WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/MA/245 
19 May 2011 
 (11-2537) 
Committee on Market Access  
  
 
DRAFT 
 
PERIODIC REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO THE  
COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS 
  
1. The Committee met on 12 May 2011 and examined the following issues:  2. The Committee took note of the factual inform ation provided by a Member requesting a waiver 
extension for the introduction of Harmonized Syst em 1996 (HS96) changes to its schedule. The 
information is summarized in the Annex to this report.  The Committee took note of the status of 
submissions of HS96 documentation as set out in document G/MA/TAR/2/Rev.46 and corr.1.    The Chairman also reported that pursuant to the new procedures to introduce HS96 changes to schedules 
of concessions (WT/L/756), 61 out of 64 HS96 files had been certified.   3. The Secretariat reported on the status of  work concerning the introduction of Harmonized 
System 2002 (HS02) changes to schedules of c oncessions using the CTS database pursuant to the 
procedures contained in WT/L/605, and the amendmen t to those procedures contained in WT/L/807.  
The Secretariat informed Members that 99 HS02 fi les had been certified or were in the process of 
being certified, and noted that the amendment to the HS02 procedure had enabled significant progress to be made in the certification process.  
 
4. The Committee agreed that the Secretariat should resume work on the Harmonized System 
2007 (HS07) transposition exercise pursuant to th e procedures contained in document WT/L/673.  
Some Members noted that the Harmonized Syst em Committee at the World Customs Organization 
had not reached a consensus with respect to all the correlated lines.   The Committee also agreed that 
the Secretariat should prepare for the consideration of the Committ ee an amendment to the existing 
HS07 transposition procedures along the lines of the amendment to the HS02 procedures.  
 5. The Committee took note of the Harmonized System 2007/2012 Correlation Tables (G/MA/W/105).  The Committee agreed that the Secr etariat should elaborate procedures to introduce 
Harmonized System 2012 (HS2012) changes to sche dules of concessions using the CTS database, 
which should be based on the existing HS02 and HS07 procedures.  The Committee also agreed that 
the Secretariat should prepare a draft waiver deci sion relating to the HS2012 changes, which should 
be based on the existing HS02 and HS07 draft waiver decisions.   6. Concerning the Integrated Data Base (IDB) and CTS database, the Committee examined the 
status of IDB submissions on the basis of th e document G/MA/IDB/2/Rev.33. The Secretariat 
reported on the implementation of the "Framewo rk to enhance IDB notifications compliance" 
(G/MA/239) and noted that since the adoption of th e decision, the Secretariat had included tariff 
and/or import data in the IDB for 52 Members. Th e Committee also took note of the report by the 
Secretariat on technical assistance on the IDB and CTS database, software developments as well as the fact that a new version of the Tariff Analysis  Online (TAO) website would be made available in 
June, and that a new version of the C TS CD-ROM would be released early July. G/MA/245 
Page 2  
 
  7. The Committee took note of the report by the Chairman on consultations held in relation to 
the revising Decision on Notification Procedures for Qu antitative Restrictions which is contained in 
document G/L/59.   8. Under other business, the Committee took note of: (1) a Secretariat document entitled 
"Situation of Schedules of WTO Members" (G/MA/W/23/ Rev.7); (2) the current status of the process 
to derestrict certain bilateral negotiating documentation relating to earlier GATT Rounds of 
negotiations; and (3) the date of th e next meeting (14 October 2011). 
 9. The Committee elected Mr. Atilla Bastir maci (Turkey) Chairman for 2011.  
 
   
   G/MA/245
 Page 3ANNEX 
 
 
Member Date of 
original 
waiver Date of submission of 
HS documentation N° of 
extensions 
and dates N° of Members 
with which 
Article XXVIII 
negotiations 
have been 
initiated N° of Members 
with which 
Article XXVIII 
negotiations 
have been 
concluded 
 Status of 
outstanding 
Article XXVII
I negotiations Outlook for 
concluding the 
process Request for a 
waiver and 
draft decision 
1. Argentina 13.12.1995 G/SECRET/HS96/30  
(16.10.1996) 
 G/SECRET/HS96/30/
Corr.1  
(16.05.2000)  
G/SECRET/HS96/30/
Add.1 (28.02.2011) 
 Twenty: 
18.07.1996 
24.04.1997 22.10.1997 
24.04.1998 
14.10.1998 15.06.1999 
04.11.1999 
03.05.2000 08.12.2000 
08.05.2001 
13.05.2002 15.10.2003 
24.07.2003 
20.10.2004 
27.07.2005 
28.07.2006 27.07.2007 
31.07.2008 
27.05.2009 29.07.2010 
 Four Four - Following the 
withdrawal of the 
final pending comments concerning 
the transposition of 
Argentina's schedule into HS96, a 
proposed addendum 
to Schedule LXIV was circulated in 
February.  An 
extension of the waiver until 30 April 
2012 is requested to 
ensure that there is 
sufficient time to 
complete the official certification of the 
schedule.  G/L/956 
G/C/W/648 
 
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