TN/MA/S/23  
 
8 May 2014  
(14-2840)  Page: 1/5  
Negotiating Group on Market Access    
 
 SITUATION OF MEMBERS' SCHEDULES REGARDING  
HS TRANSPOSITIONS AS OF 1 MAY 2014 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
 
The attached table gives an overview of the state of play in the HS transposition process.  This 
process is conducted by the Committee on Market Access in dedicated informal multilateral review 
sessions.    
Members are required to update their bound schedules on goods to keep them in line with the 
most recent version of the Harmonized System (HS)  currently used in their applied tariff regime.  
Having applied and bound schedules in the same HS version is also necessary in the context of the negotiations so as to facilitate the comparisons of bound and applied rates.   
 
In 2005, the Committee on Market Access had de cided initially for the HS 2002 transposition
2 that 
the Secretariat would undertake the transposition of the schedules of developing country 
Members, except for those who decide to prepare their own transposition.  Developed country 
Members were required to undertake their own tran sposition.  This decision has been extended 
also to the HS 2007 and HS 2012 transpositions.3  
  
The review process consists of several phases which finally lead to the certification of the Member's transposed schedule. These phases are outlined below.  The attached table gives for each Member's bound schedule the status in the HS transposition process.  As of 1 May 2014 the 
situation is as follows: 
 HS 2012    
 No Member has its transposition certified or made available for multilateral review.  One Member submitted its transposition to the Secretariat for review. 
 
HS 2007  
 - 33 Members have their transposition certified or had their protocol of accession in HS 2007. 
- 34 Members have their transposition approv ed in the multilateral review process. 
- 19 Members had their transposition reviewed in  at least one meeting of the multilateral 
review process and have received reservations  from one or more Members which are not yet 
resolved. 
- 12 Members have their transposition available for review; they will be taken up at the next 
review meeting. 
- 23 Members are in the process of preparing their transposition. 
- 8   Members have not yet finalized their HS 2002 transposition and can therefore not yet 
engage in the HS 2007 transposition. 
- 1 Member has circulated its schedule in HS 2002 but has not yet submitted its HS 2007 file.  
  
                                               
 1 This document has been prepared under the Secretar iat's own responsibility and without prejudice to 
the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  
2 Document WT/L/605 of 2 mars 2005. 
3 Document WT/L/673 of 18 December 2006 for HS 2007 and document WT/L/831 of 5 December 2011 
for the HS2012 transposition. TN/MA/S/23 
 
- 2 - 
 
  HS 2002  
 
- 121 Members have their transposition certified or had their protocol of accession in HS 2002 
or in HS 2007. 
- 5 Members had their transposition reviewed in  at least one meeting of the multilateral 
review process and have received reservations  from one or more Members which are not yet 
resolved. 
- 2 Members are in the process of preparing their transposition. 
- 1 Member has circulated its schedule in HS 2002. - 1 Member has not yet finalized its HS 1996 transposition and can therefore not yet engage 
in the HS 2002 transposition.  
 
HS 1996  
 
- 127 Members have their transposition certified or had their protocol of accession in HS 1996, 
in HS 2002 or in HS 2007. 
- 1 Member had its transposition reviewed in at least one meeting of the multilateral review 
process and has received reservations from one or more Members which are not yet 
resolved. 
- 1 Member is in the process of preparing its transposition. - 1 Member is in the process of preparing corrections/rectifications for its HS 1996 
transposition and can therefore not yet engage in the HS 2002 transposition. 
 
 
Explanation of phases in the HS transposition process  
 
Preparation Transposition file in prep aration/review by Member/Secretariat 
For Review To be reviewed in multilateral review 
Reservations Reservations made by ot her members in multilateral review 
Approved Approved by all members du ring multilateral review process 
Certified Certified by all members furt her to multilateral review process 
PA Protocol of Accession 
 
 TN/MA/S/23 
 
- 3 - 
 
   
 Status of Members' schedules in the CMA multilateral review process 
Member HS 2007 Member 
submission 
received 
(a) HS 2002 HS 1996 
Albania     For Review - Certified PA 
Angola Certified       - Certified Certified 
Antigua and Barbuda Certified       - Certified Certified 
Argentina         - Reservations Certified 
Armenia   Approved     - Certified PA 
Australia     Reservatio ns Yes Certified Certified 
Bahrain Certified       - Certified Certified 
Bangladesh         -   (b) 
Barbados   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Belize Certified       - Certified Certified 
Benin   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Bolivia   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Botswana     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Brazil       Preparation  No Certified Certified 
Brunei Darussalam     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Burkina Faso   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Burundi   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Cabo Verde PA       - - - 
Cambodia     For Review - Certified PA 
Cameroon Certified       - Certified Certified 
Canada Certified       Yes Certified Certified 
Central African Rep.   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Chad Certified       - Certified Certified 
Chile Certified       - Certified Certified 
China         No Reservations PA 
Colombia       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Congo, Dem. Rep.   Approved      - Certified Certified 
Congo, Republic of Certified       - Certified Certified 
Costa Rica     For Review - Certified Certified 
Côte d'Ivoire   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Cuba     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Djibouti Certified       - Certified Certified 
Dominica Certified       - Certified Certified 
Dominican Republic       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Ecuador       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Egypt     Reservations - Certified Certified 
El Salvador       Preparation  Yes Certified Certified 
European Union         No (c) Certified 
Fiji   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Gabon Certified       - Certified Certified 
The Gambia Certified       - Certified Certified 
Georgia     Reservations - Certified PA 
Ghana Certified       - Certified Certified 
Grenada Certified       - Certified Certified 
Guatemala   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Guinea   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Guinea-Bissau Certified       - Certified Certified TN/MA/S/23 
 
- 4 - 
 
   Status of Members' schedules in the CMA multilateral review process 
Member HS 2007 Member 
submission 
received 
(a) HS 2002 HS 1996 
Guyana Certified       - Certified Certified 
Haiti   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Honduras   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Hong Kong, China     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Iceland         No Reservations Certified 
India       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Indonesia         No Reservations Certified 
Israel         - Preparation Certified 
Jamaica     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Japan       Preparation  No Certified Certified 
Jordan     For Review - Certified PA 
Kenya     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Korea       Preparation  No Certified Certified 
Kuwait, the State of  Certified       - Certified Certified 
Kyrgyz Republic     For Review - Certified PA 
Lao People's Dem. 
Rep.     Reservations - PA - 
Lesotho Certified       - Certified Certified 
Macao     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Madagascar   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Malawi   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Malaysia       Preparation  Yes Certified Certified (b) 
Maldives       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Mali   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Mauritania   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Mauritius Certified       - Certified Certified 
Mexico       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Moldova     Reservations - Certified PA 
Mongolia   Approved     - Certified PA 
Montenegro PA       - - - 
Morocco       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Mozambique Certified       - Certified Certified 
Myanmar   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Namibia     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Nepal   Approved     - PA - 
New Zealand     Reservations Yes Certified Certified 
Nicaragua   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Niger   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Nigeria     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Norway       Preparation  Yes Certified Certified 
Oman   Approved     - Certified PA 
Pakistan     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Panama     For Review - Certified Certified 
Papua New Guinea     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Paraguay       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Peru       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Philippines         - Reservations Certified 
Qatar   Approved     - Certified PA 
Russian Federation PA       - - - TN/MA/S/23 
 
- 5 - 
 
   Status of Members' schedules in the CMA multilateral review process 
Member HS 2007 Member 
submission 
received 
(a) HS 2002 HS 1996 
Rwanda Certified       - Certified Certified 
Saint Kitts and Nevis Certified       - Certified Certified 
Saint Lucia Certified       - Certified Certified 
Saint Vincent and the 
Grenadines   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Samoa PA       - - - 
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom 
of      For Review - PA - 
Senegal   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Sierra Leone   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Singapore   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Solomon Islands   Approved     - Certified Certified 
South Africa     Reservations - Certified Reservations  
Sri Lanka       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
Suriname   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Swaziland     Reservations - Certified Certified 
Switzerland       Preparation  Yes Certified Certified 
Chinese Taipei       Preparation  Yes Certified PA 
Tajikistan PA       - - - 
Tanzania Certified       - Certified Certified 
Thailand       Preparation  - Certified Certified 
The former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia     For Review - PA - 
Togo Certified       - Certified Certified 
Tonga   Approved     - PA - 
Trinidad and Tobago       Preparation  No Certified Certified 
Tunisia       Preparation  Yes Certified Certified 
Turkey       Preparation  No Certified Certified 
Uganda   Approved     - Certified Certified 
Ukraine     For Review - PA - 
United Arab Emirates     For Review - Certified Certified 
United States       Preparation  Yes Certified Certified 
Uruguay     For Review - Certified Certified 
Vanuatu PA       - - - 
Venezuela, Bolivarian 
Rep. of         - Preparation Certified 
Viet Nam     For Review - PA - 
Yemen       Preparation  - PA - 
Zambia Certified       - Certified Certified 
Zimbabwe   Approved     - Certified Certified 
 
Source: WTO records. 
Notes: - indicates not applicable. 
 
a) This column shows whether the Secretariat has received a submission from those Members 
preparing their own HS 2007 transposition file. 
b) Corrections/rectifications required. c) The European Union submitted a full schedule for the EU25 in HS2002 which was circulated 
by the Secretariat on 25 April 2014 in document G/MA/TAR/RS/357.   
 
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