 
the 
concern Members 
supporting 
the concern First date 
raised Times raised 
345 Import conditions 
related to 
phthalates China EU  21/03/2013 2 
348 EU quarantine 
measures on certain pine trees and other products EU Russian 
Federation  21/03/2013 2 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.1.5  Technical barriers to trade 
3.31.  During the period 15 October 2012 to 15 November 2013 WTO Members submitted 1,704 
regular TBT notifications; around 80% of these no tifications were submitted by developing-country 
Members.13 Compared with the previous 12-month period, the overall number of notifications 
increased slightly.14 As in the previous period, the largest number of notifications received during 
the reviewed period came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (224).15 Other major notifying 
Members were Uganda (127), the United States (114), the European Union (102), Israel (86), and 
China (77). 
3.32.  With respect to the stated objectives indi cated in the regular notifications submitted during 
the reviewed period, the overwhelming majority (m ore than 70%) related either to the "protection 
of human health or safety" (947), or to the "protection of the environment" (257).16 Other relevant 
stated objectives included: "quality requirements" (13%) and the "prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection" (7%). The products covered by the most recent measures 
frequently included food, automobiles, various ch emical substances, and products related to these 
categories. 
3.33.  STCs about TBT measures taken by Members are raised at regular meetings of the TBT 
Committee. Since 1995, and up to 15 November 2013, Members have raised 406 STCs. The 
number of STCs raised and discussed in the Commi ttee has grown over the last eight years (see 
Chart 11). 
                                               
13 This includes the Commonwealth of Independent States Members (with 34 notifications) and 
LDC Members (with 40 notifications). 
14 During the previous period (15 October 2011 to 15 October 2012) the overall  number of notifications 
was 1,688. While the number of developing-country Member notifications made during the previous and 
reviewed periods slightly decreased (1,362 as compared with 1,346, respectively), in both periods the share of developing country notifications as a percentage of th e overall notifications remained the same (around 80%). 
15 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's large number of notifications is in part attributed to its practice of 
making multiple notifications for each of the products covered by the same measure. 
16 A TBT measure may pursue a variety of legitimate ob jectives, although historically the majority fall 
under one of the two top categories listed above. Member s are required to identify the purpose of the measure 
in their notifications.  It is not uncommon that mo re than one objective is identified for a measure. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 30 - 
 
 Chart 11 Number of specific trade concerns (TBT) since 2000 
 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.34.  Fifty new STCs were raised during the four Committee meetings that fell within the 
reviewed period (the November 2012, March 2013, June 2013, and October 2013 meetings). The 
list of all new concerns raised during this period is provided in Table 9. These 50 new STCs 
addressed a variety of issues (Chart 12). Member s discussed, for example, issues related to the 
rationale of specific measures, their trade-restrictiveness, their transparency – or, simply, matters 
related to further information or clarification. This picture is roughly consistent with statistics from 
the previous year, during which Members mostly sought further information or clarification (with relatively less focus on other issues). 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 31 - 
 
 Chart 12 New TBT specific trade concerns raised during the reviewed period, by issues raised 
 
 a From 15 October 2012 to 15 November 2013 (covering November 2012, March 2013, June 2013 and 
October 2013 TBT meetings). 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.35.  During the review period, measures related to tobacco and alcohol products remained high 
on the agenda. New STCs were brought against tobacco-related measures maintained or proposed 
by the European Union, Ireland and New Zealand, as well as against alcohol-related measures maintained or proposed by Ecuador, the European Union, Israel, Russia and Turkey (Table 9). In addition to these new STCs, Members continued to discuss previously raised STCs
17 on measures 
dealing with wine maintained by the European Union as well as broader alcohol-related measures 
maintained by Kenya, the Russian Federation and Viet Nam. Besides alcohol and tobacco, STCs on diet-related measures continue to attract attention. Proposed measures by Chile and Indonesia on 
nutritional labelling sparked new concerns from various Members. Halal food requirements 
proposed by Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates were also discussed. Finally, during the reviewed period various new and old STCs on meas ures concerning transport fuel regulation have 
been raised: the United States Renewable Fuel Standard and EU Fuel Quality Directive as well as 
the EU Renewable Energy Directive, a previously raised STC. 
3.36.  Since the last monitoring report, four new disputes involving measures that have been 
discussed as STCs in previous TBT Committee meet ings have been the subject of consultation 
requests. Two involve Australian measures on plain packaging for tobacco products, while the 
other two involve Russia's recycling fee on motor vehicles and certain EU measures relating to the import, consumption and production of biodiesel. For all four of these disputes, consultations are 
still pending. 
                                               
17 More information on each previously-raised STC can be found by entering the relevant STC ID 
number (given as a footnote to each previously-raised STC) in the search bar of the online TBT Information 
Management System (TBT IMS) at the following link: http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pages/search/stc/Search.aspx   
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Table 9 New TBT specific trade concerns 
 (Cases raised between October 2012 and November 2013) 
Member 
maintaining 
the measure 
(in 
alphabetical 
order) STC title Objective 
 Members 
raising the 
concern Date raised  
Australia Australia – Joint governments' 
response to the 2010 Independent 
Review of the Water Efficiency 
Labelling and Standards Review 
Water Efficiency Labelling and 
Standards (WELS) scheme 
consultation paper (ID 366) Protection of the 
environment, consumer 
information, labelling Korea, 
Republic of 27/11/2012 
Brazil Brazil – Draft ANVISA Resolution 
on used, refurbished, rented and 
lent medical devices (ID 362) Protection of the 
environment Switzerland, 
EU 27/11/2012 
Canada Canada - Improved food 
inspection model: The Case for 
Change (ID 375) Other China 06/03/2013 
Chile Chile - Proposed amendment to 
the Food Health Regulations, 
Supreme Decree No. 977/96 
(ID 370) Protection of human 
health or safety, 
consumer information, 
labelling Argentina, 
Australia, 
Brazil, 
Canada, 
Colombia, 
Costa Rica, 
Guatemala, 
Mexico, Peru, 
Switzerland, 
U.S., EU 06/03/2013 
Chile Chile - Safety for Printers and 
Energy Efficiency for Printers  U.S. 30/10/2013 
China China – Innovative medical 
instruments and provisions for 
simplifying application materials 
for re-registration of medical 
instruments (ID 386) Other Switzerland, 
U.S., EU 17/06/2013 
China China – China Food and Drug 
Administration (CFDA) EMC 
Enforcement Notice for medical 
devices of 19 December 2012 
(ID 387) Protection of human 
health or safety EU 17/06/2013 
China China - Regulations of the China 
Food and Drug Administration on 
Legislative Procedures (Exposure 
Draft)  U.S., EU 
 30/10/2013 
Ecuador Ecuador - Draft Technical 
Regulation of the Ecuadorian 
Standardization Institute (PRTE 
INEN) No. 080: "Labelling of 
footwear" (ID 378) Consumer information, 
labelling Colombia 06/03/2013 
Ecuador Ecuador - Labelling of articles of 
apparel, household linen and clothing accessories (ID 379) Protection of human 
health or safety, protection of the environment, consumer information, labelling Colombia 06/03/2013 
Ecuador Ecuador - Resolution No. SENAE-
DGN-2013-0300-RE relating to 
post entry control of imported 
alcoholic beverages  Canada, 
Mexico, EU 30/10/2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 33 - 
 
 Member 
maintaining 
the measure 
(in 
alphabetical 
order) STC title Objective 
 Members 
raising the 
concern Date raised  
Ecuador Ecuador - Resolution establishing 
the "General conformity 
assessment framework for 
Ecuador" and the "Handbook of 
procedures to be observed prior to 
all stages of the customs 
clearance, marketing and market 
surveillance of manufactured, 
imported and marketed goods 
subject to Ecuadorian technical 
regulations"  Chile, 
Colombia, 
Peru 30/10/2013 
European 
Union EU – Council Regulation (EC) 
No. 1099/2009 of 24 September 
2009 on the protection of animals 
at the time of killing (ID 359) Protection of animal or 
plant life or health Argentina 27/11/2012 
European 
Union EU – Implementation of Regulation 
540/2011 of 25 May 2011, 
implementing Regulation (EC) 
No. 1107/2009 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council 
regarding the list of approved 
active substances – Submission of 
Confirmatory Data by companies 
other than the original notifier 
(ID 360) Protection of animal or 
plant life or health, 
protection of the 
environment, protection 
of human health or 
safety Israel 27/11/2012 
European 
Union EU – Draft Commission Regulation 
implementing Directive 
2009/125/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council with 
regard to ecodesign requirements 
for directional lamps, light emitting 
diode lamps and related 
equipment (ID 365) Quality requirements, 
Protection of the 
environment Korea, 
Republic of 27/11/2012 
European 
Union EU - tobacco products, nicotine 
containing products and herbal products for smoking. Packaging for retail sale of any of the aforementioned products (ID 377) Protection of human 
health or safety, Other Cuba, 
Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique Nicaragua, Nigeria, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Zambia 06/03/2013 
European 
Union Ireland - Proposal to introduce 
standardised/plain packaging of 
tobacco products in Ireland 
(ID 380) Protection of human 
health or safety Cuba, 
Dominican 
Republic, 
Guatemala, 
Honduras, 
Malawi, 
Nigeria, 
Zimbabwe, 
Ukraine 17/06/2013 
European 
Union EU - Transformation of still wine 
into sparkling wine EC Regulation 479/2008 of 29 April 2008 (ID 381) Consumer information, 
labelling, prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection Australia 17/06/2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 34 - 
 
 Member 
maintaining 
the measure 
(in 
alphabetical 
order) STC title Objective 
 Members 
raising the 
concern Date raised  
European 
Union EU - Implementing Regulation 
(EU) No 481/2012 laying down 
rules for the management of a 
tariff quota for high-quality beef 
(ID 382)  Argentina 17/06/2013 
European 
Union EU - Proposal for a Regulation on 
Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (ID 391) Protection of the 
environment, other Japan, 
Korea, Republic of, U.S. 17/06/2013 
European 
Union EU — Revised Proposal for the 
Categorization of Compounds as 
Endocrine Disruptors of 
19 February 2013 by DG 
Environment (ID 393) Other South Africa, 
U.S. 17/06/2013 
European 
Union Italy - testing requirement on 
import of steel cutlery products  India 30/10/2013 
European 
Union EU - Draft Commission Regulation 
implementing Directive 
2009/125/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council with 
regard to ecodesign requirements 
for vacuum cleaners  China 30/10/2013 
European 
Union EU – Fuel Quality Directive  Canada, U.S. 30/10/2013 
India India - Electronic s and Information 
Technology Goods (Requirements 
for Compulsory Registration) 
Order, 2012 (ID 367) Protection of human 
health or safety Canada, 
Japan, 
Korea, 
Republic of, 
Switzerland, 
U.S., EU 06/03/2013 
India India - Proposed Amendment to 
2008 Hazardous Waste Law (ID 373) Not specified U.S. 06/03/2013 
Indonesia Indonesia – import permit 
regulations 60 for horticultural 
products from the Ministries of 
Agriculture and Trade (ID 363) Consumer information, 
labelling South Africa, 
U.S., EU 27/11/2012 
Indonesia Indonesia - Ministry of Trade 
Regulation 82/ 
M-DAG/PER/12/2012 on imported 
cell phones, handheld and tablet 
computers (ID 388) Other, prevention of 
deceptive practices and 
consumer protection, 
protection of human 
health or safety, 
protection of the 
environment U.S., EU 17/06/2013 
Indonesia Indonesia – Ministry of Health 
Regulation 30/2013 on the 
inclusion of sugar, salt and fat 
content information, as well as 
health messages on the label of 
processed foods (ID 389) Protection of human 
health or safety, 
consumer information, 
labelling, other Brazil, U.S., 
EU 17/06/2013 
Indonesia Indonesia - Regulation number 
84/Permanent/PD.140/2013, on halal food  Brazil 30/10/2013 
Indonesia Indonesia - Mandatory Indonesia 
National Standard (SNI) for Glazed 
Ceramic  EU 30/10/2013 
Israel Israel – warning regulations on 
alcoholic beverages (ID 364) Prevention of deceptive 
practices and consumer 
protection, protection of 
human health or safety Argentina, 
U.S., EU 27/11/2012 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 35 - 
 
 Member 
maintaining 
the measure 
(in 
alphabetical 
order) STC title Objective 
 Members 
raising the 
concern Date raised  
Korea, 
Republic of Korea - Proposed SAR Values or 
EMF exposure in cell phones 
(ID 371) Protection of human 
health or safety, 
consumer information, 
labelling U.S., EU 06/03/2013 
Korea, 
Republic of Korea - Draft amendment of 
Ordinance and Regulation of Motor 
Vehicle Control Act (ID 376) Other EU 06/03/2013 
Mexico Mexico - Draft Mexican Official 
Standard PROY-NOM-032-ENER-
2013: Maximum electrical power 
limits for equipment and 
appliances requiring standby 
power. Test methods and labelling  U.S. 30/10/2013 
New Zealand New Zealand – Proposal to 
introduce plain packaging of tobacco products in New Zealand (ID 361) Protection of human 
health or safety Cuba, 
Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Zambia 27/11/2012 
Peru Peru — Act to Promote Healthy 
Eating Among Children and 
Adolescents (ID 383) Protection of human 
health or safety, 
consumer information, 
labelling Argentina, 
Guatemala, 
Mexico, 
Switzerland, 
U. S., EU 17/06/2013 
Peru Peru — Implementing Regulations 
of 14 November 2012 for 
Moratorium on Plan ting Genetically 
Engineered Crops (ID 392) Other, protection of the 
environment U.S. 17/06/2013 
Russian 
Federation Russia - Alcoholic Beverages 
Storage Technical Conditions 
Order Number 59n (ID 372) Not specified U.S. 06/03/2013 
Russian 
Federation Russia – Safety of light industry 
products (ID 390) Protection of human 
health or safety EU 17/06/2013 
Russian 
Federation Russian Federation – Measure 
affecting import of Ukrainian 
confectionary products  Ukraine 30/10/2013 
Thailand Thailand - Certificate Requirement 
and Administrative Measure Relating to Importation of New Pneumatic Tyres of Rubber into the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2555 (2012) (ID 369) Protection of human 
health or safety Japan, EU 06/03/2013 
Thailand Thailand - Draft Thai Industrial 
Standard for Ceramic Tiles 
(TIS 2508-2555)  EU 30/10/2013 
Turkey Turkey - Draft Communiqué on 
Warning Messages Placed on Containers of Alcoholic Beverages; and, Draft Regulation Amending the Regulation on Procedures and Principles Concerning Domestic and Foreign Trading of Alcohol and Alcoholic Beverages  Canada, 
Mexico, U.S., EU 30/10/2013 
Ukraine Ukraine - Amendment to Law on 
Advertising, Law of Ukraine 
No. 3778-VI of 16 March 2012 
(ID 374) Protection of human 
health or safety U.S. 06/03/2013 
United Arab 
Emirates United Arab Emirates - Conformity 
Assessment Procedure for 
Automobile Tyres (ID 368)  Japan, EU 06/03/2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 36 - 
 
 Member 
maintaining 
the measure 
(in 
alphabetical 
order) STC title Objective 
 Members 
raising the 
concern Date raised  
United Arab 
Emirates United Arab Emirates - Control 
Regulation for Halal Products - 
Part I - Halal Food  New 
Zealand, EU 30/10/2013 
United States U.S. - Energy Conservation 
Program for Consumer Products: 
various products (ID 384) Protection of the 
environment, other China 17/06/2013 
United States U.S. - Proposed Significant New 
Use Rules on Certain Chemical 
Substances (ID 385) Other, protection of the 
environment China 17/06/2013 
United States U.S. — EPA Palm Oil Biofuels 
Regulatory Program  Indonesia, 
Malaysia 30/10/2013 
 Source: WTO Secretariat. 
3.1.6  Developments in agricultural policy 
3.37.  In the framework of the Regular Committee on Agriculture (CoA), Members continue to 
discuss some issues mainly related to domestic support programmes. Members posed a total of 
115 questions in the June and September 2013 CoA m eetings, with 88 of these directed at issues 
related to domestic support notifications or implementation of domestic support commitments.  
3.38.  In total, Members raised 16 implementation-related issues in the above-mentioned 
meetings. Out of these, seven issues were discussed for the first time, whereas the remaining 
issues had been discussed one or more times in previous years. 
3.39.  The specific measures relating to implementation commitments that were discussed for the 
first time in the CoA were:  
 China's cotton domestic support (raised by the United States);  
 India's national food security bill (raised by Canada); 
 Indonesia’s quantitative and other import restrictions on certain food products (raised 
by the United States);  
 Republic of Korea's domestic support for pork and beef (raised by Canada); 
 Philippines’ continuous use of reference prices applied to imports (raised by the 
United States); 
 Ukraine's state regulation of production an d realization of sugar (raised by Canada); 
and 
 United States' refined sugar re-export program (raised by Canada);  
 3.40.  Other measures that were discussed related to follow-up questions on persistent areas of 
concern, including: 
 Brazil's domestic support programmes (raised by the United States); 
 Brazil's trade and industry policy (raised by Canada); 
 Canada's dairy policies (raised by New Zealand); 
 Costa Rica's compliance with AMS commitments (raised by the United States and 
Canada); 
 Indonesia's stockholding programmes (raised by the United States);  
 Saint-Lucia's domestic purchase requiremen ts for poultry and pork (raised by the 
United States);  
 Sri Lanka's milk powder tariff and comp liance with WTO bindings (raised by New 
Zealand); 
 Thailand's paddy pledging scheme (raised by Canada and the United States); and 
 Turkey's destination of wheat flour sa les (raised by the United States). 
 
3.41.  In the context of the review of notifi cations, Members continued to focus on public 
stockholding measures. In particular notification s by Indonesia, Philippines, and Brazil received 
scrutiny. Questions focused on issues including the relative importance of low-income producers in WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 37 - 
 
 the acquisition of stocks, the procurement prices of stocks, transparency of stock accumulation 
processes, and explanations for significant increases in public expenditure on stockholding.  
3.42.  Questions arose in the context of the CoA discussions about several programmes that had 
not yet been notified directly to the WTO. Specif ically, in response to questions posed by Members 
in the CoA, India reported that India's National Food Security Act 2013 had completed the 
legislative process and had been published on 10 September 2013. Since the act had not been implemented no evidence was available on the re sulting impacts on procurement and spending in 
this area in India. Similarly, Thailand responde d to a series of questions regarding their paddy 
pledging scheme. Members highlighted the fact that  the most recent domestic support by Thailand 
covered the marketing year 2007 and therefore did not include up-to-date information on the 
programme. Members had been monitoring Thailand's increase in government rice purchases 
under the scheme and were concerned about possibl e consequences for international rice markets. 
3.1.7  Policy developments in trade in services 3.43.  Several developments regarding trade in services took place in the period under review. 
Some of them affect various sectors in the same country. For example, in August 2013, China’s 
State Council approved the establishment of China (Shanghai) Free Trade Pilot Zone ("Shanghai FTZ"), which was formally launched on 29 September. The legal framework of the 
Shanghai FTZ is contained in a series of rule s and regulations enacted by various government 
bodies in September 2013.
18 These rules and regulations concern several service sectors, including 
financial services, maritime services, telecomm unications, professional services, education, 
tourism, construction, cultural and recreational services, and health care services. The main 
measures affecting foreign service suppliers are the following:  
a. banking services: qualified foreign-invested financial institutions are allowed to set up 
wholly foreign-owned banks and jointly Sino-foreign equity joint venture banks with 
qualified private capital within the Pilot Zone. Where conditions are met, limited licence 
banks will be allowed to incorporate within the Pilot Zone; and qualified Chinese-invested banks are allowed to develop offshore business under improved related administrative 
measures and enhanced effective supervision; 
b. health insurance: pilot foreign-invested specialized health insurance institutions are 
allowed to establish; 
c. financial leasing: no minimum registered capital requirements are imposed on a single 
aircraft or a single ship subsidiary set up by financial leasing companies within the Pilot 
Zone; and financial leasing companies are allowed to concurrently offer commercial factoring business related to their primary business; 
d. ocean cargo transportation: foreign equity limitations are relaxed for Sino-foreign equity 
joint ventures and Sino-foreign cooperative joint venture international shipping enterprises (the competent transport authority under the State Council shall formulate 
the relevant administrative measures); and foreign ships directly or indirectly owned by 
Chinese-invested companies are allowed to pilot the coastal shipping business of foreign trade import and export containers between  domestic coastal ports and the Shanghai 
Port; 
                                               
18 The regulations concerning foreign companies are the following: 1) Circular on the State Council on 
Printing and Distributing the Overall Plan for China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, GuoFa [2013] No. 38, issued by the State Council on 18 September 2013; 2) Circular on Administrative Measures of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Order No. 7, issu ed by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government on 
29 September 2013; 3) Circular on the Record Management Measures of foreign-invested Projects of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Hu FuFa [2013] No. 71, issued by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government 
on 29 September 2013; 4) Circular on the Record Manage ment Measures of Foreign-invested Enterprises of 
China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, HuFuFa [2013]  No. 73, issued by Shanghai Municipal People’s 
Government on 29 September 2013; 5) Circular Special Management Measures on Foreign Investment Admission (Negative List, 2013) of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, HuFuFa [2013] No. 74, issued by 
Shanghai Municipal People’s Government on 29 Septem ber 2013; and 6) Several Opinions on supporting China 
(Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, issued by the St ate Administration for In dustry and Commerce on 
26 September 2013. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 38 - 
 
 e. international ship management: the establishment of wholly foreign-invested enterprises 
is allowed; 
f. value-added telecommunications: foreign-invested enterprises are allowed to engage in 
specific value-added telecommunication servic es, subject to the approval of the State 
Council if limitations exist in administrative regulations; 
g. legal services: business cooperation between Chinese law firms and foreign law firms will 
be explored; 
h. engineering services: foreign-invested engineering design companies (excluding 
engineering survey companies) are allowed to  register in the Pilot Zone to provide 
services for Shanghai Municipality; 
i. travel agency services: qualified Sino-forei gn equity joint venture travel agencies 
registered in the Pilot Zone are allowed to engage in overseas tourism business, with the 
exception of tourism business involving Chinese Taipei; 
j. construction services: wholly foreign-invested construction enterprises registered within 
the Pilot Zone are allowed to engage in Sino-foreign joint construction projects in the 
Shanghai Municipality; 
k. cultural services: wholly foreign-invested entertainment artist agencies, as well as 
wholly-owned foreign invested entertainment facilities are allowed to establish to provide 
services in the Shanghai FTZ; 
l. education and training, and vocational skills training: the establishment of Sino-foreign 
cooperative joint venture education and training institutions, and vocational skills 
training institutions is allowed; 
m. hospital services: the establishment of wholly foreign-invested medical institutions is 
allowed. 
 
3.44.  In addition, China modified the registration requirements for foreign companies based on the principle of national treatment. As announced on 7 November
19, the reform of the company 
capital registration system will include the relaxa tion of minimum capital requirements for setting 
up a company, including the cancellation of the minimum registration capital for limited liability companies (currently RMB30,000), single shareholder companies (RMB100,000) and joint stock companies (RMB5 million). Before the announcement of the new policies, a trial programme of 
“zero registered capital rule” for domestic comp anies had already been implemented in Shenzhen, 
Zhuhai, Dongguan and Shunde. Under the pilot rules, the Administration of Industry and 
Commerce will not verify a company’s capital injection at the time of registration. This allows 
companies to complete the business registration pr ocess without the need to actually inject any 
capital, and companies can decide on the amount, method, and deadline for subscription of contributions at their own discretion.  
3.45.  Developments regarding financial services in various Members are noteworthy. The most 
important development in that regard was the a nnouncement by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 
on 6 November of the long-awaited framework for setting up of Wholly Owned Subsidiaries (WOS) 
by foreign banks.
20 The policy is guided by the two cardinal principles of (i) reciprocity and (ii) 
single mode of presence. As stated in the press re lease issued by the RBI, as locally-incorporated 
banks, WOSs will be given “near national treatm ent” which will enable them to open branches 
anywhere in the country at par with Indian banks (except in certain sensitive areas where the 
Reserve Bank’s prior approval would be required). To provide safeguards against the possibility of 
the Indian banking system being dominated by  foreign banks, the framework has certain 
measures to contain their expansion if the share of foreign banks exceeds a critical size. Under the 
                                               
19 The announcement was made by Zhang Mao, head of China’s State Administration of Industry and 
Commerce (SAIC), at a press conference. 
20 The framework is based on the Discussion Paper on  the mode of presence of foreign banks in India 
issued In January 2011 by the RBI.  WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 39 - 
 
 new framework, foreign banks with complex structures, banks which do not provide adequate 
disclosure in their home jurisdiction, banks which are not widely held, and banks from jurisdictions having legislation giving a preferential claim to depositors of their home country in a winding-up proceedings would be authorized entry into India only in the WOS mode, while foreign banks to 
which these conditions do not apply can opt for a branch or WOS form of presence. A foreign bank 
opting for branch form of presence shall convert into a WOS as and when the above conditions become applicable to it or it becomes systemically important on account of its balance sheet size in 
India. Foreign banks which had commenced banking business in India before August 2010 shall 
have the option to continue their banking business through the branch mode, but they will be encouraged to convert into WOS because of the attractiveness of the “near national treatment” afforded to WOS. To prevent domination by foreign banks, restrictions will be placed on further 
entry of new WOS of foreign banks or capital infusion, when the capital and reserves of the WOS 
and foreign bank branches in India exceed 20% of  the capital and reserves of the banking system. 
The framework also includes measures on banks’ corporate governance, including: (i) not less 
than two-thirds of the directors should be non-ex ecutive directors; (ii) a minimum of one-third of 
the directors should be independent of the manageme nt of the subsidiary in India, its parent or 
associates; and (iii) not less than one-third of the directors should be Indian nationals resident in 
India. The branch expansion guidelines applicable to domestic scheduled commercial banks would 
generally be applicable to WOS of foreign banks, except that the latter will require prior approval of RBI for opening branches at certain locations that are sensitive from the perspective of national security. Priority sector lending requirements would be similar to those applied to domestic 
commercial banks (40%), with transition periods given for existing foreign bank branches 
converting into WOS. The issue of permitting WOS to enter into M&A transactions with any private 
sector bank in India, currently subject to the overall investment limit of 74%, will be considered 
after reviewing the extent of penetration of foreign banks in India. 
3.46.  On 28 August, China expanded the pilot pr ogramme for securitisation to include foreign 
banks. The securitisation programme was initially launched in 2005, but was suspended during the 
global crisis. It restarted in 2011 and as policymakers stepped up efforts to promote alternative 
sources of funding for SMEs and curb the growth  of the unregulated shadow banking sector, the 
securitisation programme steadily expanded to include corporate originators and foreign banks. Under the new regulations, the People's Bank of China (PBoC) will increase the quota for banks 
originating securitised transactions to 200 billion yuan from the initial quota of 50 billion yuan. The 
expanded programme is now open to all 42 foreign banks with local establishments in China, which have been requested by regulators to submit  preliminary plans for securitization. Once they 
have received feedback on the preliminary plans,  the banks can formally apply for permission to 
execute the deals. Banks will be able to choose wh ether to issue the securitized assets into China's 
interbank market, where more than 95% of all domestic bonds trade, or on the stock exchange, 
where a small minority of bonds also trade. 
3.47.  On 12 November 2013, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) announced that 
it had granted Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) licences to seven foreign institutions in October, thus increasing the total number to 247. In October, the CSRC also granted Renminbi 
Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (RQFII) licences to four foreign institutions. 
3.48.  In October 2013, the Brazilian Government approved Law 12,865 regulating mobile 
payments. The new Law lays down the general rules and principles for "payment arrangements" 
and "payment agents", which will now join the Braz ilian Payments System (SPB). In the context of 
enactment of Law 12,865, the National Monetary Council (CMN) and the Central Bank (BACEN) initiated a first regulatory framework for payment arrangements and payment agents 
(Resolutions 4,282 and 4,283, and Circulars 3,680, 3,681, 3,682 and 3,683, all of them adopted 
on 4 November 2013 and published on 6 November  2013). These pieces of legislation contain 
supervisory and regulatory guidelines, as well as regulations on consumer protection, anti-money-laundering, and other facets of mobile payments (e.g. interoperability, payment 
agents, payment arrangements, payment accounts and risk management for payment agents). It 
is worth noting that no new authorization from BACEN will be required for commercial banks, universal banks with a commercial department, and savings banks willing to engage in payment 
arrangements. 
3.49.  Also in the field of mobile payments, the Peruvian telecommunications regulator (Osiptel) 
has announced that it has approved rules regarding access of electronic money issuers to 
telecommunications networks that will allow the supply of mobile payments and other mobile WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 40 - 
 
 financial products. Called the new "Standard Relati ng to Access of Electronic Money Issuers to 
Telecommunications Services", it will allow financial services to be offered over telecom networks. Osiptel will have the power to monitor deals between financial service providers and network operators and the authority to intervene to set prices and terms, should the companies concerned 
fail to reach a mutually acceptable agreement within 60 days.
21 
3.50.  Changes to audio-visual regulations were introduced by China, Ecuador and Mexico. China 
adopted a series of new rules limiting the br oadcasting of foreign television programmes. 
According to press reports, China would allow satellite television stations to broadcast only one 
foreign programme per year, starting in 2014.22 In 2012, new directives by the State 
Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) barred imported television series from being aired during prime time (19h30 to 22h00). In addition, foreign series cannot run for longer than 
50 episodes, and the total broadcasting time of  imported programmes cannot exceed 25% of the 
time allocated daily to TV series by channels.
23 
3.51.  In Ecuador, a new law adopted in June imposed a set of new limits on the audio-visual 
sector. The Ley Orgánica de Comunicación  requires Ecuadorian media to dedicate at least 60% of 
television programming to locally-produced content, 10% of which has to be from independent producers. Should the volume of local independent productions not be sufficient, the law provides 
that "ibero-american" productions could fall under the quota, in accordance with principles of 
reciprocity in the relevant countries of origin. The law also specifies that no producer or agency may provide more than 25% of any channel's programming. A production is considered "national" when at least 80% of nationals participate in its creation. With respect to radio broadcasting, at 
least 50% of music aired has to be national.
24 In addition, domestic free-to-air television 
broadcasters and subscription audio and video serv ice providers are required to buy the rights for 
and exhibit at least two independent domestically -produced motion pictures every year. At least 
2% of these providers' revenues should be dedicated to buying rights for such independent 
domestic productions; when providers reach a po pulation of more than 500,000 inhabitants, the 
proportion increases to 5%. The new legislation also affects advertising services. Indeed, all 
advertising broadcast domestically by communication media has to be nationally-produced. 
Advertising is national when produced by Ecuado rian nationals or by juridical persons that are 
owned in majority by nationals and where 80% of nationals have been involved in the production. The Law on Communications also proposes to progressively redistribute broadcast frequencies and 
licences, allocating 34% to community media and 33% to the public sector. The private sector, 
currently controlling most of radio and television frequencies, would be confined to the remaining 33%. 
3.52.  A long-anticipated package of amendments to the Mexican Constitution, aimed at reforming 
Mexico’s telecommunication and broadcasting services, became effective on 12 June 2013.
25 The 
measures allow up to 100% foreign ownershi p of companies engaged in telecommunications 
services, including satellite communications (compared to 49% now), and up to 49% foreign 
ownership of radio and television broadcasters (compared to zero now), albeit subject to reciprocity. The new legal framework establishes a new regulatory authority ( Instituto Federal de 
Telecomunicaciones  or Ifetel), which will regulate the telecommunications and broadcast media 
sectors and have enforcement powers. Ifetel will serve as the exclusive competition policy 
authority in both sectors; Mexico’s federal competition body, the Federal Competition Commission will cease to have authority over the telecommunications and broadcast media sectors. 
3.53.  In late 2012, Brazil's telecommunication regulator (Anatel) approved a new plan aimed at 
encouraging and promoting competition in the country’s telecoms industry, as well as improving 
                                               
21 Resolución de Consejo Directivo Nº 126-2013-CD/OSIPTEL, 5 Septiembre 2013. 
22 Reuters, "China to restrict satellite TV stations to one foreign programme", 21 October 2013. 
23 China Daily, "Govt tightens rules on foreign TV shows", 14 February 2012; New York Times, "China 
Limits foreign-made TV Programs", 14 February 2012. 
24 Ley Orgánica de Comunicación, viewed at: 
http://documentacion.asambleanacional.gob.ec/alfre sco/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/94ab3aff-08d5-4ad4-
8839-8c6b91543b5a/Ley%20Org%c3%a1nica%20Comunicaci% c3%b3n  See also: El Telégrafo, "Ley de 
Comunicación exige mayor espacio para lo ecuatoriano", 16 June 2013. 
25 The text of the reforms is contained in a decree (D ecreto por el que se reforman y adicionan diversas 
disposiciones de los artículos 6, 7, 27, 28, 73, 78, 94 y 105 de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos 
Mexicanos, en materia de telecomunicaciones) published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 11 June 2013, viewed at http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5301941&fecha=11/06/2013 . WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 41 - 
 
 sector regulation.26 The General Plan of Competition Goals ( Plano Geral de Metas de Competiçao , 
or PGMC) is designed to establish rules for network sharing, interconnection fees and roaming and also pinpoints companies that have significant market power (SMP) and thus must be forced to provide network access and transmission with smaller rivals. More recently, Brazil's Senate passed 
legislation on mobile payments and sent it for Presidential signature. Under the bill, the Central 
Bank, the Ministry of Communications and Anatel w ill be expected to work together on enabling 
the telecommunications sector to offer payments services. 
3.54.  Apart from developments in Brazil and Mexico, several other Members have made 
substantive reforms to their telecommunications regulatory frameworks and structures. Kuwait’s National Assembly passed a law to establish an independent telecoms commission to oversee the country’s communications sector. Kuwait is the last country in the region to set up a regulatory 
body. It will regulate the mobile, landline and br oadband sectors. Previously, the Ministry of 
Communications served as both regulator and fixed-line operator.
27 Swaziland passed a new 
Communications Commission Act. Among other things, it is expected to create an independent 
regulator to assume the regulatory functions that have heretofore been the responsibility of the 
regulator/operator, Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC).28 As of 
1 April 2013, Botswana merged its Telecommunications Authority and National Broadcasting Board 
into one entity, a combined regulator for the two sectors, often referred to as a "converged" 
regulator. The new body will be known as th e Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority 
(BOCRA). BOCRA  will be responsible for regulation of telecommunications, internet and ICT, 
commercial radio and television communications, broadcasting, and postal services.29 
3.55.  In June 2013 Viet Nam enacted new regulations with respect to foreign investment in the 
distribution sector. Circular 08/2013/TT-BCT, which replaces Circular 09/2007/TT-BTM, provides that foreign investors with a business licence are authorized to open one retail outlet, but that the 
opening of additional outlets is subject to an economic needs test (ENT). Pursuant to the new 
rules, foreign investors wishing to establish additional retail outlets of less than 500 m
2 are 
exempted from the ENT. Additional guidance is provided on the criteria used (e.g. population 
density, market stability) as well as on the process (establishment of an Economic Needs 
Assessment Council). The Circular permits foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) licenced to undertake export activities to purchase goods in Viet Nam to sell abroad. FIEs with import rights are now allowed to sell their imported goods to FIEs with export rights.
30 
3.56.  According to press reports, Argentina has implemented new measures in relation to 
maritime transport in November 2013. The Disposición 1108/2013  of the Subsecretaria de Puertos 
y Vias Navegables  prohibits export cargos originating in Argentinian ports to be transhipped in 
MERCOSUR countries (or associate Mercosur Members) that do not have a cargo reservation 
agreement with Argentina. Typically, cargo rese rvation agreements reserve part of shipments 
between the parties to national-flag vessels.31  
3.57.  Developments have also taken place in education services. The Australian Streamlined Visa 
Processing (SVP) for private education providers32, implemented on 24 March 2012, has been 
extended to 22 undisclosed non-university private education providers. Invitations are to be sent in November 2013 to the 22 “low-risk” non-university providers to participate in the SVP. 
According to reports, further details will not be released because of commercial sensitivity. Under 
the SVP, eligible student visa applicants from participating universities and non-universities are 
                                               
26 http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2012/11/06/anatel-green-lights-new-
competition-rules-for-telecoms-industry/ 
27 Viewed at:  
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/197206/reftab/36/t/Final-draft-on-
IT-body-among-several-pendin g-bills-passed/Default.aspx.  
28 Viewed at: http://www.telegeography.com/products/co mmsupdate/articles/2013/06/26/sptc-to-be-
stripped-of-regulatory-powers/index.html . 
29 Viewed at: http://www.telegeography.com/products/ commsupdate/articles/2013/03/27/telecoms-
broadcasting-regulators- set-to-merge/index.html . 
30 See news item viewed at: http://www.m oit.gov.vn/en/Pages/Ne ws.aspx?IDNews=265. 
31 Disposición 1108/2013, Subsecretaria de Puertos y Ví as Navegables, Boletín oficial de la República 
Argentina; La Nación, "Transbordos: una declar ación de guerra al puerto de Montevideo", 
5 de noviembre de 2013.   
32 Migration Regulations 1994 - Specification under clauses 573.112, 574.112 and 575.112 - Eligible 
Education Providers and Educational Business Partners. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 assessed as though they are a lower immigration risk, irrespective of their country of origin. Less 
evidence is also required of funding or previous study. 
3.58.  The Indian Education Ministry announced on 11 September 2013 that it proposed permitting 
foreign universities to operate branches as non-profit companies. The Executive Order on 
"Establishment & Operation of Campuses of Foreign Educational Institutions" will allow foreign 
universities to award foreign degrees under the Univ ersity Grants Commission, and in line with the 
Companies Act. Foreign institutions will be eligible to set up branch campuses in India if they are, 
inter alia , not-for-profit legal entities that have been in existence for at least 20 years; are 
registered by an accrediting agency of the count ry concerned or by an internationally accepted 
system of accreditation and among the top 400 univ ersities in the world — according to rankings 
published by the Times Higher Education, Quacquar elli Symonds (QS) or the Academic Ranking of 
World Universities (ARWU) by Sh anghai Jiao Tong University.  
3.59.  On 13 July 2012 the Indonesian Parliament passed the Higher Education Bill, which includes 
a provision allowing foreign higher-education institutes (HEI) to deliver higher education in 
Indonesia. The Bill sets out a number of criteria that must be met by a foreign HEI to operate in 
Indonesia. These include a requirement to: obtain a Government permit; be not-for-profit; be in partnership with an approved Indonesian HEI; prio ritise lecturers and academic staff of Indonesian 
nationality and must support the national interests of Indonesia. In addition the Government will 
be able to determine the region and types of co urses that can be provided by the foreign HEI. 
3.60.  In December 2012, as part of the autonomous liberalization package announced by 
Malaysia, it was reported that foreign education providers will be allowed to expand into Malaysia’s 
technical and vocational education sector and have 100% equity ownership.
33 As of 
1 February 2013, Malaysia has, however, imposed a two year moratorium on new private tertiary institutions. Exempt from the moratorium are higher education institutions within the top 100 in 
global rankings and those designated by the Minister. The moratorium does not affect pending 
applications up to 1 February 2013 nor the higher education institutions seeking to establish in the Iskandar or Pagoh Johor development zones.
34 In addition, from 1 February 2013, foreign students 
who wish to study at a foreign branch campus or private institution of higher education must apply 
to study through Education Malaysia Global Servic es. Applications can only be made for courses 
and institutions accredited by Malaysian education authorities. The "one stop" application service is reported to include the processing of visa applications (within 14 working days), as of 
October 2013, for students intending to pursue their studies in branch campuses of foreign 
universities and other institutions which have achieved Tier Five and above in the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (Setara).
35 
                                               
33 Viewed at: http://thepienews.com/news/malaysia-opens-vet-to-foreign-providers/ 
http://etp.pemandu.gov.my/annualrep ort/upload/Eng_ETP2012_15_SRI01_CSL.pdf 
34 Viewed at: http://thepienews.com/news/malaysia-two-year-moratorium-on-private-he/ 
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/01/30/Twoyear-moratorium-on-new-private-tertiary-
institutions_1.aspx. 
http://jpt.mohe.gov.my/RUJUKAN/Pustaka%20Pek eliling%20BGS/Pekelilin g%202013/Surat%20Pekelili
ng/Bil%201-2013%20-%20Moratorium%20 Penubuhan%20IPTS%20Baharu.pdf 
35 Viewed at: http://thepienews.com/news/malaysias-emgs-announces-visa-green-lane/ 
http://www.educationmalaysia.g ov.my/one-stop-application/ WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3.61.  On 26 September 2012, Viet Nam enacted Decree 73/2012/ND-CP ("Decree 73") 
establishing new regulations on foreign suppliers of education services and their programmes. The decree, which took effect on 15 November 2012, applies to foreign investment and cooperation 
projects in education and vocational training (VET) in Viet Nam, including foreign-invested tertiary 
institutions, schools and kindergartens, twinning programmes, and representative offices of foreign 
education institutions. Foreigners may invest in the establishment of 100% foreign-owned institutions and joint-venture institutions between domestic and foreign investors. 
Foreign-invested education institutions are considered to be Vietnamese legal entities, which are 
subject to Vietnamese laws, from the date of approval. Decree 73 specifies a range of capital investment requirements including that the foreign higher-education institution should have an initial investment in Viet Nam amounting to at least 300 billion dong (US$15 million) and a 
minimum cost per student of 150 million dong (US$7,500). Foreign-invested education institutions 
will be licensed to operate for a maximum of 50 ye ars, with an extension of 20 years, subject to 
Government approval. Twinning programmes must no t exceed five years, and must be extended 
at least six months before the licence elapses. A representative office of a foreign education 
institution will be licensed for five years, with the possibility of extension. Other requirements include that the teacher-to-student ratio in scie nce, engineering and technology should not be 
higher than 1:15, while the ratio in social sciences, humanities, economics and business should be 
1:25 or better. A foreign lecturer should have at least five years' experience. The decree also sets 
out more demanding English proficiency requiremen ts for students, equivalent to a minimum B1 
level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
36 
3.62.  In addition, Decision 05/2013/QD-TTg issued by Viet Nam's Prime Minister on 
15 January 2013 imposes new requirements on ed ucation agencies. The Decision, which entered 
into force on 10 March, requires education agencies to have VND 500 million ($23,800) in a 
commercial bank, and makes it mandatory for owners and agents to hold a university qualification 
and be proficient in at least one foreign language. They will also have to be certified by MoET, and the consultancies must publicize all information about the schools and colleges with which they 
work in foreign countries, among other requirements. Local departments of education and training 
(DoET) will be responsible for implementing these requirements. 
3.63.  Regarding the temporary movement of natural persons supplying services, during the 
reporting period, several work permit categories were either changed or newly-introduced by a 
number of Members, generally improving on previo usly applicable regimes. Brazil has created a 
new short term local contract visa allowing graduate students enrolled in an overseas graduate degree programme to work in the country for up to 90 days. China's new Exit and Entry 
Administrative Law, which came into effect on 1 September 2013, has created, amongst others, a 
new visa category for highly skilled individuals whose expertise is in demand in China (R visa), as well as a new M visa to be used for commercial trading visits (instead of the F "business visitor" 
visa). 
3.64.  As a result of the implementation of the labour code amendments introduced by Law 4029 
of 2010, Colombia no longer applies a proportiona lity requirement to the recruitment of foreigners 
in enterprises established in the Colombian te rritory. Furthermore, Decree 0834, which entered 
into force on 24 June 2013, enacted a new, simplified visa regime along three main lines. First, 
visa categories have been reduced from six to three (i.e. business, temporary and resident). The new "temporary worker" visa (TP-4) is now valid fo r up to three years, compared to only one year 
previously, while short-term technical workers on the new TP-13 visa will be allowed stays of up to 
180 days per calendar year. A business "NE-4" visa is available to high-level executives of multinational corporations seeking to invest in Colombia, and is valid for up to five years. Second, 
an entry and residency system has been set up that provides temporary residency for foreign 
visitors who enter Colombia without the intention of establishing themselves permanently and who do not need a visa. Third, the new regime makes it possible to apply for any visa, or apply for modifications of a visa, from within Colombia, rather than only from outside the country as was 
previously the case. 
                                               
36 http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20121101090206403 
https://aei.gov.au/International-network/vietnam/PolicyUpdates-
Vietnam/Documents/73%20Decree%20on%20Foreign %20Investment%20in%20Education%20June%202013.
pdf, and 
http://www.chinhphu.vn/portal/pag e/portal/chinhphu/hethongvanban?c lass_id=1&mode=detail&document_id
=163907 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3.65.  A new Employment Regulation took effect in Germany on 1 July 2013. It provides a new 
immigration option for skilled workers with vocational training but no university-level education, in specific occupations designated by German labour  authorities. The Regulation also expands the 
permissible range of activities that business visi tors are allowed to conduct, to include, for 
instance, the establishment, auditing or control of a subsidiary, the drafting of contracts for clients 
or the supervision of contract implementation. Business visitors are permitted to stay in the country for up to three months per year (six months if they are leading company executives) and 
are not required to obtain work authorisation.  
3.66.  The United Kingdom has also broadened the admissible activities for business visitors, to 
include the performance of short internal audits on the part of foreign nationals employed as corporate auditors. Previously, these auditors need ed to obtain an intra-corporate transferee visa. 
Intra-corporate transferees will no longer be required to undergo English language testing when 
extending their stay beyond three years. 
3.67.  Starting on 2 September 2013, a new short-term work authorisation programme has 
become available in Ireland for non-European Ec onomic Area nationals. It can be used for 
secondment to an intra-company branch or client site where a skill shortage has been identified, or to provide a specialized skill to a business or academic institution; paid internships, self-employed 
service providers; and work on a trial basis in ex isting highly-skilled positions. It lasts 15 to 90 
days per calendar year. 
3.68.  A new work permit has been created in Panama for highly-skilled workers holding a 
bachelor's or post-graduate degree. The permit is exempt from quotas or local sponsorship 
requirements, but must be renewed on an annual basis. 
3.69.  Singapore's Ministry of Manpower has announced that the new Fair Consideration 
Framework aimed at providing more employment opportunities to Singapore nationals will be 
implemented in August 2014. The new policy fram ework will require firms with more than 25 
employees to advertise a vacancy for professional or managerial jobs below a certain salary threshold on a new official job bank for at least 14 days. Only thereafter will the company be 
allowed to file an Employment Pass for a foreign worker. The minimum qualifying salaries for 
Employment Pass workers will also be raised as from January 2014. 
3.70.  A longer validity period for intra-company transfer work permits has been introduced in 
Ukraine. Whereas previously such permits were issued for renewable one-year increments, they 
are now valid for three years and can be renewed for an additional three years. 
3.71.  Pursuant to Decree 102 from the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour that took effect on 
1 November 2013, technical workers with proven qualifications who have studies or trained for at 
least one year and have at least three years' relevant work experience are now eligible for work 
permits. Previously, work permits were available only for managers, executives and specialists. 
3.2  General economic support measures 
3.72.  For this Report only five WTO Members volunteered information relating to economic 
support measures. The WTO Secretariat requested confirmation of several such measures (some of them obtained from other public sources) from  a larger group of Members, but mostly without 
success and often generating a request not to include those measures in the Report.  Hence, 
according to information provided to the Secretariat, 50 new economic support measures (and 17 
still not confirmed) were put in place during the review period. Annex 2 lists the economic support 
programmes compiled for this Report. 
3.73.  As was the case in previous periods, these measures provide economic assistance and 
financial support targeted at certain sectors, including infrastructure, rescue aid for specific industries, restructuring aid, tax breaks, export finance support and research support. The main 
beneficiary sectors were principally SMEs, agricultural producers and selected industries in the 
manufacturing sector. 
3.74.  However, as already mentioned, the monitoring and reporting of general economic support 
measures remains a big challenge. The lack of active participation of governments in the provision WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 of relevant information and in the verification process makes any assessment of overall trends not 
only partial, but also possibly inaccurate. For ex ample, in addition to other economic support 
programmes and targeted assistance to specific sectors that may exist and which may not have been detected by the monitoring exercise, other economic support measures, including monetary 
stimulus programmes, almost certainly continue to play a role in boosting economic growth. 
Although there is wide recognition that such programmes can affect exports as well as imports by broadly stimulating economic activity, determining the net trade effect is difficult without further 
analysis of the actual implementation of such programmes. 
3.75.  With these considerations in mind, it may be productive for Members to further consider 
how to improve the overall participation in and transparency of the monitoring of general economic support measures. In this context, it could be useful to explore a number of definitional and 
conceptual issues which continue to cause significant divergence in terms of what different 
countries consider to be general economic support measures. 
3.3  Trade policy reviews in 2013 
3.76.  During the period under review 17 Trade Policy Reviews (TPRs) were undertaken. This 
includes the TPRs of Israel and Iceland which were  completed after the circulation of the previous 
Report in October 2012.
37 These TPRs provided the WTO membership with a better understanding 
of trade and economic developments in each of  the Members reviewed. For the European Union 
this was the 11th TPR while for Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and Gabon it was 
their first TPR as the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). 
3.77.  All of the TPRs during the period under revi ew took place against the backdrop of the global 
crisis, including persistent high levels of unemployment in several countries. Although other 
international organizations have greater roles in developing and analysing financial and macroeconomic measures, WTO Members emphasized that TPRs cannot ignore these 
developments and their impact on trade. As a result, Members' discussions of the TPRs during the 
period under review touched upon the manner in  which each Member had weathered the crisis, 
including through the introduction of new policy me asures. Although it was generally agreed that 
most countries had dealt with the global crisis without resorting to outright protectionist measures, 
the lack of transparency surrounding a number of government stimulus packages and credit programmes nevertheless faced some scrutiny. Several Members emphasized the potentially 
restrictive impact on trade of these programmes. 
3.78.  Among other substantive issues raised by Members in a majority of the TPRs covered were 
the continued importance of reducing the gap betw een bound and applied tariffs for several of the 
Members under review. Similarly, with respect to  WTO notification obligations several Members 
were urged to improve their compliance so as to ensure transparency and predictability. In several 
TPRs investment as well as SPS and TBT regi mes were mentioned as areas where regulations 
either lacked transparency or  were overly restrictive. 
30 October & 1 November 2012 Israel  
3.79.  At Israel 's review, Members commended Israel for its impressive economic performance and 
quick recovery from the global crisis, thanks to sound economic fundamentals and prudent regulation of its financial markets. From a systemic point of view, there was general recognition of 
Israel's commitment to the multilateral trading system and towards concluding the DDA 
negotiations. In this context, Israel’s active participation in the revision of the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), its support for services trade liberalization in the WTO and 
updating of the ITA agreement were also highlight ed. Members welcomed Israel’s recent unilateral 
trade liberalization initiatives which had seen the elimination of a range of MFN tariffs in 2012 and were scheduled to lead to further tariff reductions or eliminations on several products in the 
coming years. 
3.80.  Although it was noted that Israel had made progress in aligning its technical requirements 
with international norms, some delegations also stressed that there was room for improvement in 
                                               
37 Further information on the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, including the full reports, the Chairs' concluding remarks 
can be found at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tpr_e.htm . 
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 terms of compliance with notification obligations so as to improve the overall transparency of its 
trade regime. A number of specific substantive ar eas attracted interest from Members, including 
the scope for market-oriented reforms in agriculture, reducing the considerable gap between bound and applied tariffs and the nature and ba sis of certain contingency trade remedies. A 
number of delegations called for greater transparency of Israel’s investment incentives and others 
noted that while significant developments in the ar ea of intellectual property had taken place, a 
number of concerns on patents, copyright and enforcement remained outstanding. 
13 & 15 November 2012 Iceland  
3.81.  During the review of Iceland , Members commended Iceland on its policy response to the 
collapse of its banking system due to the global crisis. Policy choices following the crisis, which included capital controls and fiscal consolidation and limiting the cost of bank restructuring on 
public finances, helped the economic recovery. Th e recovery from the crisis has been export-led 
and the country did not introduce any trade restrictive measures. Furthermore, Iceland successfully completed the IMF programme and also repaid considerable amounts of the bilateral 
loans that it took. Consequently, growth has rebounded and inflation and unemployment have 
declined. Members also noted the advanced st ate of Iceland’s negotiations to join the 
European Union. 
3.82.  Despite this overall positive picture, several Members emphasized that sustained economic 
growth depended on resolving issues relating to the banking sector, such as non-performing loans, so that banks could return to their core lending activities as well as continuing with fiscal consolidation. Delegations noted that with Iceland's relatively narrow export base diversification of 
exports – products as well as destinations - wo uld make the country less vulnerable to exogenous 
shocks. Iceland’s strategy of identifying energy-i ntensive industries, along with land-intensive 
industries, knowledge-based industries, and tourism as sectors in which the country has a 
competitive advantage and growth potential was broadly welcomed although certain concerns 
regarding restrictions for investments from outside the EEA were also aired. Among the systemic and substantive issues raised by Members was Iceland's failure to keep up its notification 
obligations, especially on import licensing, SPS and TBT measures. A number of delegations raised 
the difference between applied and bound rates, desp ite the generally high percentage of duty free 
tariff lines, as a continuous concern. Concern wa s expressed with respect to the very strict SPS 
regime applied by Iceland on certain products and with respect to the high support and protection 
for a declining agriculture sector. 
19 & 21 February: Japan  
3.83.   In the review of Japan , delegations generally noted the vital role of Japan, as the world's 
third-largest economy, for all WTO Members. Members commended Japan for avoiding 
protectionism, particularly in the aftermath of the global crisis and several noted how the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake and flood in Thailand had underlined Japan’s deep integration 
into the global supply chain. It was generally felt that the accommodative macroeconomic policies 
being pursued, particularly by the new government, can help Japan to recover from the recent economic downturn, but that they need to be accompanied by far-reaching structural reforms. Trade liberalization can play a key role in these reforms, to stimulate competition and improve 
productivity, especially in agriculture and services. 
3.84.  Japan was widely praised for its active role in the multilateral trading system, including its 
constructive participation in the trade facilitation and services negotiations and in efforts to expand 
the Information Technology Agreement and revise the Agreement on Government Procurement. 
Members also commended Japan for its financial and technical assistance, its Aid for Trade contribution and preferential market access provided  by the extension of its Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP) and duty-free quota-free (DFQF)  treatment. Several delegations noted Japan’s 
increasing involvement in RTAs. While praising Japan for the general transparency of its trade policies and measures, Members also raised a number of substantive areas of concern where progress was required. These included relatively complex, albeit low, tariffs, complex SPS 
measures and technical regulations and restrictive market access and high levels of subsidies in 
agriculture. Similarly, Members encouraged Japan to continue reforms to enhance competition in energy and services sectors, including insuranc e, telecommunications, and medical and health 
services. Ambition was also expressed that Japan wo uld be able to take steps to remove remaining WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 impediments to inward foreign direct investment, which it was noted remains relatively low in 
comparison with other OECD countries. 
20 & 22 March: Argentina  
3.85.  At its review, Argentina  was congratulated by Members for having weathered the global 
crisis well, achieving high GDP growth rates of around 9% in both 2010 and 2011 and making 
progress with respect to social inclusion, improved income distribution, poverty alleviation and reduction in unemployment during the period of review. However, concern was expressed that 
GDP growth had slowed in the first half of 2012 while inflation had accelerated, thus potentially 
posing a problem for future growth. Several delega tions noted that Argentina continued to actively 
use trade policy, e.g. export taxes, to achiev e macroeconomic and social goals. Members also 
made reference to Argentina's increased recourse to import-restricting measures, mainly anti‑dumping, reference prices, and import licensing. In general, Members urged Argentina to 
adopt and implement trade measures in a more transparent and predictable manner. 
3.86.  A number of specific substantive issues were  raised by delegations, including recent tariff 
increases, applied tariffs which seem to be higher than the bound levels and a range of trade balancing requirements which had emerged. Although Argentina was applauded for maintaining a 
generally open FDI regime, Members expressed concern with limitations to repatriate dividends 
and in general to remit capital abroad, the criteria to nationalize industries and plans for future nationalization of enterprises and the impact of the import substitution policy on FDI and its 
compatibility with the TRIMs Agreement. It was noted that Argentina maintained several horizontal 
incentives schemes and Members urged Argentina to notify these programmes to the WTO. In the 
area of intellectual property, several delegations asked Argentina to clarify a number of issues with respect to the patentability of pharmaceuticals and delays in processing patent applications. On 
services, Members recognized that most services sectors were relatively open to foreign 
investment although some encouraged Argentina to enhance competition in telecommunications. 
10 & 12 April: Indonesia  
3.87.  At its review, Members commended Indonesia  on its strong economic performance during 
the TPR review period, characterized by the doublin g of GDP per capita and the halving of poverty 
incidence from its post-crisis peak. Consolidation of economic reforms, improvements to the business climate, strong domestic demand, low export dependence and sound macroeconomic 
management had enabled Indonesia to get through the global crisis. Members appreciated the 
constructive role played by Indonesia on the international stage as a driver of integration in ASEAN, chair of APEC, coordinator of the G33 and host of the 9
th WTO Ministerial Conference in 
December 2013. Similarly, delegations welcomed Indonesia's commitment to provide duty free, 
quota free treatment to LDCs. Concern was expr essed by several delegations that a number of 
new trade and investment measures raise question s about the direction of trade and investment 
policy-making in Indonesia. 
3.88.  Delegations commented on a number of substantive areas which merited further attention 
by Indonesia. These included a number of trade restrictive measures which have the effect of disrupting trade and reducing access to Indonesian  markets, the insufficient use by Indonesia of 
international standards and the increasingly frequent use of safeguards measures. Several 
Members enquired about what they perceived to be an increasing complexity and restrictiveness of 
the regulations for FDI and some expressed concern about the difference between applied and 
bound rates. Members also noted a lack of consultation and transparency associated with the 
development and introduction of various trade-re lated measures and urged Indonesia to provide 
notification of trade regulations in a timely fashion before implementation. 
17 & 19 April: Mexico  
3.89.  During the review of Mexico , Members noted the efficient manner in which the country had 
overcome the global crisis among other things through the implementation of countercyclical fiscal and monetary policies. Delegations referred to Mexico's active and constructive role in the 
multilateral trading system and in the DDA, particularly in the areas of trade facilitation and 
services. Members also noted Mexico's active participation in preferential trade agreements. Several delegations complimented Mexico on its unilateral trade liberalization which had lowered WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 the average tariff from 11.2% in 2007 to 6.2% in 2012 and for the simplification of its tariff 
structure. In addition, Mexico was praised for the simplification of its customs procedures and for 
the implementation of a single window system. 
3.90.  Members highlighted some systemic and substantive areas where Mexico was urged to 
consider improvements. These included the geogra phical concentration of trade and the need to 
seek market diversification, restrictions on FD I in sectors such as petroleum, electricity and 
telecommunications and the continued high tariffs and tariff peaks on agricultural products. Some 
delegations referred to the persistence of some no n-tariff barriers to trade, e.g. reference prices 
and complex SPS measures and also encouraged Me xico to undertake further reforms to improve 
competition in the energy and telecommunications sectors, among others. Members requested further information on Mexico's support programmes in agriculture. 
23 & 25 April: Switzerland and Liechtenstein  
3.91.  During their review, Members commended Switzerland and Liechtenstein  on their economic 
performance in the aftermath of the global cris is, their generally open trade regimes and their 
strong support for an open multilateral trading system, including the conclusion of the DDA. On an 
overall note, several delegations pointed to the agricultural sector which remains heavily protected, and the large number of FTAs that make their trade regimes increasingly complex. With 
respect to the former, Members expressed concer n about the still high level of support and 
protection for agriculture and encouraged the authorities to reduce the high or prohibitive tariffs and to increase the pace of market-oriented agricultural reforms, consistent with Switzerland’s wider policy objectives of improving competitiveness of domestic goods and services. 
3.92.  Delegations made a number of substantive comments with respect to other aspects of 
Switzerland's and Liechtenstein's trade policies, including the continued use of specific tariffs which makes the level of protection more unpredictable , in particular because of exchange rate and 
import price fluctuations. Members encouraged both countries to consider moving from specific to 
ad valorem tariffs. A number of delegations expre ssed concern about the complexity of the Swiss 
tariff quota regime, including its administration, and encouraged Switzerland to simplify the 
regime. With respect to technical barriers to trade, Members welcomed Switzerland’s unilateral 
initiative to reduce technical barriers to trade through the introduction of the Cassis-de-Dijon 
principle. While praising Switzerland’s and Liechtenstein’s generally liberal services trade regimes, Members also identified restrictions in insurance, postal and rail transport services where further 
liberalization could be pursued. 
13 & 15 May: Macao, China  
3.93.  In is review, Macao, China  was commended on its open economy that maintains few trade 
and investment restrictions. The fast growth of the economy, remarkable increase in per capita 
GDP, low levels of unemployment and sound fiscal situation are principally a function of the trade-based nature, particularly services exports, of  the Macao, China economy. Members noted that 
since its last review Macao, China had made further improvements to its trade policy and business 
environment in several areas, including intellectual property, investment, services and trade facilitation. It was also pointed out that Macao, China had no outstanding notifications in the WTO, and that its reforms aiming at enhancing the transparency of public administration were making 
good progress. 
3.94.  A number of systemic and substantive issues  where progress could be made were raised by 
some Members, including the consistency of SPS me asures with international standards, the need 
for a comprehensive competition law, increasing tariff binding coverage and clarifying recent 
changes to the government procurement legislation. On the issue of regional co-operation initiatives, some delegations noted that Macao, China's faced a significant diversification challenge 
in the future and that achieving such diversificatio n will be essential to further successful economic 
and structural adjustment of its economy. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 10 & 12 June: Suriname  
3.95.  In Suriname's  review, Members commended it for the prudent macroeconomic policies that 
enabled it to weather the global crisis without resorting to any protectionist measures. It was noted by many delegations that important st eps had been taken to improve the trade and 
investment environment, including customs procedures and a new law on banking supervision 
further improving oversight of the financial services sector. Several interventions touched upon the need for the Surinamese economy to diversify de spite its strong growth over past few years. 
Members recognized Suriname's efforts at diversif ying the economy away from minerals and noted 
the priority given to this in the Government's plans. It was also noted that Suriname's trade and investment patterns have been changing as trad e and investment links with new partners have 
been increasing. 
3.96.  Members touched upon a number of su bstantive areas which would provide a more 
conducive economic and investment environment thereby making the country more competitive. These included updating legislation in areas like intellectual property, competition policy, 
contingency measures, investment policy and government procurement. Some delegations noted 
that some applied tariffs were above bound rate s which were a result of adopting CARICOM's 
common external tariff. Several delegations urged Suriname to comply with the WTO's notification 
obligations, including the notification of the Suriname Standards Bureau as an enquiry point. 
Noting the importance of agriculture and fishing and the emphasis on these sectors as avenues for diversification, some delegations also commented on the relatively high levels of protection of the agriculture sector. 
24 & 26 June: Brazil  
3.97.  During Brazil's  review, Members recognized its overall development potential and economic 
performance, and commended it for having weathered the global crisis well, largely thanks to 
sound macroeconomic policies. Brazil was congratulated for the progress made in further 
diversification of its trade and for improvements made in social indicators, including poverty alleviation, and reduction in income inequality and unemployment. A number of structural 
shortcomings that affect Brazil's competitiveness were highlighted, including inadequate 
infrastructure, insufficient access to credit, labour market rigidities and a complex tax system. Members urged Brazil to address these challenges without resorting to trade restrictive policies.   Several delegations also welcomed Brazil's active participation in the multilateral trading system 
and in the DDA and invited Brazil to accede to th e GPA, to join the negotiations to expand the 
coverage of the Information Technology Agreement, and to ratify the Fifth Protocol to the GATS. Members also noted that Brazil has stepped up the use of contingency measures, in particular anti-
dumping, and urged the Brazilian authorities to ensure accurate and fair application of such 
measures, as well as exercise restraint in the recourse to them. 
3.98.  Members raised a comprehensive list of specific substantive areas in which further 
clarifications or improvements could be made. These included the substantial gap between bound 
and applied tariff rates, other taxes and charges affecting imports, customs and import licensing 
requirements, incentives schemes and credit programmes, government procurement, intellectual property issues and restrictions in certain services sectors. Several Members noted that 
clarification and simplification of rules and regulations in many of these areas would contribute 
positively to Brazil's long-term growth as well as improve its competitiveness and participation in the global economy. 
16 & 18 July: European Union  
3.99.  At the review of the European Union , many delegations commented on the economic crisis 
in the European Union, including the high unemployment figures in some countries. Many 
expressed hope that the reforms that are being undertaken, including fiscal reform and banking 
union, should help lead the way to a sustainable recovery for the European Union. Several Members commended the European Union for not re sorting to new protectionist measures in the 
midst of the crisis and applauded it for its generally low barriers to trade and investment and its 
transparent laws and procedures. Several delegations touched upon the launch of the Transatlantic 
Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the European Union's on-going negotiations with other major economies and emphasized that as the largest trading entity in the world, the WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 European Union's commitment to the multilateral trading system and the Doha Round was 
essential. Many Members commended the European Union for its support for Aid for Trade and noted that the European Union was the largest prov ider in the world of such aid. A number of 
delegations also raised certain trade related me asures that had not been fully implemented, 
including changes to the GSP scheme, certain cu stoms procedures and the introduction of the 
single electronic window and the application of the single unitary patent which should make registration of patents in the European Union less difficult. 
3.100.  Given the size and importance of the Europe an Union to world trade and the diversity of its 
economy, the range of issues raised by Members was comprehensive, but similar to the issues raised at its previous reviews. These issues included the remaining few sectors where high tariffs continue to dominate, agricultural market access as well as support issues, issues related to 
fisheries reform, government procurement thresholds by Member States, sub-federal agencies, 
and state-owned enterprises and the possibilities for participation in the formulation of SPS and 
TBT measures. Many Members, while commending the European Union for its considerable degree 
of harmonization, cautioned that some important differences remain in the application of rules and 
procedures among Member States that have different legal and administrative systems, including in areas such as corporate tax, excise duties and VAT. 
29 & 31 July: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and Gabon  
3.101.  At the first joint Trade Policy Review of the Central African Economic and Monetary 
Community (CEMAC) countries, Members noted the enormous economic potential of these 
countries as a result of their significant natura l resources. Many delegations expressed the view 
that the diversification of trade should be a priority along with efforts to improve infrastructure and 
new reforms aimed, inter alia , at facilitating trade, cutting red tape and improving the business 
environment. The implementation of such refo rms in combination with WTO commitments would 
ensure the predictability, transparency and credibility of their trade regimes, enhance the 
productive capacity of their economies and contribu te to attracting much needed FDI in order to 
diversify their economies away from primary products. Members noted that regional integration, 
through CEMAC can serve as an important stepping stone to more effective integration of these 
countries into global trade and specifically commended the countries under review for setting the ambitious aim of making CEMAC, by 2025, an emerging integrated economic area through the adoption of the Regional Economic Programme (REP) in 2010. There was a general sense the 
CEMAC countries must undergo a profound transformation and that many important challenges lie 
ahead in terms of increasing current low levels of intra-regional trade, improving policy coherence and ensuring more stringent implementation of the regional measures. 
3.102.  Members welcomed the five countries’ strong commitment to the multilateral trading 
system and to the conclusion of the Doha Round as well as the constructive role of CEMAC countries in several areas, including trade facilitation and, given that two CEMAC countries are 
LDCs, LDC priority issues. More generally, many highlighted the importance of Aid for Trade for 
CEMAC countries, including the assistance offere d under the Enhanced Integrated Framework in 
favour of LDCs in the region. At the same time Members urged all CEMAC countries to fully meet their WTO notification requirements, as well as other WTO obligations. 
3.103.  During the review Members raised a number of specific substantive issues with respect to 
the CEMAC countries. These included the need to rationalize and modernize trade and investment regimes in order to improve the business environment, improve trade facilitation measures such 
as the border tax regime and transit/border  clearance issues, SPS and TBT regimes and 
institutional set-ups and intellectual property rights. 
17 & 19 September: Viet Nam  
3.104.  In this first review of Viet Nam , Members commended Viet Nam on its impressive socio-
economic performance which was the result of significant reforms initiated prior to, during and after its WTO accession. Some Members expressed concern over Viet Nam's recent economic slowdown and encouraged it to address a series of macroeconomic and structural challenges, 
including through its "Master Plan on Economic Restructuring" from 2012. There was broad 
recognition of Viet Nam's active pursuit of trade liberalization in various forums, its commitment to trade openness as a means for development and its rejection of protectionism in general. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Delegations noted Viet Nam's support for the WTO and the conclusion of the DDA and further 
encouraged it to accede to the GPA as soon as possible and to join the on-going negotiations to expand the coverage of the Information Technology  Agreement (ITA). There was wide appreciation 
of Viet Nam's efforts to implement its WTO accession package, including through extensive tariff 
reductions, services reforms and comprehensive administrative reform which would lead to 
improved transparency of its trade regime. 
3.105.  A number of specific issues where Viet Nam was encouraged to seek further improvement 
were also raised by delegations. These included the transparency and consistency of the regulatory 
and institutional framework. A simpler, more stable, and predictable investment regime was emphasized by several delegations as essential for Viet Nam to attract more foreign direct 
investment. Several Members stressed the significance of complying with notification obligations 
and took note of the request by Viet Nam for a ssistance in this endeavour. A number of issues 
with respect to tariff and non-tariff measures were raised, including frequent tariff changes, tariff 
protection afforded to some industrial sectors and agriculture, new licensing requirements, 
customs valuation and local content requirements in government procurement. A large number of 
delegations noted that effective protection of intellectual property rights remains a matter of high priority. Technical standards and sanitary and phytosanitary measures were mentioned as areas in 
need of further reform. Several delegations also encouraged Viet Nam to continue reforms of its 
state-owned sector and to improve the operational framework of trade-related sectors (e.g. electricity supply and other infrastructure). Finally, some Members raised the issue of support to the fisheries sector as potentially contributing to over-exploitation of fishing stocks. 
24 & 26 September: Costa Rica  
3.106.  At its review, Members commended Costa Rica  for the overall direction of its economic 
policies, solid growth record and efforts to control inflation, but also expressed concern about its 
growing fiscal deficit. Many delegations noted that Costa Rica's commitment to sustainable 
development, high standards of education as well as its political stability have contributed to making Costa Rica an attractive destination for foreign investment. It was noted that due to an 
increasingly diversified economy underpinned by policies of open trade and investment, Costa Rica 
has managed to integrate a significant proportion of its exports into global value chains, including high tech products and services such as electronics, medical devices and computer and information services. Members acknowledged Costa Rica's long-standing commitment to the multilateral 
trading system, the conclusion of the Doha Round and on-going plurilateral initiatives (such as the 
ITA) while simultaneously pursuing an active agenda of regional and bilateral trade negotiations and to resisting protectionism. Several delegations also emphasized the important progress made 
in several important legislative areas, including competition, government procurement and 
intellectual property, and noted the on-going refo rms in the areas of taxation and governance in 
preparation for its accession discussions with the OECD. 
3.107.  Members also highlighted a number of areas where Costa Rica continues to face challenges 
and where further improvements could be made. These included some remaining high tariffs in areas such as agriculture, processed food and fish as well as the big gap between Costa Rica's bound and applied rates. Some Members noted that state-owned enterprises play significant roles 
in certain sectors and noted that Costa Rica could further improve its business environment, 
including investor protection, regulatory transp arency and a number of infrastructure-related 
areas. Some delegations invited Costa Rica to consolidate its reforms in services commitments, 
including the GATS. Others asked for more clarity in areas related to Costa Rica's export regime. 
13 & 15 November: Peru  
3.108.  In this review, Members commended Peru on its liberal trade regime and remarkable 
economic performance which has seen almost a doubling of its merchandise exports since 2007. 
Prudent macroeconomic management and the continuation of structural reforms helped FDI inflows almost quadruple during the review pe riod. Members welcomed the improvements in 
poverty alleviation and employment, but also note d that progress on social inclusion and fairer 
income distribution remained slow. Delegation s generally expressed appreciation for Peru's 
commitment to, and active participation in, the mu ltilateral trading system and the DDA and some 
encouraged it to accede to the GPA. Several delegations noted that Peru has been increasingly 
implementing its trade policies through an exte nsive network of RTAs and a number of questions 
were raised with respect to the management of these agreements. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3.109.  Members also raised a number of specific substantive areas where it was felt Peru should 
remain vigilant as well as pursue further reforms. These include transparency of the investment and regulatory environment, trade facilitation an d the WTO-consistent application of anti-dumping 
measures. Some Members raised questions with respect to fiscal incentives as an instrument to 
promote investment in specific sectors as well as other support programmes aimed at fostering 
regional development in disadvantaged areas. Many  delegations welcomed Peru's reduction in the 
average MFN applied tariff for the agricultural sector  from 12.9% to 3.9% during the review period 
and the elimination of local-content requirements for dairy products. Others voiced concerns over 
sanitary and technical requirements on specific products, including labelling requirements for food products. It was also noted that the privatization of the fisheries industry seemed to have led to over-investment and over-capacity. In the area of  services, several delegations noted that Peru's 
commitments in various RTAs go beyond its WTO commitments and expressed the hope that Peru 
would increase its WTO commitments accordingly and pursue further liberalization in areas such as maritime and air transport. Finally, it was noted that Peru's economy relies heavily on the export 
of copper and gold and several delegations urged it to ensure that adequate measures were taken 
to diversify the economy. 
19 & 21 November: Kyrgyz Republic  
3.110.  In this second review of the Kyrgyz Republic , Members commended the Kyrgyz 
Government for its commitment to an open trade and investment policy and to continuing reforms in a number of areas since its last review, including the "single window" and "paperless trade" initiative, the tax code, government procurement, competition policy and technical standards. 
There was general recognition of the extraordinary efforts that the Kyrgyz Republic has made in 
transforming itself from a planned economy to a market-based economy, including the country’s determination to integrate into the global economy and the multilateral trading system. This 
commitment was underscored by the country having one of the lowest tariff protection averages 
among WTO Members reflecting its adherence to the Information Technology Agreement and other 
zero-for-zero sectors and by having refrained from applying anti-dumping or countervailing 
measures. However, it was also noted that the Kyrg yz Republic continues to face challenges in the 
form of a current account deficit and a narrow export base dominated by gold and unprocessed agriculture products. Some Members encouraged export diversification into areas such as tourism and hydropower. An overall issue which attracted several comments related to the Kyrgyz 
Republic's confirmed intention to join the customs union currently comprised of Belarus, 
Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation. Many de legations enquired about the timing of this 
initiative as well as the legal and regulatory changes envisioned as well as compliance issues with 
WTO rules. 
3.111.  Members also raised a number of specific areas for possible improvement, including bound 
tariff rates which had recently been exceeded  for a number of products, transparency and 
notification obligations, frequent changes to the Kyrgyz SPS framework and the lack of a WTO 
enquiry point. In the area of non-tariff measures,  Members expressed concern over a number of 
measures such as prohibitions, seasonal duties, safeguard measures, import licences and products subject to state trading which had been introduced or maintained during the period under review. 
Regulatory matters such as intellectual property  and government procurement were identified as 
areas that could be further developed with some delegations inviting the Kyrgyz Republic to join the GPA. Finally, a number of Members commented on  the relatively low foreign direct investment 
inflows and stressed the importance of attracting investment with respect to diversifying its 
production and export bases. 
27 & 29 November: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  
3.112.  At its review, Members expressed strong appreciation for the progress made by  the Former 
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  in implementing policies which have fostered consistent growth 
and stabilized the macroeconomic and financial environment. A successful monetary policy has kept inflation low and considerable progress has been made in improving the business 
environment. Many delegations noted that a deca de of WTO membership had seen the progressive 
opening of the Macedonian economy to trade an d investment and other regulatory reforms, 
including privatization, customs, government  procurement, standards and SPS measures, 
competition policy and services. Others pointed out that many challenges lay ahead for the 
Macedonian Government, including in the broader area of governance. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3.113.  Members also raised a number of specific areas in which further improvements could be 
made. In the area of intellectual property rights, Members recognized that although the legislative framework generally meets the requirements of the TRIPS and other international agreements, 
adequate intellectual property protection and enforcement are still lacking. Some delegations 
noted in order to maintain investor confidence it is necessary to have a predictable and 
transparent business climate in which existing agreements and contracts are respected and access to reliable dispute resolution is assured. Several delegations noted the introduction of, and 
progress made by, the EXIM electronic system  for issuing import and export licences and 
encouraged the Macedonian authorities to pursue further refinements and simplification of the procedures involved. A number of Members raised SPS issues as an area where further clarity was required, especially in the context of the applicatio n of the precautionary principle. In the area of 
agriculture, some delegations enquired as to the Government's rationale for introducing import 
and export restrictions, including temporary export bans on wheat flour to alleviate shortages in the domestic market, about the effects of this policy and how the Government was planning to 
deal with such issues in the future. Finally, Members commended the authorities on becoming the 
most recent observer to the WTO GPA and expre ssed the hope that it will consider joining the 
agreement as a full member in the foreseeable future. 
3.4  Regional trade agreements 
3.114.  During the period 15 October 2012 to 15 November 2013 WTO Members notified 23 
regional trade agreements (RTAs) to the WTO (36 notifications if goods, services and accessions 
are counted separately), bringing the total number of RTAs notified to the WTO to 432, of which 
250 were in force in November 2013.
38 Of the 250 Agreements in force on this date, 114 cover 
goods and services, while 135 cover only goods.39 In addition, 12 "early announcements" referring 
to agreements under negotiation or signed but not yet in force, were also made during this period; 
of these, two were of agreements that had been  signed and 10 of agreements under negotiation. 
The Secretariat furthermore estimates that there are around 100 agreements in force but that have not been notified to the WTO.
40 The Secretariat and the Chairman of the Committee on 
Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) continue to make efforts to encourage Members to make 
timely notifications of their RTAs. 
3.115.  RTA activity continues to be strong among the WTO Membership. Chart 13 shows that on 
average 14 RTAs have entered into force annually since 2003. 
                                               
38 Notifications to the WTO are made separately fo r goods and services aspects of agreements.  The 
total number of notifications that had been made to the WTO up to 15 November 2013 was 577 of which 381 cover agreements that are in force. 
39 One agreement cove rs only services. 
40 The Secretariat, through its factual presentations and in consultation with the relevant Members, has 
confirmed and circulated a list of over 50 of these agreements; the list is updated periodically, the latest being available in WTO document WT/REG/W/77.  WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 13 Number of physical RTAs that entered into force since 2003 
 
 Source: WTO Secretariat 
3.116.  It is unlikely that there will be a let up in this upward trend as a number of agreements 
have been signed and will soon enter into forc e, such as EU-Canada, and EU-Singapore, or are 
being negotiated, most of them between partners in different geographical regions. Some of the 
key bilateral negotiations in terms of the share of the parties in world trade include the TTIP 
between the EU and the U.S., MERCOSUR-EU, EU-J apan, EU-India, Australia-China, Canada-Korea, 
and Canada-India. The parties to the customs union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are 
also negotiating with a number of partners, including EFTA, India and New Zealand. 
3.117.  The TTIP once completed, could cover a significant share of the parties' bilateral trade 
currently subject to MFN tariffs (bilateral trade in goods is around 16% of United States and 
European Union trade with the world - Table 10). The negotiations which were launched in July 
2013 aim to improve market access in goods and serv ices but also reduce barriers to investment 
and government procurement. As most tariffs between the two partners are already relatively low and a substantial share of bilateral trade is conducted at MFN zero rates of tariff (in 2012, for 
instance, the European Union's MFN duty-free imports from the United States accounted for 70.6% 
of its total imports from the United States), the pa rties will also try to reduce barriers to trade in 
services, non-tariff measures and regulatory barriers to trade, such as technical safety, 
environmental and other standards. Thus the firs t round of negotiations discussed market access 
for agricultural and industrial goods, government procurement, investment, energy and raw materials, regulatory issues, SPS issues, servic es, IPRs, sustainable development, SMEs, dispute 
settlement, competition, customs/trade fa cilitation and state owned enterprises.
41 The 
European Union is also negotiating an agreement with MERCOSUR. Expectations are that these 
negotiations, which will include market access in  goods, services and government procurement, 
among other issues, will be concluded in 2014.42 The European Union and Japan have established 
14 working groups including for trade in goods, services, investment, competition, government 
                                               
41 EU press release "First Round of TTIP negotiations kicks off in Washington DC, 8-12 July 2013. 
Available at: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2013/july/tradoc_151595.pdf . The EU has also published 
initial position papers on a number of issues including cross cutting and institutional provisions on regulatory 
issues; TBT and SPS measures; public  procurement; raw materials and energy; and trade and sustainable 
development (available at: http://trade.ec.eu ropa.eu/doclib/pre ss/index.cfm?id=943 ). 
42 In 2014 all MERCOSUR parties, except Paraguay, are expected to lose preferential access to the EU 
market under the EU's GSP scheme. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 procurement and sustainable development to comple te their negotiations which were launched in 
April 2013. Negotiations with India have been ongoing since June 2007 and include trade liberalization in goods and services, government procurement, investment, and other issues such as intellectual property rights and competition as well as sustainable development.
43 
3.118.  While most RTAs are bilateral, new RTA negotiations indicate that there is also an 
emphasis to form plurilateral RTAs or consolidat e existing bilateral agreements among a group of 
Members. Thus, in the Asia-Pacific region, negotiations have been ongoing since March 2010 to 
enlarge the existing Trans-Pacific SEP agreement (also known as the Pacific 4 or P4 agreement) 
between Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore to form the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement currently also including Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Viet Nam.
44 Another effort to consolidate existing bilateral agreements 
is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement which aims to harmonize 
existing agreements between the ten economies of the Association of South-East Asian nations (ASEAN) and six others (Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand). 
The combined share in world trade of the current parties to the RCEP and TPP is around a quarter 
each and their shares in world GDP are respectively 28% and 38%. Merchandise trade between the parties accounts for around 45% and 42% of their total trade for RCEP and TPP respectively. 
3.119.  Other efforts to consolidate agreements include the Pacific Alliance ( Alianza del Pacifico ), 
expected to enter into force in January 2014, and which brings together Chile, Colombia, Mexico 
and Peru, with a potential for further enlargement to other partners in the region (Costa Rica and Panama are in the process of acceding), and in Af rica the Tripartite Free Trade Area between three 
existing plurilateral agreements (East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern 
and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)), involving 26 parties.
45 
Table 10: Characteristics of selected RTAs under negotiation 
RTAs under 
negotiation Number 
of 
members  Share in world 
trade 2012 
(%) 
(goods and 
services) Goods 
GDP, 
combined 
(% to world 
GDP) 
 Number of 
other 
bilateral/ 
plurilateral 
trade 
agreements 
between 
the parties Intra-trade as a share 
of global trade 
Export Import 
RCEP 16 24.2  47.1 41.9 28 23 
Pacific 
Alliance 4 2.7 4.3  3.9 2.8 6 
TPP 12 26.3  38.3 46.2 38.3 35 
TTIP 2 43.6  14.7 17.2  44.9 0 
Tripartite  26 1.5  26.4 2.1  1.4 4 
TISA 23 69.3* - - 56.5   
* Only reflects the share in world trade in services. 
Note: No trade data for Lao PDR under RCEP and Angola, Comoros, Congo and South Sudan under the 
Tripartite Agreement. Data on intra trade in  services not available for all parties.  
 All trade figures are in 2012 except for some members under the Tripartite Agreement.  
Source: World Bank's World Development Indicators, WTO Statistics and UNSD Comtrade database. 
3.120.  Participants in the TPP negotiations have been negotiating since March 2010.46 In addition 
to the traditional market access in goods and services, the TPP negotiations include four new 
                                               
43 European Commission. Information available at: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-
regions/countries/india/ . 
44 The P4 agreement was notified to the WTO on 18 May 2007 and considered by the Committee on 
Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) at its meeting on 18 and 19 September 2008 (see also factual presentation prepared by the Secretariat, WT/REG229/1, dated 9 May 2008). 
45 The parties are Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Repu blic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, 
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Madagasca r, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, 
Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The addition of South 
Sudan, which is currently negotiating its accession to the EAC, will bring the total to 27. 
46 As at November 2013, 19 formal rounds of negotiations had been held. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 cross-cutting issues (regulatory coherence, competitiveness and business facilitation, state-owned 
enterprises, and new trade challenges such as tr ade and investment in innovative products and 
services) which are thought to be ground breaking in that they are not included in most existing 
RTAs. In the area of market access in goods, the latest report by Ministers to Leaders in 
October 2013 suggests that one single tariff schedule for each party and common rules of origin 
will cover all the parties. In this regard a significant share of these rules of origin seems to have been agreed. In addition, the parties state that trade-facilitating rules of origin that encourage 
accumulation across the region which will promote production and supply chains across the region 
are being developed. Other steps to support the development of value chains between the parties 
include agreement in areas such as customs issues, customs delivery, e-commerce and standards.
47 Market access in services and investment is being negotiated on the basis of a 
"negative list" approach where everything is treated as liberalized unless reserved. 
3.121.  The RCEP negotiations were launched in November 2012 and are aimed at "a modern, 
comprehensive, high-quality and mutually benefici al economic partnership agreement establishing 
an open trade and investment environment in the region to facilitate the expansion of regional 
trade and investment and contribute to global economic growth and development".48 Although only 
two rounds have been held to date (with a third to take place in January 2014), working groups 
have been established on goods, services and investment and discussions have also taken place on 
other issues such as competition policy, intellectual property rights, economic and technical cooperation and dispute settlement.
49 In addition, negotiations are ongoing between those parties 
who do not already have bilateral agreements with each other. Japan has started negotiations with 
Australia, China and the Republic of Korea, while China is also negotiating with the Republic of 
Korea. Australia and China have been negotiating since 2005 and their negotiations also cover trade liberalization in goods and services, and investment. Australia's negotiations with India 
began more recently in 2011 and are similarly expected to cover trade liberalization in goods, 
services and investment.
50 
3.122.  There are a couple of key differences with the TPP negotiations. One is that the RCEP 
negotiating mandate recognizes the sensitivities of different member states and therefore the need 
for special and differential treatment. Another key difference, at least at present, appears to be that while the TPP remains open to other interest ed parties subject to approval by the current 
parties, the RCEP is limited to those with whom ASEAN has RTAs in force. 
3.123.  The Pacific Alliance aims essentially to consolidate existing bilateral commitments as all 
four parties already have RTAs among themselves which cover goods, services and investment. In 
goods for instance, in 2013, at least 95% of tariff lines and trade in five of the six RTAs had been 
liberalized, while for Mexico-Peru the figure was around 85%. Thus the initial goal of liberalizing 
90% of tariff lines upon entry into force of the Agreement has already been achieved. Similarly, in services all their agreements are based on negati ve lists with relatively extensive commitments. 
There are also intentions to expand commitments and go beyond the existing agreements for 
instance in rules of origin, where cumulation of all inputs originating in all the parties will be permitted. It is not at present clear what the intention of the parties is with regard to sensitive products which are currently excluded from their bilateral agreements. 
3.124.  Finally, the Tripartite agreement is also ai ming for a consolidation of existing plurilateral 
agreements in Africa rather than additional liberalization. However, recent reports suggest that certain objectives such as consolidation into one single agreement may be difficult to achieve.
51 
There is also the issue of overlapping membership with some parties belonging to more than one 
agreement. 
                                               
47 "Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Ministers Report to Leaders", October 8 2013.  
Available at: http://www.mfat.govt.nz/downloads/trade-
agreement/transpacific/TPP%20Ministers '%20Report%20to%20Leaders%208%20October.pdf  
48 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCE P): Joint Statement. The first meeting of trade 
negotiating committee, 9-13 May 2013, Brunei Darussalam. 
49 New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership 
(RCEP), available at: http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Trade-and-Economi c-Relations/2-Trade- Relationships-and-
Agreements . 
50 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,  Government of Australia. Available at: 
http://www.dfat.gov.au/fta/ . 
51 Erasmus, G. (2013) "Redirecting the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement negotiations?", TRALAC Trade 
Brief, no. S13TB02/2013, June. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3.125.  The development of such plurilateral region al trade agreements is interesting especially if 
they are able to consolidate (thereby supersed e older agreements) and simplify some of the 
existing and sometimes complex network of bilateral relationships and rules of trade between the parties. For instance tables 11 and 12 below show that most of the parties to the RCEP and TPP 
already have existing bilateral relationships, in some cases, several different bilateral and 
plurilateral relationships with differing degrees of integration, while others are being negotiated. Among the RCEP negotiators, for instance, Japan has an agreement with ASEAN but also 
individually with each ASEAN party as well as with India. Some are also parties to plurilateral and 
bilateral agreements involving the same partners. In the TPP negotiations for instance Singapore has two preferential trade relationships with Au stralia, one through ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand 
and a separate bilateral agreement; similarly it has three preferential trade relationships with 
New Zealand through ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand, the P4 and a bilateral agreement. Some are 
also parties to the negotiations on both the TPP and RCEP (Australia, Japan and the ASEAN parties Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore and Viet Nam). The result is an overlapping network of 
rules and provisions governing trade between thes e parties. Whether the plurilateral agreements 
currently being negotiated consolidate these existing relationships or, as has been the case until now, simply add another layer of preferences to them, remains to be seen and will determine 
whether trading relationships become more or less complex than at present. The openness of 
these agreements to third parties is also another element to be considered, not only with respect 
to the possibility for other parties to join in, but also as regards the basic characteristics of their rules of origin with respect to stringency, level of tolerance rules for inputs from third parties and 
outward-processing possibilities.  
Table 11: RCEP: agreements in force and under negotiation, as of November 2013 
  
ASEAN 
China 
Republic 
of  
Korea 
Japan 
India 
Australia 
New  
Zealand 
ASEAN   1+1 1+1 1+7 1+2 1+3 1+5 
China 1+1   a b a b b 
Republic of Korea 1+1 a   b a, b b b 
Japan 1+7 b b   b b, c c 
India 1+2 a a, b b   b b 
Australia 1+3 b b b, c b   b 
c 
New Zealand 1+5 b b c b b   c 
a  APTA: Asia Pacific Trade Agreement 
b  Bilateral agreements 
c  TPP: Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement 
 
Agreements in force Agreements under negotiation 
Note:  The table shows ASEAN+1 agreements. Thus China has one agreement with ASEAN plus one 
additional bilateral agreement wi th one individual ASEAN Member State (Singapore); China also has 
2 preferential relationships with the Republic of Korea and India under the Asia Pacific Trade 
Agreement (APTA) and one bilateral relationship with New Zealand. 
3.126.  A second issue is that a major focus of these new plurilateral agreements is regulatory 
"behind the border" barriers to trade rather than only at the border tariff measures. In this regard 
the agreements aim to go beyond existing provisio ns in the WTO and even in their existing RTAs. 
To the extent that agreements such as the T PP, RCEP, Pacific Alliance and others will include 
issues not currently covered by the WTO Agreements this represents an opportunity to negotiate WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 new disciplines on these issues. However, by doing so they may discriminate against those WTO 
Members who are not party to the agreements and result in trade negotiations at two speeds. 
3.127.  Finally, a somewhat different initiative is the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) which is 
being negotiated exclusively on services. The TI SA negotiations currently involve a group of 23 
WTO Members.52 Although the negotiations do not take place within the WTO, participants have 
provided updates on their discussions to the Council  for Trade in Services. According to them the 
negotiations aim to produce an ambitious agre ement, compatible with the GATS, that would 
attract broad participation and which could be multilateralized in the future. The stated objective is 
to agree on commitments that would closely corres pond to actual practice, provide opportunities 
for improved market access, and to develop new and enhanced disciplines. Commitments on market access would be scheduled according to a 'bottom-up" approach, as in current GATS 
schedules, while commitments on national treatment would apply to all sectors unless reservations 
providing otherwise are listed (i.e. negative list). 
                                               
52 Australia; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Eu ropean Union; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; Israel; 
Japan; Republic of Korea;  Liechtenstein; Mexico; New Zealand; Norway; Pakistan; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; 
Switzerland; the Separate Customs Territory of Ta iwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu; Turkey and the 
United States.  WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 59 - 
 
 Table 12: TPP agreements in force and under negotiation, as of November 2013  
  
Australia 
Brunei 
Canada 
Chile 
Japan 
Malaysia 
Mexico 
New 
Zealand 
Peru 
Singapore 
United 
States 
Viet Nam 
Australia   1a   1b 2b,g 2a,b   1b   2a,b 
1b 1a 
1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 
Brunei 1a     1c 2a,b 1a   2a,c   2a,c   1a 
1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 
Canada       1b 1b   1e   1b 1b 1e   
Chile 1b 1c 1b   1b 1b 2b,d 
1c 2b,d 
1c 1b 1b 
1f 1f 
Japan 2b,g 2a,b 
1b 1b   2a,b 
1b 1g 1b 2a,b   2a,b 
1g 1g 1g 1g 
Malaysia 2a,b 1a   1b 2a,b     2a,b   1a   1a 
1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 
Mexico     1e 2b,d 
1b       2b,d 
1b 1e   
1f 1f 
New Zealand 1b 2a,c   1c 1g 2a,b       3a,b,c   1a 
1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 
Peru     1b 2b,d 
1b   2b,d     1b 1b   
1f 1f 
Singapore 2a,b 2a,c 
1b 1c 2a,b 1a 
1b 3a,b,c 
1b   1b 1a 
1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 
United States 1b   1e 1b     1e   1b 1b     
Viet Nam 1a 1a   1b 2a,b 1a   1a   1a     
1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 1g 
a  ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
b  Bilateral Agreements 
c  P4: Trans-Pacific Strate gic Economic Partnership 
d  LAIA: Latin American Integration Association 
e  NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement 
f  Pacific Alliance  
g  RCEP: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership  
 Agreements in force 
    Agreements under negotiation  
3.128.  The TISA negotiators have indicated in the Council that the negotiations were open to new 
participants that shared their objectives. Most recently, China and Uruguay have indicated that 
they wished to take part in these negotiations. Other Members have expressed concerns with the initiative, in particular as regards its impact on the multilateral system. It remains to be seen what form such agreement might take if concluded, an d what its relationship with the WTO framework 
would be. Current TISA participants represent a significant share of word trade in services (almost 
70%, when calculated on a balance-of-payments basis). WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 RTAs and the WTO 
3.129.  Since 2007 the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) and the Committee on 
Trade and Development (CTD) have been oper ating under the Transparency Mechanism for 
Regional Trade Agreements in their consideration of RTAs notified to the WTO.53 U p  t o  m i d -
November 2013, the Secretariat had circulated 96 factual presentations54, 13 of which between 
October 2012 and November 2013. Despite good progress, there remain serious delays in the preparation of factual presentations and consideration of RTAs by the relevant Committee (CRTA 
or the CTD depending on the provision under which th e RTA is notified) due to lack of notifications, 
data provision and comments by parties to draft fa ctual presentations. In addition, the Secretariat 
has been unable to make much progress in preparing factual presentations of RTAs between WTO Members and non-Members due to difficulty in obtaining data from the latter.
55 There remains a 
"backlog" of 96 factual presentations of agreements notified to the CRTA and the CTD that must be 
prepared by the Secretariat.56 Efforts have also been made to improve notifications of RTAs (see 
under section on notifications). 
3.130.  The CRTA has also been discussing the subm ission of reports of the end of implementation 
of agreements. Most RTAs are implemented over a period of time and paragraph 15 of the RTA 
Transparency Mechanism requires RTA parties to "submit to the WTO a short written report on the 
realization of liberalization commitments in the RTA as originally notified". To date, even though 
many RTAs have been fully implemented, no such reports have been received. Fulfilling this requirement will thus address the gap in our under standing of the extent RTAs realize what they 
had originally set out to do. 
                                               
53 Agreements notified under Article XXIV of GATT 1994 and Article V of the GATS are considered in the 
CRTA while agreements notified under paragraph 2(c) of  the Enabling Clause are considered in the CTD.  
Between October 2012 and November 2013, 18 RTAs (including goods and services together) were considered in the CRTA (of which the goods aspects of one RT A - India-Malaysia - was considered in the CTD). 
54 The factual presentations cover 155 notifications of  RTAs (goods and services notifications counted 
separately). 
55 Between October 2012 and November 2013 no Agreement involving non-WTO Members was 
considered in the CRTA. 
56 These factual presentations correspond to 128 notifications of RTAs (goods and services notifications 
counted separately).  Of these agre ements, five do not yet have commitments in services and 43 include non-
WTO Members. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 3.131.  Notwithstanding these gaps, the Transparency Mechanism has already considerably 
increased the understanding of trends and the content of many RTAs. In addition to the factual presentations prepared by the Secretariat of each notified RTA
57, information collected through the 
RTA Database has enabled a better understanding of the new rules being introduced by Members 
in their RTAs and in particular to what extent these rules go further than their WTO commitments. 
In the case of some disciplines where there are no existing WTO rules, e.g. environmental and 
labour standards and legislation on competition, clearly RTAs are introducing new rules. In other 
areas, the picture is less clear. In tariff liberalization all RTAs almost by definition improve 
preferential market access albeit with considerable divergences between RTAs. However, tariff peaks in sensitive sectors remain in many RTAs potentially posing difficulties for further multilateral liberalization of these peaks.
58 In the area of rules of origin, there is also considerable 
divergence between RTAs, thereby adding to th e spaghetti bowl of rules under which Members 
trade.59 In this regard, if the plurilateral agreemen ts being negotiated are successful in at least 
allowing for cumulation of origin between the parties, this would go some way in untangling the 
complex network. In other cases there is a mixture with some RTAs going beyond existing rules 
but this often depends on the RTA partner, and the geographical region in which the partner is based that have evolved over time.
60  However, in some issues such as anti-dumping, and to some 
extent SPS and TBT, there is a clear preference fo r multilateral rules as many RTAs do not appear 
to go much further than the current WTO rules, and in intellectual property rights, provisions agreed in RTAs must be made available to all non-RTA parties, i.e. multilateralized.
61 Finally for 
some issues such as dispute settlement, even though sometimes elaborate settlement 
infrastructures have been created in RTAs, there is little evidence these are preferred over the 
multilateral alternative, the WTOs' DSU.62 
3.132.  Such information being gathered through the Transparency Mechanism for RTAs, although 
a beginning, is valuable because it will give a better idea of how the structure of RTAs has evolved 
over time and improves understanding of the re lationship between preferential and multilateral 
rules. The increasing inclusion of new issues in some RTAs is also an indication of where Members' 
interests may be moving in the future and the implications that may have for the multilateral 
trading system. It is important that Members re main engaged and supportive of the Transparency 
Mechanism to continue to improve their understanding of the complexities of today's international trading relations. 
3.5  Government procurement 
3.133.  During the year, good progress was made to bring into effect the revised WTO Agreement 
on Government Procurement (GPA). Work also continued on various accessions to the GPA, 
Croatia being brought under its coverage. Significant related capacity-building efforts are under 
way, including through new cooperative relationships with other organizations, and a project has been initiated to create an integrated web portal linking GPA Parties' notifications and related 
national websites, as a market access information tool for governments and businesses. 
                                               
57 Under the Mechanism and in consultation with the parties, the Secretariat prepared and circulated 13 
factual presentations during the period October 2012 to November 2013 (China-Costa Rica (G&S); Guatemala-
Chinese Taipei (G&S); Chile-Honduras (G&S); Chile-Guatemala (G&S); Japan-Peru (G&S); El Salvador-Honduras-Chinese Taipei (G&S); EFTA-Montenegro (G); EFTA-Peru (G); Peru-Panama (G&S); India-Malaysia (G&S); India-Japan (G&S); EFTA-Ukraine (G&S); EFTA-Hong Kong, China (G&S)) 
58 J. A. Crawford, (2012), "Market Access Provisions on Trade in Goods in Regional Trade Agreements", 
WTO Staff Working Paper 2012-20.  
59 M. Donner Abreu (2013), "Preferential Rules of Origin in Regional Trade Agreements", WTO Staff 
Working Paper 2013-05. 
60 For example on services rules see P. Latrille and J. Lee (2012), "Services Rules in Regional Trade 
Agreements: How Diverse and How Creative as Compared to the GATS Multilateral Rules?", WTO Staff Working 
Paper 2012-19, and on safeguard rules J. A. Crawford, J. Mckeagg and J. Tolstova (2013), "Mapping of Safeguard Provisions in Regional Trade Agreements", WTO Staff Working Paper 2013-10. 
61 R. Valdes and R. Tavengwa (2012), "Intellectual Property Provisions in Regional Trade Agreements", 
WTO Staff Working paper 2012-21. 
62 See, for instance, J-D. Rey (2012), "Antidumping Regional Regimes and the Multilateral Trading 
System: Do Regional Antidumping Regimes make a difference?", WTO Staff Working Paper 2012-22, and 
C. Chase, A. Janovich, J.A. Crawford and P. Ugaz (2013), "Mapping of Dispute Settlement Provisions in 
Regional Trade Agreements: Innovative or Variatio ns on a Theme?", WTO St aff Working Paper 2013-7 
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Revised GPA 
3.134.  As outlined in last year's annual overview, the results of the GPA renegotiation were 
adopted by the Parties to the Agreement on 30 March 2012. The results comprise: 
 modernization of the Agreement's text, to facilitate the use of electronic 
procurement tools, put in place improved transitional measures for developing 
WTO Members that join the Agreement, and provide additional flexibilities for all Parties; 
 significant expansion of the Parties' market access commitments under the 
Agreement, estimated as being worth in the range of US$80-100 billion annually.
63 
This includes: (i) coverage of, at a minimum, 400-500 additional procuring entities; (ii) coverage of Build-Operate- Transfer arrangements (BOTs) by three 
major Parties; and (iii) additional coverage of services procurement by the 
majority of Parties, particularly with respect to telecommunications; and 
 agreement on a set of Future Work Programmes relating to the administration and 
possible further evolution of the Agreement, over time. 
3.135.  Together, these results comprise an important negotiating outcome for the Parties that 
strengthen the role of the Agreement as an underpi nning of the global economy of the twenty-first 
century and will facilitate accession by additional WTO Members. 
3.136.  The bringing into force of the revised GPA requires the submission of formal instruments of 
acceptance by two thirds of the fifteen Parties to the Agreement. To date, seven Parties have submitted their acceptance: Liechtenstein; Norway; Canada; Chinese Taipei; the United States; 
Hong Kong, China; and the European Union. In a ddition, several other Parties have indicated that 
they are close to completing relevant internal processes and will submit their instruments of acceptance either late in 2013 or in the first two months of 2014. On this basis, the Parties 
recently committed themselves, at a Ministeria l-level meeting of the Committee held on the 
margins of the WTO's Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali, to bring the revised Agreement into force in the first quarter of 2014.
64 
3.137.  Clearly, the Parties to the Agreement view its imminent coming into force as a significant 
development for the world economy. As stated in the Ministerial Declaration adopted on 3 December 2013: "The entry into force of the revised Agreement recognizes the crucial importance of government procurement as a dimens ion of economic activity, and its significance 
for world trade, prosperity and development. It  effectively modernizes the Agreement; expands 
access to government procurement markets by an estimated US$80-100 billion annually; promotes good governance and deters corruption; and facilitates the effective management of 
public resources".
65 
Pending accessions to the GPA 3.138.  The membership of the GPA is growing (Box 2) . Of particular significance is that the list of 
WTO Members that have initiated their accessions to the Agreement, or are committed to do so, 
includes a good number of emerging and transition  economies. This presages the possibility that 
the GPA will eventually become more  genuinely multilateral in nature. 
                                               
63 For relevant details see: Overview of Develo pments in the International Trading Environment 
(WT/TPR/OV/15 of 29 November 2012), paragraph 207.  It should be noted that not all of this additional coverage is available to each of the GPA Parties, due to  Party-specific derogations that apply in some cases. 
64 Ministerial-level Meeting of the Committee on Government Procurement: Declaration (GPA/122 of 
3 December 2013), paragraph 1. 
65 GPA/122 of 3 December 2013, paragraph, 2. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Box 2 The expanding membership of the GPA 
Forty-three WTO Members currently covered by the Agreement:  
Armenia 
Canada 
the European Union and its 28 Member States 
Hong Kong, China 
Iceland 
Israel 
Japan 
Korea, Republic of 
Liechtenstein 
the Kingdom of the Netherlands with respect to Aruba 
Norway 
Singapore 
Switzerland 
Chinese Taipei 
United States 
Ten WTO Members in the process of acceding to the Agreement:  
Albania 
China 
Georgia 
Jordan 
Kyrgyz Republic 
Moldova 
Montenegro 
New Zealand 
Oman  
Ukraine 
Five additional WTO Members with provisions re garding accessions to the Agreement in their 
respective Protocols of Accession to the WTO: 
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 
Mongolia 
Russian Federation 
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of 
Tajikistan 
 
3.139.  During the year, noteworthy developments occurred with respect to several accessions to 
the GPA. On 1 July 2013, Croatia, along with, and as a consequence of, assuming its status as a 
European Union member State, was brought under the European Union's coverage of the Agreement.
66 It thus became the 43rd WTO Member to be covered by the Agreement. Several 
substantive discussions were held on the accession of New Zealand, which applied for accession in 
September 2012. A new application for accession was received from Montenegro, which asked for expedited consideration of its application, in order to fulfil a related commitment undertaken at the 
time of its WTO accession in 2012. 
3.140.  With regard to the accession of China, init iated in late 2007, concerns with the pace of its 
progress have been expressed by some GPA Partie s. Nonetheless, China's accession has recently 
been the subject of discussion in high-l evel bilateral meetings with key Parties,
67 and the new 
Chinese government's commitment to economic reform has been cited as possibly facilitating an 
acceleration of related work.68 China has committed itself to provide a revised and improved GPA 
accession offer before the end of the year. Clea rly, an expedited conclusion of China's GPA 
accession would represent a major increase of th e overall coverage of the Agreement, and an 
                                               
66 Croatia became a member State of  the European Union, and, as such, was brought under the EU's 
coverage of the Agreement, as of 1 July 2013 (GPA/118, dated 27 June 2013; and GPA/M/52, dated 16 July 2013, paragraph 3.3). 
67 See, e.g. "Joint U.S.-China Economic Track Fact Sheet of the Fifth Meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic 
and Economic Dialogue," 12 July 2013, available at:  http://www.treasury.gov /press-cen ter/press-
releases/Pages/jl2010.aspx .   
68 Minutes of the Formal Meeting of the WTO Co mmittee on Government Procurement held on 
20 November 2013, GPA/M/53, forthcoming. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 important contribution to the strengthening of institutional linkages between China and the 
developed world. 
Capacity building and cooperation with other IGOs 3.141.  During the year, government procurement has been the focus of intensive capacity 
building work by the WTO Secretariat, reflecting not only growing interest in GPA accession but 
also the relationship between the Agreement and work on government procurement in the context 
of regional and bilateral trade initiatives, in addition to domestic policy reforms. 
3.142.  Links are also being forged with other international organisations active in promoting policy 
reforms in the area of government procurement. Significant informal cooperation now takes place with the EFTA Secretariat, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and UNCITRAL. This cooperation builds directly on  the growing recognition by these and other 
organizations of the significance of the GPA as an underpinning of domestic policy reforms, in 
addition to regional and international economic integration. 
4  TRANSPARENCY OF TRADE POLICIES 
4.1  Notifications and surveillance in WTO Councils and Committees 
4.1.  Throughout the review period WTO Committees and Councils continued efforts to improve 
compliance rates across the board in terms of Members meeting their notification obligations. 
Although there is general recognition among the membership that improving the timeliness and 
completeness of notifications will provide a boost to the day-to-day transparency of the multilateral trading system, progress remains uneven and slow across WTO bodies. For example, in the context of the Integrated Database (IDB) the ability of the WTO Secretariat to proactively 
collect information has significantly improved the completeness and timeliness of notifications. On 
the other hand, in the area of agriculture, progre ss is still needed to reduce the percentage of 
outstanding notifications in domestic support and export support, and further improvements could 
be made to enhance the compliance record in notification on import licensing.  
4.2.  This section is intended to provide an upda te to the quantitative snapshot of notification 
obligations in a selected number of WTO bodies which was presented in the mid-year report on 
trade developments (in document WT/TPR/OV/W/7). Overall, the picture which emerges is that 
despite many positive trends in terms of compliance with notification obligations there remains room for further improvement in many areas. 
4.3.  The Committee on Agriculture  continued its review of the implementation of Members' 
commitments under the Agreement. Members' notifications remain the primary basis for the 
Committee to conduct the review process and the Committee provides detailed guidance for the notifying Members including the common notification formats in various areas as well as the 
timelines to be respected in furnishing those notifications. There are twelve distinct notification 
requirements covering the following five areas: (i) market access, (ii) domestic support, (iii) export subsidies, (iv) export prohibitions or restrictions, and (v) follow-up to the Marrakesh 
Net Food-Importing Developing Countries Decision.  
4.4.  Timely and complete notifications are fundamental for effective monitoring of the 
implementation of commitments. Chart 14 presen ts an overview of Members’ compliance with 
notification obligations for the period 2008-2012 in respect of five "regular" or "annual" notification 
requirements, i.e. Table MA:2 (imports under tariff quotas), Table MA:5 (special safeguard), 
Table DS:1 (domestic support), and Tables ES:1 and ES:2  (export subsidies). Annual notifications 
are required to be submitted soon af ter the end of the year in question.
69 The distribution of 
outstanding notifications by group of countries is presented in Chart 15. 
                                               
69 The applicability of a notification requirement to a Member is largely dependent on the specific 
commitments it has assumed under the Agreement on Agriculture.  In many cases only a limited number of 
notification requirements will apply for a particular Member. Simultaneously, there are a few notification 
requirements, especially in the area of agricultural subs idization, (i.e. Tables DS:1 and ES:1) that apply to all 
WTO Members. The notifications circulated as of 13 November 2013 are used in the Report. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 65 - 
 
 4.5.  Notifications remain outstanding for the reporting period with respect to all five notification 
requirements. The lack of compliance with notification obligations is especially visible for notification requirements related to agricultural subsidization (i.e. DS:1 and ES:1).
70 For example, 
for nearly all the five years reported, compliance with notification obligations in the areas of 
domestic support and export subsidies generally remains below the 50% level. For the most recent 
reporting year, 2012, the percentage of outstanding DS:1 and ES:1 notifications is 90% and 83%, respectively, thus implying compliance rates for th ese categories of notifications of 10% and 17%. 
Chart 14 also indicates that the number of outstanding notifications is typically higher for recent 
years because of the time lag between the end of  the reporting period and the submission of 
notifications for many Members. 
Chart 14 Current outstanding notifications in agriculture 
(%) 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
                                               
70 These two notification requirements are applicable to all WTO Members.   The figures reported in 
Chart 14 corresponding to outstanding Tables DS:1 and ES:1 notifications for a year, therefore, also represent 
the percentage of total WTO Members who did not yet comply with their notification obligations in these two areas. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 15 Outstanding notifications by country group 
(%) 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.6.  The different deadlines of notifications in agriculture as well as the varying reporting years 
used by Members can make it difficult to compare the timeliness aspect of the notifications across the WTO membership. However, one indicator of timeliness of notifications is the "average 
reporting years per notification". For example, a notification which covers more than one reporting 
year implies that a Member has missed the prescribed timelines at least in respect of years other than the latest year covered in the notification. Table 13 presents information on the average 
reporting years per notification with respect to notifications circulated during 2008-2013. This 
average remains slightly greater than two for all years in that period. In other words, on average, Members did not respect the prescribed timelines in respect of at least half of the reporting years. 
Table 13 Number of agriculture notifications 
Type of notification 
MA:2, MA:5, DS:1, ES:1, ES:2 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
Number of notifications 
(excluding Add., Corr. and Rev.) 104 154 128 134 156 105 
Total of years reported 230 401 321 324 365 227 
Average reporting years per 
Notification 2.21 2.60 2.51 2.42 2.34 2.16 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.7.  The lack of timeliness in Member's notification is particularly evident in the area of 
agricultural subsidization. Chart 16 provides information on the average reporting years per 
notification in domestic support notifications circulated during the years 2008-2013. In some years, this average remains close to three, implyi ng that less than one-third of total domestic 
notifications were submitted according to the prescribed submission deadlines. Nevertheless, the 
increase in the number of notifications issued per year and in the number of years reported demonstrate the increased effort Members have been making in recent years to bring their notifications up to date. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 16 Number of agriculture notifications - domestic support 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.8.  WTO Members are required to provide advance notice to the Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
(SPS) Committee  of an intention to introduce new SPS measures or amend existing ones, or to 
notify immediately when emergency measures are imposed. All SPS notifications are available 
online from the SPS information management system (SPS IMS).71 As shown in Table 14, overall, 
68% of Members have submitted at least one notification (either regular or emergency) since 
1995. This proportion decreases to 56% of membership if we consider notifications submitted in 
the last five years. 
Table 14 SPS notifications record 
(%) 
Proportion of Members submitting notifications 
(regular or emergency) Since 1995 Since 2008 
All Members 68 56 
Developed-coun try Members 100 100 
Developing-country Members 64 52 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.9.  Under Article 15.2 of the TBT Agreem ent, Members are required to inform the 
TBT Committee  of measures in existence or taken to ensure the implementation and 
administration of this Agreement. In total, si nce 1995, 127 Members have submitted at least one 
Statement on Implementation under Article 15.2. Th is includes new Statements submitted by Laos 
and Montenegro during the reviewed period. 
4.10.  WTO Members are required to provide advanced notifications of any proposed regulation 
that may have a significant effect on the trade of other Members and that is not based on a 
relevant international standard.72 Since 1995, approximately 17,000 notifications73 new or revised 
regulations have been submitted by 118 WTO Memb ers. Approximately 34% of these notifications 
have come from developed-country Members, and 66% have come from developing-country 
Members (Table 15). Of this latter figure, approximately 550 notifications were from 
LDC Members. During the reviewed period, appr oximately 1,700 notifications new or revised 
regulations were submitted, including 350 from developed-country Members and 1,350 from 
                                               
71 The SPS IMS is accessible  from the internet address http://spsims.wto.org . 
72 Except for measures taken in re sponse to emergency situations fo r which notification is to be 
provided immediately upon taking the measure. 
73 This number includes regular notifications, bu t excludes addenda, corrigenda and supplements. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 68 - 
 
 developing-country Members (of which 140 from LD C Members). Consistently with the trend seen 
over the past few years, developing-country Members continued to increase their share of TBT notifications during the reviewed period. 
Table 15 TBT notifications record 
Development status of Member Since 1995 
(% of total) Reviewed 
period 
(% of total)  
Developed-Country Members 5,800 (34%)  350 (21%)  
Developing-Country Members 11,200 (66%)  1,350 (79%) 
Total All Members 17,000 (100%)  1,700 (100%)  
Source: WTO Secretariat (numbers are approximated through rounding). 
4.11.  The notification of quantitative restrictions  is an obligation established by the 2012 
Decision on Notification Procedures for Quantitative Restrictions (G/L/59/Rev.1) of the Market Access Committee. The Decision requires Members to notify every two years the quantitative 
restrictions (QRs) they maintain and to notify any changes in the interim. The decision also gives 
Members the possibility of making reverse notifica tion of QRs maintained by another Member. The 
Decision on Reverse Notification of Non-Tariff Measures (G/L/60) gives Members the possibility of 
making reverse notifications of non-tariff measures imposed by another Member subject to certain 
conditions. Only one notification has been made  since the adoption of the decision in 1995 
(Table 16).  
Table 16 Notification procedures for QRs 
No. Notification requirement Number of notifications as of 6 May 2013 
1 Quantitative restrictions 
maintained (regular notification) The quantitative restriction notifications of 17 Members have been 
circulated.     
2 Changes to the quantitative 
restrictions maintained  
(ad hoc ) or introduction of 
new restrictions Only two Members have notified modifications. 
3 Restrictions maintained by 
other Members  (reverse notification) No Member has notified. 
4 Non-tariff measures, 
maintained by other 
Members  
(reverse notification) Only one Member has notified.  
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.12.  Notification requirements in the area of import licensing procedures result from the WTO 
Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures  and are complemented by the "Procedures for 
Notification and Review under the Agreement on  Import Licensing Procedures" adopted by the 
Committee on Import Licensing in 1995 (G/LIC/3). Th e notification requirements are described in 
Table 17. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Table 17 Notification procedures for Import Licensing 
No. Notification 
requirement Established in: Type Notification 
Category 
1 Submission of full texts 
of relevant laws and regulations and any changes thereto Article 8.2(b) of the Agreement; G/LIC/3 One-off and 
ad hoc N/1 
2 Sources in which 
information concerning 
import licensing 
procedures are 
published Article 1.4(a) of the Agreement; G/LIC/3 One-off and 
ad hoc N/1 
3 New import licensing 
procedures and changes to existing procedures Article 5 of the Agreement Ad hoc N/2 
4 Annual Questionnaire 
on Import Licensing 
Procedures Article 7.3 of the Agreement; G/LIC/3 Annual by 
30 September 
each year N/3 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.13.  The N/1 notification requires a WTO Member to notify all relevant laws and regulations with 
regard to import licensing procedures as well as identify the source/publications containing such information. It contains both a one-off element (notification of existing laws and regulations and 
source/publications) and an ad hoc  element (changes to laws and regulations thereafter). In 
theory, a WTO Member should have at least one N/1 submission, either providing its laws and 
regulations on import licensing, or indicating that its Government does not maintain any import 
licensing regime. 
4.14.  The N/2 notification is an obligation for those Members which create new licensing 
procedures or which make changes to existing procedures. It is ad hoc  in nature and only due 
when specific circumstances occur. The N/3 notification obliges each Member to reply to a 
Questionnaire describing procedures in place by 30 September every year. 
4.15.  During the past few years, even though the number of notifications has increased, 
compliance with transparency obligations in the Agreement continues to be low, and this remains a 
matter of concern in the Committee. Up until 2 October 2013, 19 Members had still not submitted 
any notifications under any provision of th e Agreement since joining the WTO. As of 
2 October 2013, 101 Members had submitted notifications of laws and regulations (under 
Article 1.4(a) and/or 8.2(b)). Thirty Members we re yet to submit their notifications under these 
provisions. Only 39 Members had notified new licensing procedures or changes (under Article 5). 
4.16.  With respect to the replies to the Annual Qu estionnaire (Article 7.3), a cumulative total of 
103 Members had submitted their replies, at leas t once, since the entry into force of the WTO 
Agreement. Twenty-eight Members had yet to submit  their notifications under this provision. To 
provide a complete overview of the licensing regimes for all, WTO Members which neither applied import licensing procedures nor had laws or regulations relevant to the Agreement were also 
required to notify the Committee. From this perspective, the level of compliance of N/3 
notifications is far from encouraging, as shown in Chart 17. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 17 Number of Members notifying import licensing measures under Article 7.3 
 
Note: EU is counted as one Member. 
Source. WTO Secretariat. 
4.17.  The notification requirements in the area of customs valuation stem not only from the 
Agreement on Customs Valuation  itself, but also from a number of Decisions adopted by the 
Committee on Customs Valuation. There are five main notification requirements, described in 
Table 18. 
Table 18 Notification procedures for customs valuation 
No. Notification 
requirement Established in: Type 
1 Submission of 
complete texts of 
national legislation 
(laws, regulations, etc.) Decision on the Notification and circulation of 
national legislation in accordance with 
Article 22 of the Agreement  
(G/VAL/5, B.2, paragraph (i)) One-off 
2 Changes in laws and 
regulations on 
customs valuation Article 22.2 of the Agreement on Customs 
Valuation Ad hoc  
3 Responses to the 
checklist of issues Decision on the Checklist of Issues  
(G/VAL/5, B.3) One-off 
4 Decision on interest 
charges - date of 
implementation  Decision on the treatment of interest charges 
in the customs value of imported goods 
(G/VAL/5, A.3, last paragraph) One-off 
5 Decision on Carrier 
Media (software) - Application of paragraph 2 Decision on the valuation of carrier media 
bearing software for data processing equipment (G/VAL/5, A.4, paragraph 2) Ad hoc  
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.18.  Compliance with the one-o ff notification obligations on Customs Valuation is summarized in 
Table 19. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Table 19 Compliance in customs valuation notifications 
No. Notification requirement Compliance  
as of the end of October 2013 
1 Submission of complete texts 
of national legislation (laws, regulations, etc.) The large bulk of these notifications were received before 2003 with 
progress since then very slow. Th e current compliance rate is 
approximately 68.7%, as 41 Members still need to fulfil this notification 
requirement. 
2 Changes in laws and 
regulations on customs 
valuation Since this is an ad hoc  type of notification (i.e. a Member is only 
required to notify if there is a change in its national legislation), it is 
not possible to assess the level of compliance. Only 25 Members have 
notified changes to their national legislation on customs valuation since 
1995. 
3 Responses to the checklist of 
issues The large bulk of these notifications were received before 2003 with 
progress since then very slow. Cu rrent compliance level stands at 
approximately 48%, as 68 Members still need to fulfil this requirement. 
4 Decision on interest charges - 
date of implementation  The level of compliance of this no tification is very low as merely 
one- third of Members have submitted it. This means that 90 Members 
still need to notify the date on which they implemented the Decision on 
interest charges. 
5 Decision on Carrier Media 
(software) - Application of paragraph 2 Since this is an ad ho c notification (i.e. a Memb er is only required to 
notify if it values data and software as provided in paragraph 2 of the Decision), it is not possible to assess the level of compliance. To date, 38 Members have made this notification, but it is not possible to know whether there are Members applying the paragraph without having submitted the notification. 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.19.  The Agreement on Rules of Origin  contains two notification obligations, described in 
Table 20. Despite recent improvements in the numbe r of notifications of non-preferential rules of 
origin, overall compliance levels remain quite low, i.e. about 66% of Members have notified their non-preferential rules of origin (or the absenc e thereof). As a result, about one-third of the 
membership has never informed the Secretariat whether or not they apply any type of non-
preferential rules of origin (Article 5 of the Agreement). 
4.20.  Assessing compliance with transparency obliga tions regarding preferential rules of origin is 
more complex. In fact, a recent decision allows the Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO) to 
automatically circulate notifications originally made to the WTO Committee on Regional Trade 
Agreements (CRTA) and to the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD). This internal collaboration should avoid duplicative notifications for Members and enhance the compliance 
records in the CRO. Depending on the quality and re gularity of notifications made to the CRTA and 
the CTD, it is anticipated that the information available regarding preferential rules of origin should improve considerably. 
Table 20 Notification procedures for rules of origin 
No. Legal source Notification requirement Type  
1 Article 5 of the 
Agreement Non-Preferential Rules of Origin: All Members must submit a notification 
indicating: 
if they apply non-preferential rules of origin (informing what the rules 
are); or if they do not apply any non-preferential rules of origin Changes to the legislation must also be notified. One-
off 
2 Paragraph 4 of 
Annex II of the 
Agreement Preferential Rules of Origin: Members only notify if they adopt new 
preferential rules of origin or if  they make changes to existing 
preferential rules (e.g. new Free Trade Agreements or other new trade 
preferences) Ad 
hoc 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.21.  The trends in the status of compliance with the obligation to notify subsidies to the 
Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures  under Article 25.1 during the period 
1995-2011 are shown in Table 21. The share of Me mbers that notified subsidies has remained 
between 37% and 50% since 1995. The share of Me mbers that made a "nil" notification fell 
significantly, from 22% to 11%, in the same pe riod. With the exception of 1995, the share of WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Members making the required notifications ha s not exceeded 60%, and generally has hovered 
around 55%. The share of Members not making any notification registered an important increase 
since 1995, from 28% to 52%, albeit with some intervening fluctuations. 
Table 21 Status of subsidies notifications 
New and full subsidy 
notification Per cent share of total  
1995 1998 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013  
Members that notified 
subsidies 50% 39% 44% 44% 46% 46% 46% 45% 37% 
Members that made a 
"nil" notification 22% 14% 13% 11% 9%  8% 14% 14% 11% 
Sub-total notifying 
Members 72% 53% 57% 55% 55% 54% 60% 59% 48% 
Members that did not 
make any notification 28% 47% 43% 45% 45%  46% 40% 41% 52% 
Source: WTO Secretariat.  
4.22.  Pursuant to Article 25.11 of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, all 
Members are required to submit to the Commi ttee, on a semi-annual basis, reports of any 
countervailing duty actions taken within the preceding six months. Members that have not established an authority competent to conduct investigations have the option to make a one-time 
"nil" notification, valid unless and until they establish an investigating authority, in lieu of 
submitting nil notifications every six months. During the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013, 
approximately 50 Members (counting the European Union as a single Member) submitted semi-
annual reports, either of countervailing duty action s taken, or of no actions taken, during the 
preceding six months. Twenty-five Members have  submitted one-time nil notifications. The 
remaining (approximately 56) Members failed to submit semi-annual reports in respect of 
countervailing duty actions. 
4.23.  Pursuant to Article 16.4 of the Agreement on the Implementation of  Article VI of GATT 1994 
("the Anti-dumping Agreement"), all Members are required to submit to the Committee on Anti-
Dumping Practices , on a semi-annual basis, reports of any anti-dumping actions taken within 
the preceding six months. Members that have not established an authority competent to conduct 
anti-dumping investigations have the option to make a one-time "nil" notification, valid unless and until they establish an investigating authority, in lieu of submitting nil notifications every six 
months. During the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013, approximately 50 Members (counting the 
European Union as a single Member) submitted semi-annual reports, either of anti-dumping 
actions taken, or of no actions taken, during  the preceding six months. Forty Members have 
submitted one-time nil notifications. The remain ing (approximately 41) Members failed to submit 
semi-annual reports in respect of anti-dumping actions. 
4.24.  Notifications related to state trading enterprises are reviewed by the Working Party on 
State Trading Enterprises  on behalf of the Council for Trade in Goods. In July 2012, the Council 
for Trade in Goods agreed to extend indefinitely the new biannual frequency of notifications. Thus, 
all WTO Members must notify their state trading enterprises every two years, with no notifications in the intervening years. 
4.25.  Chart 18 presents notifications received for the years in which a new and full notification 
was due. A "nil" notification means that the Member reported that it did not have any state trading enterprises, while an "STE" notification means th at the Member reported information on one or 
more state trading enterprises. The chart shows a declining trend in total notifications over the 
period examined. Indeed, notifications fell by ne arly half - from 60 notifications in 1995 to 38 in 
2012. Thus, in 2012, only 29% of Members complied with the notification obligation, while 71% failed to make the required notification. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 18 Number of STE notifications by type, 1995-2012 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.26.  Since the entry into force of the GATS in 1995 until 30 November 2013, 513 notifications 
have been submitted to the Council for Trade in Services , pursuant to Article III's transparency 
provision, by 62 Members (counting European Un ion Member States individually). Among these 
notifications, 28 were submitted by ten Members during the period 1 January 2012 to 30 November 2013. It is generally considered that compliance with the notification obligation 
under Article III:3 has been left to Members' discretion. There is, however, an on-going discussion 
in the Council on how to enhance transparency through improving notifications. Chart 19 shows that there was no significant improvement in the last few years concerning the compliance with the notification obligation under GATS Article III:3. 
4.27.  Since the entry into force of the GATS in 1995 until 30 November 2013, in total, 54 
notifications had been submitted to the Council for Trade in Services pursuant to Article VII:4 by 
38 Members (counting European Union Member States individually). Of these, only one notification 
was made by one Member during the reporting period. While all the notifications follow the 
prescribed format, their level of detail varies greatly concerning the main elements of the recognition measures or agreements notified. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Chart 19 Notifications in the area of services (under Article III:3), 1995-2013 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.28.  GATS Article III:4 requires that, within two years of the date of entry into force of the WTO 
Agreement, each Member establish one or more en quiry points to provide information subject to 
the notification requirement in Article III:3. Article IV:2 further requires developed-country 
Members to establish contact points within two years of the date of entry into force of the WTO 
Agreement, to facilitate the access to information of developing-country Members' service suppliers. As of 30 November 2013, 31 Members, mainly LDC Members and newly acceded 
Members, had yet to notify their establishment of enquiry points pursuant to Article III:4. 
4.29.  The improvements made in the notifications of  Regional Trade Agreements (RTA)  noted 
in last year's Report continued through 2013. These are due largely to a simplification of the various notification formats and active efforts by the Chairman of the CRTA and the WTO 
Secretariat in monitoring RTAs and reminding Members about their notification obligations. 
Following an announcement by the Chairman at the CRTA meeting in June 2011, the Secretariat 
has continued to circulate a list of agreements that have been verified by their parties as being in 
force, but not notified to the WTO.
74 The most recent list was circulated on 4 September 2013 and 
contained 54 such agreements (of which 25 are agreements under the Latin American Integration Association, LAIA).
75 The response by Members has been positive with some 42 new RTAs being 
notified as a result. In general, Members seem to be more prompt in notifying newly negotiated 
agreements suggesting greater awareness of their notification obligations as a result of these efforts. Some of the agreements on the list however, are "partial scope" agreements covering a relatively limited number of tariff lines and the Members concerned are consulting on notifying 
these to the Secretariat. In addition to these, th e Secretariat is aware of (but has not yet verified) 
some 50 other agreements that continue to be in force and are not yet notified to the WTO. 
4.2  WTO databases 
4.30.  The transparency of trade policies has been  further enhanced through the establishment of 
databases and the use of new IT tools. These tool s provide additional means to Members to obtain 
relevant information and to be better equipped to monitor developments in trade policies.  
                                               
74 This list is circulated as a working document in advance of all CRTA meetings. 
75 WTO document WT/REG/W/77. 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 4.31.  The submission of tariff and trade information to the Integrated Database (IDB)  is a 
notification requirement provided for in the General Council Decision of 16 July 1997 (WT/L/225).76 
To overcome gaps in Members' notifications and delays in providing the information to users, the Committee on Market Access adopted in July 2009 a framework to enhance the IDB notifications 
compliance and gave the WTO Secretariat flexibility to collect missing data from other official 
sources, subject to Member's approval (G/MA/239). The information included in the IDB is therefore either directly notified to the Secretar iat by Members or collected by the Secretariat and 
then subsequently approved by the Members concerned. 
4.32.  Charts 20 and 21 present the number of tariff and import notifications received by the IDB, 
the number of notifications directly submitted by Members and the number of notifications 
collected by the Secretariat. The completeness of notifications is calculated on the number of 
Members' schedules and not on the number of WT O Members (i.e. European Union Member States 
all fall under the European Union schedule and Lichtenstein reports with Switzerland). 
4.33.  The IDB coverage has improved significantly in recent years as, in addition to the regular 
submissions by Members, several data gaps have b een filled in with relevant information collected 
by the Secretariat. Overall on average, the comp leteness of IDB notifications amounts to 78% for 
the tariff information and 73% for the import statistics, with a maximum completeness of 96% and 
of 93% observed for tariff notifications in 2010 and in 2011 and for import notifications in 2006. 
About 23 Members have complete submissions, 16 of which are developing-country Members. 
Chart 20 Completeness of IDB tariff notifications 
(%) 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.34.  As shown in Chart 20, the IDB tariff coverage has been fairly good in recent years: for 
example in 2011 the completeness of IDB tariff no tifications reached 96% covering 120 schedules 
out of 125. 
4.35.  The completeness of import statistics' notifications is slightly lower compared to the tariff 
notifications (Chart 21). For example, in 2010 the completeness of IDB import notifications amounted to 82% covering 103 schedules out of 125. 
                                               
76 The deadlines are 30 March for the tariff of the current year and 30 Septem ber for imports of the 
previous year (WTO document G/MA/IDB/1/Rev.1/Add.1). 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 76 - 
 
  
 Chart 21 Completeness of IDB import notifications 
(%) 
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
4.36.  Tables 22 and 23 show the number of submi ssions received by the Secretariat within the 
years of the deadlines. The timeliness of notifications is calculated, as in the previous section, on 
the number of schedules. Since the establishment of  the IDB notification requirement, relatively 
few Members have complied with the specific de adlines. On average, for the period 1996-2012, 
about 37 Members have reported within the year of the deadlines representing roughly 30% of the membership. 
4.37.  For both tariff information and import st atistics, the timeliness of IDB notifications is 
respected by 29% of Members. The timeliness has peaked in most recent years reaching 69% and 
51%, respectively in 2013 for tariff notifications and in 2010 for import notifications. Since 2010, 
on average 79 tariff submissions and 57 import statistics' submissions were recorded within the 
years of the deadlines. 
Table 22 Timeliness of IDB notifications - tariff information 
 
 1996 2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 2011 2012 2013  
Number of notifications within the 
year of the deadline 1 31 27 28 33 49 65 84 78 90 
Submitted by Members 1 31 27 28 33 49 40 54 57 50 
Collected - - - - - - 25 30 21 40 
Total number of notifications 61 104 115 115 114 112 120 120 117 91 
Number of schedules 112 123 123 123 125 125 125 125 129 130 
Notifications within the deadline 
(%) 1 25 22 23 26 39 52 67 60 69 
Source: IDB, 2 December 2013. 
Table 23 Timeliness of IDB notifications - import information 
 1996  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 2010 2011 2012  
Number of notifications within the year of 
the deadline 12 24 29 31 43 35 64 57 49 
Submitted by Members 12 24 30 31 43 28 45 40 29 
Collected - -  - - - 7 19 17 20 
Total number of notifications 57 110 115 111 109 102 103 84 49 
Number of schedules 112 123 123 123 125 125 125 125 129 
Notifications within the deadline (%) 11 20 24 25 34 28 51 46 38 
WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Source: IDB, 2 December 2013. 
4.38.  IDB notifications now cover on average 75%  of the membership with tariff notifications 
being generally more complete than the import notifications. The timeliness rates had been on average just 31% of the notification requirement. 
4.39.  Since the adoption of the IDB framework de cision in 2009 which allowed proactive collection 
(subject to later official approval), completene ss and timeliness have significantly improved. Thus 
an increase of about 25 percentage points per year has been recorded for the tariff notifications and of close to 20 percentage points for the import statistics. 
4.40.  Launched in May 2013 the Trade Monitoring Database
77 provides information on trade 
measures implemented by WTO Members and Observers since October 2008. The database includes various search criteria options which facilitate navigation over the comprehensive amount 
of data and information contained in the database. For example, in addition to key-word searches, 
the database allows users to search by country, country-group, affected trade partners, product codes, type of trade measure and date, to mention a few of the available options. As in the context 
of the specific monitoring reports, all information is submitted to the relevant delegation for 
verification and, if not confirmed, this is high lighted. Members are also invited to continuously 
update all existing information compiled by the Secretariat since 2008 so as to facilitate an 
evaluation of the extent of "roll-back" of such  measures. The database is updated once a new 
report has been discussed by WTO members in the context of the TPRB. 
4.41.  The database has become an increasingly util ized tool by delegations as well as the public to 
keep track of changes to trade policy measures which facilitate or restrict the flow of international 
trade. WTO Members have been supportive of the Trade Monitoring Database as an important 
element of additional transparency surrounding trade policy developments. 
4.42.  On 23 July 2013, I-TIP Services
78, i.e. integrated database for trade in services, was 
launched under the umbrella of the Integrated Trade Intelligence Portal (I-TIP). This database, 
which is a joint initiative with the World Bank, consists of linked databases that provide 
information on (i) specific commitments and MFN exemptions under the GATS; (ii) services commitments in RTAs; (iii) applied measures in services; (iv) and services trade statistics. Its 
main objective is to make it easier for WTO Members and other stakeholders to access the various 
types of information relevant for services trade policy making. Easy access to these data is valuable to Members from the point of view of monitoring and surveillance of trade policies, and to 
facilitate trade negotiations and to the private sector as well. 
4.43.  In the four modules (GATS, RTA Commi tments, Applied Regimes, and Statistics), the 
integrated database permits searches according to such criteria as Member, sector, agreement, or source of information. It also allows users to switch from one module to another, for example from 
looking at a particular Member's commitments in a given sector, to relevant commitments in RTAs, 
and then to related services statistics. By centralizing and organizing information coming from various WTO sources, I-TIP Services allows, for example, to obtain all relevant information on 
policy changes mentioned in the Director-General's  trade monitoring reports and therefore also 
serves as a trade monitoring database for trade in services. The Secretariat is continuously looking to expand the scope of information contained in I-TIP Services, as well as its functionalities. 
4.44.  A government procurement web-portal  project is underway to create a more integrated 
and interactive GPA website than presently exists (the "e-GPA project"). The project, which is 
being carried out by the Secretariat in consultation with the Committee on Government Procurement, aims to create an integrated database comprising information on the GPA Parties' 
market access schedules under the revised Agreemen t, the statistical reports of the Parties and 
links to the GPA Parties' own relevant websites, to serve as a market access information tool for governments, businesses and other interested pa rties. The project builds upon and synthesizes 
with key thrusts of the revised GPA, as well as wi th an overall drive in the Secretariat, to make 
better use of electronic tools in making information available in formats that are helpful both to Member governments and, where feasible, their suppliers. 
                                               
77 Viewed at: http://tmdb.wto.org/  
78 Viewed at: http://i-tip.wto.org/services  
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 5  OTHER TRADE-RELATED DEVELOPMENTS 
5.1  Trade financing 5.1.  At the end of 2011, certain European banks had announced a reduction of their trade-related 
exposure as a way to reduce the size of their balance sheets and to comply with new Basel III 
rules. Not rolling-over short-term trade credits is one way to quickly reduce bank assets. This had 
given rise to some concerns. Such downsizing has not taken place as a result of the accommodative monetary policies in advanced economies and the favorable risk profile of the 
sector. Most banks have been able to fund trade transactions with ample cheap liquidity available 
in international inter-bank markets. With demand for world trade being relatively weak in 2013, such abundant liquidity has even lead to a fall  in price margins, thus benefitting traders. 
5.2.  The trade finance industry is being somewh at squeezed between lower profit margins and the 
increased regulatory costs of Basel III and "know-your customer" requirements. In the wake of 
falling profits for any given level of risk, international banks are turning to new players, such as (pension and equity) funds, to off-load and sell th eir excess liquidity. Trade assets are regarded by 
markets as low-yielding but safe and sound assets that may balance more risky assets in an 
investment portfolio. The expansion of the funds' involvement in trade finance is still relatively limited, and continues to be evaluated by prudenti al authorities. The risk appetite of the largest 
actors hence tends to focus on existing "core" cu stomers. While competitors from other regions of 
the world, including Asia and Latin America, are eager to fill the space left by global banks, difficulties country- and sector-wise remain. SMEs in low-income countries, but also in medium- and higher-income countries of Europe are still the most affected. Even in emerging market 
economies, second or third-tier banks encounter difficulties in getting endorsement of their letters 
of credit. This justifies the need for continued risk mitigation provided by multilateral development banks. 
5.3.  In 2013, the Asian Development Bank has been receiving strong demand, inter alia , from 
clients in Viet Nam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The EBRD has been active in supporting trade in the Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Products from the Inter-American Development 
Bank are in strong demand in Latin America. The African Development Bank has begun the 
operation of its trade finance programme, aimed at further supporting the financing of trade in challenging African markets. More than US$450 million of trade transactions by SMEs have been facilitated in 2013 through the programme. 
5.4.  With respect to regulatory matters under  the Basel framework, the WTO has continued its 
dialogue with international prudential authorities to ensure proper understanding of the challenges faced by trade finance and contribute, at its level, to helping achieve a fair prudential treatment 
for trade finance, particularly traditional instruments such as letters of credit. 
5.2  Dispute settlement developments 5.5.  2013 was one of the most active years for dispute settlement activity since the inception of 
the WTO. WTO Members were active in 33 ongoing trade disputes addressing claims under several 
WTO agreements, including the GATT 1994, the GATS, the Anti-Dumping Agreement, the SCM 
Agreement, the SPS Agreement, and the TBT Agr eement. Three of these disputes also involve 
claims under China's Protocol of Accession. In addition, during the year Members initiated 16 new 
disputes covering a wide range of subjects including agriculture, anti-dumping, customs valuation, 
import licensing, intellectual property, pre-shipment inspection, safeguards, SPS, subsidies, technical barriers to trade, and trade-related investment measures. These new disputes involve 19 
WTO Members, with Indonesia and the United States being the most frequent users with five 
disputes each, followed by the European Union wi th four disputes. 2013 has also been a year of 
"firsts" in terms of WTO Member participation, with Cuba and the Russian Federation participating 
in dispute settlement procedures, as parties, for the first time. Cuba initiated a dispute against 
Australia's measures regarding plain packaging for cigarettes and tobacco products, while the Russian Federation is facing challenges from the European Union and Japan regarding recycling 
fees on motor vehicles. In addition, Denmark brought a complaint against the European Union, 
which marks the first time that a European Union member State has requested dispute settlement 
consultations with the European Union. Denmark's complaint, which deals with fisheries WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 conservation, is in respect of the Faroe Islands, an overseas territory that is not part of the 
European Union. 
5.3  Aid for Trade 5.6.  The Fourth Global Review of Aid for Trade on 8-10 July 2013 focused on the theme of 
Connecting to Value Chains. It provided an opport unity to examine Aid for Trade in the context of 
a global trading system increasingly characterized by national, regional and global supply chains. The global expansion of value chains offers new opportunities for many developing countries. 
Value chains are no longer just north-south in character, but also involve increasingly complex 
regional and south-south trade interactions and are extending beyond goods into services too. However, many developing countries, and in particular LDCs, remain on the margins of global trade, attract limited foreign or domestic investment, and are locked into supplying a narrow range 
of goods or services. 
5.7.  An extensive monitoring and evaluation exer cise underpinned the Fourth Global Review of Aid 
for Trade. In total, 132 governments and 700 businesses worldwide replied to a monitoring 
exercise which sought to highlight the factors in hibiting firms in least-developed and developing 
countries from connecting to, moving up and establishing value chains.  The active participation of the private sector in the monitoring exercise wa s repeated at the Review itself. The monitoring 
exercise and Global Review further enhanced WTO's co-operation with the OECD, multilateral 
development banks, regional commissions and a rang e of other organizations, notably Grow Africa, 
the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Trade Centre, the International Telecommunications Union and the World Tourism Organization with whom the WTO and OECD 
collaborated on the monitoring exercise. 
5.8.  Key messages that emerged from the Review and monitoring exercise included that there is 
growing evidence that Aid for Trade is successfully  addressing the barriers that hinder developing 
country firms from accessing value chains. Some of these barriers were identified as transportation 
costs and related infrastructure, access to (trade) finance, customs procedures, labour skills, inadequate standards infrastructure and the regulatory and business environment. The Review 
meeting provided an opportunity for 27 governments and organizations to reiterate their 
engagement to provide on-going support in the area of Trade Facilitation. 
5.9.  In the concluding session of the Fourth Gl obal Review of Aid for Trade, Members called for 
Ministers to recommit to the Aid for Trade initiative and renew the Director-General's 
mandate. This call was reflected in a decision adopted by Ministers at the Ninth Ministerial 
Conference in Bali. A new work programme for the Aid for Trade programme will be developed in 2014 - a work programme which will also consider Aid for Trade in the broader context of the post-
2015 development agenda. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 ANNEX 1 
MEASURES FACILITATING TRADE1 
(MID-OCTOBER 2012 TO MID-NOVEMBER 2013) 
 
CONFIRMED INFORMATION2 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina Elimination of all non-automatic import 
licensing requirements (LNA)  WTO document 
G/LIC/N/3/ARG/11, 
24 September 2013; 
and Permanent Delegation of Argentina to the WTO (27 November 2013) Effective 
January 2013 
Azerbaijan Elimination of import tariffs on gold (to 
be placed in assets of State Oil Fund). 
Imports also exempted from VAT Permanent Delegation 
of Azerbaijan to the 
United Nations 
(8 May 2013) Effective 
19 October 2012 
Azerbaijan Exemption of VAT for imports of 
machinery, technological equipment and installations for specified purposes 
 Permanent Delegation of Azerbaijan to the United Nations (29 November 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Azerbaijan Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on petroleum coke, petroleum bitumen 
and other residues of petroleum oils or 
of oils obtained from bituminous 
minerals (HS 2713). Imports also 
exempted from VAT Permanent Delegation 
of Azerbaijan to the 
United Nations 
(24 October 2013) Effective July 2013 
to 1 January 2014 
Azerbaijan Temporary reduction of excise tax 
(from US$30/tonne to US$1/tonne) on imports of petroleu m coke, petroleum 
bitumen and other residues of 
petroleum oils or of oils obtained from 
bituminous minerals (HS 2713) Permanent Delegation 
of Azerbaijan to the United Nations (24 October 2013) Effective July 2013 
to 1 January 2014 
Azerbaijan Adoption of a new Customs Law to 
implement the WTO's Customs 
Valuation Agreement   Permanent Delegation 
of Azerbaijan to the 
United Nations 
(29 November 2013) Effective 
14 October 2013  
Benin Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on certain products, i.e. informatic equipment, software, buses, equipment and material for construction, trucks, cattle and poultry food, agricultural materials and machinery, fertilizers, materials for packaging, bicycles, helmets. Imports also exempted from VAT Loi No 2012-42 " Loi de 
finances pour la gestion 2013 " 
(28 December 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013 
Bolivia 
(Plurinational 
State of) Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on diesel (HS 2710.19.21) Decreto Supremo 
No. 1468 
(23 January 2013) Effective 
28 January 2013 for 
1 year 
                                               
1 The inclusion of any measure in this table implies no judgement by the WTO Secretariat on whether or 
not such measure, or its intent, is protectionist in nature.  Moreover, nothing in the table implies any judgement, either direct or indirect, on the consistency of any measure refe rred to with the provisions of any 
WTO agreement or such measure's impact on, or relationship with, the global financial crisis. 
2 This section includes information which has either been provided by the Member concerned or it has 
been confirmed at the request of the Secretariat. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Bolivia 
(Plurinational State of) Extension of the temporary elimination 
of import tariffs on certain food product, i.e. tomatoes, and tomato juice (HS 0702.00.00; 2002.10.00; 2002.90.00; 2009.50.00) (effective until 31 December 2013); wheat and meslin (HS 1001.11.00; 1001.19.00), wheat and meslin flour (HS 1101.00.00) (effective for 180 days), under a new Food Security Policy  Decretos Supremos 
Nos. 1608/2013 (12 June 2013) and 179/2013 (12 September 2013)   
Bolivia 
(Plurinational 
State of) Extension of the special authorization 
to export certain f ood products, i.e. 
meat of bovine animals 
(HS 0201.10.00; 0201.20.00; 
0201.30.00; 0202.10.00; 0202.20.00; 
0202.30.00), under a quota of 5,000 
tonnes; grain sorghum 
(HS 1007.00.10; 1007.00.90), under a 
quota of 100,000 metric tonne; and 
soya beans (HS 1201.10.00; 
1201.90.00), under a quota of 200,000 
metric tonnes (originally implemented 
in July/August 2012) Decreto Supremo 
No. 1637 
(10 July 2013) Effective 
10 July 2013 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on certain products, i.e. sardines (Sardina pilchardus, Sardinops spp, Sardinella spp), brisling or sprats (NCM 0303.53.00), under an import quota of 50,000 tonnes; palm kernel or babassu oil (palmiste) (NCM 1513.29.10) under an import quota of 223,365 tonnes (for a period of 12 months); and flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, 
plated or coated, of a thickness 
exceeding 10 mm (NCM 7208.51.00) under an import quota of 8,000 tonnes (for a period of 4 months) Camex Resolution 
No. 73/2012 (17 October 2012) Effective 
17 October 2012 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on 539 capital goods and 
integrated systems tariff lines (in NCM 
Chapters 73; 84; 85; 86; 87; 90) and 
4 informatic and telecommunication 
equipment tariff lines 
(NCM 8443.32.99; 8471.60.53; 
9030.89.90; 9032.89.30); and 
temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on 7 informatics and 
telecommunication equipment tariff 
lines (NCM 8517.69.00; 8543.70.99), 
through the "ex-out" regime 
(mechanism designed to temporarily 
reduce import tariffs on capital goods 
and informatics and telecommunication 
equipment not locally produced)  Camex Resolutions 
Nos. 74/2012 and 
75/2012 
(29 October 2012); 
and Nos. 81/2012, 
82/2012 
(13 November 2012) Effective until 
30 June 2014 
Brazil Elimination of import tariffs on 
non-pure-breed breeding live bovine 
animals (NCM 0102.90.00) Camex Resolution 
No. 76/2012 
(29 October 2012) Effective 
31 October 2012 
Brazil Temporary reduction (to 2%) of import 
tariffs on 6-Hexanelactam (epsilon-
caprolactam) (NCM 2933.71.00), 
under an import quota of 
26,000 tonnes Camex Resolution 
No. 85/2012 
(30 November 2012) Effective 
3 December 2012 
for 180 days WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Brazil Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on certain products, i.e. terephthalic acid and its salts (NCM 2917.36.00), under an import quota of 42,000 tonnes (valid for 90 days); antisera (concentrado de fator VIII ) 
(NCM 3002.10.39), under an import quota of 34,500 flasks (valid for 180 days); and othe r antisera ( concentrado 
de fator IX, concentrado de fator von Willebrand de alta pureza, and concentrado de fator VIII da coagulação recombinante ) (NCM 
3002.10.39), under various import 
quotas (valid for 12 months)  Camex Resolutions 
Nos. 84/2012, 85/2012 and 86/2012 (30 November 2012) Effective 
3 December 2012  
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on 162 capital goods and 
integrated systems tariff lines (in NCM 
Chapters 73; 82; 84; 85; 90) and 10 
informatic and telecommunication 
equipment tariff lines (NCM 
8443.31.91; 8443.32.99; 8537.10.20; 
8543.70.99; 9030.40.90; 9032.89.21; 
9032.89.82; 9032.89.89), through the 
"ex-out" regime  Camex Resolutions 
Nos. 90/2012, 91/2012 
(17 December 2012), 
and 18/2013 
(28 March 2013) Effective until 
30 June 2014 
Brazil Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on antisera (soroalbumina humana) (NCM 3002.10.37), under an import quota of 360,000 flasks (valid until 2 December 2013). Temporary reduction (to 2%) of import tariffs on 
casein and caseinates (NCM 3501.90.11; 3501.90.19), under various import quotas (valid for 12 months)  Camex Resolution 
No. 95/2012 (19 December 2012) Effective 
21 December 2012 
Brazil Reduction of import tariffs (from 55% 
to 35%) on peaches, including 
nectarines, otherwise prepared or 
preserved, whether or not containing 
added sugar or other sweetening 
matter or spirit (NCM 2008.70.10; 
2008.70.90) Camex Resolution 
No. 94/2012 
(18 December 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Brazil Reduction of import tariffs (from 14% 
to 12%) on inorganic or organic compounds of mercury (NCM 2852.90.00); and (from 18% to 16%) on sanitary towels and tampons, napkins and napkin liners for babies and similar articles, of any material (NCM 9619.00.00) Camex Resolution 
No. 96/2012 (26 December 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Brazil Temporary reduction (to 2%) of import 
tariffs on synthetic filament yarn of 
polyester (NCM 5402.46.00), under an 
import quota of 88,000 tonnes Camex Resolution 
No. 1/2013 
(17 January 2013) and 
Secex Portaria 
No. 2/2013 
(31 January 2013) Effective 
18 January 2013 to 
17 July 2013 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on 37 informatic and telecommunication equipment tariff 
lines (NCM 8443; 8471; 8517; 8531; 
8532; 8536; 8537; 8543; 8544; 9030; 9032), through the "ex-out" regime  Camex Resolutions 
Nos. 9/2013 (5 February 2013) and 
15/2013 
(27 February 2013) Effective until 
31 December 2014 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on 1,082 capital goods tariff 
lines (NCM Chapters 82; 84; 85; 86; 
90), elimination of import tariffs on 
one capital good tariff line 
(NCM 8602.10.00), through the 
"ex-out" regime  Camex Resolutions 
Nos. 10/2013 
(5 February 2013), 
16/2013 
(27 February 2013), 
and 17/2013 
(28 March 2013) Effective until 
31 December 2013 
Brazil Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on wheat and meslin (NCM 1001.99.00), under an import quota of 2 million tonnes; and cotton not carded or combed (NCM 5201.00.20; 5201.00.90), under an import quota of 80,000 tonnes 
(originally effective until 31 July 2013) Camex Resolution 
No. 11/2013 (6 February 2013) and Secex Portaria Nos. 14/2013 (16 April 2013) and 45/2013 
(30 October 2013) On 1 April 2013, the 
temporary elimination of import tariffs on wheat and meslin, under an import quota of 3.3 million tonnes 
was extended until 
30 November 2013 
Brazil Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on other wheat and meslin ( méteil ) 
(NCM 1001.99.00), under an import 
quota of 2.7 million tonnes Secex Portaria 
No. 33/2013 
(11 September 2013) Effective 
1 April 2013 to 
30 November 2013 
Brazil Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on methanol (methyl alcohol) (NCM 2905.11.00), under an import quota of 580,000 tonnes Camex Resolution 
No. 24/2013 (5 April 2013) and Secex Portaria No. 15/2013 (19 April 2013) Effective 
8 April 2013 to 5 October 2013 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
on certain products, i.e. lactose and 
lactose syrup containing by weight 
99% or more lactose, expressed as 
anhydrous lactose, calculated on the 
dry matter (NCM 1702.11.00), under 
an import quota of 4,476 tonnes; 
silicones in primary forms 
(NCM 3910.00.90), under an import 
quota of 132 tonnes; and parts of 
electrical capacitors 
(NCM 8532.90.00), under an import 
quota of 19,000 units Camex Resolution 
No. 25/2013 
(5 April 2013) and 
Secex Portaria 
No. 15/2013 
(19 April 2013) Effective 
8 April 2013 to 
7 April 2014 
Brazil Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on rail locomotive (NCM 8602.10.00); temporary reduction of import tariffs (to 2%) on 1,268 capital goods tariff lines (in NCM Chapters 82; 84; 85; 86; 89; 90; 94), and 37 informatic and telecommunication equipment tariff lines (NCM 8471.30.19; 8471.49.00; 8471.90.90; 8473.30.49; 8517.62.39; 8517.62.59; 8517.62.72; 8517.62.94; 8517.70.10; 8517.70.99; 8523.59.10; 8530.10.10; 8536.90.40; 8541.30.29; 8543.70.99; 9030.40.90; 9030.89.90; 9032.89.25; 9032.89.29; 9032.89.89), through the "ex-out" regime  Camex Resolutions 
Nos. 34/2013 (16 May 2013), 39/2013, 40/2013 (3 June 2013), 45/2013, 46/2013 (21 June 2013), 61/2013 (1 August 2013), 73/2013 (16 September 2013), 74/2013 (16 September 2013), 88/2013, 89/2013 (22 October 2013), 91/2013 and 92/2013 (1 November 2013) Effective until 
31 December 2014 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on 10 informatic and 
telecommunication equipment tariff 
lines (NCM 8443.32.29; 8471.60.90; 
8517.62.49; 8517.62.61; 8529.90.20; 
8543.70.99; 9030.40.90; 9030.89.90), 
through the "ex-out" regime  Camex Resolution 
No. 33/2013 
(13 May 2013) Effective 
14 May 2013 to 
31 December 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on certain products, i.e. other film of polymers of propylene (NCM 3920.20.19), under an import quota of 480 tonnes (valid until 30 November 2013); colouring matter (NCM 3206.11.19), under an import quota of 47,000 tonnes (valid until 30 November 2013); 6-Hexanelactam (epsilon-caprolactama) (NCM 2933.71.00), under an import quota of 26,000 tonnes (valid until 3 December 2013); disodium sulphate (NCM 2833.11.10), under an import 
quota of 735,000 tonnes (valid until 
30 May 2014); sulphates of barium (NCM 2833.27.10), under an import quota of 10,000 tonnes (valid until 30 May 2014); acyclic amides (N,N-dimetilformamida ) 
(NCM 2924.19.22), under an import quota of 5,300 tonnes (valid until 30 May 2014); nitrile-function compounds ( adiponitrila 
(1,4-dicianobutano) ) 
(NCM 2926.90.91), under an import quota of 30,700 tonnes (valid until 30 May 2014). Temporary elimination of import tariffs on vaccines for human medicine (NCM 3002.20.29), under an import quota of 1.5 million flasks (valid until 30 May 2014); and p-Xylene 
(NCM 2902.43.00), under an import quota of 160,000 tonnes (valid until 30 May 2014) Camex Resolution 
No. 38/2013 (29 May 2013) and Secex Portaria No. 23/2013 (13 June 2013) Effective 
31 May 2013 
Brazil Temporary reduction/elimination of 
import tariffs on certain products, 
i.e. (to 16%) biaxially oriented film; 
(to zero) pharmacuetical products, 
antisera and other blood fractions, 
beans; (to 14%) self-propelled 
bulldozers, angledozers, graders, 
levellers (under an import quota of 
980 units); (to 2%) pentaerythritol, 
polytetrafluoroethylene, whey (under 
an import quota of 2,000 tonnes), 
other tubes, pipes and hollow profiles 
welded of circular cross-section of iron 
or non-alloy steel (under an import 
quota of 13,000 tonnes), aluminium 
plates and foils (und er an import quota 
of 1,126 tonnes), synthetic filament 
yarn (under an import quota of 
40,400 tonnes); (to 20%) yachts and 
other vessels for pleasure Camex Resolutions 
Nos. 37/2013, 
44/2013, 47/2013, 
54/2013, 55/2013, 
60/2013, 62/2013, 
63/2013 (various dates 
from 29 May to 
2 August 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on certain products, i.e. edible products of animal origin ( soro de 
leite) (NCM 0404.10.00), under an 
import quota of 2,000 tonnes (valid for 12 months); welded tubes of circular cross-section, of iron or non-alloy steel (NCM 7306.30.00), under an import quota of 13,000 tonnes (valid for 12 months); aluminium foil rolled but not further worked (NCM 7607.11.90), under an import quota of 563 tonnes (valid for 12 months); aluminium plates of aluminium alloys of a 
thickness exceeding 0.2 mm 
(NCM 7606.12.90), under an import quota of 563 tonnes (valid for 12 months); and synthetic filament yarn (NCM 5402.46.00), under an import quota of 40,400 tonnes (valid until 17 January 2014) Camex Resolution 
No. 60/2013 (30 July 2013) Effective 
31 July 2013 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on barium carbonate 
(NCM 2836.60.00), under an import 
quota of 4,125 tonnes; and certain 
crane lorries (NCM 8705.10.90), under 
an import quota of three units  Camex Resolution 
No. 69/2013 
(10 September 2013) 
and Secex Portaria 
No. 39/2013 
(24 September 2013) Effective until 
10 March 2014  
Brazil Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on diesel-electric locomotives (NCM 8602.10.00), through the "ex-out" regime Camex Resolution 
No. 74/2013 (16 September 2013) Effective until 
31 July 2014 
Brazil Extension of the temporary elimination 
of import tariffs on methanol (methyl 
alcohol) (NCM 2905.11.00), under an 
import quota of 282,500 tonnes 
(originally effective 8 April 2013 to 
5 October 2013)  Camex Resolution 
No. 86/2013 
(4 October 2013) and 
WTO document 
WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 
5 July 2013 Effective 
7 October 2013 
Brazil Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(to 2%) on palm kernel or babassu oil (palmiste ) (NCM 1513.29.10) under an 
import quota of 99,332 tonnes; and flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated, of a thickness exceeding 10 mm (NCM 7208.51.00), under an import quota of 9,500 tonnes  Camex Resolution 
No. 87/2013 (17 October 2013) and Secex Portaria No. 46/2013 (1 November 2013) Effective 
18 October 2013 to 15 April 2014 
Canada  Reduction of import tariffs (from 6.5% 
to 5%) on non-electric, non-gas 
instantaneous or storage water 
heaters, and cert ain environmental 
measuring instruments 
(HS 8419.19.00; 9015.80.20)  Permanent Delegation 
of Canada to the WTO 
(14 May 2013) Effective 
8 March 2013 
Canada Elimination of import tariffs on tariff 
lines covering cert ain baby clothing 
and certain sports equipment (HS Chapters 42; 61; 62; 64; 95) Permanent Delegation 
of Canada to the WTO (14 May 2013) Effective 
1 April 2013 
China Tariff Implementation Plan for 2013 
resulting in the elimination of export 
tariffs on 6 minerals (12 tariff lines at 
8 digits) (HS Chapters 25; 26; 27; 28; 
79; 81) Permanent Delegation 
of China to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
China Elimination of automatic import 
licensing requirements on 130 tariff lines (10 digit), i.e. base metals (iron, steel, and copper), meat products, waste of paper and paperboard, natural gas, and electrical machinery products (steam turbines, water turbines and other electrical installations, and textile machinery) (HS chapters 02; 27; 28; 47; 72; 73; 74; 76; 84) Permanent Delegation 
of China to the WTO (26 November 2013) and MOFCOM Announcement No. 60/2013 Effective 
26 August 2013  
Colombia Elimination of import registration 
requirements on textiles and apparel, 
footwear (HS Chapters 50 to 64), and 
certain alcoholic beverages (HS 2208) Permanent Delegation 
of Colombia to the 
WTO (13 May 2013) Effective April 2013 
Colombia Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on certain raw materials and capital goods not locally produced (28 tariff lines) (HS 3204.19.90; 3204.90.00; 3207.10.00; 3207.20.90; 3209.90.00; 3215.90.90; 3903.11.00; 3904.40.00; 3905.29.00; 3905.91.00; 3907.20.90; 3907.30.10; 3917.21.10; 3917.23.10; 3917.32.91; 3917.39.10; 3920.30.90; 3920.51.00; 3920.62.00; 4802.56.20; 4802.69.10; 4805.93.20; 4805.93.30; 4810.14.90; 4810.99.00; 4811.51.90; 4811.90.50; 7607.19.00)  Permanent Delegation 
of Colombia to the WTO (12 November 2013) Effective 
8 May 2013 to 15 August 2013 
Colombia Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on tuna (HS 0303.41.00; 0303.42.00; 
0303.43.00; 0303.44.00) Permanent Delegation 
of Colombia to 
the WTO 
(12 November 2013) Effective 
9 May 2013 to 
31 December 2013 
Colombia Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on raw materials and capital goods not produced locally (3,490 tariff lines) (HS Chapters 03; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 
30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 
39; 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 47; 48; 50; 51; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 58; 59; 60; 64; 65; 66; 67; 68; 69; 70; 71; 72; 73; 74; 75; 76; 78; 79; 80; 81; 82; 83; 84; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 90; 91; 92; 94; 96)  Permanent Delegation 
of Colombia to the WTO (12 November 2013) 
referring to Decreto 
No. 1755 Effective 
15 August 2013 
Colombia Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on fertilizers and insecticides, (23 tariff 
lines) (HS 3102.21.00; 3102.29.00; 
3102.30.00; 3102.60.00; 3102.80.00; 
3102.90.90; 3105.20.00; 3105.51.00; 
3105.90.20; 3808.50.00; 3808.91.11; 
3808.91.19; 3808.91.92; 3808.91.99; 
3808.92.19; 3808.92.99; 3808.93.19; 
3808.93.92; 3808.93.99; 3808.94.19; 
3808.99.19; 3808.99.99) Permanent Delegation 
of Colombia to 
the WTO 
(12 November 2013) Effective 
12 September 2013 
Costa Rica Customs Decree No. 37955-H 
eliminating regulation for the implementation of customs reference 
values  WTO document 
G/VAL/N/1/CRI/3, 1 November 2013 Effective 
10 October 2013 
Egypt Elimination of export duties on certain 
residue and waste from the food 
industries (HS 2308)  Permanent Delegation 
of Egypt to the WTO 
(5 December 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
European Union Emergency autonomous trade 
preferences for Pakistan, temporary eliminating import tariffs on 49 textiles and textile articles tariff lines (in HS 5205; 5208; 5209; 5211; 5407; 5513; 6101; 6112; 6116; 6201; 6203; 6204; 6207; 6208; 6211; 6216; 6303; 6304; 6307) and implementing TRQ on a number of items listed in the Annex 2 to the Regulation No. 1029/2012 EU Regulation 
No. 1029/2012 (25 October 2012); and Public information available on the European Commission's  website 
transmitted by the European Union Delegation (27 November 2013) Effective until 
31 December 2013  
European Union Termination on 31 December 2012 of 
surveillance system on steel imports 
(established in 2002)  Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation 
(17 December 2009 
and 
27 November 2013)   
European Union Temporary susp ension of import tariffs 
(to zero) on certain cereals, i.e. common wheat of low and medium quality and feed barley (HS 1001.99.00; 1003), for all imports under reduced-duty tariff quotas (2012-13 marketing year) Commission 
Implementing Regulation No. 1115/2012 (28 November 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 to 30 June 2013 
India Exemption from any export 
restrictions/ban on 10 processed 
and/or value added agricultural 
products, i.e. wheat or meslin flour, 
cereal flours, cereal groats, milk 
products, butter, and cheese (in 
HS Chapters 04; 07; 11; 15; 19; 35)  Information verified by 
the Permanent 
Delegation of India 
to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
4 February 2013 
India Extension of the elimination/reduction 
of import tariffs on certain parts for 
manufacturing electric and hybrid vehicles  Information verified by 
the Permanent 
Delegation of India to the WTO (23 May 2013) Extended until 
31 March 2015 
India Reduction of import tariffs on certain 
products, i.e. (from 30% to 10%) 
hazel nuts (HS 08); (from 30% to 
15%) de-hulled oat grain (HS 11); 
(from 5% to 2%) bituminous coal; 
(from 7.5% to 5%) 20 specified 
machinery for leather and footwear 
industry, and certain machinery and 
parts (HS 8444; 8445; 8446; 8447; 
8448; 8449) Information verified by 
the Permanent 
Delegation of India 
to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
1 March 2013 
India Elimination of export tariffs on de-oiled 
rice bran oil cake (HS 23)  Information verified by 
the Permanent Delegation of India to the WTO (23 May 2013) Effective 
1 March 2013 
India Elimination of import tariffs and 
additional duties on: (i) capital goods 
for pre-production, production and 
post-production; (ii) capital goods in 
semi-knocked down (SKD), completely 
knocked down (CKD) conditions to be 
assembled into capital goods by the 
importer; and (iii) spare parts, under 
the Export Promotion Capital Goods 
(EPCG)  Notification 
No. 22/2013-Customs 
Ministry of Finance - 
Department of 
Revenue 
(18 April 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
India Elimination of import tariffs (from 
15%) on rice bran and rice bran oil cake (HS 2302.40.00; 2306.90.90)  Notification 
No. 39/2013 Customs - Ministry of Finance- Department of Revenue (31 July 2013) Effective 
31 July 2013 
India Reduction of import tariffs (from 15% 
to 5%) on sugar beet seeds 
(HS 1209.10.00)  Permanent Delegation 
of India to the WTO 
(12 November 2013) Effective 
13 September 2013 
Korea, Republic of Temporary reduction or elimination of 
import tariffs on 69 items, i.e. wheat for milling (HS 1001.99) (under an import quota of 1 million tonnes); soya bean for soya bean oil and oil cake 
(HS 1201.90) (under an import quota 
of 1 million tonnes); maize for feeding and mushroom growing (HS 1005.90) (under an import quota of 9 million tonnes for feeding, and 10,000 tonnes for mushroom growing) Permanent Delegation 
of the Republic of Korea to the WTO (13 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013 (the reduction on 28 items is applicable 
only until 
30 June 2013, while it is applied to 41 items throughout the year) 
Korea, Republic of Amendments to the Liquor Tax Law 
eliminating the import-licensing capital 
requirement (W 50 million 
(US$44,496)) for certain alcoholic 
beverages (i.e. wi nes, beers, and 
whiskeys) (HS 2203.00; 2204.10; 
2204.21; 2204.29; 2204.30; 2205.10; 
2205.90; 2206.00; 2207.10; 2207.20; 
2208.20; 2208.30; 2208.40; 2208.50; 
2208.60; 2208.70; 2208.90) and 
introducing flexibility in warehouse 
facility requirements Permanent Delegation 
of the Republic of 
Korea to the WTO (23 
May 2013) Effective 
15 February 2013 
Korea, Republic of Adjustment  in tariff reduction of goods 
(21 tariff lines) for preventing environmental pollution (HS Chapters 69; 84; 85; 90) Permanent Delegation 
of the Republic of Korea to the WTO (3 December 2013) Effective 
1 October 2013 
Korea, Republic of Extension of the reduction of import 
tariffs on certain capital goods (38 
tariff lines) used in automated factory 
(HS Chapters 84; 90) Permanent Delegation 
of the Republic of 
Korea to the WTO 
(3 December 2013) Effective until 
31 March 2014 
Mexico Amendments to the customs tariffs 
resulting in decreases of import tariffs on 488 tariff lines (at 8 digits) (HS Chapters 1; 2; 3; 4; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 15; 17; 18; 19; 21; 22; 23; 25; 27; 28; 29; 30; 32; 34; 35; 38; 39; 40; 44; 62; 64; 68; 82; 84; 85; 96) Permanent Delegation 
of Mexico to the WTO (24 May 2013) Effective 
24 November 2012 
Mexico Elimination of import tariffs on tomato 
(from 10%), citrus fruit (from 20%), 
and poultry meat and edible offal 
(HS 0207; 0702; 0805)  Permanent Delegation 
of Mexico to the WTO 
(5 November 2013) Effective 
15 May 2013 
Mexico Reduction of import tariffs (from 
15%/10% to 7%) on 11 plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood tariff lines (HS Chapter 44)  Permanent Delegation 
of Mexico to the WTO (5 November 2013) Effective 
2 September 2013 
Pakistan Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(from 32.5% to 28.75%) on parts for 
motorcycles. Temporary reduction of 
import tariffs "concessionary rates" 
(from 15% to 10%) on motorcycles 
kits Permanent Delegation 
of Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013) Effective 
November 2012 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Pakistan Reduction of import tariffs 
"concessionary rates" (to 5%) on certain products, i.e. screw sets 
(HS 8518.22.00); speaker (HS 8544.22.00); adopter/power supply, rear cover, plasma display or LCD/LED control unit, control panel PDP/LCD/LED (HS 8529.90.90); printed circuit board (HS 8534.00.00); and connecting cables/accessories (HS 8544.42.90) Permanent Delegation 
of Pakistan to the WTO (5 June 2013) Effective 
19 February 2013 
Pakistan Automatization of transhipment 
procedures to facilitate clearance of 
goods destined for hinterland dry ports  Permanent Delegation 
of Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013) Effective 
5 March 2013 
Pakistan Elimination of import tariffs on mining 
machinery, and equipment spare parts (including vehicles) fo r Thar Coal Fields Permanent Delegation 
of Pakistan to the WTO (5 June 2013) Effective 
15 March 2013 
Pakistan Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
on certain products, i.e. (from 9% to 
8%) poly(ethylene terephthalate); 
(from 20% to 8%) other certain 
poly(ethylene terephthalate); (from 
25% to 20%) office/school supplies; 
(from 25% to 15%) water treatment 
and purifying machinery and 
equipment, and medium density fibre 
"MDF"; (from 60% to 50%) hybrid 
electric vehicles. Temporary 
elimination of import tariffs on solar 
submersible pumps, earphones and 
accessories; bio re-absorbable vascular 
scaffold "heart stents", and energy 
saving tubes (HS 3907.60.20; 
3907.60.90; 3926.10.00; 8413.70.10; 
8421.21.00; 8539.39.20; 8703) Permanent Delegation 
of Pakistan to the WTO 
(20 November 2013) Implemented on 
various dates during 
the period March to 
June 2013 
Paraguay Temporary extension of Customs 
Decree facilitating cement imports 
(NCM 2523) (originally implemented in June 2012) Permanent Delegation 
of Paraguay to 
the WTO (25 November 2013) Effective 
21 June 2013, for 
one year 
Russian Federation Exemption of VAT for imports of 
certain machinery, including 
components and spare parts not locally 
produced (HS 8419.20.00; 
8419.32.00; 8419.89.98; 8421.39.20; 
8465.10.90; 8465.91.20; 8465.96.00; 
8479.30.10)  Permanent Delegation 
of the Russian 
Federation 
(28 November 2013) Effective 
28 May 2013 
Customs Union between the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Kazakhstan Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on molybdenum oxides and hydroxides (HS 2825.70.00) Permanent Delegation 
of the Russian Federation (23 May 2013) Effective 
16 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 
Customs Union 
between the 
Russian Federation, 
Belarus, and 
Kazakhstan Temporary reduction (to 5%) of import 
tariffs on paper and paperboard 
(HS 4810.13.80; 4810.19.90; 
4810.22.10; 4810.29.30; 4810.92.10)  Permanent Delegation 
of the Russian 
Federation 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
20 April 2013 to 
19 January 2014 
Customs Union between the Russian Federation, 
Belarus, and 
Kazakhstan Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
on certain products, i. e. artificial staple 
fibres of viscose rayon (effective from 
1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014); apricots 
and peaches with a sugar content exceeding 13% by weight (effective from 1 July 2013 to 31 December 2014); and silicon (effective from 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014) Permanent Delegation 
of the Russian Federation 
(28 November 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 90 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Customs Union 
between the 
Russian Federation, 
Belarus, and 
Kazakhstan Termination of the temporary increase 
of import tariffs on butter, dairy 
spreads, fats and oils derived from 
milk (HS 0405)  (originally 
implemented in June 2013) Permanent Delegation 
of the Russian 
Federation 
(28 November 2013) Effective 
31 August 2013 
Customs Union 
between the 
Russian Federation, 
Belarus, and Kazakhstan Temporary decrease of import tariffs 
(from 20% to 17.3%) on certain 
plastic storage products for contact 
lenses (HS 3926.90.97) Permanent Delegation 
of the Russian 
Federation 
(28 November 2013) Effective 
1 September 2013 
SACU - Southern 
African Customs 
Union (Botswana, 
Lesotho, Namibia, 
South Africa, and 
Swaziland) Elimination of import tariffs on 
constant velocity (CV) joints 
(HS 8708.50.30) (from 20%), 
polyether-polyols (HS 3907.20.15) 
(from 10%), and certain video 
recording with 8 or more input channel 
and a value for customs duty purposes 
exceeding R 13,000 (HS 8521.90.10) Notices Nos. R. 227, 
R. 384, and R. 475 
(Government Gazettes 
Nos. 36294, 36515, 
and 36638) - South 
African Revenue 
Service (28 March, 
7 June and 
12 July 2013) Effective 
28 March 2013 
Serbia Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
on certain machinery and mechanical appliances (in Chapters HS 84; 85; 87; 90) Permanent Delegation 
of Serbia to the United Nations (31 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Macedonia, the 
Former Yugoslav 
Republic of Elimination of import tariffs on certain 
industrial products (HS 3907; 3920; 
6813; 7325; 8457; 8458; 8459; 8460; 
8461; 8462; 8463; 8464; 8465; 8466; 
8606); and reduction of import tariffs 
(from 15% and 10% to 5%) on certain 
motor vehicles for the transport of 10 
or more persons (HS 8702.10; 
8702.90) Permanent Delegation 
of the Former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia 
to the WTO 
(19 October 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Tunisia Temporary reduction/elimination of 
import tariffs on certain products, i.e. agriculture products, food products (e.g. fish, milk), miscellaneous edible preparations, grains , seeds, cereals, 
prepared foodstuffs, fertilizers, chemicals, articles of base metal, alcohol, gold, tyres, and medical equipment and instruments (in certain cases under import quota). VAT on some products also reduced or exempted  Permanent Delegation 
of Tunisia to the WTO (23 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013 
Turkey Elimination of import tariffs on certain 
products, i.e. wheat starch; pectic 
substances, pectinates and pectates; 
malt extract; chocolate and other food 
preparations containing cocoa; other 
food preparation for medical use; and 
flat-rolled products of stainless steel 
(HS 1108; 1302.20.10; 1302.20.90; 
1806.10; 1806.20; 1806.31; 1806.32; 
1806.90; 1901.90; 2106.90.98; 
7219.12.10; 7219.12.90; 7219.13.10; 
7219.13.90; 7219.14.10; 7219.14.90) Permanent Delegation 
of Turkey to the WTO 
(7 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Ukraine Amendments to the Law on Customs 
Tariff resulting in: (i) elimination of import tariffs (13 tariff lines at 8 digits) on certain products, i.e. manganese ores and concentrates, silicon, potassium chloride, ball and roller bearings, electric motors and parts, electrical transformers, bodies for motor vehicles, (HS Chapters 26, 28, 
31, 32, 84, 85, 87); and (ii) reduction of import tariffs on 1 tariff line (HS 3208.90.19)  Permanent Delegation 
of Ukraine to the United Nations (30 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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RECORDED BUT NOT CONFIRMED INFORMATION3 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Bangladesh Reduction of import tariffs on certain 
fresh fruits (HS 0803; 0804; 0805; 
0806; 0807; 0808; 0809; 0810)  The Financial Express 
(25 March 2013)   
Indonesia Temporary elimination of import tariffs 
(5%) on soyabean (HS 1201.00)  International Grains 
Council - Grain Market 
Report No. 437 
(26 September 2013) Effective 
19 September 2013 
Indonesia Easier administrative customs 
procedures (i.e. elimination of import permits, quotas, and registered importer rules) on imports of soyabeans (HS 1201.00) International Grains 
Council - Grain Market Report No. 437 (26 September 2013) Effective 
20 September 2013 
Kazakhstan Elimination of import tariffs (from 5%) 
on cell phones (HS 8517)  Press reports 
(January 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Kenya Introduction of a single customs 
electronic system to facilitate trade  Reuters 
(30 October 2013)   
Myanmar Elimination of import licensing 
requirements for 166 products 
(1,928 tariff lines)  Press reports 
(April 2013) Effective April 2013 
Nepal Upgrading of customs procedures with 
the implementation of a web-based system and modernization of valuation and inspection systems  Himalayan Times 
(21 January 2013)   
Norway Temporary reduction of import tariffs 
(from 429% to NKr 2.58/kg) on lamb 
carcasses  Agra Europe 
(24 October 2013) Effective until 
November 2013 
Tajikistan Elimination of export ban on coal 
(originally implemented on 1 May 2012)  Press reports 
(30 July 2013) Effective 30 July 2013 
Ukraine Changes in customs nomenclature (to 
bring it in accordance with WTO rules) 
and simplification of customs 
procedures  Ukranian News 
referring to Law 
No. 584-VII 
(18 October 2013) Effective 
19 September 2013 
Venezuela 
(Bolivarian Republic of) Easier administrative customs 
procedures on imports of certain essential goods  BBC News 
(26 September 2013)   
Viet Nam Elimination of the temporary import 
ban on frozen animals offal (HS 0206; 
0207; 0208; 0210) (originally 
implemented in July 2010)  Venews 
(6 August 2013) and 
WTO document 
WT/TPR/OV/13, 
24 November 2010 Effective 
September 2013 
                                               
3 This section includes information which has been obtained from public sources but has not yet been 
confirmed by the delegation concerned. 
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 92 - 
 
 ANNEX 2 
TRADE REMEDY MEASURES1 
(MID-OCTOBER 2012 TO MID-NOVEMBER 2013) 
 
CONFIRMED INFORMATION2 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina Termination on 21 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of cold or hot rolled flat products of iron or steel, smooth and without perforations (NCM 7209.15; 7209.16; 7209.17; 7209.18; 7209.25; 7209.26; 7209.27; 7209.28; 7209.90; 7211.23; 7225.50; 7226.92) from Australia; Korea, Republic of; South Africa; and Chinese Taipei (imposed on 28 May 2003)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/ARG, 10 April 2013  
Argentina Initiation on 4 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
polymers of vinyl chloride monofilament 
profile shapes (NCM 3916.20.00) from China 
and Germany WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/ARG, 
10 April 2013   
Argentina Initiation on 2 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of liquid dielectric transformers having a power handling capacity exceeding 10,000 kVA (NCM 8504.23.00) from China and Korea, Republic of WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 12 September 2013   
Argentina Initiation on 2 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of ceramic tiles, 
cubes and similar articles (NCM 6802.10.00; 
6802.91.00; 6907.10.00; 6907.90.00; 
6908.10.00; 6908.90.00; 7016.10.00; 
7016.90.00) from Brazil, China, and Spain WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 
12 September 2013   
Argentina Initiation on 2 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood (NCM 4412.32.00) from Brazil, China, and Uruguay WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 12 September 2013   
Argentina Termination on 6 February 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of polyethers ( polieter poliol 
copolímero ) (NCM 3907.20.39) from the U.S. 
(initiated on 2 August 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 
12 September 2013   
Argentina Termination on 6 February 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of poly(vinyl chloride), not mixed with any other substances (NCM 3904.10.10) from the U.S. (initiated on 2 August 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 12 September 2013   
Argentina Termination on 7 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of dr inking glasses, cups 
and jugs (NCM 7013.29.00) from Brazil 
(imposed on 7 March 2008) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 
12 September 2013   
                                               
1 The inclusion of any measure in this table implies no judgement by the WTO Secretariat on whether or 
not such measure, or its intent, is protectionist in nature.  Moreover, nothing in the table implies any judgement, either direct or indirect, on the consistency of any measure refe rred to with the provisions of any 
WTO agreement or such measure's impact on, or relationship with, the global financial crisis. 
2 This section includes information which has either been provided by the Member concerned or it has 
been confirmed at the request of the Secretariat. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 93 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina Termination on 11 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of solid aluminium-based 
fumigant pesticides (NCM 3808.91) from India (imposed on 12 October 2006) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 12 September 2013   
Argentina Initiation on 18 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of fungicides 
(NCM 3808.92.91) from Chile, Peru, the U.S., 
and Uruguay WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 
12 September 2013   
Argentina Termination on 11 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of pipes and tubes (NCM 7306.10.00; 7306.30.00; 7306.50.00) from Japan (imposed on 15 December 2001) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 12 September 2013   
Argentina Termination on 22 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of pneumatic tyres 
(NCM 4011.10.00; 4011.20.90; 4011.61.00; 
4011.92.10; 4011.92.90) from China 
(investigation initiated on 22 December 2009 
and definitive duty im posed on 22 June 2011)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ARG, 
12 September 2013   
Argentina Initiation on 22 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of tennis balls (NCM 9506.61.00) from China, Philippines, and Thailand  Permanent 
Delegation of Argentina to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Argentina Initiation on 18 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of self-priming 
centrifugal pumps with a maximum capacity 
greater or equal to 100 l/m but less or equal 
to a 1,000 l/m, with motor of maximum 
power greater or equal to 0.1875 KW 
(0.25 HP) but inferior or equal to 5.625 KW 
(7.5 HP) (NCM 8413.70.80; 8413.70.90) from 
China  Resolución 
No. 184/2013 
Secretaría de 
Comercio Exterior - 
Ministerio de 
Economía y Finanzas 
Públicas 
(11 October 2013)   
Australia Initiation on 26 November 2012 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of aluminium zinc coated steel (HS 7210.61.00) from China  WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/AUS, 18 September 2013; and Permanent Delegation of Australia to the WTO (11 November 2013) Definitive duty 
imposed on 5 August 2013 
Australia Initiation on 26 November 2012 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of zinc 
coated (galvanised) steel (HS 7210.49.00; 
7212.30.00) from China  WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/AUS, 
18 September 2013; 
and Permanent 
Delegation of 
Australia to the WTO 
(11 November 2013) Definitive duty 
imposed on 
5 August 2013 
Australia Initiation on 12 February 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of hot rolled plate steel (HS 7208.40.00; 7208.51.00; 7208.52.00; 7225.40.00) from China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea, Republic of; and Chinese Taipei WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/AUS, 18 September 2013; and Permanent Delegation of Australia to the WTO (11 November 2013) Terminated on 
10 September 2013 (without measure) on imports from Chinese Taipei. Provisional duty imposed on 19 July 2013 
Australia Initiation on 12 February 2013 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of hot 
rolled plate steel (HS 7208.40.00; 
7208.51.00; 7208.52.00; 7225.40.00) from 
China WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/AUS, 
18 September 2013; 
and Permanent 
Delegation of 
Australia to the WTO 
(11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
19 July 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 94 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Australia Termination on 2 May 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of aluminium zinc coated steel (HS 7210.61.00) from Chinese Taipei (initiated on 5 September 2012)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/AUS, 11 March 2013 and Permanent Delegation of Australia to the WTO (23 May 2013)   
Australia Termination on 8 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of greyback cartonboard 
(HS 4810.13.90; 4810.19.90; 4810.29.90; 
4810.99.00) from Korea, Republic of 
(imposed on 28 July 2005)  Australia 
Anti-Dumping 
Commission Notice 
No. 2013/86 
(1 November 2013)   
Australia Initiation on 21 June 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of certain processed fruit products (i.e. ci trus fruits; pears; 
apricots; peaches, including nectarines) (HS 2008.30.00; 2008.40.00; 2008.50.00; 2008.70.00; 2008.97.00; 2008.99.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/AUS/4, 3 July 2013   
Australia Initiation on 21 June 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of canned tomatoes 
(HS 2002.10.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/AUS/3, 
28 June 2013   
Australia Termination on 24 June 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of formulated glyphosate (HS 3808.93.00) from China (initiated on 6 February 2012, and terminated on 2 August 2012, but resumed on 25 October 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/AUS, 11 March 2013; and Permanent Delegation of Australia to the WTO (11 November 2013)   
Australia Initiation on 10 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of prepared or 
preserved peach products (HS 2008.70.00) 
from South Africa Permanent 
Delegation of 
Australia to the WTO 
(11 November 2013)   
Australia Initiation on 10 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of prepared or 
preserved tomato products (HS 2002.10.00) 
from Italy Permanent 
Delegation of 
Australia to the WTO 
(11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
1 November 2013 
Australia Initiation on 29 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of power 
transformers (HS 8504.22.00; 8504.23.00) 
from China; Indonesia; Korea, Republic of; 
Chinese Taipei, Thailand; and Viet Nam Permanent 
Delegation of 
Australia to the WTO 
(11 November 2013)   
Australia Resumption on 9 August 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of quicklime "calcium oxide" (HS 2522.10.00) from Thailand (investigation originally initiated on 31 October 2011. Terminated on 3 April 2012, but on appeal the TMRO revoked the termination and th e investigation was 
resumed on 28 June 2012. After resumption of the investigation on 2 May 2013, the Australian Customs an d Border Protection 
Service terminated the investigation)   WTO documents 
G/ADP/N/244/AUS, 18 September 2013; WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 5 July 2013; and Permanent Delegation of Australia to the WTO (11 November 2013)   
Australia Initiation on 28 August 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of wind towers 
(HS 7308.20.00; 7308.90.00; 8502.31.10; 
8502.31.90) from China; and Korea, 
Republic of Permanent 
Delegation of 
Australia to the WTO 
(11 November 2013)   
Australia Termination on 18 September 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of iron and steel grinding mill liners (HS 8474.90.00) from Canada (imposed on 18 September 2003)  Permanent 
Delegation of Australia to the WTO (11 November 2013)   
Australia Initiation on 10 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of white uncoated A4 
and A3 cut sheet paper "copy paper" 
(HS 4802.56.10;4802.56.90) from China Permanent 
Delegation of 
Australia to the WTO 
(11 November 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 95 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Australia Initiation on 24 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of hot rolled structural steel sections "HRS" (HS 7216.31.00; 7216.32.00; 7216.33.00; 7216.40.00; 7216.50.00) from Japan; Korea, Republic of; Chinese Taipei; and Thailand Permanent 
Delegation of Australia to the WTO (11 November 2013)   
Brazil Termination on 23 October 2012 (without 
measure) of safeguard investigation on 
imports of fine or table wine 
(NCM 2204.21.00) (initiated on 
15 March 2012) WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/BRA/5, 
2 April 2012 and 
G/SG/N/9/BRA/2, 
6 November 2012   
Brazil Initiation on 26 October 2012 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of precipitated silicon dioxide (NCM 2811.22.10) from China and India WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/BRA, 16 April 2013    
Brazil Initiation on 30 October 2012 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of reduced indigo 
blue (NCM 3204.15.90) from China and 
Singapore WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/BRA, 
16 April 2013    
Brazil Termination on 6 December 2012 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated, of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more (NCM 7208.51.00; 7208.52.00) from Australia and Russian Federation (initiated on 3 May 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/BRA/ Corr.1, 8 October 2013   
Brazil Initiation on 13 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
blenders of power equal to or less than 800 W 
(NCM 8509.40.10) from China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/BRA, 
16 April 2013    
Brazil Initiation on 26 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
tableware and kitchenware articles of porcelain and ceramic (NCM 6911.10.10; 6911.10.90; 6911.90.00; 6912.00.00) from China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/BRA, 
16 April 2013 and Camex Resolution No. 57/2013 (24 July 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
29 July 2013 
Brazil Initiation on 27 December 2012 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
yarns predominantly made of acrylic fibres 
(NCM 5509.31.00; 5509.32.00; 5509.61.00; 
5509.62.00; 5509.69.00) from Indonesia  WTO document 
G/SCM/N/250/BRA, 
10 April 2013   
Brazil Initiation on 3 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of liquid epoxy resin (NCM 3907.30.11; 3907.30.19; 3907.30.21; 3907.30.22; 3907.30.29) from China; India; Korea, Republic of; Mexico; Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of; and Chinese Taipei  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 8 October 2013   
Brazil Initiation on 9 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of safety glass for 
household refrigerators and freezers 
(NCM 7007.19.00) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 
8 October 2013   
Brazil Termination on 22 January 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of steam iron (NCM 8516.40.00) from China (imposed on 
28 June 2007)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 8 October 2013   
Brazil Termination on 29 January 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of tubes and pipes of refined copper 
(NCM 7411.10.10; 7411.10.90) from China 
(initiated on 10 November 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 
8 October 2013   
Brazil Initiation on 19 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of polypropylene resin (NCM 3902.10.20; 3902.30.00) from India; Korea, Republic of; and South Africa WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 8 October 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 96 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Brazil Initiation on 26 March 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of polypropylene 
resin (NCM 3902.10.20; 3902.30.00) from 
India and South Africa WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/BRA, 
8 October 2013   
Brazil Termination on 9 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of SDS plus drill bits (NCM 8207.19.00; 8207.50.11; 8207.50.19; 8207.50.90) from China (imposed on 21 November 2007)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 8 October 2013   
Brazil Initiation on 10 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of radial tyres of 
rubber for buses and lorries 
(NCM 4011.20.90) from Japan; Korea, 
Republic of; Russian Federation; South Africa; 
Chinese Taipei; and Thailand WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 
8 October 2013   
Brazil Termination on 12 June 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of refractory bricks, blocks, tiles and similar refractory ceramic constructional goods, other than those of siliceous fossil meals or similar siliceous earths (NCM 6902.10.18; 6902.10.19) from the U.S. (initiated on 2 July 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 8 October 2013   
Brazil Termination on 20 June 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of polycarbonate resins 
(NCM 3907.40.90) from Korea, Republic of 
(initiated on 29 December 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 
8 October 2013   
Brazil  Termination on 4 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of poly(ethylene 
terephthalate) films (NCM 3920.62.19; 3920.62.91; 3920.62.99) from India and Thailand (imposed on 4 July 2008)  Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil  Termination on 4 July 2013 of countervailing 
duties on imports of poly(ethylene 
terephthalate) films (NCM 3920.62.19; 
3920.62.91; 3920.62.99) from India 
(imposed on 4 July 2008)  Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil 
to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 8 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of unglazed ceramic flags ( porcelanato técnico ) (NCM 6907.90.00) 
from China Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 15 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of clear non-wired 
glass of a thickness of 2 mm but not 
exceeding 19 mm (NCM 7005.29.00) from 
China, Egypt, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom 
of; United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil 
to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 22 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and toilets articles of plastics (NCM 3924.90.00) from China Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 29 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of ceramic refractory 
goods (NCM 6903.90.91; 6903.90.99) from 
China Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil 
to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)   
Brazil Termination on 29 August 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of simple yarn of jute (NCM 5307.10.10; 5307.20.10) from Bangladesh and India (imposed on 29 August 2008)  Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 16 September 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
pencils and crayons, with leads encased in a 
rigid sheath (NCM 9609.10.00) from China Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil 
to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 97 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Brazil Termination on 2 October 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of yarn (other than sewing thread) of synthetic staple fibres, not put up for retail 
sale (NCM 5509.31.00; 5509.32.00; 5509.61.00; 5509.62.00; 5509.69.00) from Indonesia (initiated on 2 October 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/BRA, 16 April 2013; and Permanent Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil Termination on 3 October 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of 
pre-sensitized offset plate (NCM 3701.30.21; 
3701.30.31) from China and the U.S. 
(imposed on 8 October 2007)  Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil 
to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)   
Brazil Termination on 7 October 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of polycarbonate resins (NCM 3907.40.90) from the EU and the U.S. (imposed on 8 April 2008)  Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 7 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of inner tubes of 
rubber for bicycles (NCM 4013.20.00) from 
China Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil 
to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 14 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of wire of iron or non-alloy steel (NCM 7217.20.10; 7217.20.90) from Sweden Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil Termination on 22 October 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of sodium acid pyrophosphate 
"SAPP-40" (NCM 2835.39.20) from China 
(initiated on 8 April 2013) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/BRA, 
8 October 2013; and 
Secex Circular 
No. 63/2013 
(21 October 2013)   
Brazil Initiation on 4 November 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of articles of plastic for blood samples (NCM 3822.00.90; 3926.90.40; 9018.39.99) from China, Germany, United Kingdom, and 
the U.S. Permanent 
Delegation of Brazil to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Canada Termination on 9 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation (and provisional 
duties) on imports of carbon steel welded 
pipe, commonly identified as standard pipe, in 
the normal size range from 0.5 inch up to and 
including 6 inches (12.7 mm to 168.3 mm in 
outside diameter) inclusive, in various forms 
and finishes (HS 7306) from Turkey 
(investigation initiated on 14 May 2012 and 
provisional duty imposed on 13 August 2012)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/CAN, 
21 February 2013    
Canada Termination on 9 November 2012 of 
countervailing investigation (and provisional 
duties) on imports of carbon steel welded pipe, commonly identified as standard pipe, in the normal size range from 0.5 inch up to and including 6 inches (12.7 mm to168.3 mm in outside diameter) inclusive, in various forms and finishes (HS 7306) from Oman and the United Arab Emirates (investigation initiated on 14 May 2012 and provisional duty imposed on 13 August 2012)  WTO document 
G/SCM/N/250/CAN, 
22 February 2013   
Canada  Initiation on 4 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of unitized wall 
modules (HS 4016.93.99; 6802.23.00; 
6806.10.90; 7005.29.00; 7008.00.00; 
7016.90.00; 7308.30.00; 7318.15.90; 
7604.29.20; 7610.10.00; 7610.90.00; 
7610.90.10; 7610.90.90) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CAN, 
11 September 2013 
and Permanent 
Delegation of Canada 
to the WTO 
(11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
15 July 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 98 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Canada  Initiation on 4 March 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of unitized wall modules (HS 4016.93.99; 6802.23.00; 6806.10.90; 7005.29.00; 7008.00.00; 7016.90.00; 7308.30.00; 7318.15.90; 7604.29.20; 7610.10.00; 7610.90.00; 7610.90.10; 7610.90.90) from China WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/CAN, 11 September 2013 and Permanent Delegation of Canada to the WTO (11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 15 July 2013 
Canada  Initiation on 22 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of certain silicon 
metal (HS 2804.69.00) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CAN, 
11 September 2013 
and Permanent 
Delegation of Canada 
to the WTO 
(11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
22 July 2013 
Canada  Initiation on 22 April 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of certain silicon metal (HS 2804.69.00) from China WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/CAN, 11 September 2013 and Permanent Delegation of Canada to the WTO (11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 22 July 2013 
Canada Initiation on 22 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of certain copper 
tube (HS 7411.10.00) from Brazil; China; 
Greece; Korea, Republ ic of; and Mexico WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CAN, 
11 September 2013; 
and Permanent 
Delegation of Canada 
to the WTO 
(26 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
20 August 2013 
Canada Initiation on 22 May 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of certain copper tube (HS 7411.10.00) from China WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/CAN, 11 September 2013; and Permanent Delegation of Canada to the WTO (26 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 20 August 2013 
Canada Termination on 14 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of ca rbon steel pipe nipples 
and adaptor fittings, in nominal diameters up 
to and including 6 inches or the metric 
equivalents (HS 7307.99.99) from China 
(imposed on 16 July 2003)  Permanent 
Delegation of Canada 
to the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
Canada Termination on 20 August 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of galvanized 
steel wire (HS 7217.20.00; 7217.90.00; 
7229.90.00) from China, Israel, and Spain (investigation initiated on 21 January 2013 and provisional duty imposed on 22 April 2013) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CAN, 
11 September 2013; 
and Permanent Delegation of Canada to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
Canada Termination on 20 August 2013 of 
countervailing duties on imports of galvanized 
steel wire (HS 7217.20.00; 7217.90.00; 
7229.90.00) from China (investigation 
initiated on 21 January 2013 and provisional 
duty imposed on 22 April 2013) WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/CAN, 
11 September 2013 
and Permanent 
Delegation of Canada 
to the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
Canada Initiation on 5 September 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of hot-rolled carbon steel plate (HS 7208.51.00; 7208.52.00) from Brazil; Denmark; Indonesia; Italy; Japan;  Korea, Republic of; 
and Chinese Taipei  Permanent 
Delegation of Canada to the WTO (26 November 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Canada Termination on 30 September 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on  imports of bicycles, 
assembled or unassembled, with wheel 
diameters of 16 inches (40.64 cm) and 
greater (HS 8712.00.00) from China and 
Chinese Taipei (imposed on 
11 December 1992)  Permanent 
Delegation of Canada 
to the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
Chile Termination on 23 January 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of maize grain otherwise worked (HS 1104.23.00) from Argentina (initiated on 24 December 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/CHL, 13 February 2013   
Chile Initiation on 23 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of maize grain 
otherwise worked (HS 1104.23.00) from 
Argentina WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHL, 
7 October 2013 Provisional duty 
imposed on 
1 April 2013 
Chile Termination on 19 April 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of preparations of a kind used in animal feeding containing maize (HS 2309.90.90) from Argentina (initiated on 23 January 2013) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHL, 7 October 2013   
Chile Termination on 19 April 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of poultry meat (HS 0207) from 
Argentina (initiated on 23 January 2013) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHL, 
7 October 2013   
Chile Initiation on 25 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of self-adhesive plates, sheets, film, foil, tape, strip and other flat shapes, of plastic (HS 3919.10.10; 3919.10.20; 3919.90.10; 3919.90.20; 4811.41.10) from Argentina WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHL, 7 October 2013   
Chile Termination on 30 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of wheat (HS 1101.00.00) 
from Argentina (investigation initiated on 
18 June 2011, and provisional and definitive 
duties imposed on 1 October 2011 and 
30 June 2012, respectively) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHL, 
7 October 2013   
Chile Termination on 31 July 2013 of safeguard 
duties on imports of maize (HS 1005.90.20; 1005.90.90) (investigation initiated on 9 April 2013 and provisional duty imposed on 24 April 2013) WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/CHL/14, 23 April 2013; G/SG/N/7/CHL/11/ Suppl.1, 29 April 2013; and G/SG/N/9/CHL/7, 7 August 2013   
Chile Termination on 19 October 2013 (without 
measure) of safeguard investigation on 
imports of frozen pork (HS 0203.22.00; 
0203.29.10; 0203.29.20; 0203.29.30; 
0203.29.90) (initiated on 31 May 2013) WTO document 
G/SG/N/9/CHL/8, 
30 October 2013   
China Initiation on 1 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of solar-grade polysilicon (HS 2804.61.90) from 
the EU WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/CHN/ Corr.1, 16 April 2013    
China Initiation on 1 November 2012 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
solar-grade polysilicon (HS 2804.61.90) from 
the EU WTO document 
G/SCM/N/250/CHN, 
9 April 2013   
China Termination on 21 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of methyl ethyl ketone (HS 2914.12.00) from Singapore (imposed on 22 November 2007) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/CHN, 10 April 2013    WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
China Initiation on 6 February 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of cellulose pulp 
native products (HS 4702.00.00; 4706.10.00; 
4706.30.00) from Brazil, Canada, and the 
U.S. WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHN, 
17 October 2013; 
and MOFCOM 
Announcement 
No. 75/2013 
(8 November 2013)  Provisional duty 
imposed on 
6 November 2013 
China Initiation on 10 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of certain alloy-steel seamless tubes and pipes for high temperature and pressure service (HS 7304.51.10; 7304.51.90; 7304.59.10; 7304.59.90) from the EU, Japan, and the U.S. 
 WTO document G/ADP/N/244/CHN, 17 October 2013    
China Termination on 16 May 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of coated bleached folding, solid 
bleached sulfate (SBS), folding boxboard 
(FBB), coated ivory board or white card paper 
(HS 4810.31.00; 4810.32.00; 4810.39.00; 
4810.92.00; 4810.99.00; 4811.51.90; 
4811.59.99; 4811.60.90) from the U.S. 
(initiated on 18 November 2011)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHN, 
17 October 2013   
China Initiation on 31 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of perchlorethylene "PCE" (HS 2903.23.00) from the EU and the U.S.  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/CHN, 17 October 2013    
China Initiation on 1 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of wine 
(HS 2204.10.00; 2204.21.00; 2204.29.00) 
from the EU Permanent 
Delegation of China 
to the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
China Initiation on 1 July 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of wine (HS 2204.10.00; 2204.21.00; 2204.29.00) from the EU Permanent 
Delegation of China to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
China Initiation on 14 August 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of single-mode 
optical fibres (HS 9001.10.00) from India  Permanent 
Delegation of China 
to the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
China Initiation on 22 Au gust 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of tertiary butylhydroquinone "TBHQ" (HS 2907.22.10; 2907.22.90; 2907.29.90) from India Permanent 
Delegation of China to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
Colombia Termination on 19 October 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of textiles and 
made up articles (table linen) 
(HS 6302.51.00; 6302.53.00) from China 
(imposed on 19 October 2007) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/COL, 
10 April 2013   
Colombia Termination on 19 October 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of textiles and 
made up articles (bed linen) (HS 6302.22.00; 6302.32.00) from China (imposed on 19 October 2007) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/COL, 10 April 2013   
Colombia Initiation on 1 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of extruded 
aluminium profiles (HS 7604.21.00; 
7604.29.10; 7604.29.20; 7608.10.90; 
7608.20.00) from China and Venezuela  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 
23 September 2013  Provisional duty 
imposed on 
3 May 2013  
Colombia Initiation on 13 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of flexible film of plastic (HS 3920.43.00) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 23 September 2013  Provisional duty 
imposed on 17 May 2013  
Colombia Initiation on 13 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of film of plastic 
(HS 3920.49.00) from China; and 
Korea, Republic of WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 
23 September 2013    WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Colombia Initiation on 25 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, clad, plated or coated (HS 7210.49.00) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 23 September 2013    
Colombia Termination on 12 June 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of standard tyres for buses or lorries 
(HS 4011.20.90) from China (initiated on 
22 June 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 
23 September 2013    
Colombia Initiation on 19 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of wire of iron or 
non-alloy steel not plated or coated, whether 
or not polished ( alambre recocido negro ) 
(HS 7217.10.00) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 
23 September 2013    
Colombia Initiation on 19 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of wire of iron or 
non-alloy steel ( alambre galvanizado ) 
(HS 7217.10.00; 7217.20.00; 7313.00.10) 
from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 
23 September 2013    
Colombia Initiation on 19 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of barbed wire of iron or steel ( alambre de púas ) (HS 7217.10.00; 
7217.20.00; 7313.00.10) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/COL, 23 September 2013    
Colombia Initiation on 19 July 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of steel wire 
(HS 7213.20.00; 7213.91.10; 7213.91.90; 
7213.99.00; 7227.90.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/COL/4, 
29 July 2013   
Colombia Initiation on 6 August 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of angles, shapes and sections of iron or non-alloy steel "L sections" (HS 7216.21.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/COL/5, 4 September 2013   
Colombia Initiation on 6 August 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of other bars and 
rods of iron and non-a lloy steel, not further 
worked than forged, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or 
hot-extruded, but including those twisted 
after rolling (rectangul ar other than square 
cross section); and other angles, shapes and 
sections of iron or non-alloy steel, not further 
worked that hot-rolled, hot-drawn or extruded 
(HS 7214.91.10; 7216.50.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/COL/7, 
4 September 2013   
Colombia Initiation on 9 August 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils, of iron or non-alloy steel; and other bars and rods of iron and non-alloy stee l, not further worked 
than forged, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, but including those twisted after rolling (HS 7213.10.00; 7214.20.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/COL/6, 4 September 2013   
Costa Rica Termination on 14 November 2012 (without 
measure) of safeguard investigation on 
imports of pounded rice (HS 1006.30.90) 
(initiated on 8 May 2012) WTO document 
G/SG/N/9/CRI/1, 
1 November 2013   
Egypt Initiation on 30 November 2012 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of steel rebar (HS 7213; 7214)   WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/EGY/9, 5 December 2012 Provisional duty 
imposed on 2 December 2012 
Egypt Termination on 5 December 2012 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of matches (in boxes) (HS 3605) 
from Pakistan (initiated on 
22 December 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/EGY, 
1 February 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Egypt Termination on 24 December 2012 of 
safeguard duties on imports of polypropylene (HS 3902.10.90) (investigation initiated on 31 May 2012, and provisional duty imposed in June 2012. On 12 September 2012, provisional duty was suspended, but investigation procedures were continued) WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/EGY/7, 6 June 2012; G/SG/N/7/EGY/6/ Suppl.1, 24 September 2012; and G/SG/N/7/EGY/6/ Suppl.2, 17 January 2013   
Egypt Termination on 20 August 2013 of safeguard 
duties on imports of  raw and white sugar 
(HS 1701.11; 1701.12; 1701.99.90)  
(investigation initiated on 30 November 2012 
and provisional duty imposed on 
2 December 2012) WTO document 
G/SG/N/7/EGY/7/ 
Suppl.1/Corr.1, 
11 September 2013   
European Union Termination on 7 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film (HS 3920.62.19; 3920.62.90) from Brazil, Israel (imposed on 18 November 2004), and India (imposed on 23 August 2001)  Commission Notice 
2012/C 336/10 (6 November 2012)   
European Union Initiation on 8 November 2012 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules or 
panels and cells and wafe rs of the type used 
in crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules or 
panels. The cells and wafers have a thickness 
not exceeding 400 µm (HS 3818.00.10; 
8501.31.00; 8501.32.00; 8501.33.00; 
8501.34.00; 8501.61.20; 8501.61.80; 
8501.62.00; 8501.63.00; 8501.64.00; 
8541.40.90) from China WTO document 
G/SCM/N/250/EU, 
8 April 2013; and 
Commission 
Regulation 513/2013 
(4 June 2013)  Provisional measure 
imposed on 
6 June 2013 
European Union Initiation on 10 November 2012 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
biodiesel (fatty-acid mono-alkyl esters and/or paraffinic gasoils obtained from synthesis and/or hydro-treatment, of non-fossil origin, in pure form or as included in a blend) (HS 1516.20.98; 1518.00.91; 1518.00.95; 1518.00.99; 2710.19.43; 2710.19.46; 2710.19.47; 2710.20.11; 2710.20.15; 2710.20.17; 3824.90.97; 3826.00.10; 3826.00.90) from Argentina and Indonesia WTO document 
G/SCM/N/250/EU, 
8 April 2013    
European Union Termination on 5 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of 
silico-manganese (including ferro-silico-
manganese) "SiMn" (HS 7202.30.00; 
8111.00.11) from China, Kazakhstan, and 
Ukraine (imposed on 5 December 2007)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/EU, 
8 April 2013; and 
Commission Notice 
2012/C 375/08 
(5 December 2012)   
European Union Termination on 12 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of gas-fuelled, non-refillable pocket flint lighters and certain refillable pocket flint lighters (HS 9613.10.00) from China (imposed on 4 May 1995) and Chinese Taipei (imposed on 29 January 1999) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/EU, 8 April 2013   
European Union Initiation on 20 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
molybdenum wire, containing by weight 97% 
or more but less than 99.95% of 
molybdenum, of which the maximum 
cross-sectional dimension exceeds 1.35 mm 
but does not exceed 4 mm (HS 8102.96.00) 
from China (possible circumvention of 
anti-dumping measures of imports from China 
imposed in 2010) Commission 
Regulation 
No. 1236/2012 
(19 December 2012) 
and Council 
Implementing 
Regulation 
No. 871/2013 
(2 September 2013) Definitive duty 
extended on 
13 September 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 103 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
European Union Termination on 21 December 2012 (without 
measure) of countervailing investigation on imports of bioethanol, sometimes referred to as "fuel ethanol", i.e. ethyl alcohol produced 
from agricultural products denatured or undenatured, excluding products with a water content of more than 0.3% (m/m) measured according to the standard EN 15376, as well as ethyl alcohol produc ed from agricultural 
products contained in blends with gasoline with an ethyl alcohol content of more than 10% (v/v) (HS 2207.10.00; 2207.20.00; 
2208.90.99; 2710.11.11; 2710.11.15; 
2710.11.21; 2710.11.25; 2710.11.31; 2710.11.41; 2710.11.45; 2710.11.49; 2710.11.51; 2710.11.59; 2710.11.70; 2710.11.90; 3814.00.10; 3814.00.90; 3820.00.00; 3824.90.97) from the U.S. (initiated on 5 November 2011) WTO document 
G/SCM/N/250/EU, 8 April 2013    
European Union Termination on 25 January 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of 
dihydromyrcenol (HS 2905.22.90) from India 
(imposed on 26 January 2008)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 
20 September 2013   
European Union Termination on 14 February 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of "hollow sections" welded tubes, pipes and hollow prof iles of square or 
rectangular cross-section, of iron other than cast iron or steel othe r than stainless, but 
excluding line pipe of a kind used for oil or gas pipelines and casing and tubing of a kind used in drilling for oil or gas (HS 7306.61.92; 7306.61.99) from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, and Ukraine 
(initiated on 31 March 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 20 September 2013    
European Union Termination on 14 February 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of white phosphorus 
(elemental/yellow phosphorus) 
(HS 2804.70.00) from Kazakhstan (initiated 
on 17 December 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 
20 September 2013   
European Union Initiation on 28 February 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of solar glass (HS 7007.19.80) from China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 20 September 2013   
European Union Termination on 28 February 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of 
ferro-silicon (HS 7202.21.00; 7202.29.20; 
7202.29.90) from China, Egypt, Kazakhstan, 
Russian Federation, and the Former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia (imposed on 
28 February 2008)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 
20 September 2013   
European Union Termination on 12 March 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of certain stainless steel fasteners and parts thereof (HS 7318.12.10; 7318.14.10; 7318.15.30; 7318.15.51; 7318.15.61; 7318.15.70) from Malaysia and 
Thailand  (possible circumvention of 
anti-dumping measures of imports from China imposed in 2012) (initiated on 14 June 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 20 September 2013   
European Union Termination on 15 March 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of coke of 
coal in pieces with a diameter of more than 
80 mm (coke 80+) (HS 2704.00.19) from 
China (imposed on 18 March 2008)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 
20 September 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 104 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
European Union Termination on 26 March 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of ethanolamines (HS 2922.11.00; 2922.12.00; 2922.13.10) from the U.S. (imposed on 1 February 1994)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 20 September 2013   
European Union Initiation on 10 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of open mesh fabrics 
made of glass fibres, with a cell size of more 
than 1.8 mm both in length and in width and 
weighing more than 35 g/m2 (HS 7019.51.00; 
7019.59.00) from India and Indonesia 
(possible circumvention of anti-dumping 
measures of imports from China imposed in 
2011) Commission 
Regulation 
No. 322/2013 
(9 April 2013)   
European Union Initiation on 27 April 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of solar glass (HS 7007.19.80) from China  WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/EU, 23 September 2013    
European Union Termination on 14 May 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of threaded tube or pipe cast fittings, 
of malleable cast iron "MTF" (HS 7307.19.10) 
from Indonesia (initiated on 
16 February 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 
20 September 2013   
European Union Termination on 23 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of "PET" polyethylene terephthalate having a viscosity number of 78 ml/g or higher, according to ISO standard 1628-5 (HS 3907.60.20) from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand (imposed on 30 November 2000)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 20 September 2013    
European Union Termination on 23 May 2013 (without 
measure) of countervailing investigation on 
imports of bicycles and other cycles (including 
delivery tricycles but excluding unicycles) 
(HS 8712.00.30; 8712.00.70) from China 
(initiated on 27 April 2012) WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/EU, 
23 September 2013   
European Union Initiation on 28 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of agglomerated stone (HS 6810.11.90; 6810.19.00; 6810.91.00; 6810.99.00; 7016.10.00; 7016.90.40; 7016.90.70; 7020.00.80) from 
China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 20 September 2013    
European Union Termination on 4 July 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of aluminium foil of a thickness of not 
less than 0.008 mm and not more than 
0.018 mm, not backed, not further worked 
than rolled, in rolls which are not annealed, of 
a width exceeding 650 mm and of a weight 
exceeding 10 kg (HS 7607.11.19) from China 
(possible circumvention of anti-dumping 
measures of imports from China imposed in 
2009) (investigation initiated on 
23 October 2012) Commission 
Regulations 
Nos. 973/2012 
(22 October 2012) 
and 638/2013 
(2 July 2013)   
European Union Termination on 23 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of ironing boards, whether or not free standing, with or without a steam soaking and/or heating top and/or blowing top, including sleeve boards, and essential 
parts thereof (i.e. the legs, the top and the iron rest) (HS 3924.90.00; 4421.90.98;7323.93.00; 7323.99.00; 8516.79.70; 8516.90.00) from Ukraine (imposed on 26 April 2007)  Council Implementing 
Regulation No. 695/2013 (15 July 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 105 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
European Union Termination on 20 August 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of stainless steel tube and pipe 
butt-welding fittings, whether or not finished 
(HS 7307.23.10; 7307.23.90) from China 
and Chinese Taipei  (initiated on 
10 November 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/EU, 
8 April 2013; and 
Commission Decision 
2013/440/EU 
(20 August 2013)   
European Union Termination on 7 November 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of seamless pipes and tubes of iron or steel, other than of stai nless steel, of circular 
cross-section, of an external diameter 
exceeding 406.4 mm (HS 7304.19.90; 
7304.29.90; 7304.39.98; 7304.59.99) from China (initiated on 16 February 2013)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/EU, 20 September 2013; and Commission Decision 
2013/639/EU 
(6 November 2013)   
India Initiation on 23 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
solar-cells whether or not assembled partially 
or fully in modules or panels or on glass or 
some other suitable substrates 
(HS 8541.40.11) from China, Malaysia, 
Chinese Taipei, and the U.S. WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/IND, 
27 March 2013   
India Termination on 26 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of caustic soda (HS 2815.11; 2815.12) from France and Japan (imposed on 26 December 2000) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/IND, 27 March 2013   
India Termination on 3 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of digital 
offset printing plates (HS 3701.30.00; 
3704.00.90; 3705.10.00; 7606.91.90; 
7606.92.90; 8442.50.20) from Japan 
(investigation initiated on 13 June 2011 and 
provisional duty imposed on 4 June 2012)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/IND, 
27 March 2013 and 
Notification 
No. 51/2012 -
Customs (ADD) 
Ministry of Finance - 
Department of 
Revenue 
(3 December 2012)    
India Initiation on 10 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of cast aluminium alloy wheels (HS 8708.70) from China; Korea, Republic of; and Thailand WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/IND, 27 March 2013   
India Termination on 8 January 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of 
trimethoprim-II (HS 2933.59.20) from China 
(imposed on 9 January 2002) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Termination on 13 March 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of compact disc-recordable (CD-R) (HS 8523.90.50) from Iran; Korea, Republic of; Malaysia; Thailand; the United Arab Emirates; and Viet Nam (imposed on 13 March 2008)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 11 September 2013    
India Termination on 20 March 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of electrical insulators made of 
porcelain/ceramic or glass, whether 
assembled or unassembled (HS 8546.10; 
8546.20) from China (initiated on 
9 April 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Termination on 27 March 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of caustic soda-II (HS 2815.11; 2815.12) from Qatar (imposed on 27 March 2002)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 11 September 2013    WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 106 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
India Initiation on 4 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of methylene chloride 
(dichloromethane or methylene dichloride 
"MDC") (HS 2903.12.00) from the EU; 
Korea, Republic of; and the U.S.  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013; 
and Notification 
No. 24/2013 -
Customs (ADD) 
Ministry of Finance - 
Department of 
Revenue 
(21 October 2013)  Provisional duty 
imposed on 
21 October 2013 
India Initiation on 11 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of clear float glass (HS 7005.10.90) from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of;  and the United Arab Emirates  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 11 September 2013    
India Termination on 11 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of white cement 
(HS 2523.21) from Iran and the United Arab 
Emirates (imposed on 14 June 2001)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Termination on 12 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of  dry cell batteries 
(HS 8506.10) from China (imposed on 6 February 2001)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 11 September 2013    
India Initiation on 17 April 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of sodium nitrite 
(HS 2834.10.10)   WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/IND/31, 
1 May 2013    
India Initiation on 22 April 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of tubes, pipes and hollow profiles, seamless of iron, alloy or non-alloy steel (other than cast iron and stainless steel) whether hot finished or cold drawn or cold rolled, of external diameter not exceeding 273.1 mm (O.D) (HS 7304.19.10; 7304.19.20; 7304.19.90; 7304.23.10; 
7304.23.90; 7304.29.10; 7304.29.90; 
7304.31.11; 7304.31.19; 7304.31.21; 7304.31.29; 7304.31.31; 7304.31.39; 7304.39.11; 7304.39.19; 7304.39.21; 7304.39.29; 7304.39.31; 7304.39.39; 7304.51.10; 7304.51.20; 7304.51.30; 7304.59.10; 7304.59.20; 7304.59.30; 7304.90.00)   WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/IND/32, 1 May 2013    
India Termination on 28 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of  pentaerythritol-I 
(HS 2905.42.00) from Japan (imposed on 
27 March 2002)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Termination on 3 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of phenol-I (HS 2707.60; 2907.11.10) from the EU and Singapore (imposed on 13 August 2002) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 11 September 2013    
India Initiation on 7 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of phenol 
(HS 2907.11.10) from Chinese Taipei and the 
U.S. WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Initiation on 20 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of graphite electrodes of all diameters (HS 3801.10.00; 
3801.90.00; 8311.90.00; 8535.40.10; 
8545.11.00; 8545.19.00; 8545.90.90; 8547.10.90) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 11 September 2013    
India Initiation on 5 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of sodium nitrate 
(HS 3102.50.00) from China; EU; 
Korea, Republic of; and Ukraine WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Initiation on 6 June 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of methyl acetoacetate (HS 2918.30.40)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/IND/33, 10 June 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 107 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
India Initiation on 21 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of pentaerythritol 
(HS 2905.42.00) from the Russian Federation WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Initiation on 21 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of USB flash drives (HS 8523.51.00) from China; Korea, Republic of; and Chinese Taipei WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 11 September 2013    
India Termination on 26 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of vi trified porcelain tiles 
(HS 6907; 6908; 6914) from China (imposed 
on 2 May 2002)   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/IND, 
11 September 2013    
India Initiation on 12 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of flexible slabstock 
polyol (HS 3907.20) from Australia, the EU, and Singapore Permanent 
Delegation of India 
to the WTO (12 November 2013)   
India Initiation on 23 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of acetone 
(HS 2914.11.00) from Saudi Arabia, Kingdom 
of, and Chinese Taipei Permanent 
Delegation of India 
to the WTO 
(12 November 2013)   
India Termination on 23 July 2013 of safeguard 
duties (China specific) on imports of hot rolled flat products of stainless steel of 300 series (of all widths) and encompassing all austenitic grades having minimum nickel content of 6%, compulsorily co ntaining chromium with or 
without the presence of other alloying element like molybdenum, titanium (HS 7219.11; 7219.12; 7219.13; 7219.14; 7219.21; 7219.22; 7219.23; 7219.24; 7220.11; 7220.12) (investigation initiated on 26 June 2012 and final duty imposed on 4 January 2013)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/16/IND/10, 6 July 2012; and Notifications Nos. 1/2013 and 2/2013-Customs (SG) Ministry of Finance - Department of Revenue (4 January 2013 and 29 August 2013)   
India Termination on 24 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of cathode ray television 
picture tubes (HS 8540.11) from China; 
Korea, Republic of; Malaysia; and Thailand 
(imposed on 24 July 2008)   Permanent 
Delegation of India 
to the WTO 
(12 November 2013)   
India Termination on 4 September 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of hydrogen peroxide (HS 2847.00.00) from China; the EU; Korea, Republic of; and Turkey (imposed on 4 September 2008)   Permanent 
Delegation of India  to the WTO (12 November 2013)   
India Initiation on 5 September 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
electrical insulators of glass, or 
ceramics/porcelain (HS 8546) from China Permanent 
Delegation of India 
to the WTO 
(12 November 2013)   
India Initiation on 8 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of purified terephthalic acid "PTA" (HS 2917.36.00) from China; the EU; Korea, Republic of; and Thailand  Notification 
No. 14/7/2013-DGAD Ministry of Commerce & Industry (8 October 2013)    
India Initiation on 18 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of electronic 
calculators (HS 8470.10) from China  Notification 
No. 14/19/2013-
DGAD Ministry of 
Commerce & 
Industry 
(18 October 2013)    
Indonesia Initiation on 28 November 2012 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of sheath contraceptive (HS 4014.10.00)   WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/IDN/20, 30 November 2012    
Indonesia Initiation on 19 December 2012 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of flat-rolled product 
of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 
600 mm or more, clad, plated or coated with 
aluminium-zinc alloys, containing by weight 
less than 0.6% of carbon, with a thickness 
not exceeding 1.2 mm (HS 7210.61.11)   WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/IDN/22, 
8 January 2013    WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 108 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Indonesia Initiation on 28 December 2012 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of kilowatt hour meters including relevant parts and accessories (HS 9028.30.10; 9028.90.90)   WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/IDN/23, 10 January 2013    
Indonesia Termination on 28 March 2013 (without 
measure) of safeguard investigation on 
imports of D-glusitol (sorbitol) 
(HS 2905.44.00; 3824.60.00) (initiated on 
13 December 2012) WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/IDN/21, 
19 December 2012 
and G/SG/N/9/IDN/6, 
29 April 2013   
Indonesia Termination on 31 July 2013 (without 
measure) of safeguard investigation on imports of dextrose monohydrate 
(HS 1702.30.10; 1702.40.00) (initiated on 
22 October 2012) WTO document 
G/SG/N/10/IDN/2/ Suppl.2, 
13 August 2013    
Israel Initiation on 16 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on bituminous 
membranes (HS 6807.10) from Italy WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/ISR, 
19 March 2013   
Israel Termination on 23 January 2013 (complaint 
withdrawn by complainant) of anti-dumping duties on elbow butt pipe fittings (HS 7307.93.40; 7307.99.20) from China (investigation initiated on 18 March 2010 and provisional and definiti ve duties imposed on 
7 September 2010 and 12 April 2011, respectively) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ISR, 30 July 2013   
Israel Termination on 9 April 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
stretch wrap (HS 3919.90; 3920.10) from 
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of (initiated on 
2 July 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ISR, 
30 July 2013   
Israel Initiation on 5 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on machine made rugs (HS 5701; 5702; 5703; 5704; 5705) from Turkey WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ISR, 30 July 2013   
Israel Termination on 15 September 2013 of 
safeguard duties on imports of glass wool and 
rock wool (HS 6806.10.00; 7019.39.19) 
(investigation initiated on 11 January 2011 
and definitive duty imposed on 
4 January 2012) WTO documents 
G/SG/N/8/ISR/1, 
9 January 2012 and 
G/SG/N/9/ISR/1, 
25 October 2013   
Japan Termination on 26 June 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of uncoated certain cut sheet paper (HS 4802.56; 4802.62) from Indonesia (initiated on 29 June 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/JPN, 1 August 2013   
Japan Termination on 31 August 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of electrolytic 
manganese dioxide (HS 2820.10) from 
Australia (imposed on 1 September 2008) Permanent 
Delegation of Japan 
to the WTO 
(11 November 2013)   
Korea, 
Republic of Initiation on 9 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on plywood (HS 4412.31; 4412.32) from China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/KOR, 4 February 2013; and Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to the WTO (8 November 2013) Definitive duty 
imposed on 18 October 2013 
Korea, 
Republic of  Initiation on 7 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on oriented polypropylene film 
(HS 3920.20.00; 3921.90.20) from China, 
Indonesia, and Thailand  Korea Trade 
Commission 
(2013-1), Korean 
Government Gazette-
17924 
(7 January 2013)   
Kyrgyz Republic Initiation on 2 July 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of wheat flour (HS 1101.00.11; 1101.00.15)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/KGZ/4, 15 August 2013    WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 109 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Malaysia Termination on 22 November 2012 
(withdrawal by the petitioner) of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
hot-rolled coils (HS 7208.36.00; 7208.37.00; 
7208.38.00; 7208.39.10; 7208.39.91; 
7208.39.99) from Chinese Taipei (initiated on 
27 July 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/MYS, 
31 January 2013   
Malaysia Initiation on 20 February 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of electrolytic tinplate (HS 7210.12.20) from China and Korea, Republic of WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MYS/ Rev.1, 19 November 2013   
Malaysia Termination on 20 February 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of steel wire 
rods (HS 7213.10; 7213.20; 7213.91; 
7213.99) from Turkey (investigation initiated 
on 26 June 2012 and provisional duty 
imposed on 23 October 2012 )  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MYS/ 
Rev.1, 
19 November 2013   
Malaysia Initiation on 5 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of newsprint in rolls (HS 4801.00.10) from Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MYS/ Rev.1, 19 November 2013   
Malaysia Initiation on 10 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of stranded wire, 
ropes, cables (HS 7312.10.00) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MYS/ 
Rev.1, 
19 November 2013   
Malaysia Initiation on 2 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of cellulose fibre reinforced cement flat and pattern sheets (HS 6811.82.10; 6811.82.90) from Thailand Federal Government 
Gazette P.U. (B) 280 - [MITI:ID/(S)/ AP/AD/045/35; PN(PU2)529/XII] (26 June 2013)   
Mexico Initiation on 21 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
seamless steel pipes (HS 7304.19.01; 
7304.19.04; 7304.19.99; 7304.31.01; 
7304.31.10; 7304.31.99; 7304.39.01; 
7304.39.05; 7304.39.99) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MEX, 
12 September 2013  Provisional duty 
imposed on 
25 June 2013 
Mexico Termination on 27 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of amoxicillin trihydrate (HS 2941.10.12) from India (initiated on 12 July 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/MEX, 14 March 2013   
Mexico Initiation on 1 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of synthetic fibre 
blankets (HS 6301.40.01; 9404.90.99) from 
China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MEX, 
12 September 2013; 
and Resolución - 
Expediente 
Administrativo 02/13 
UPCI 
(29 August 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
9 September 2013 
Mexico Termination on 1 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of ch ildren's bicycles with 
wheels of 12, 14, 16 or 20 inches in diameter, of all types (HS 8712.00.02; 8712.00.04) from China (investigation initiated on 5 March 2012 and provisional duty imposed on 27 July 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MEX, 12 September 2013    
Mexico Initiation on 8 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of pencils 
(HS 9609.10.01) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MEX, 
12 September 2013; 
and Resolución - 
Expediente 
Administrativo 16/12 
UPCI 
(26 August 2013)  Provisional duty 
imposed on 
5 September 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 110 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Mexico Initiation on 22 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of carbon steel plate in sheets (HS 7225.40.01; 7225.40.02) from the Russian Federation and Ukraine (possible circumvention of anti-dumping measures)  Permanent 
Delegation of Mexico to the WTO (28 November 2013)   
Mexico Initiation on 4 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of galvanized steel 
mesh (HS 7314.19.02; 7314.19.03; 
7314.31.01) from China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MEX, 
12 September 2013    
Mexico Initiation on 5 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 
600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated 
or coated (HS 7225.30.03) from the Russian Federation (possible circumvention of anti-dumping measures)  Resolución - 
Expediente Administrativo A.E. 
06/13 UPCI 
(27 June 2013)   
Mexico Initiation on 19 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of flat-rolled products 
of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 
600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated 
or coated (HS 7225.30.04; 7225.30.05; 
7225.40.03; 7225.40.04) from the 
Russian Federation (possible circumvention of 
anti-dumping measures)  Permanent 
Delegation of Mexico 
to the WTO 
(28 November 2013)   
Mexico Initiation on 27 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel (HS 7208.51.01; 7208.51.02; 7208.51.03; 7208.52.01; 7225.40.01; 7225.40.02) from China  Permanent 
Delegation of Mexico to the WTO (28 November 2013)   
Mexico Initiation on 10 August 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of food mixers 
(HS 8509.40.01) from China  Permanent 
Delegation of Mexico 
to the WTO 
(28 November 2013)   
Mexico Initiation on 23 August 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of steel stranded 
cables (HS 7312.10.01; 7312.10.05; 7312.10.07; 7312.10.99) from China  Permanent 
Delegation of Mexico 
to the WTO (28 November 2013)   
Mexico Initiation on 27 October 2013 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
metropol tartrate (HS 2922.19.28) from India  Permanent 
Delegation of Mexico 
to the WTO 
(28 November 2013)   
Morocco Initiation on 25 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of insulin (HS 3004.31.10) from Denmark WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/MAR, 4 March 2013   
Morocco Initiation on 21 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of flat-rolled products 
of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 
600 mm or more, cold-rolled (cold-reduced), 
not clad, plated or coated (HS 7208; 
7211.13; 7211.14; 7211.19) from the EU and 
Turkey  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MAR, 
30 September 2013 (HS 7208 except 
7208.10; 7208.40) 
Morocco Initiation on 18 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of uncoated paper and paperboard (HS 4802.55.10; 4802.55.90; 4802.56.10; 4802.56.90; 4802.57.10; 4802.57.90; 4802.62.20; 4802.62.90; 4802.69.90; 4804.42.00; 4810.13.20; 
4810.13.80) from Portugal WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/MAR, 30 September 2013   
New Zealand Initiation on 11 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of diaries, with or 
without covers, containing  a written record of 
daily/weekly/yearly events, appointments, 
reference material and observations 
(HS 4820.10.00) from Korea, Republic of  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/NZL, 
18 September 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 111 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
New Zealand Termination in September 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of certain bound stationery (HS 4820.10.00; 4820.20.00; 4820.90.01; 4820.90.09) from Malaysia (imposed on 12 September 2007)   Permanent 
Delegation of New Zealand to the WTO (16 October 2013)   
Pakistan Initiation on 14 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
pegylated interferon Alpha-2A 
(HS 3002.20.90) from Switzerland  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/PAK, 
27 March 2013    
Pakistan Initiation on 30 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of wall and floor tiles (HS 6907.10.00; 6907.90.00; 6908.10.00; 
6908.90.10; 6908.90.90) from Iran, Malaysia, 
Spain, and the United Arab Emirates Permanent 
Delegation of Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013)   
Pakistan Termination on 31 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of polyester staple fibre 
"PSF" (HS 5503.20.10) from China 
(investigation initiated on 26 June 2012 and 
provisional duty imposed on 
21 December 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/PAK, 
27 March 2013; and 
Permanent 
Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013)    
Peru Termination on 19 October 2012 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of unglazed or glazed ceramic flags and paving (HS 6907.90.00; 6908.90.00) from China (initiated on 20 August 2011)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/PER, 19 March 2013    
Peru Termination on 4 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of various fabrics (cotton 
and blended), other than woven fabrics of 
polyester mixed with viscose rayon 
(HS 5513.31.00; 5515.12.00) from China 
(imposed on 2 August 1995)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/PER, 
25 September 2013    
Peru Termination on 26 March 2013 of 
countervailing duties on imports of olive oil 
(HS 1509.10; 1509.90; 1510.00) from Italy 
and Spain (investigation initiated on 7 July 2009, and definitive duty imposed on 4 December 2010) WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/PER, 
26 September 2013    
Peru Initiation on 18 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of hot-welded tubes 
of iron or steel (HS 7306.30.99; 7306.61.00; 
7306.90.00) from China Permanent 
Delegation of Peru 
to the WTO 
(3 December 2013)   
Philippines Initiation on 7 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of wheat flour (HS 1101.00.10) from Turkey WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/PHL, 11 September 2013   
Philippines Initiation on 20 September 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of newsprint 
(HS 4801.00.10; 4801.00.90) WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/PHL/9, 
1 October 2013    
Philippines Initiation on 27 September 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of galvanized iron sheets and coils (GI), and pre-painted galvanized iron sheets and coils (PPGI) (HS 7210.41.10; 7210.41.90; 7210.49.90; 7210.69.10; 7210.69.90; 7210.70.11; 7210.70.12; 7210.70.30; 7210.70.60; 7210.70.90; 7210.90.40; 7210.90.50; 7210.90.90; 7212.30.19; 7212.30.93; 
7212.30.99; 7212.40.11; 7212.40.19; 
7212.50.12; 7212.50.13; 7212.50.19; 7212.50.29) WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/PHL/10, 10 October 2013    WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 112 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Customs Union 
between the 
Russian 
Federation, 
Belarus, and 
Kazakhstan Termination on 14 May 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of light commercial vehicles 
(HS 8704.21.31; 8704.21.91) from Poland 
(initiated on 16 November 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/RUS, 
24 September 2013; 
and Permanent 
Delegation of the 
Russian Federation 
(28 November 2013)   
Customs Union 
between the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Kazakhstan Termination on 16 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of bearing tubes 
(HS 7304.51.12; 7304.51.18; 7304.51.81; 7304.51.89; 7304.59.32; 7304.59.38; 7304.59.92; 7304.59.93; 7304.59.99) from China; Hong Kong, China; Macao, China; and Chinese Taipei (imposed on 17 June 2010)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/RUS, 24 September 2013; and Permanent Delegation of the Russian Federation (28 November 2013)   
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Initiation on 2 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
unframed mirrors (HS 7009.91) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ZAF, 
11 September 2013; 
and Notice 
No. 516/2013 of the 
International Trade 
Administration 
Commission - 
Government Gazette 
No. 36684 
(26 July 2013) Provisional and 
definitive duties 
imposed on 8 March 
and 26 July 2013, 
respectively 
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Initiation on 25 January 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of coated paper and paperboard (HS 4810.19.90) from China and Korea, Republic of WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ZAF, 11 September 2013   
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Termination on 1 February 2013 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on 
imports of screw studding (rods threaded 
throughout) of steel and of stainless steel 
"threaded rods" (HS 7318.15.35; 7318.15.41) 
from China (initiated on 23 September 2011) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ZAF, 
11 September 2013   
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Initiation on 8 March 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of frozen potato chips (HS 2004.10.90)  WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/ZAF/3, 13 March 2013 and G/SG/N/7/ZAF/2/ Suppl.1, 19 July 2013 Provisional duty 
imposed on 5 July 2013 
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Termination on 8 March 2013 (without 
measure) of safeguard investigation on 
imports of frozen potato chips 
(HS 2004.10.90)  (initiated on 
23 November 2012) WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/ZAF/2, 
25 January 2013 and 
G/SG/N/9/ZAF/1, 
13 March 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 113 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Termination on 8 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of frozen chicken meat, whole bird and boneless cuts and offal "species Gallus Domesticus " (HS 0207.12.90; 
0207.14.10) from Brazil (investigation initiated on 24 June 2011 and provisional duty imposed on 10 February 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ZAF, 11 September 2013   
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Initiation on 21 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of frozen potato 
chips (HS 2004.10.90) from Belgium and the 
Netherlands WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ZAF, 
11 September 2013; 
and Notice 
No. 635/2013 of the 
International Trade 
Administration 
Commission - 
Government Gazette 
No. 36575 
(21 June 2013) Duty imposed in 
July 2013 
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Initiation on 21 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of "soda ash" disodium carbonate (HS 2836.20) from the US WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/ZAF, 11 September 2013   
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Termination on 16 August 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of 
acetaminophenol (HS 2924.29.05) from China 
(imposed on 20 August 1993) and the U.S. 
(imposed on 18 June 1999) Notice No. 610/2013 
of the International 
Trade Administration 
Commission - 
Government Gazette 
No. 36737 
(16 August 2013); 
and Permanent 
Delegation of South 
Africa to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)   
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Termination on 21 August 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of door locks and door handles (HS 8301.40; 8302.41) from China (imposed on 25 January 2002)  Report No. 407 of the 
International Trade Administration Commission - Government Gazette No. 36905 (3 September 2013); and Permanent Delegation of South Africa to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Initiation on 25 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of frozen bone-in 
portions of fowls of the species Gallus 
Domesticus  (HS 0207.14.90) from Germany, 
Netherlands, and the United Kingdom Notice No. 
1047/2013 of the 
International Trade 
Administration 
Commission - 
Government Gazette 
No. 36951 
(25 October 2013); 
and Permanent 
Delegation of South 
Africa to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)    WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 114 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Separate 
Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu Termination on 11 December 2012 (without 
measure) of anti-dumping investigation on imports of coated paper (HS 4810.13; 4810.14; 4810.19) from China; Finland; Japan; and Korea, Republic of (initiated on 3 February 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/TPKM, 12 February 2013   
Separate 
Customs 
Territory of 
Taiwan, 
Penghu, 
Kinmen and 
Matsu Initiation on 20 February 2013 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
flat-rolled products of stainless steel, cold-
rolled, whether in coils or sheets 
(HS 7219.32; 7219.33; 7219.34; 7219.35; 
7220.20) from China and Korea, Republic of WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/TPKM, 
11 September 2013; 
and Permanent 
Delegation of the 
Separate Customs 
Territory of Taiwan, 
Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu to the WTO 
(11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
15 August 2013 
Separate 
Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu Initiation on 18 October 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of high density polyethylene "HDPE" and linear low density polyethylene "LLDPE" (HS 3901.10.00; 3901.20.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/TPKM/1, 28 October 2013   
Thailand Initiation on 29 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of high 
carbon steel wire rod (HS 7213.91.90; 
7227.90.00) from China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/THA, 
27 March 2013; and 
Permanent 
Delegation of 
Thailand to the WTO 
(11 November 2013) Provisional duty 
imposed on 
9 August 2013 
Thailand Initiation on 30 November 2012 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of hot rolled steel flat products with certain amounts of alloying elements such as boron, chromium, etc., in coils and not in coils, with or without patterns in relief, of a thickness of 0.9-50 mm and a 
width of 100-3,048 mm (HS 7225.30.90; 
7225.40.90; 7226.91.10; 7226.91.90)   WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/THA/2, 4 December 2012; G/SG/N/7/THA/2/ Suppl.1, 24 June 2013 and 
Permanent 
Delegation of Thailand to the WTO (11 November 2013) Provisional and 
definitive duties imposed on 27 February and 15 September 2013, respectively 
Thailand Termination on 31 August 2013 (without 
measure) of safeguard investigation on 
imports of woven fabrics (HS 5208; 5513)  
(initiated on 7 December 2012) WTO document 
G/SG/N/9/THA/1, 
12 September 2013   
Turkey Initiation on 18 October 2012 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of yarn of man-made or synthetic or artificial staple fibres (HS 5508; 5509; 5510; 5511) from Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, and Viet Nam   WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/TUR, 28 March 2013   
Turkey Initiation on 27 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
uncoloured float glass (HS 7005.29) from 
Romania WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/TUR, 
28 March 2013   
Turkey Initiation on 14 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of fittings (HS 7307.19) from Chinese Taipei (possible circumvention of anti-dumping measures of imports from China imposed on 22 January 2010)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/TUR, 28 March 2013; and Permanent Delegation of Turkey to the WTO 
(13 November 2013) Definitive duty 
imposed on 26 September 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 115 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Turkey Initiation on 14 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of 
aluminium offset printing plates 
(HS 3701.30.00) from Malaysia (possible 
circumvention of anti-dumping measures)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/TUR, 
28 March 2013; and 
Permanent 
Delegation of Turkey 
to the WTO 
(13 November 2013) Definitive duty 
imposed on 
28 September 2013 
Turkey Initiation on 14 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of articulated link chain and parts thereof (HS 7315.11.90; 7315.12.00; 7315.19.00) from Malaysia; Korea, Republic of; and 
Chinese Taipei (possible circumvention of 
anti-dumping measures of imports from China imposed on 23 May 2010)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/TUR, 28 March 2013   
Turkey Termination on 29 December 2012 of 
safeguard duties on imports of cotton yarn 
(other than sewing thread), not put up for 
retail sale, containing 85% or more by weight 
of cotton (HS 5205) (imposed on 
3 June 2008) WTO document 
G/SG/N/10/TUR/11/ 
Suppl.1, 
8 January 2013    
Turkey Initiation on 8 January 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of terephthalic acid (HS 2917.36.00)   WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/TUR/17, 15 January 2013    
Turkey Initiation on 26 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of fully drawn yarn 
(HS 5402.47) from China, India, and Malaysia  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/TUR, 
2 August 2013   
Turkey Initiation on 5 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of instantaneous gas water heaters (HS 8419.11.00) from China WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/TUR, 2 August 2013   
Turkey Initiation on 24 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of woven fabrics of 
synthetic filament yarn (HS 5407) from 
China; Korea, Republic of; Malaysia; Chinese 
Taipei; and Thailand  Permanent 
Delegation of Turkey 
to the WTO 
(13 November 2013)   
Turkey Initiation on 25 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of blankets and long pile fabrics of syntheti c fibres and others of 
man-made fibres for blankets (HS 6001.10; 6001.92; 6301.40; 6301.90) from China  Permanent 
Delegation of Turkey to the WTO (13 November 2013)   
Turkey Initiation on 25 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of laminated flooring 
(HS 4411.13.90; 4411.14.90; 4411.92.90; 
4411.93.90) from China  Permanent 
Delegation of Turkey 
to the WTO 
(13 November 2013)   
Turkey Initiation on 26 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of textured yarn of nylon or other polyamides, measuring per single yarn more than 50 tex (HS 5402.31) from China  Permanent 
Delegation of Turkey to the WTO (13 November 2013)   
Ukraine Termination on 8 March 2013 of anti-dumping 
duties on imports of refrigerators, freezers for 
domestic use (HS 8418) from China and 
Turkey (imposed on 8 March 2008) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/UKR, 
24 September 2013   
Ukraine Termination on 28 March 2013 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of abrasive instruments fro m the Russian Federation 
(imposed on 28 March 2008)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/UKR, 24 September 2013   
Ukraine Initiation on 21 May 2013 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of tableware and 
kitchenware of porcelain (HS 6911.10.00)  WTO document 
G/SG/N/6/UKR/10, 
30 May 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 116 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
United States Initiation on 24 October 2012 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of hardwood and decorative plywood (HS 4412.10.05; 4412.31.05; 4412.31.25; 4412.31.40; 4412.31.51; 4412.31.60; 4412.31.91; 4412.32.05; 4412.32.25; 4412.32.31; 4412.32.56; 4412.39.10; 4412.39.30; 4412.39.40; 4412.39.50; 4412.94.10; 4412.94.31; 4412.94.41; 4412.94.60; 4412.94.70; 4412.94.80; 4412.94.90; 4412.99.06; 4412.99.10; 4412.99.31; 4412.99.41; 4412.99.57; 
4412.99.60; 4412.99.70; 4412.99.80; 
4412.99.90) from China  WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/USA, 18 September 2013 Provisional duty 
imposed on 14 March 2013 
United States Initiation on 25 October 2012 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of hardwood and 
decorative plywood (HS 4412.10.05; 
4412.31.05; 4412.31.25; 4412.31.40; 
4412.31.51; 4412.31.60; 4412.31.91; 
4412.32.05; 4412.32.25; 4412.32.31; 
4412.32.56; 4412.39.10; 4412.39.30; 
4412.39.40; 4412.39.50; 4412.94.10; 
4412.94.31; 4412.94.41; 4412.94.60; 
4412.94.70; 4412.94.80; 4412.94.90; 
4412.99.06; 4412.99.10; 4412.99.31; 
4412.99.41; 4412.99.57; 4412.99.60; 
4412.99.70; 4412.99.80; 4412.99.90) from 
China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/USA, 
19 September 2013 Provisional duty 
imposed on 
3 May 2013 
United States Termination on 7 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of silicomanganese (HS 7202.30; 7202.99) from Brazil (imposed on 22 December 1994)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/USA, 13 March 2013   
United States Termination on 29 November 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of folding 
metal tables and chairs (HS 9401.71; 
9401.79; 9403.20; 9403.60; 9403.70) from 
China (imposed on 27 June 2002)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/USA, 
13 March 2013   
United States Termination on 11 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping duties on imports of circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe (HS 7306.19.10; 7306.19.51; 7306.30.10; 7306.30.50; 7306.50.10; 7306.50.50) from India, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Viet Nam (investigation initiated on 22 November 2011 and provisional duty imposed on 1 June 2012) WTO document 
G/ADP/N/237/USA, 13 March 2013   
United States Termination on 11 December 2012 of 
countervailing duties on imports of circular 
welded carbon-quality steel pipe 
(HS 7306.19.10; 7306.19.51; 7306.30.10; 
7306.30.50; 7306.50.10; 7306.50.50) from 
India, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and 
Viet Nam (investigation initiated on 22 
November 2011. Provisional duty imposed on 
30 March 2012 for imports from India, 
United Arab Emirates and Viet Nam, and on 
2 April 2012 for imports from Oman) WTO document 
G/SCM/N/250/USA, 
15 March 2013 Terminated on 
22 October 2012 for 
imports from 
Viet Nam 
United States Initiation on 12 December 2012 of 
anti-dumping investigation on imports of silica bricks and shapes (HS 6901.00.00; 6902.20.10; 6902.20.50) from China  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/USA, 19 September 2013 Provisional duty 
imposed on 20 June 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 117 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
United States Termination on 19 March 2013 of  
anti-dumping duties on imports of 
corrosion-resistant carbon  steel flat products 
(HS 7210.30; 7210.41; 7210.49; 7210.61; 
7210.69; 7210.70; 7210.90; 7212.20; 
7212.30; 7212.40; 7212.50; 7212.60; 
7215.90; 7217.20; 7217.30; 7217.90) from 
Germany and Korea, Republic of (imposed on 
19 August 1993)  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/USA, 
19 September 2013   
United States Termination on 19 March 2013 of 
countervailing duties on imports of corrosion-resistant carbon  steel flat products 
(HS 7210.31; 7210.39; 7210.41; 7210.49; 
7210.60; 7210.70; 7210.90; 7212.21; 7212.29; 7212.30; 7212.40; 7212.50; 7212.60; 7215.90; 7217.12; 7217.13; 7217.19; 7217.22; 7217.23; 7217.29; 7217.32; 7217.33; 7217.39) from Korea, Republic of (imposed on 17 August 1993)  WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/USA, 18 September 2013   
United States Initiation on 23 April 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of 
diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated flat-rolled 
steel products (HS 7210.70; 7210.90; 
7212.40; 7212.50; 7219.90; 7220.90; 
7225.99; 7226.99) from Japan WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/USA, 
19 September 2013   
United States Initiation on 20 May 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of pre-stressed concrete steel rail tie wire (HS 7217.10; 7229.90) from China, Mexico, and Thailand  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/USA, 19 September 2013   
United States Initiation on 12 June 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of welded stainless 
pressure pipe (HS 7306.40.10; 7306.40.50) 
from Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam  WTO document 
G/ADP/N/244/USA, 
19 September 2013   
United States Initiation on 24 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of steel threaded rod (HS 7318.15.20; 7318.15.50) from India and Thailand  Permanent 
Delegation of the United States to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 24 July 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of steel threaded rod 
(HS 7318.15.20; 7318.15.50) from India  Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 29 July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of oil country tubular goods "OCTG" (HS 7304.29.10; 7304.29.20; 7304.29.31; 7304.29.41; 7304.29.50; 7304.29.61; 7304.39.00; 7304.59.60; 7304.59.80; 7305.20.20; 7305.20.40; 7305.20.60; 7305.20.80; 7305.31.40; 7305.31.60; 7306.29.10; 7306.29.20; 7306.29.31; 7306.29.41; 7306.29.60; 7306.29.81; 7306.30.50; 7306.50.50) from India; Korea, Republic of; Philippines; Saudi 
Arabia, Kingdom of; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; Turkey; Ukraine; and Viet Nam  Permanent 
Delegation of the United States to the WTO (26 November 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 118 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
United States Initiation on 29 July 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of oil country tubular 
goods "OCTG" (HS 7304.29.10; 7304.29.20; 
7304.29.31; 7304.29.41; 7304.29.50; 
7304.29.61; 7304.39.00; 7304.59.60; 
7304.59.80; 7305.20.20; 7305.20.40; 
7305.20.60; 7305.20.80; 7305.31.40; 
7305.31.60; 7306.29.10; 7306.29.20; 
7306.29.31; 7306.29.41; 7306.29.60; 
7306.29.81; 7306.30.50; 7306.50.50) from 
India and Turkey  Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 14 August 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of ferrosilicon 
(HS 7202.21.10; 7202.21.50; 7202.21.75; 7202.21.90; 7202.29.00) from the Russian Federation and Venezuela  Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
United States Termination on 19 August 2013 of 
countervailing duties on imports of frozen 
warmwater shrimp (HS 0306.17.00; 
1605.21.10; 1605.29.10) from Indonesia and 
Thailand; and on 25 October 2013 on imports 
from China, Ecuador, India, Malaysia, and 
Viet Nam (investigation initiated on 
25 January 2013 and provisional duty 
imposed on 4 June 2013) WTO document 
G/SCM/N/259/USA, 
18 September 2013; 
and Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 25 September 2013 of  
anti-dumping investigation on imports of chlorinated isocyanurates (HS 2933.69.60; 3808.40.50; 3808.50.40; 3808.94.50; 3808.99.95) from Japan  Permanent 
Delegation of the United States to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 25 September 2013 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
chlorinated isocyanurates (HS 2933.69.60; 
3808.40.50; 3808.50.40; 3808.94.50; 
3808.99.95) from China  Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 2 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of steel concrete reinforcing bar (HS 7213.10.00; 7214.20.00; 7228.30.80) from Mexico and Turkey  Permanent 
Delegation of the United States to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 2 October 2013 of countervailing 
investigation on imports of steel concrete 
reinforcing bar (HS 7213.10.00; 7214.20.00; 
7228.30.80) from Turkey  Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 31 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of monosodium glutamate "MSG" (HS 2922.42.10) from China and Indonesia  Permanent 
Delegation of the United States to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 31 October 2013 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
monosodium glutamate "MSG" 
(HS 2922.42.10) from China and Indonesia  Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 31 October 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of grain-oriented 
electrical steel "GOES" (HS 7225.11.00; 
7226.11.10; 7226.11.90) from China; Czech Republic; Germany; Japan; Korea, Republic of; Poland; and Russian Federation  Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO (26 November 2013)   
United States Initiation on 31 October 2013 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of 
grain-oriented electrical steel "GOES" 
(HS 7225.11.00; 7226.11.10; 7226.11.90) 
from China Permanent 
Delegation of the 
United States to 
the WTO 
(26 November 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 119 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
United States Initiation on 14 November 2013 of 
countervailing investigation on imports of non-oriented electrical steel "NOES" (HS 7225.50.80; 7225.99.00; 7226.92.50; 7226.92.70; 7226.92.80; 7226.99.01) from China; Korea, Republic of; and Chinese Taipei 
 Permanent Delegation of the United States to the WTO (26 November 2013)   
Viet Nam Initiation on 26 December 2012 of safeguard 
investigation on imports of vegetables oils 
(HS 1507.90.90; 1511.90.91; 1511.90.92; 
1511.90.99)   WTO documents 
G/SG/N/6/VNM/2, 
11 January 2013; 
G/SG/N/7/VNM/1, 
15 May 2013; and 
G/SG/N/8/VNM/2, 
12 September 2013 Provisional and 
definitive duties 
imposed on 10 May 
and 
23 August 2013, 
respectively 
 
 
RECORDED BUT NOT CONFIRMED INFORMATION3 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Viet Nam Initiation in July 2013 of anti-dumping 
investigation on imports of cold-rolled 
stainless steel from China, Indonesia, 
Malaysia, and Chinese Taipei  
 VNS referring to 
Directive No. 4460/QD-
BCT (6 July 2013) 
  
                                               
3This section includes information which has been obtained from public sources but has not yet been 
confirmed by the delegation concerned. 
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 120 - 
 
 ANNEX 3 
OTHER TRADE AND TRADE-RELATED MEASURES1 
 
(MID-OCTOBER 2012 TO MID-NOVEMBER 2013) 
 
CONFIRMED INFORMATION2 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina Updated list of  "reference values" ( valores 
referenciales de carácter preventivo ) for 
exports of cranberries ( arándanos ) 
(NCM 0810.40.00), for certain specified destinations Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resolución General No. 3425/2012 (28 December 2012)  
Argentina Updated list of "c riterion values" ( valores 
criterio de carácter preventivo ) for imports 
of certain products, i.e. plywood, veneered 
panels and similar laminated wood 
(NCM 4412.31.00; 4412.32.00; 
4412.39.00), from specific origins  Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resolución General 
No. 3428/2012 
(28 December 2012)   
Argentina Amendments introduced in the legislation 
regulating imports of used capital goods (NCM Chapters 84; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 90). Import tariffs on these products fixed 
at rates ranging from 6% to 28%. Amendments also include other conditions such as: (i) used capital goods can only be imported directly by end user; (ii) overseas reconditioning allowed only if made by the original manufacturer; 
(iii) import approval by the Secretariat of 
Foreign Trade; and (iv) Certificate of Import of Used Capital Goods requirement Decreto No. 2646/2012 - 
Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas Públicas (27 December 2012) Effective 
10 January 2013 
Argentina Temporary increase of import tariffs (from 
20% to 35%) on certain products, i.e. 
fruits, coffee, seeds, prepared foodstuffs, 
beverages, tobacco, organic chemicals, 
chemical products, rubber, wood, articles 
of wood, cork, footwe ar, ceramic products, 
articles of iron or st eel, articles of base 
metal, machinery and mechanical 
appliances, electrical equipment, 
motorcycles, musical instruments, and 
miscellaneous manufactured articles (100 
tariff lines at 8 digits) (NCM Chapters 08; 
09; 12; 15; 16; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 29; 
33; 38; 40; 44; 45; 64; 68; 69; 71; 73; 
82; 83; 84; 85; 87; 90; 92; 94; 95; 96), 
following Mercosur Decision No. 39/11 
(special authorization to increase the 
Mercosur Common Tariff applied rates on 
100 tariff lines)   Decreto No. 25/2013 - 
Ministerio de Economía y 
Finanzas Públicas 
(22 January 2013); WTO 
document 
WT/TPR/S/277/Add.1, 
13 February 2013; and 
Permanent Delegation of 
Argentina to the WTO 
(15 November 2013) Effective 
23 January 2013 
Argentina Updated list of  "reference values" for 
exports of garlic (NCM 0703.20.90), for 
certain specified destinations  Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resolución General No. 3443/2013 (26 February 2013) Effective 
5 March 2013   
                                               
1 The inclusion of any measure in this table implies no judgement by the WTO Secretariat on whether or 
not such measure, or its intent, is protectionist in nature.  Moreover, nothing in the table implies any judgement, either direct or indirect, on the consistency of any measure refe rred to with the provisions of any 
WTO agreement or such measure's impact on, or relationship with, the global financial crisis. 
2 This section includes information which has either been provided by the Member concerned or it has 
been confirmed at the request of the Secretariat. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 121 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina Updated list of "cri terion values" for 
imports of certain produc ts, i.e. travel sets 
for personal toilet, sewing or shoe or 
clothes cleaning (NCM 9605.00.00); 
woven fabrics (NCM 5514.19.10); warp 
knit fabrics (NCM 6005.21.00); and 
articles of bedding (NCM 9404.90.00), 
from specific origins  Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resoluciones Generales 
Nos. 3457/2013, 
3458/2013, and 
3459/2013 
(26 March 2013) Effective 8 April 2013 
Argentina Updated list of  "reference values" for 
exports of apples and pears (NCM 0808.10.00; 0808.30.00), for certain specified destinations Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - Resolución General No. 3465/2013 (26 March 2013) Effective 
10 April 2013 
Argentina Prolongation of temporary authorization to 
increase the Mercosur Common External 
Tariff, but not above their bound levels, 
(to 28%) for imports of certain dairy 
products, i.e. milk, cream, whey, and 
cheese (NCM 0402.10.10; 0402.10.90; 
0402.21.10; 0402.21.20; 0402.29.10; 
0402.29.20; 0402.99.00; 0404.10.00; 
0406.10.10; 0406.90.10; 0406.90.20) 
(originally imposed on 7 December 2009); 
and (to 35%) for prepared or preserved 
peaches, including nectarines 
(NCM 2008.70.10; 2008.70.90) (initially 
effective from 1 April 2011 to 
31 December 2012) Decretos Nos. 491/2013 
and 492/2013- Comercio 
Exterior, Ministerio de 
Economía y Finanzas 
Públicas (6 May 2013) Effective until 
31 December 2014 
Argentina Updated list of  "criterion values" for 
imports of certain pr oducts, i.e. woven 
fabrics of synthetic staple fibres, man-made fibres wadding, cotton warp knit fabrics, dyed woven fabrics of artificial staple fibres, garments (NCM 6210.40.00), and toys (NCM 5513; 5514; 5516; 5601; 6005; 9503), from specific origins Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - Resoluciones Generales Nos. 3494/2013, 3496/2013, 3497/2013, 3498/2013, 3499/2013, and 3503/2013 (May 2013) Effective 
20 May 2013 
Argentina Updated list of "reference values" for 
exports of lemon and lime 
(NCM 0805.50.00), for certain specified 
destinations Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resolución General 
No. 3495/2013 
(13 May 2013) Effective 
20 May 2013 
Argentina Updated list of  "criterion values" for 
imports of semi-finished products of iron 
or non-alloy steel (NCM 7207.11.10; 
7207.11.90; 7207.12.00; 7207.19.00; 7207.20.00), from specific origins  Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resolución General 
No. 3513/2013 (10 July 2013) Effective 
15 July 2013 
Argentina Updated list of "reference values" for 
exports of natural honey 
(NCM 0409.00.00), for certain specified 
destinations Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resolución General 
No. 3514/2013 
(10 July 2013) Effective 
15 July 2013 
Argentina Updated list of  "reference values" for 
exports of maté (NCM 0903.00.10; 0903.00.90) and molluscs ( calamar ) 
(NCM 0307.99.00), for certain specified destinations Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - Resoluciones Generales Nos. 3518/2013 (31 July 2013) and 3519/2013 (5 August 2013) Effective August 2013 
Argentina Updated list of "cri terion values" for 
imports of synthetic staple fibres of 
polypropylene; input or output units, 
whether or not containing storage units in 
the same housing ( teclados, indicadores o 
apuntadores ); and certain toys, (NCM 
5503.40.00; 8471.60.52; 8471.60.53; 
9503.00.99), from specific origins  Administración Federal 
de Ingresos Públicos - 
Resoluciones Generales 
Nos. 3521/2013 and 
3522/2013 
(9 August 2013) Effective 
15 August 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina, 
Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), (Mercosur) Prolongation of temporary authorization to 
increase the Mercosur Common External Tariff, but not above their bound levels, 
for imports of 14 tariff lines (certain toys: NCM 9503.00.10; 9503.00.21; 9503.00.22; 9503.00.31; 9503.00.39; 9503.00.40; 9503.00.50; 9503.00.60; 9503.00.70; 9503.00.80; 9503.00.91; 9503.00.97; 9503.00.98; 9503.00.99) (initially effective from 1 April 2011 to 31 December 2012). Paraguay given a waiver on this measure Decisiones Nos. 37/11 
and 37/12 del Consejo del Mercado Común (19 December 2011 and 6 December 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014  
Australia Streamlining the Anti-Dumping System's 
Policy revising the current Ministerial 
Direction on Material Injury to confirm 
that profits foregone and loss of market 
share in an expanding market are relevant 
injury considerations Australia Customs 
Dumping Notices 
Nos. 2012/24 
(1 June 2012) and 
2013/46 (7 June 2013) Effective 
11 June 2013  
Brazil Elimination of the temporary reduction of 
import tariffs on parts for lifts, skip hoists 
or escalators (NCM 8431.31.10) Camex Resolution 
No. 78/2012 
(31 October 2012)  Effective 
5 November 2012 
Brazil Preference in government procurement 
favouring local bidders (20% preference 
margin) on certain semi-finished products 
of iron, steel or non-alloy steel ( disco para 
moeda ) (NCM 7207.19.00; 7326.90.90) 
locally produced  Permanent Delegation of 
Brazil to the WTO 
(24 May 2013) Effective 
13 November 2012 
Brazil Increase of import tariffs (from 14% to 
35%) on peaches, including nectarines, otherwise prepared or preserved, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter or spirit (NCM 2008.70.20) Camex Resolution 
No. 94/2012 (18 December 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Brazil Creation of a new tariff line for AC motors, 
multi-phase with an output exceeding 
30,000 kW but not exceeding 50,000 kW 
(NCM 8501.53.30), resulting in an 
increase of the import tariff (from zero 
to 14%)  Camex Resolution 
No. 96/2012 
(26 December 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Brazil Preference in government procurement 
favouring locally produced vehicles and associated transport equipment, and engineering/architectu ral services under 
the PAC-Urban Mobility Programme ( Açoes 
de Mobilidade Urbana Integrantes do Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento-PAC) Permanent Delegation of 
Brazil to the WTO (24 May 2013) Effective 
16 January 2013 
Brazil Preference in government procurement 
favouring local bidders (up to 25% 
preference margin) on information 
technology related products  Permanent Delegation of 
Brazil to the WTO 
(24 May 2013) Effective until 
31 December 2013 
Brazil Tax exemption (i.e . PIS and COFINS) on 
smartphones meeting certain requirements Permanent Delegation of 
Brazil to the WTO (24 May 2013)   
Brazil "Special Tax Regime for the National 
Broadband Plan for Implementation of 
Telecommunication Networks 
(REPNBL-Redes)" stipulating certain 
production steps or technology activities 
in Brazil Permanent Delegation of 
Brazil to the WTO 
(24 May 2013) Effective 5 May 2013 
Canada Import tax on li ve bovine animals and 
bovine meat and edible meat offal (HS 0201; 0202; 0206; 0210; 1602)  Permanent Delegation of 
Canada to the WTO (26 November 2013) Effective 
30 July 2013 (to be implemented on 1 January 2014)  
China Release in December 2012 of the 
catalogue of items subject to export 
licensing administration Permanent Delegation of 
China to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
China First batch for 2013 of export quotas for 
rare earths (15,499 metal metric tonnes) announced on 27 December 2012. The batch is calculated by reference to the 
export volume of each enterprise from 2010 to January-October 2012 (first batch for 2012 was 10,546 metal metric tonnes) Permanent Delegation of 
China to the WTO (23 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
China Reduction (to 17,000 metric tonnes) of tin 
(HS Chapters 26; 28; 80) export quota for 
2013  Permanent Delegation of 
China to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
China Second batch for 2013 of export quotas 
for rare earths (15,500 metal metric 
tonnes) announced on 1 July 2013 (first batch for 2013 was 15,499 metal metric tonnes) Permanent Delegation of 
China to the WTO 
(26 November 2013) Effective 1 July 2013 
China Import bans on: swine, wild boar and 
related products from Belarus 
(5 July 2013), due to African swine fever; 
poultry products (HS 0207) from the 
States of Arkansas and Wisconsin (USA) 
(22 July 2013) and Chile (26 July 2013), 
due to pathogenic avian influenza disease; 
artiodactyl from Mongolia (22 July 2013), 
due to foot and mouth disease  Permanent Delegation of 
China to the WTO 
(12 November 2013)   
China Termination of the application of "interim 
import tariff rates" and resumption of the application of normal MFN tariff rates, (from zero to 3%) on lignite (HS 2702.10.00; 2702.20.00), and (from 1% to 5%) on passenger aircraft with unladen weight of 25 tonnes and above but not more than 45 tonnes (HS 8802.40.10)  Permanent Delegation of 
China to the WTO (26 November 2013) Effective 
30 August 2013  
Colombia Temporary increase of import tariffs 
(through a combined imposition of a 
compound tariff, a specific duty 
(US$5/kg), and an ad valorem  tariff 
(which was reduced from 15% to 10%)) 
on articles of apparel and clothing 
accessories, and certain parts of footwear 
(HS 61; 62; 63; 6406). The specific duty 
for footwear (HS 64) is set at US$5/pair. 
Imports from free-trade agreement 
partners exempted Permanent Delegation of 
Colombia to the WTO 
(4 June 2013) Effective 
1 March 2013 for 
one year 
Colombia Adoption of Decree No. 925 setting out 
the provisions relating to applications for registration and import licensing WTO documents 
G/LIC/N/3/COL/10, 1 October 2013; and G/LIC/N/1/COL/3, 4 October 2013 Effective 
26 June 2013 
Colombia Elimination of the import tariff reduction 
(to 20%) on whey (HS 0404.10.10), under 
an annual import qu ota of 3,000 tonnes 
(originally created in June 2009) Permanent Delegation of 
Colombia to the WTO 
(12 November 2013) Effective 
September 2013 
Egypt Increase of import tariffs on 100 luxury 
goods and products with a local equivalent. Imports from the EU exempted 
 Permanent Delegation of Egypt to the WTO (5 December 2013) Effective March 2013 
Egypt Temporary export ban on rice (HS 1006)  Permanent Delegation of 
Egypt to the WTO 
(5 December 2013) Effective 
29 May 2013 
Egypt Import ban on certain used refrigerators 
(HS 8418)  Permanent Delegation of 
Egypt to the WTO (5 December 2013)   
Egypt Amendments introduced in public 
procurement legislation  Permanent Delegation of 
Egypt to the WTO 
(5 December 2013)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Egypt Imposition of expo rt duties on certain 
scrap and materials  Permanent Delegation of 
Egypt to the WTO (5 December 2013)   
European Union Amendments introduced on the trade 
remedy legislation increasing the time-
limit for determining injury from 3 to 7 
months, but in any event not later than 
8 months, after the initiation of the 
investigation  EU Regulation 
No. 1168/2012 
(12 December 2012)   
European Union Temporary import ban on Atlanto-
Scandian herring or mackerel (HS 0302; 0303; 0304; 0305; 1604) caught under the control of the Faeroe Islands, based on sustainability grounds Commission 
Implementing Regulation No. 793/2013 (20 August 2013)  Effective 
21 August 2013 
European Union Temporary suspension of import tariffs for 
a tariff quota of sugar (HS 1701) (400,000 
tonnes) in the 2013-14 marketing year Commission Regulation 
No. 470/2013 
(22 May 2013)  Effective 
1 October 2013 to 
30 September 2014 
Gabon Renegotiation of bound levels on a 
number of tariff lines under Article XXVIII. 
Authorization granted by the WTO 
Committee on Trade in Goods for a period of 180 days as from 18 October 2013 WTO CTG Meeting 
(minutes to be issued in 
December 2013) Effective 
18 October 2013 
Georgia Increase of import tariffs (to 12%) on 
tobacco products (HS Chapter 24) (except 
raw tobacco, which is  duty free until 
1 January 2015)  Permanent Delegation of 
Georgia 
(25 November 2013) Effective 1 July 2013 
Georgia Increase of excise duties (from GEL 0.6/20 
unit to GEL 0.75/20 unit) on imported and locally produced cigarettes with filter containing tobacco (HS 2402.20)  Permanent Delegation of 
Georgia (25 November 2013) Effective 
30 July 2013 
Hong Kong, 
China Temporary licensing arrangement for the 
export of "powdered formula" (milk 
powder and soya based formula powder) 
(ex HS 0402.10.00; 0402.21.10; 
0402.21.20; 0402.21.90; 0402.29.00) for 
infants and young children aged under 
36 months WTO document 
G/MA/QR/N/HKG/1/ 
Add.1, 14 May 2013 Effective 
1 March 2013 
India Increase of import tariffs (to 15%) on milk 
and cream in powder (HS 0402.10; 0402.21.00)  Information verified by 
the Permanent Delegation of India to the WTO (23 May 2013) Effective 
21 November 2012 
India Increase of the import tariff (from 4% to 
6%) on gold bars and platinum. Increase 
(from 2% to 4%) of the "additional duty 
rate" on gold ores and concentrates for 
use in the manufacture of gold, and gold 
dore bar  Notification No. 1/2013 -
Customs, Ministry of 
Finance - Department of 
Revenue 
(21 January 2013) Effective 
21 January 2013 
India Increase of import tariffs on crude edible 
oils (HS 1507.10.00; 1511.10.00; 1511.90.10; 1511.90.20; 1511.90.90)  Information verified by 
the Permanent Delegation of India to the WTO (23 May 2013) Effective 
23 January 2013 
India Temporary increase of import tariffs on 
certain luxury products, i.e. high-end 
motor vehicles (from 75% to 100%); 
motorcycles with engine capacity of 800 cc 
or more (from 60% to 75%); and yachts 
and similar vessels (from 10% to 25%) 
(HS 8703; 8711; 8903)  Information verified by 
the Permanent 
Delegation of India to 
the WTO (23 May 2013)   
India Increase of import tariffs (from zero to 
2.5%) on melting scrap of iron or steel (other than stainless steel); scrap of stainless steel, for the purpose of melting; and aluminium scrap (temporary exempted from 17 March 2012 to May 2013) (HS 7204; 7204.21; 7602) Notification No. 25/2013 
- Customs, Ministry of Finance - Department of Revenue (8 May 2013) Effective 8 May 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
India Increase of the import tariff (from 6% to 
8%) on gold bars and platinum. Increase 
(from 4% to 6%) of the "additional duty 
rate" on gold ores and concentrates for 
use in the manufacture of gold, and gold 
dore bar (originally implemented on 
21 January 2013) Notification Customs, 
Ministry of Finance - 
Department of Revenue 
No. 31/2013 
(5 June 2013) and WTO 
document 
WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 
5 July 2013   
India Introduction of a temporary specific 
import tariff (US$1,613/metric tonnes) on areca nuts (HS 0802.80) Notification No. 67/2013 
- Customs, Ministry of Finance - Department of Revenue (25 June 2013); and verified by the Permanent Delegation of India to the WTO (29 November 2013) Effective 
25 June 2013 
India Import restrictions on  gold (HS 7108). The 
Reserve Bank of India has established a 
requirement that gold imports be allowed 
only to meet the genuine needs of the 
exporters of gold jewellery  Reserve Bank of India 
A.P. (DIR Series) Circular 
No. 122 (27 June 2013) Effective 
27 June 2013 
India Increase of import tariffs "standard rate" 
(from 10% to 15%) on raw sugar, and refined or white sugar (HS 1701) Notification No. 34/2013 
- Customs, Ministry of Finance - Department of Revenue (8 July 2013); and verified by the 
Permanent Delegation of 
India to the WTO (29 November 2013) Effective 8 July 2013 
India Import restrictions on  gold (HS 7108). The 
Reserve Bank of India has established a 
requirement that 20% of imported gold be 
held in a bonded warehouse for export 
purposes. No addition al inputs allowed 
until this requirement is met Reserve Bank of India 
A.P. (DIR Series) Circular 
No. 15 (22 July 2013) Effective 
22 July 2013 
India Increase of import tariffs (from 8% to 
10%) on gold bars and platinum. Increase (from 6% to 8%) of the "additional duty rate" on gold ores and concentrates for use in the manufacture of gold, and gold dore bar (originally implemented on 5 June 2013) Notification Customs, 
Ministry of Finance - Department of Revenue No. 41/2013 (13 August 2013) and WTO document WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 5 July 2013 Effective 
13 August 2013 
India Increase of import tariffs (from 6% to 
10%) on silver (HS 7106). Increase (from 
3% to 7%) of the "additional duty rate" on 
silver dore bar having  silver content not 
exceeding 95% Permanent Delegation of 
India to the WTO 
(12 November 2013) Effective 
13 August 2013 
India Increase of import tariffs (from 10% to 
15%) on articles of jewellery and parts 
thereof, of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal; and articles of goldsmiths' or silversmiths' wares and parts thereof, of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal (HS 7113; 7114) Permanent Delegation of 
India to the WTO 
(12 November 2013) Effective 
17 September 2013  
India Reintroduction of minimum export price 
"MEP" (US$1,150/metric tonne FOB) on 
onions (HS 0703) (originally effective from 
20 September 2011 to 8 May 2012 at 
US$475/metric tonne). Export of onions 
only permitted subject to MEP Notification No. 49 
(RE-2013)/2009-2014 - 
Ministry of Commerce 
and Industry; and 
verified by the 
Permanent Delegation of 
India to the WTO 
(29 November 2013) Effective 
1 November 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Indonesia Revised regulati on on exports of tin 
(HS 8001.10.00; 8001.20.00; 8003.00.10; 8003.00.90) introducing stricter requirements  Permanent Delegation of 
Indonesia to the WTO (23 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Indonesia Restrictions on expo rts of timber (55 
products) (HS 4407.10.00; 4407.24; 
4407.25; 4407.26; 4407.29; 4407.91; 
4407.92; 4407.99.90; 4409.10; 4409.21; 
4409.29; 4412.31.00; 4412.32; 4412.39; 
4412.94; 4412.99.00; 4418.10.00; 
4418.20; 4418.40; 4418.50; 4418.60; 
4418.71; 4418.72; 4418.79; 4418.90.00; 
9406.00.92) Permanent Delegation of 
Indonesia to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Indonesia Revised import licensing requirements 
(import permits) on certain products, i.e. cellular phones included smartphone exception satellite phones (HS 8517.12.00); handheld computer included personal digital assistant (PDA) 
and palmtop (HS 8471.30.10), and 
computer tablet (HS 8471.30.90) WTO document 
G/LIC/N/2/IDN/13, 8 February 2013 Effective 
1 January 2013 
Indonesia Extension on 1 January 2013 of import 
licensing requirements on certain 
products, i.e. food and beverages, 
cosmetics, traditional medicine and food 
supplements, ready-to-wear clothes, 
footwear, electronics, and toys. This 
regulation also extended pre-shipment 
inspection and port of entry limitation that 
had previously been set to expire on 
31 December 2012  Permanent Delegation of 
Indonesia to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Extended until 
31 December 2015 
Indonesia Amendments in the licensing procedures 
for horticultural imports (HS Chapters 08; 20; 21) introduced aiming at establishing a one-stop service delivering import permits and licences to streamline the 
overall import process  Permanent Delegation of 
Indonesia to the WTO (23 May 2013) Effective 
15 May 2013 
Iran Export ban on 13 products, i.e. wheat, 
wheat flour, sugar, soya-bean oils, live 
cattle, tanned skins, and raw hides and 
skins (HS Chapters 01; 02; 04; 10; 11; 
12; 15; 17; 23; 41) Permanent Delegation of 
Iran (26 June 2013) (HS Codes 4106 
excluding 4106.22.00 
and 4102 excluding 
4102.21.00) 
Malaysia Elimination of import tariff exemptions on 
18 grades of hot-roll ed coils and plates Permanent Delegation of 
Malaysia to the WTO (4 June 2013) Effective 
1 February 2013 
Mexico Amendments to the customs tariffs 
resulting in an increase (from zero to 6%) 
of import tariffs on 2 items: certain 
chemicals (HS 2852.90.01; 2852.90.99) Permanent Delegation of 
Mexico to the WTO 
(15 May 2013) Effective 
24 November 2012 
Mexico Increase of import tariffs (from zero to 
7%) on 2 plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood tariff lines (HS 4412.31.01; 4412.31.99)  Permanent Delegation of 
Mexico to the WTO (5 November 2013) Effective 
2 September 2013 
New Zealand Annual adjustment to the excise and 
excise-equivalent duty rates on alcoholic 
beverages (HS 2203; 2204; 2205; 2206; 
2207; 2208) Permanent Delegation of 
New Zealand to the WTO 
(29 November 2013) Effective 1 July 2013 
New Zealand Increase in excise duty on "motor spirits" 
(HS 2710.12; 2710.19) by $NZ 0.03/litre in 2013 and further increases of $NZ 0.03/litre in 2014 and in 2015 Permanent Delegation of 
New Zealand to the WTO (29 November 2013) Effective 1 July 2013 
New Zealand Import prohibition on southern bluefin 
tuna ( thunnus maccoyii ) (HS 0301.95.00; 
0302.36.00; 0303.46.00; 0303.49.00; 
0304.59.00; 0304.87.00) unless it has 
appropriate documentation validating that 
the fish was legally caught  Permanent Delegation of 
New Zealand to the WTO 
(29 November 2013) Effective 
1 October 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
New Zealand New government  procurement regulation 
(Government Rules of Sourcing replacing the Mandatory Rules for Procurement by Departments) Permanent Delegation of 
New Zealand to the WTO (16 October 2013) Effective 
1 October 2013 
Pakistan Temporary export ban on citrus hybrids 
(fresh kino) (HS 0805.20.10) Permanent Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013) Effective 
8 November 2012 to 
1 December 2012 
Pakistan Import prohibition on vetches (whole 
grain, split or any other form) "pulses" 
(HS 0713.90.90; 1209.29.00; 1214.90.00) Permanent Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO (2 December 2013) Effective 
8 March 2013 
Pakistan Export prohibition on certain products, 
i.e. gram, gram flour, sugar, fissionable 
material, urea, fertilizers, charcoal and 
firewood, wood and timber, and shuttering 
material of Poplar wood (in HS Chapters 
07; 11; 17; 28; 31; 44) Permanent Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013) Effective 
8 March 2013 
Pakistan Export ban extended to all pulses 
(HS 0713) (originally effective 
28 December 2011 only for pulses 
obtained from processing of imported input) Permanent Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013) Effective 
8 March 2013  
Pakistan Temporary increase of import tariffs on 
betel nuts (from 15% to 20%); and betel 
leaves (from PRs 200/kg to PRs 300/kg) 
(HS 1404.90.20) Permanent Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO 
(20 November 2013) Effective 
13 June 2013 
Pakistan Creation of two new tariff lines, resulting 
in the increase of import tariffs on "satellite phone" (from 10% to 25%) and water dispenser (from 25% to 30%) (HS 8418.69.30; 8517.12.30)  Permanent Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO (2 December 2013) Effective 
13 June 2013 
Pakistan Imposition of regula tory duty (50%) on 
sports utility vehicles "SUV" and all terrain 
vehicles (HS 8703) Permanent Delegation of 
Pakistan to the WTO 
(2 December 2013) Effective 
28 August 2013 
Panama Suspension of the temporary elimination 
of import tariffs (to 15%) on poultry meat (HS 0207.25.00), and (to 10%) on turkey prepared or preserved meat, offal or blood (HS 1602.31.11; 1602.31.91) Decreto de Gabinete 
No. 28 (7 August 2012) and WTO document WT/TPR/OV/15, 26 November 2012 Effective 
1 January 2013 
Paraguay Temporary extension of import licensing 
requirements for imports of meat and 
edible offal of fowls of the species Gallus 
domesticus  (NCM 0207.11.00; 
0207.12.00; 0207.13.00; 0207.14.00) 
(originally implemented in February 2009) Permanent Delegation of 
Paraguay to the WTO 
(25 November 2013) Effective 
21 June 2013, for 
one year 
Russian 
Federation Customs related re quirements for 
transport by road of imported goods with a view to secure payment of duties and taxes (operators can choose between cash, mortgages, or bank guarantees). In very high risk cases additional requirements may apply  Permanent Delegation of 
the Russian Federation (28 November 2013) Effective July 2013  
Russian 
Federation Temporary import ban on confectionary 
products from Ukrainian manufacturer 
"Roshen" (HS 1704) Permanent Delegation of 
the Russian Federation 
(28 November 2013) Effective 
29 July 2013 
Customs Union 
between the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Kazakhstan Temporary increase of import tariffs (from 
10% to 16%) on certain LCD and plasma televisions with and without video recording, and GPS navigation systems (HS 8528.72.20; 8528.72.40)   Permanent Delegation of 
the Russian Federation (23 May 2013) Effective 8 May 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
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 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Customs Union 
between the 
Russian 
Federation, 
Belarus, and 
Kazakhstan Increase of import tariffs on certain 
products, i.e. (from zero to 8.3%) 
instantaneous gas water heaters (effective 
10 June 2013); (from zero to 5%) hoods 
having a maximum horizontal side not 
exceeding 120 cm (effective 
2 August 2013); and (from 5% to 10%) 
pipe layers (effective 13 September 2013) Permanent Delegation of 
the Russian Federation 
(28 November 2013)   
Customs Union 
between the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Kazakhstan Increase of import tariffs on certain 
products, i.e. (to 15%) insulated cables, (to 3.5%) drilling machines, (to 10%) watches (HS 8430.41.00; 8430.49.00; 8544.49.95; 9102.11.00; 9102.29.00)   Permanent Delegation of 
the Russian Federation (28 November 2013) Effective 
2 September 2013 
Singapore Increase of excise rates on tobacco 
products (HS 2401.10.10; 2401.10.20; 
2401.10.40; 2401.10.50; 2401.10.90; 
2401.20.10; 2401.20.20; 2401.20.30; 
2401.20.40; 2401.20.50; 2401.20.90; 
2401.30.10; 2401.30.90; 2402.20.10; 
2403.19.11; 2403.19.20; 2403.99.50) Permanent Delegation of 
Singapore to the WTO 
(10 May 2013) Effective 
25 February 2013 
Singapore Implementation  of "Advance Export 
Declaration (AED)" for all exports, derogating an admini strative exemption 
granted in 1976 allowing traders to submit the declaration within 3 days after export of non-controlled goods and non-dutiable goods by sea and air Permanent Delegation of 
Singapore to the WTO (10 May 2013) Effective 1 April 2013 
(with an 18 month adjustment period until 30 September 2014)
 
South Africa International Trade Administration 
Commission (ITAC) Notice R. 470 
establishing a policy directive on exports 
of ferrous and non-ferrous waste and 
scrap metal (HS 7204; 7404.00; 7503.00; 
7602.00; 7802.00; 7902.00; 8002.00; 
8101; 8102; 8103; 8104.20; 8107; 
8110.00; 8111.00; 8112), by which these 
products first have to be offered to 
domestic users of waste and scrap for a 
period determined by ITAC, and at a price 
discount or other fo rmula determined by 
ITAC  Permanent Delegation of 
South Africa to the WTO 
(27 November 2013) Effective various 
dates (16, 20 and 
30 September 2013) 
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Creation of a new tariff line for "textile 
fabric inter-layered or otherwise combined with bentonite clay" (HS 5911.10.90) resulting in an increase of the import tariff (from zero to 25%). Imports from the EU, 
and SADC members exempted  International Trade 
Administration Commission Notice 405 of 2012 (1 November 2012)   
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs (from zero to 
15%) on conical steel drums with a 
capacity of 235 litres or more 
(HS 7310.10) International Trade 
Administration 
Commission Notice 411 
of 2012 
(1 November 2012)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 129 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs (from 30% to 
40%) on uncooked pasta, not stuffed or otherwise prepared (HS 1902.19). Imports from the EU, and SADC members exempted  International Trade 
Administration Commission Notice 410 of 2012 (23 November 2012)   
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs on wire nails 
(HS 7317.00.02; 7317.00.04; 
7317.00.06) (from 5 % to 15%), 
polytetrafluoroethylene tape "PTFE" 
(HS 3920.99.25) (from 10% to 20%), and 
taps and mixers (HS 8481.80.79) (from 
15% to 20%). Imports from the EU, EFTA, 
and SADC members exempted  Notices Nos. R. 269, 
R. 338, and R. 474 
(Government Gazettes 
Nos. 36338, 36433, and 
36638) - South African 
Revenue Service 
(12 April, 10 May and 
12 July 2013)   
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs (from 15% to 
20%) on hose or bibcocks, pillar cocks, water mixing taps, thermostatically controlled mixing valves (bath, washbasin, bidet, shower or sink type), shower units, water-tank locking taps, cooking range taps or tapping ferrules for off-take pipes 
of an outside diameter not exceeding 
32 mm (HS 8481.80.79). Imports from the EU, and SADC members exempted  Government Gazette 
No. 36338 - No. R. 269 (4 April 2013) Effective 
12 April 2013 
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs (from 10% to 
20%) on strip of polytetrafluoroethylene, 
suitable for use as thread-sealing tape 
(HS 3920.99.25). Imports from the EU, 
and SADC members exempted  Government Gazette 
No. 36433 - No. R. 338 
(10 May 2013) Effective 
10 May 2013 
SACU - Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs (up to 82%) on 
poultry meat and edible offal (HS 0207.12.20; 0207.12.90; 0207.14.10; 0207.14.20; 0207.14.90). Imports from the EU, and SADC members exempted  Notice No. R. 715 
(Government Gazette No. 36876) –  South African Revenue Service (30 September 2013) Effective 
30 September 2013 
Sri Lanka Increase of import tariffs (from zero to 
5%) on gold (HS 7108.11; 7108.12; 
7108.13; 7108.20). Temporary additional 
"surcharge" of 5% on gold imports (valid 
6 months). Imports from India and 
Pakistan exempted Permanent Delegation of 
Sri Lanka to the WTO 
(3 December 2013) Effective 
21 June 2013 
Thailand Changes in the import licensing 
procedures on certain products, i.e. cassava; swine's offal; shallots; fresh oranges; new pneumati c tyres of rubber; 
and electric fans, electric rice cookers, electric lamps WTO document 
G/LIC/N/2/THA/4, 19 March 2013 Effective 
27 December 2012 
Turkey Temporary increase of import tariffs (from 
30% to 40%) on live bovine, sheep and 
goats animals (HS 0102; 0104) and (from 
70% to 100%) on fresh, chilled, and 
frozen meat (HS 0201; 0202; 0204) Permanent Delegation of 
Turkey to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
30 October 2012  WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 130 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Turkey Increase of import tariffs (from 5% to 
10%) on melon seeds and vegetable seeds; (from 20% to 31.2%) coconut oil; (from 20% to 46.8%) and other coconut oils; (from zero to 10%) flat-rolled steel coils; and (from zero  to 6%) alloy steel 
coils (HS 1207.70; 1209.91.80; 1511.90.19; 1513.19.11; 1513.19.19; 1513.19.99; 1513.29.11; 7211.14.00; 7211.23.30; 7211.23.80; 7225.30.90; 7226.99.70) Permanent Delegation of 
Turkey to the WTO (7 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Turkey Temporary increase of import tariffs (from 
zero to 15%) on live bovine animals 
(HS 0102.29.10; 0102.29.29; 102.29.49)  Permanent Delegation of 
Turkey to the WTO 
(7 May 2013) Effective 
1 March 2013 
Turkey "Offsetting duties", increasing import 
tariffs (from 43.2% to 66%) on walnuts (HS 0802.31; 0802.32), related to Ukraine's safeguard measure on certain motor cars   Permanent Delegation of 
Turkey to the WTO (13 November 2013) Effective 
15 July 2013 
Turkey Exports of chrome-tanned leather 
(wetblue) (HS 4107; 4112; 4113) are 
subject to registration  Permanent Delegation of 
Turkey to the WTO 
(13 November 2013) Effective 
1 August 2013 
Ukraine Amendments to the Law on Customs Tariff 
resulting in an increase of import tariffs (up to 10%) on certain products (116 tariff lines at 8 digits), i.e. quicklime, chromium ores, inorganic chemicals, sulphates, organic chemicals, fertilisers, colouring matters, dental wax, albumins, cinematographic film, rubber and articles, agglomerated cork, articles of stone, ceramic products, glass and glassware, imitation jewellery, iron and steel, articles of iron and steel, tools of base metal, electrical machinery and equipment, rail locomotives, vehicles, and miscellaneous manufactured articles (HS Chapters 25; 26; 28; 29; 31; 32; 34; 35; 37; 40; 45; 68; 69; 70; 71; 72;73; 82; 85; 86; 87; 89; 90; 96)  Permanent Delegation of 
Ukraine to the United Nations (30 May 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Ukraine Amendments to the Law on the electricity 
sector introducing local content 
requirement for wind, solar, biomass, and 
biogas power plants  WTO document 
G/TRIMS/W/119, 
17 April 2013 and 
Permanent Delegation of 
Ukraine to the United 
Nations (30 May 2013) Effective 1 April 2013 
(some provisions 
postponed until 
1 July 2013) 
Ukraine Temporary import restriction on coke and 
semi-coke coal (HS 2704.00.11; 2704.00.19; 2704.00.30; 2704.00.90)  WTO documents 
G/LIC/N/1/UKR/2, 29 April 2013 and G/LIC/N/1/UKR/3, 24 May 2013 Effective 
27 April 2013. Implementation postponed to 1 June 2013 and in force until 31 December 2013 
Ukraine Temporary imposition of non-automatic 
import licensing requirements for coking 
coal products (HS 2701.12.10; 
2701.12.90; 2701.19.00)  WTO documents 
G/LIC/N/1/UKR/2, 
29 April 2013 and 
G/LIC/N/1/UKR/3, 
24 May 2013 Effective 
27 April 2013. 
Implementation 
postponed to 
1 June 2013 and in 
force until 
31 December 2013 
United States Extension of the National Dairy Promotion 
and Research Programme (which introduced an import assessment fee which applies to both imports and domestic production) until September 2013 (originally implemented on 1 August 2011) Permanent Delegation of 
the United States to the WTO (26 November 2013); and WTO document WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 5 July 2013   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 131 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Uzbekistan  Requirement for importers to submit an 
export cargo customs declaration form 
certified by government authorities in the 
country of origin of export  Permanent Delegation of 
Uzbekistan 
(2 December 2013) Effective 
1 April 2013 
 
RECORDED BUT NOT CONFIRMED INFORMATION3 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina Temporary export ban on wheat flour 
(NCM 1101) Lanación.com 
(25 June 2013)  
Brazil New guidelines from the National 
Development Bank (BNDES) for the wind 
energy projects granting financial aid 
provided certain domestic content 
requirements are met (e.g. at least 70% 
of steel and reinforced concrete used to be 
locally produced)  Press reports referring to 
BNDES Directive 1380 
(11 December 2012)  
Brazil Amendments to the anti-dumping 
legislation establishing shorter time-limits for investigation procedures  Press reports referring to 
MDIC Decree No. 8058 (26 July 2013) Effective 
1 October 2013 
Ghana Restriction on entry points for textile 
imports to two seaports (Tema and 
Takoradi) and Kokota international airport  Press reports referring to 
regulation of Ministry of 
Trade and Industry 
(March 2013)   
Haiti Temporary import ban on certain 
products, i.e. food, chicken, plastics from 
the Dominican Republic  Listin Diario 
(22 July 2013) Effective 
March 2013 
India Amendments to the In dian Telegraph Act 
introducing mandatory domestic content 
requirements for mobile phone companies 
on "security-sensitive" telecom products  The Times of India 
(28 June 2013) Effective 
October 2013 
India Preference in government procurement 
favouring locally produced railway safety technology products 10
th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive Measures, European Commission - Directorate-General for Trade (2 September 2013)    
Indonesia Protection and Empowerment of Farmer 
Law introducing import prohibition of 
agricultural products when local supplies 
are sufficient, and restricting its entry 
points  The Jakarta Post 
(11 July 2013)   
Indonesia Temporary permission to export mineral 
ores up to 12 January 2014  Press reports referring to 
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources 
Regulations Nos. 7/2012, 
11/2012 and 20/2013 (August 2013) Export of 
unprocessed minerals, except 
coal expected to be 
banned as from 2014 
Indonesia Revised import requirements on 
horticultural products, live animals, and 
animals products  Press reports referring to 
Ministry of Trade 
Regulations Nos. 16, 46 
and 47/2013; and 
Regulations Nos. 84 and 
86/2013 Ministry of 
Agriculture (August and 
September 2013)    
                                               
3This section includes information which has been obtained from public sources but has not yet been 
confirmed by the delegation concerned. 
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 132 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Indonesia Prolongation of the temporary revised 
import control procedures for steel and iron (HS 7208; 7209; 7210; 7211; 7212; 7213; 7214; 7215; 7216; 7217; 7229; 7301; 7304; 7305; 7306; 7307; 7308; 7312; 7314; 7317) (originally implemented from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012)  10
th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive Measures, European Commission - Directorate-General for Trade (2 September 2013)  Effective until 
December 2015 
Indonesia Revised requirements for registration of 
importers: importers allowed to import 
one category of goods stipulated in the 
Goods Classification System, under the 
producer import license (API-I)  10th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive 
Measures, European 
Commission - 
Directorate-General for 
Trade referring to 
Regulations 
Nos. 27/2012 and 
59/2012 of Ministry 
of Trade 
(2 September 2013)    
Indonesia "Priority lane im porter status" removed for 
imports of certain products, i.e. food and beverages, cosmetics, traditional medicine and food supplements, ready-to-wear clothes, footwear, elec tronics, and toys  WTO document 
WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 5 July 2013; and 10
th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive Measures, European Commission - Directorate-General for Trade (2 September 2013)   
Indonesia Introduction of import restrictions on salt 
(consumption and industrial) 
(HS 2501.00) 10th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive 
Measures, European 
Commission - 
Directorate-General for 
Trade referring to Decree 
No. 58/2012 of Ministry 
of Trade 
(2 September 2013)    
Indonesia New requirements for imports of cosmetic 
products (i.e. verification, technical inspection, and inclusion of "SNI" - Product Certification Number of Indonesia's National Standard Marking)  Press reports referring to 
Ministry of Trade Regulation No. 61/2013 (30 September 2013)   
Nigeria Increase of import tariffs (to 110%) on 
husked brown rice an d semi-milled or 
wholly milled rice, whether or not polished 
or glazed (HS 1006.20; 1006.30)  10th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive 
Measures, European 
Commission - 
Directorate-General 
for Trade 
(2 September 2013)    
Nigeria Import ban on packaged sugar and refined 
sugar (HS 17)  Press reports 
(January 2013) Effective 
January 2013 
Nigeria Increase of import tariffs (from 5% to 
60%) on raw sugar (HS 17)  Press reports 
(January 2013) Effective 
January 2013 
Nigeria Increase of import tariffs (to 5%) on 
polymers of polyethylene and polypropylene  10
th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive Measures, European Commission - 
Directorate-General 
for Trade (2 September 2013)  Effective 
January 2013 
Norway Temporary import ban on food and feed 
products from some regions of Japan, as a 
result of the nuclear crisis Press reports referring to 
Norwegian Safety Food 
Authority Announcement 
(3 June 2013)   
Oman Temporary export ban on 6 species of 
fresh or frozen fish (HS 0301; 0302; 303)  Press reports 
(September 2013) Effective 
February 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 133 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Philippines Determination of dutiable value for 
imports of pork and poultry by the Bureau 
of Customs Press reports 
(February 2013) Effective 
1 February 2013 
Customs Union 
between the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Kazakhstan Temporary increase of import tariffs on 
certain products, i.e. cheese (HS 0406); (from zero to 10%) tracked bulldozers equipped with more than 250 horsepower engines; and (from zero to 5%) pipe-layers equipped with more than 400 horsepower engines  10
th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive Measures, European Commission - Directorate-General for Trade (2 September 2013)    
SACU - 
Southern 
African 
Customs Union 
(Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Namibia, South 
Africa, and 
Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs (from zero to 
15%) on set top boxes with a value for 
duty purposes not exceeding R 5,000 
(HS 8528.71.10). Imports from the EU, 
EFTA, and SADC members exempted  10th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive 
Measures, European 
Commission - 
Directorate-General 
for Trade 
(2 September 2013)    
SACU - 
Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland) Increase of import tariffs (from zero to 
25%) on molluscs, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, froze n, dried, salted or 
in brine (HS 0307.39.10; 0307.39.90); and (from 15% to 30%) laminated safety glass (HS 7007.21.20; 7007.21.90). Imports from the EU, EFTA, and SADC members exempted  10
th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive Measures, European Commission - Directorate-General for Trade (2 September 2013)  Effective 
February 2013 
The Former 
Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia Wheat import compensation scheme under 
which importers commit to purchase a 
certain amount of locally produced wheat. 
For example, in order to import 1 kg of 
wheat (HS 1001) the importer is required 
to purchase 2 kg, and for 1 kg of wheat 
flour (HS 1101.00) the requirement is set 
at 5 kg  Press reports 
(23 July 2013)   
Turkey Extension of import surveillance scheme 
adding new categories of products for control through import licensing requirements and minimum import price  10
th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive Measures, European Commission - Directorate-General for Trade (2 September 2013)    
Ukraine "Vehicle Disposable Tax" (from US$591 to 
US$7,563) on imported vehicles (locally 
produced vehicles exempted under 
amendments to the Tax code)  IHS Global Insight Daily 
Analysis (5 August 2013)   
Viet Nam Increase of import tariffs on raw sugar 
(from 15% to 25%) and refined sugar (from 15% to 40%) (HS 17)  VNA (8 December 2012) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Viet Nam Imposition of ex port duties on 
118 products  10th Report on Potentially 
Trade-Restrictive 
Measures, European 
Commission - 
Directorate-General 
for Trade 
(2 September 2013)    
Viet Nam Increase of ex port duties (to 5%) on 
unsaturated polyester  Vietnam News Brief 
Service 
(23 August 2013)   
Viet Nam New regulation on imports of alcoholic 
products restricting market access Hanoi English newspaper 
referring to Decree 94 
(10 September 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013 
Zambia Temporary export ban on maize 
(HS 1005)   Agra Europe 
(21 December 2012)   
Zambia Re-imposition of export duty (10%) on 
unprocessed copper  Dow Jones Institutional 
News (29 October 2013)  Enacted early 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 134 - 
 
 ANNEX 4 
GENERAL ECONOMIC SUPPORT MEASURES1 
(MID-OCTOBER 2012 TO MID-NOVEMBER 2013) 
 
CONFIRMED INFORMATION2 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Argentina Termination on 30 June 2013 of the extension 
of financial aid (i.e. pref erential credit line) for 
capital goods produced  locally (originally 
implemented in 2001 by Decree No. 379/2001)  Permanent Delegation 
of Argentina to the WTO (27 November 2013)   
Brazil "Special Tax Regime for the National 
Broadband Plan for Implementation of 
Telecommunication Networks (REPNBL-
Redes)" granting financial aid (tax benefits) to 
local companies, under certain conditions 
(deadline for companies to apply for benefit 
30 June 2013) Permanent Delegation 
of Brazil to the WTO 
(24 May 2013) Effective 
12 March 2013 
Brazil Special Incentive Regime for the Development 
of the Fertilizer Industry ( Regime Especial de 
Incentivo ao Desenvolvimento da Infraestrutura da Indúst ria de Fertilizantes ) 
granting tax benefits on  imported inputs for 
fertilizer producers, under certain requirements  Law No. 12.794 
(2 April 2013) Implementing 
legislation not yet adopted 
Brazil Incentive package through tax breaks and 
preferential credit lines for ethanol producers  Permanent Delegation 
of Brazil to the WTO 
(24 May 2013) Effective 
20 May 2013 to 
31 December 2014 
Canada Extension of the "Automotive Innovation Fund" 
(Can$250 million (US$236 million)) benefiting the auto-industry for the period 2013-2018 Permanent Delegation 
of Canada to the WTO (24 May 2013) Extended on 
4 January 2013 
Canada Introduction of a new milk class (class 3(d)) 
for "mozzarella in bags of 2 kg or more" to be 
used by restaurant operators in the making of 
fresh pizzas. The creation of a new milk class 
will allow the supply of milk at reduced prices 
for producers of mozzarella cheese for sale to 
restaurants Permanent Delegation 
of Canada to the WTO 
(26 November 2013)  Effective 
1 June 2013 
Canada Programme to support research and 
development with aerosp ace, defence, space 
and security applicat ions. The Technology 
Demonstration Program provides a non-repayable contribution of up to 50% of a project’s eligible costs related to the verification and demonstration of early stage research and technologies Permanent Delegation 
of Canada to the WTO (26 November 2013) Effective 
4 September 2013  
China Financial aid (Y 149 million (US$24.3 million)) 
to support rare earths producers for 
adaptation of existing facilities to 
environmental requirements Permanent Delegation 
of China to the WTO 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
November 2012 
                                               
1 The inclusion of any measure in this table implies no judgement by the WTO Secretariat on whether or 
not such measure, or its intent, is protectionist in nature.  Moreover, nothing in the table implies any judgement, either direct or indirect, on the consistency of any measure refe rred to with the provisions of any 
WTO agreement or such measure's impact on, or relationship with, the global financial crisis. 
2 This section includes information which has either been provided by the Member concerned or it has 
been confirmed at the request of the Secretariat. WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 135 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
China Termination at the end of January 2013 of the 
"Home appliance going to countryside" scheme (originally implemented on a pilot basis in 2007 and extended nationwide in 2009) Permanent Delegation 
of China to the WTO (23 May 2013)   
China Financial aid for purchasing "new-energy 
vehicles" (e.g. all-electric, plug-in hybrid 
electric, and fuel cell powered vehicles ), 
through the implementation of the "12th Five 
Year Plan (2011-15)" encouraging the 
development of alternative fuel vehicles Permanent Delegation 
of China to the WTO 
(26 November 2013); 
and WTO document 
WT/TPR/OV/14, 
21 November 2011 Effective 
1 January 2013 to 
31 December 2015 
China Incentive package through temporary tax 
breaks (VAT and Business tax) for small and micro enterprises with a monthly turnover of less than Y 20,000 (US$3,261) Permanent Delegation 
of China to the WTO (26 November 2013) Effective 
1 August 2013 
China Notice on Policy Issues on pre-tax deduction of 
research and development expenses, clarifying 
and expanding the scope  of R&D expenses 
entitled to a "super deduction before 
Enterprise Income Tax" Permanent Delegation 
of China to the WTO 
(26 November 2013) Effective 
1 August 2013 
Costa Rica Transitional scheme established for the 
elimination of rice price support mechanism (esquema de fijación de precios ). The scheme, 
applied during the period May 2013 to 28 February 2014, fixes a minimum and maximum reference pr ice for imports and 
locally-produced bags of rice of 24 kg and 46 kg  Poder Ejecutivo 
Decreto No. 37699-MEIC (15 May 2013) The price support 
mechanism for rice will be eliminated as of 1 March 2014 
Egypt Export Development Fund granting 
preferential credit line (2%)   Permanent Delegation 
of Egypt to the WTO 
(5 December 2013)   
European Union European Glob alisation Adjustment Fund 
Budget allocated to certain Member States (i.e. Austria, Denmar k, Finland, Italy, 
Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Sweden) benefiting sectors such as telecom equipment, machinery, aluminium an d auto manufacturers 
 Various Decisions of 
the European Parliament and of the Council (December 2012)   
Austria Prolongation of an aid scheme (overall budget 
€6 million (US$8.2 million)), through 
guarantee for Konsolidierungsmaßnahmen im 
Rahmen der Bürgschaftsrichtlinien der 
Oberösterreichischen 
Kreditgarantiegesellschaft  m. b. H. (OÖ KGC) 
for all sectors (originally approved on 
2 July 2008)  Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation. EU State 
Aid SA. 35527 (12/N) 
(5 November 2012)  Effective 
10 October 2012 to 
31 December 2013 
Austria Prolongation of the aid scheme (overall budget 
€3 million (US$4.1 million)) for Verlängerung der staatlichen Beihil fe for all sectors 
(originally approved on April 2009) Public information 
available on the European Commission's  website 
transmitted by the European Union Delegation. EU State Aid SA. 36051 (13/N) (4 February 2013)  Effective 
10 October 2012 to 31 December 2013 
Czech Republic Aid scheme (overall budget CZK 900 million 
(US$44.8 million)) for SMEs (all sectors) EU State Aid SA. 
35247 (12/N) 
(14 December 2012)  Effective 
14 December 2012 
to 
31 December 2024 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 136 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Finland Aid scheme (overall budget €36 million 
(US$49 million) and annual budget €12 million (US$16.3 million)) for SMEs (all sectors) Public information 
available on the European Commission's  website 
transmitted by the European Union Delegation. EU State Aid SA. 35401 (13/N) 
(1 March 2013)  Effective until 
31 December 2015 
Finland Further extension of th e short-term export-
credit insurance scheme (originally extended 
until 31 December 2012) Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation. EU State 
Aid SA. 35701 (12/N) 
(6 March 2013) and 
WTO document 
WT/TPR/OV/15, 
26 November 2012  Effective until 
31 December 2015 
France Budget for the European Globalisation 
Adjustment Fund for the financial year 2012 set at €11,949,666 (US$16.3 million) in commitment and payment appropriations for PSA Peugeot-Citroën group (application 
EGF/2010/015 FR/Peugeot) Decision of the 
European Parliament and of the Council 2012/680/EU (25 October 2012)   
France State aid in the form of loan guarantees 
(overall budget €7 billion (US$9.5 billion)) 
through Banque PSA Finance, for car industry 
group PSA Peugeot-Citroën Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation 
(24 May 2013) Emission of bonds 
covered by the 
French State on 
4 March 2013. The 
EU Commission 
opened an inquiry 
on 2 May 2013 
Germany Prolongation of rescue and restructuring 
scheme for SMEs in Bremen (overall budget €30 million (US$40.8 million)), through a guarantee by Bremer Aufbau-Bank GmbH (all sectors) Public information 
available on the European Commission's  website 
transmitted by the European Union Delegation. EU State Aid SA. 35561 (12/N) (19 November 2012)  Effective 
1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 
Germany Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) guarantee for 
participation in SMEs (overall budget €100 
million (US$136.1 million)) by 
Niedersächsisches Fina nzministerium (all 
sectors) Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation. EU State 
Aid SA. 35280 (12/N) 
(14 December 2012)  Effective until 
31 December 2013 
Germany Ad hoc rescue aid (overall budget 
€152.4 million (US$207.4 million)) for building of ships and floating st ructures manufacturing 
industry Rettungsbeihil fe zugunsten der P+S 
Werften GmbH (possible liquidation aid to be 
granted) (originally effective from 4 June to 31 December 2012) Public information 
available on the European Commission's  website 
transmitted by the European Union Delegation. EU State Aid SA. 34920 (12/NN) (11 July 2012); and WTO document WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 5 July 2013 Company entered 
liquidation procedure after the rescue phase WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 137 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Greece Aid scheme (overall budget €147.6 million 
(US$200.9 million)), through a direct grant for 
the air transport sector Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation. EU State 
Aid SA. 35220 (12/N) 
(19 December 2012)  Effective until 
31 December 2013 
Greece Aid scheme (overall budget €210 million 
(US$285.8 million)), through state guaranteed loans for energy sector (DEPA €100 million (US$136.1 million) effective until 14 June 2013, and PPC €110 million (US$149.7 million) effective until 14 August 2013) Public information 
available on the European Commission's  website 
transmitted by the European Union Delegation. EU State Aids SA. 34986 (13/NN), SA. 36871 (13/NN), and SA. 36323 (13/NN) (15 June 2012)   
Lithuania Prolongation of the sch eme for restructuring 
aid for SMEs (origi nally approved on 
17 February 2011)  Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation 
(24 May 2013) Effective until 
31 December 2015 
Poland Aid scheme (overall budget Zl 1.44 million 
(US$444,034)), through a direct grant for 
manufacturing of other parts and accessories 
for motor vehicles by Boshoku Automotive Poland Sp. Z o.o. EU State Aid SA. 
35202 (12/N) 
(23 October 2012)  Effective 
31 December 2012 
to 
31 December 2014 
Poland Aid scheme (overall budget Zl 2.24 million 
(US$724,943)), through a direct grant for 
Nokia Siemens Networks Sp. Z o.o. (wireless 
telecommunications activities) EU State Aid SA. 
35197 (12/N) 
(26 October 2012)  Effective 
31 December 2012 
to 
31 December 2013 
Poland Aid scheme (overall budget Zl 2.16 million 
(US$699,052)), through a direct grant for Atos IT Services Sp. Z o.o. (other information technology and computer service activities) EU State Aid SA. 
35250 (12/N) (26 October 2012)  Effective 
31 December 2012 to 31 December 2014 
Poland Aid scheme (overall budget Zl 11 million 
(US$3.6 million)), throug h soft loan for Pomoc 
na ratowanie dla Classen-Pol SA (manufacture 
of other builders' carpentry and joinery) Public information 
available on the 
European 
Commission's  website 
transmitted by the 
European Union 
Delegation (24 May 
2013). EU State Aid 
SA. 35487 (12/N) (11 
December 2012)  Effective 
11 December 2012 
Slovenia Ad hoc rescue aid thro ugh a guarantee for 
Cimos (auto-parts and accessories 
manufacturing) (overall budget €35 million (US$47.6 million)) Public information 
available on the 
European Commission's  website 
transmitted by the European Union Delegation. EU State Aid SA. 36548 (13/N) (2 July 2013)    
Sweden Budget for the European Globalisation 
Adjustment Fund for the financial year 2012 
set at €5,454,560 (US$7.4 million) in 
commitment and payment appropriations for 
Saab Automobile SA (application 
EGF/2012/005 SE/Saab) Decision of the 
European Parliament 
and of the Council 
2013/18/EU 
(12 December 2012)   WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 138 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
United 
Kingdom Provision of public funds (£600 million 
(US$979.1 million)) to one special purpose vehicle (SPV) in support of the UK Government's Green Deal Policy  EU State Aid SA. 
34611 (12/N) (5 February 2013)  Effective 
28 January 2013 to 27 January 2018 
Hong Kong, 
China Extension of the time-limited special 
concessionary measures providing 80% loan 
guarantee coverage (up to HK$100 billion 
(US$12.9 billion)), through the SME Financing 
Guarantee Scheme (SFGS)  (originally effective 
from 31 May 2012 to end-February 2013) Permanent Delegation 
of Hong Kong, China 
to the WTO 
(16 May 2013) and 
WTO document 
WT/TPR/OV/15, 
26 November 2012 Extended until 
February 2014 with 
enhancement in 
eligibility criteria 
Hong Kong, 
China Increase of the cumulative amount of grants 
for SMEs through the Export Marketing Fund (from HK$150,000 to HK$200,000 (US$19,346 to US$27,794) for each SME) (originally launched in 2001) Permanent Delegation 
of Hong Kong, China to the WTO (26 November 2013)  Effective 
10 June 2013 
India Extension of the Expo rt Promotion Capital 
Good (EPCG) scheme beyond March 2013, 
allowing exporters to import capital goods 
duty free (all sectors) Information verified 
by the permanent 
Delegation of India to 
the WTO 
(23 May 2013)   
Japan Second stimulus pack age for SMEs providing, 
e.g. improved access to capital (¥95 billion (US$937.2 million)) and loans (¥24 billion (US$236.8 million)) Permanent Delegation 
of Japan to the WTO (24 May 2013) Effective 
30 November 2012 
Japan "Emergency Economic  Measures for the 
Revitalization of the Japanese Economy" 
(¥10.3 trillion (US$101.6 billion)) with around 
400 specific programmes Permanent Delegation 
of Japan to the WTO 
(24 May 2013) Scheme established 
on 11 January 2013 
Japan Loan programme for the Japan Bank of 
International Co-operation (JBIC) benefiting 
foreign firms buying products made by the 
overseas subsidiaries of Japanese companies  Permanent Delegation 
of Japan to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)  Effective 1 February 
2013 
Japan Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry's 
"Subsidy Programme to Promote Investment 
in Advanced Equipment as Measures to Deal 
with Yen Appreciation and Energy Constraints" 
(¥200 billion (US$1.9 billiion))  Permanent Delegation 
of Japan to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)  Effective 
21 March 2013 
Japan "The Forestry Agen cy of the Ministry of 
Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries' Wood-Use Points Programme" (¥41 billion (US$404.5 million)) establishing an incentive system by providing points for use of eligible wood (same procedures applied to both domestic and foreign wood)  Permanent Delegation 
of Japan to the WTO (27 November 2013)  Effective 
1 April 2013 
Japan Support (¥150 billion (US$1.5 billion)), 
through the Innovation Network Corporation 
of Japan (INCJ) to chipmaker Renesas 
Electronics Corp Permanent Delegation 
of Japan to the WTO 
(27 November 2013)  Effective 
30 September 2013 
Pakistan Incentive scheme for "newly indigenized 
vehicles" to promote local auto industry  Permanent Delegation 
of Pakistan to the WTO (20 November 2013) Effective 
13 June 2013  
Russian 
Federation Financial aid (Rub 1,728 million 
(US$52.4 million)) to support regional 
agriculture development programmes (i.e. 
non-recurring aid to purchase agricultural 
equipment and animals,  home appliances, 
transport vehicles) and reconstruction of roads  Permanent Delegation 
of the Russian 
Federation 
(23 May 2013) Effective 
18 March 2013 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 139 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Thailand Further extension of the "Rice mortgage 
scheme" for in-season and off-season rice, 
twice a year per plot and person (originally for in-season rice effective 7 October 2011 to 29 February 2012 (except for the Southern region effective 1 February 2012 to 31 July 2012); and for off-season rice effective 1 March 2012 to 15 September 2012 (except 
for the Southern region  effective 1 July 2012 
to 31 October 2012)) Permanent Delegation 
of Thailand to the WTO (3 June 2013) and WTO document WT/TPR/OV/15, 26 November 2012 Effective 
1 October 2012 to 31 January 2014 
Thailand Extension of the "Cassa va mortgage scheme" 
(originally effective 1 February 2012 to 
31 May 2012) Permanent Delegation 
of Thailand to the 
WTO (16 May 2013) 
and WTO document 
WT/TPR/OV/15, 
26 November 2012 Effective 
December 2012 to 
September 2013 
Thailand Increase of the purchase price (to 
B 15,000/metric tonne (US$468)) through the "Rice mortgage scheme"  Permanent Delegation 
of Thailand to the WTO (29 November 2013); and WTO document WT/TPR/OV/W/7, 5 July 2013 Effective: for 
in-season rice effective 1 October 2013 to 28 February 2014 (except for the Southern region effective 1 October 2013 to 31 July 2014); and for off-season rice effective 1 March to 30 September 2014 (except for the Southern region 
effective 1 August 
to 30 November 2014) 
 
RECORDED, BUT NOT CONFIRMED INFORMATION3 
Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Bangladesh Financial aid (Tk 440 million (US$5.6 million)) 
to purchase fertilizers and seeds for rice 
cultivation Grain Market Report 
No. 432 
(25 April 2013) Effective April 2013 
Belarus Financial aid (50% reimbursement of interest 
payments) through Belarusbank, 
Belvnesheconombank, and Belinvestbank for 
three cement producers ("Belarusian Cement 
Plant, Krichevtsementnoshifer, and 
Krasnoselskstroimaterialy") and for 
pharmaceutical companies (75% 
reimbursement of intere st payments) (valid 
only for loans issued after 1 January 2013) Press reports 
referring to Council of 
Ministers Decrees 
Nos. 212 and 213 
(25 March 2013)  Effective 
25 March 2013 
Belarus Reduced processing time for issuance of 
export credits to local companies Press reports 
referring to Council of Ministers and the National Bank of 
Belarus Joint Decree 
No. 239/3 (30 March 2013)   
                                               
3 This section includes information which has been obtained from public sources but has not yet been 
confirmed by the delegation concerned. 
 WT/TPR/OV/16 
 
- 140 - 
 
 Country/ 
Member State Measure Source/Date Status 
Belarus Extension of the list of state enterprises and 
private companies eligible for financial aid 
(e.g. refinancing of interest payment) under 
investment projects Press reports 
referring to Decree 
No. 418/2013 of 
Council of Ministers 
(24 May 2013)   
Belarus Export credit line (US$20 million) through 
Belvnesheconombank for manufacturing firm "Svetlogorsk pulp & board plant"  Press reports 
referring to Decree No. 440/2013 of Council of Ministers (3 June 2013) Effective from 2013 
to 2015 
Brazil Exemption of the 25% IPI ( Imposto sobre 
Produtos Industrializados ) internal industrial 
tax on electric cars  Press reports 
(various dates)   
European Union "CARS 2020" action scheme aimed at 
promoting investment in new technologies and clean vehicles, streamlining regulation, supporting skills and training and helping manufacturers to compete globally. Scheme 
includes research grants, loans from the 
European Investment Bank and financial incentives  Financial Times, 
Bloomber BNA, and EuropeanVoice.Com (8 November 2012)   
India Adoption of a supplement to the Foreign 
Trade Policy establishing a series of measures 
to support exports through various schemes, 
in particular in the form of interest rate 
subsidy (from 2% to 3%) for exporters and 
partial duty exemption on export value PTI (31 July 2013) 
and 10th Report on 
Potentially Trade-
Restrictive Measures, 
European 
Commission - 
Directorate-General 
for Trade 
(2 September 2013)    
Indonesia Livestock Farmers Empowerment scheme 
granting specific incentives for livestock farmers to promote domestic beef industry Press reports 
referring to Government Regulation No. 6/2013 (January 2013)   
Indonesia Protection and Empowerment of Farmer Law 
granting insurance coverage for crops and 
preferential credit line The Jakarta Post 
(11 July 2013) Effective July 2013 
Panama Special provisions for the development of 
ethanol industry  Press reports 
referring to Law No. 76/2013 and Decree No. 28/2013 (October 2013)   
Russian 
Federation Financial package (US$14 billion) for 
infrastructure programm es (i.e. railways, 
motorways)  Financial Times and 
International Herald 
Tribune 
(21 June 2013)   
Russian 
Federation Incentive package for SMEs through the 
elimination/reduction of certain taxes and preferential credit lines  Financial Times 
(25 July 2013)   
United States Extension of the Farm Bill for one year 
(renewing existing agriculture support 
programmes) Agra Europe 
(2 January 2013) Effective 
1 January 2013  
United States Extension of tax credit for wind power 
industry  IHT 
(10 January 2013)   
United States "US Global Business Solutions" scheme 
granting export finance for SMEs through six 
Federal Agencies Inside US Trade's 
(4 April 2013)   
Uruguay Financial aid (US$15 million) through a loan 
for establishment of new national airline "Alas Uruguay" Diario El País 
(13 November 2013)   
 
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