WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/AG/S/14 
28 January 2005 
 (05-0346) 
Committee on Agriculture 
Special Session  
 
 
 
BLUE BOX SUPPORT  
 
Note by the Secretariat1 
 
 
1. This paper concerning the direct payments under production-limiting programmes ("Blue Box 
support") has been prepared to assist in the negotiations of full modalities in accordance with 
Annex A of the General Council Decision of 1 August 2004 ("the Agreed Framework").   
2. The paper presents the nine Members, counting the EC(15) as one, that notified Blue Box 
support in at least one of the years 1995 to 2003.2  Direct payments under production-limiting 
programmes provided in accordance with the provi sions of Article 6.5 of the Agreement on 
Agriculture are exempt from reduction commitments, i.e. these measures are not included in the calculation of the Current Total AMS.  The inform ation has been compiled from Members' domestic 
support notifications, including revisions, corrigend a and addenda that were circulated by the 
Secretariat by 14 January 2005. 
3. The following table presents Blue Box support in  absolute terms as notified by the Members 
concerned in Supporting Table DS:3 of the Comm ittee's "Notification Requirements and Formats" 
(G/AG/2 refers).  It also indicates Blue Box support as a percentage of the value of total agricultural 
production in a given year.
3  The following symbols have been used: 
"    " (blank) indicates that no notification has been circulated for the year in question;   
 "na" indicates "not available". 
 
                                                      
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  
 2 Throughout this paper, the term "year" refers to the relevant calendar, financial or marketing year 
specified in the Schedule of the Member concerned (see also G/AG/W/2/Rev.4).  Additional information may 
have been provided by Members in the context of th e Committee's review of implementation of commitments.  
To the extent that this information has not been notified to the Committee, it is not reflected in the following table.
   
3 The percentage figure is only included for those Members which notified the value of total 
agricultural production in the context of their domestic support notification. TN/AG/S/14 
Page 2  
 
Direct Payments under Production-limiting Progr ammes (Article 6.5 of the Agreement on 
Agriculture – "Blue Box") by Member, 1995-2003  
 
Member/Currency  Year  Blue Box Support  Blue Box Support as a Percentage of 
the Value of Total Agricultural 
Productiona 
Czech Republic 
Kč million     
 1995 0 0 
 1996 0 0 
 1997 0 0 
 1998 0 0  1999 0 0 
 2000 0 0 
 2001 613.1 na 
 2002 787.8 na 
 2003   
Estonia
b 
EEK million     
 2000 213.5 3.5 
 2001 195.8 2.7  2002 190.6 3.1 
 2003   
European Communities (15) 
€ million     
 1995 20,845.5 10.1 
 1996 21,520.8 9.8 
 1997 20,442.8 9.4  1998 20,503.5 9.6 
 1999 19,792.1 8.5 
 2000 22,222.7 9.1  2001 23,725.9 9.6 
 2002   
 2003    TN/AG/S/14 
 Page 3 
 
 
Member/Currency  Year  Blue Box Support  Blue Box Support as a Percentage of 
the Value of Total Agricultural 
Productiona 
Iceland 
ISK million     
 1995 1,455.1 na 
 1996 0 0 
 1997 0 0 
 1998 0 0  1999 0 0 
 2000 0 0 
 2001    2002   
 2003   
Japan 
¥ billion     
 1995 0 0 
 1996 0 0 
 1997 0 0 
 1998 50.2 0.5 
 1999 92.7 1.0  2000 92.7 1.0 
 2001   
 2002    2003   
Norway 
Nkr million 
 1995 7,117.3 na 
 1996 7,246.3 na 
 1997 7,375.1 na 
 1998 7,880.3 na  1999 7,673.9 na 
 2000 7,669.4 na 
 2001 7,329.8 na  2002   
 2003   TN/AG/S/14 
Page 4 
 
 
Member/Currency  Year  Blue Box Support  Blue Box Support as a Percentage of 
the Value of Total Agricultural 
Productiona 
Slovak Republic  
Sk million 
 1995 42.5 na 
 1996 36.3 na 
 1997 43.7 na 
 1998 0 0  1999 0 0 
 2000 69.0 na 
 2001 129.0 na  2002 530.0 na 
 2003   
Slovenia  
€'000 
 1995 0 0 
 1996 0 0 
 1997 0 0 
 1998 0 0 
 1999 0 0  2000 24,568.5 na 
 2001 31,109.7 na 
 2002 53,690.1 na  2003 46,363.6 na 
United States of America 
US$ million 
 1995 7,030.0 3.7 
 1996 0 0 
 1997 0 0 
 1998 0 0  1999 0 0 
 2000 0 0 
 2001 0 0  2002   
 2003   
Source :  Members' notifications. 
Notes : 
a Based on value of total agricultural production as notifie d in the respective domestic suppor t notification of the Member 
concerned. 
b Member as of 13 November 1999. 
Percentages have been rounded. In the case of the United States, zero in the third column (Blue Box Support) means "not applicable" as notified from the 1997 
marketing year.  As from the 1996 marketing year, in Supporting  Table DS:3 the United States also provided the following 
note:  "Deficiency payments, included here for 1995, were e liminated for all years after 1995 by the Federal Agriculture 
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996." 
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