. /. RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/RL/M/37 
28 January 2011 
 
 (11-0471) 
Negotiating Group on Rules  
  
 
SUMMARY REPORT OF THE MEETING 
HELD ON 13 DECEMBER 2010 
 
Note by the Secretariat
 
 
 
1. The Negotiating Group on Rules ("the Group") held a formal meeting on 13 December 2010. 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
2. The Group adopted the following agenda: 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................1  
B. REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS REVIEW OF THE TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM FOR 
REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS .................................................................................................1  
C. REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS : "SYSTEMIC ISSUES " ................................................................2  
D. OTHER BUSINESS ........................................................................................................................2  
 
3. Following the adoption of the agenda, the Group held an informal debate on the 
two substantive issues in the agenda.  At the end of the informal discussions, the Group reverted back 
to formal mode. 
B. REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS REVIEW OF THE TRANS PARENCY MECHANISM FOR REGIONAL 
TRADE AGREEMENTS  
4. The Chairman noted that following the G-20 mee ting, participants in the negotiations were 
constantly referring to 2011 as presenting a "windo w of opportunity" for the Doha Development 
Agenda.  The time-frames had been discussed at the TNC held on 30 November and collective sense 
pointed to texts in all areas towards the end of th e first quarter of 2011.  His recent consultations on 
both aspects of the Group's work, namely transpar ency and systemic issues, had been therefore 
framed within the absolute need to balan ce expectations with a tight time-frame.   
5. He recalled that at the General Council m eeting held on 4 May 2010 Members had agreed 
with a communication from China, India and Pakistan  that consultations be held in the Negotiating 
Group on Rules with respect to launching a review of the Transparency M echanism (TM) for RTAs 
with a view to making it permanent.1 
6. He reported that he had conducte d informal consultations on this issue and proposed that the 
Negotiating Group on Rules agree to launch this review, aimed at making the TM a permanent 
mechanism.  He clarified that it was understood that th e legal review also formed part of that review.  
The review would be based on Members' views on the TM and proposals for improvement, a 
                                                      
1 See WT/GC/W/621 and WT/GC/M/126. TN/RL/M/37 
Page 2  
 
document from the Secretariat summarizing its experiences and difficulties;  he would also invite the Chairs of the implementing Committees, namely the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements and 
the Committee on Trade and Development to comment  on their respective body's experience with the 
TM.   
7. Responding to a question posed, the Chairman cl arified that the review did not include 
systemic issues. 
8. The Group agreed
 to promptly launch the review of the TM. 
9. The Chairman noted that he would be circulating at a later stage a paper with points that need 
to be acted upon. 
C. REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS : "SYSTEMIC ISSUES " 
10. Recalling the Group's mandate, the Chairman in formed Members that he had carried out 
consultations on systemic issues under two basic premises, namely that there was a need for 
delivering a result on these and that progress remained dependent on the submission of text-based proposals by Members;  previous submissions had been discussed but led to no progress and no new submissions had been made.   
11. Participants were generally of the view that  there was no need for the Group to adopt a way 
forward on systemic issues but rather that it shou ld pursue its discussions on the basis of Members' 
proposals.  It was noted that the Hong Kong Declaration called for text-based proposals on systemic issues;  that was related to the second component  of the Group's mandate, namely to rules and 
procedures related to RTAs.  Reference was ma de to proposals relating to Article XXIV of 
GATT 1994 and the development aspects of RTAs.  It was also noted that it would appear that new 
proposals were going to be submitted.  The useful ness of informal meetings was underlined as a way 
to keep the momentum going.  As regards time-fram es, while time was short, there was the need to 
give Participants sufficient opportunity to provide inputs and engage in in-depth debate on systemic 
issues.  Reference was made to working towa rds the development, within the Group, of a 
post-Doha Member driven work programme. 
12. A request was made in the informal meeti ng for the Secretariat to update document 
TN/RL/W/8/Rev.1, which it had prepared and circulated in the Group in 2002, so as to reflect developments that had taken place since that date.  After a debate, the Group supported such a request 
and invited
 the Secretariat to proceed accordingly.  
13. In his summary, the Chairman stat ed that the view had emerged that in dealing with systemic 
issues, Members would trust his discretion;  any work plan put forward would however be based 
upon, and make ample room for discussion of textual proposals tabled by Members.  In light of the 
time-frame the Group was working under, he urged Me mbers to quickly submit proposals to allow for 
their early analysis.  The Group took note  of that. 
D. OTHER BUSINESS  
14. The Chairman informed the Group that the next meeting was scheduled for 4 February 2011.  
Several meetings would be scheduled to take pl ace up to the end of April 2011, and the detailed 
calendar would be submitted in advance to allow adequate scope for preparation and 
consensus-building.  He emphasized that meaningf ul progress required that the spirit in which the 
Group worked be one of collaborati on and conciliation and could not be  one of contention.  He hoped 
that Members would come prepared to work co nstructively and energetically to find acceptable 
middle ground and to build confidence towards delivering the outcome being sought. 
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