WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/BOP/N/74 
23 February 2010 
 
 (10-0979) 
Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION UNDER PARAGRAPH 9 OF THE UNDERSTANDING 
ON THE BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS PROVISIONS 
OF THE GENERAL AGREEMENT 
ON TARIFFS AND TRADE 1994 
 
Communication from Ecuador
 
   The following communication, dated 18 February 2010, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Ecuador. 
 
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 WT/BOP/N/74 
Page 3 
 
 
  OFFICIAL JOURNAL No.109 - FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2010 
 
OFFICIAL JOURNAL  
 
Administration of Mr Rafael Correa Delgado 
 
Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador 
 
Friday, 15 January 2010  O.J. No. 109 
 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
 
RESOLUTIONS: 
 
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT COUNCIL (COMEXI): 
 
533 ... 10 per cent reduction in all tariff surcharges in troduced as balance-of-payments safeguards by 
COMEXI resolutions 466, 468, 487 and 524, as of 23 January 2010. 
 
No. 533 
 
THE FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT COUNCIL (COMEXI) 
 
Whereas: 
 
 The Republic of Ecuador, being a member country of the Andean Community (CAN) in 
accordance with the provisions of the Cartagen a Agreement of 1969 and subsequent amending 
Protocols, and of the Latin American Integra tion Association (LAIA) in accordance with the 
provisions of the Treaty of Montevideo of 1980, and also a signatory party to other integration and trade agreements and treaties, must meet the ob ligations arising from the normative provisions of 
those agreements;  
 The Republic of Ecuador, being a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 
1996, must meet the obligations arising from th e normative provisions of that multilateral body; 
  Article 1(a) of  Resolution No. 70 of the LAIA Committee of Representatives provides for the 
application of the Regional Safeguards Regime to re store equilibrium in the balance of payments of 
LAIA member countries; 
  Article 11(j) of the Foreign Trade and Invest ment Law (LEXI), published in Official Journal 
No. 82 of 9 June 1997, authorizes COMEXI to apply temporary safeguard measures to correct 
anomalous situations concerning imports, in accord ance with the rules and procedures of the WTO; 
 
 The Republic of Ecuador, by virtue of COMEXI Resolution No. 466, published in the 
supplement to Official Journal No. 512 of 22 Janua ry 2009 and its subsequent amendments, adopted a 
balance-of-payments safeguard that is of genera l application, non-discriminatory towards imports 
from all countries, including those with which Ecua dor has existing trade agreements which recognize 
tariff preferences, and of a temporary nature, for a period of one (1) year. 
 
 At its plenary session on 22 December 2009, COMEXI examined the report submitted by the 
Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE) and the technical report of the COMEXI ad hoc  group;  and 
  By virtue of the powers conferred by Article  11 of the Law on Foreign Trade and Investment, WT/BOP/N/74 
Page 4  
 
   
Decides:  
 
Article 1.  To reduce by 10 per cent all tariff surc harges introduced as balance-of-payments 
safeguards by COMEXI Resolutions 466, 468 , 487 and 524, as from 23 January 2010. 
 
Article 2.  Over the six months following the entry into fo rce of this Resolution, the COMEXI ad hoc 
group shall inform the Council every 60 days of de velopments relating to the balance-of-payments 
safeguard with a view to determining whether or not the percentage of the reduction mentioned in 
Article 1 above should be increased. 
 
Article 3.  The Ministry of Foreign Relations, Trade and Integration shall notify the competent 
international bodies accordingly. 
 
Article 4.   The reduction in tariff surcharges under the ba lance-of-payments safeguard shall apply to 
products shipped to Ecuador as from the date indicated in Article 1 above. 
  This resolution was adopted by the Forei gn Trade and Investment Council (COMEXI) in 
Plenary Session on 22 December 2009.  (s) Nathalie Cely, Chairperson 
(s) Rubén Morán Castro, Secretary 
 
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