. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/65/Add.1 
3 October 2008 
 
 (08-4718) 
Committee on Trade and Development Original:   English 
  
 
GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES 
 
Communication from Norway
 
 
Addendum  
  
 The following communication, dated 15 July 2008, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Norway. 
 
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REPLIES BY NORWAY TO QUESTIONS FROM BRAZIL  (WT/COMTD/65) 
 
 
1. Please confirm that the criteria for the ex tension of duty-free and quota-free market 
access (DFQF-MA) preferential treatment to a number of developing countries include the 
"List of Recipients of Official Developm ent Assistance" (ODA) from the Development 
Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 
(OECD). 
 The DAC list of Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) and Other Low Income Countries 
combined with the UN population criteria for LDC st atus of less than 75 million were applied when 
establishing the list of countries that are eligible for duty-free and quota-free market access of all 
goods under Norway's Generalized System of Preferences.   
2. Please indicate any other criteria related to income levels that were used in the selection 
of developing countries receiving preferential t reatment similar to that provided to LDCs. 
 None. 
 
3. Please explain the reasons for choosing the DAC list as a criterion for the extension of 
preferential treatment vis-à-vis the stated pur pose of the DAC list contained in the official 
website of the OECD
1 
(http://www.oecd.org/document/55/0,3343, en_2649_34447_3583 2055_1_1_1_1,00.html ) 
  The overall objective of the revision of the GSP scheme is to enhance Norway's imports from developing countries and in particular from the LD Cs and other low-income countries.  A basic 
consideration of the Government's review was to develop a non-discriminatory, consistent and 
                                                     
 
 1 "The DAC list of ODA Recipients is designed for statistical purposes.  It helps to measure and 
classify aid and other resource flows originating in DAC co untries.  It is not designed as a guide to eligibility for 
aid or other preferential treatment." 
 WT/COMTD/65/Add.1 
Page 2  
 
  simplified GSP based on objective criteria for selecting the countries that are to be included and also 
for determining which countries are to be given duty-free and quota-free access for all their goods.  
Norway believes that the DAC list of Least-Devel oped Countries and Other Low Income Countries 
combined with the UN population threshold for LDC status, establish an appropriate instrument for 
this purpose. 
 
4. Please confirm that, according to the current classification contained in the DAC list, 
18 countries are considered as "other low income countries" (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/34/37954893.pdf
). 
  Yes. 
 
5. Considering that the DAC list entered into force in 2006 and that it is revised every 
three years, please comment on the possible ch anges affecting the preferential treatment 
extended by Norway concerning countries to be in cluded in or excluded from the DAC list from 
2009.  
 The intention is to update countries eligible  under Norway's GSP scheme in accordance with 
any revised DAC list of ODA recipients.  
6. Please confirm that the exclusion of four countries in the category "Other Low Income 
Countries" in the DAC list from the DFQF-MA preferential treatment in Norway's GSP was 
based on the United Nations' LDC list, in particular following the "UN population criteria for LDC status", as mentioned in footnote 9 in Norway's notification (document WT/COMTD/N/6/Add.4). 
  Yes, the scheme applies to all "Other Low In come Countries" fulfilling the population criteria 
applied by the UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP) when identifying Least-Developed 
Countries, i.e. a population below 75 million.  Th e ODA list of Other Low Income Countries includes 
four countries that do not meet the UN population criteria for LDC status.   
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