RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  S/CSC/M/46 
9 June 2008 
 (08-2704) 
Committee on Specific Commitments  
  
 
REPORT OF THE MEETING HELD ON 3 JUNE 2008 
 
Note by the Secretariat
1 
  
1. The Committee on Specific Commitments (CSC) he ld a meeting on 3 June 2008, chaired by 
Mr. Martin Pospíšil from the Czech Republic.  The agenda for the meeting, contained in 
WTO/AIR/3194, was adopted
.  
2. Before turning to the items on the agenda , for transparency purposes, the Chairman  reported 
to the Committee on the consultations he had held si nce its last formal meeting with respect to how 
the Committee should move forward.  His intention w as to continue the Committee's work in the form 
of informal consultations with interested Member s.  For this purpose, he had convened a small-group 
meeting last December to address the issue of po ssible rollbacks in new schedules by examining some 
actual examples.  While the delegates present at the meeting all recognized the value of addressing 
this issue, some expressed their concerns about th e sensitivity of such an exercise, insisting that 
rollbacks should be addressed bilaterally.  Some de legates also questioned the timing for having this 
exercise, given the uncertainties of the overall ne gotiation process.  Soon after this small-group 
meeting, he had received an informal proposal for holding a seminar to highlight the scheduling 
challenges confronting Members in their preparation of offers, including the issue of possible rollbacks.  He had thus conducted consultations on this proposal.  Wh ile no delegation objected to this 
idea, he also noticed that there was no strong appetite for such an event at a time when delegations all 
had other priorities on their agenda.  Again, some dele gates had raised the issue of timing.  In view of 
the absence of consensus on how to move forward,  he had tentatively suspended the informal 
consultations he had intended to  conduct.  However, he suggested that the Committee mandate the 
incoming Chair to continue the consultations.  He  encouraged delegations to continue to make 
constructive contributions to the Committee's work. 
A. C
LASSIFICATION ISSUES  
3. The Chairman  recalled that in 2007, the discussion in the Committee under this item had 
focused on computer and related services and distribution services based on two submissions received.  Referring to the annotated agenda (Job(08) /41), he said that while Members could continue 
to discuss these two submissions, it might prove useful for the Committee to consider other 
classification issues.    
4. No delegation spoke under this agenda item.  The Chairman
 suggested that the Committee 
revert to this item at its next meeting. 
5. It was so agreed . 
                                                      
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to 
the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO. S/CSC/M/46 
Page 2  
 
  B. S
CHEDULING ISSUES  
6. The Chairman  reminded delegations that there had b een no intervention under this agenda 
item for quite some time.  He encouraged delegati ons to raise any scheduling questions that might 
merit an informal exchange  of views in the Committee . 
7. The representative of Pakistan  proposed that a workshop on scheduling of specific 
commitment be held around September by the Secret ariat,  which would complement the preparatory 
work for tabling the next revised offers, hopefully, some time late this year.   
8. The representative of the Secretariat  stated that the Secretaria t was ready to deliver such 
workshop, but had to make sure that the logis tic arrangements were in place and that timing was 
appropriate .  
9. The Chairman  suggested that the incoming Chair of the Committee hold consultations on the 
programme, timing and logistics of the proposed work shop and that the Committee revert to this item 
at its next meeting. 
10. It was so agreed .  
C. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OLD AND NEW COMMITMENTS  
11. The Chairman  recalled that under this agenda item, the Committee had undertaken a 
substantive discussion based on an informal note from Canada.  The discussion had mainly addressed 
the first element in Canada's note, i.e. whether certa in language in the incorporating instrument at the 
end of the round was needed to ensure that old schedules constituted a source for interpreting 
commitments in the new schedules.  Canada's note al so raised a supplementary question, i.e. how to 
address rollbacks when old commitments were replaced  by new commitments.  He suggested that 
Members address outstanding issues with regard  to the relationship between old and new 
commitments.  
12. The representative of Hong Kong, China  underlined the importance of addressing this issue at 
this time.   The possibility of having to prepare th e revised offers was now more real than ever and 
Members were thus facing a real need of addressing the issue.  In this respect, her delegation remained supportive of the Canadian proposal circulated in 2006, in particular, its idea of having a legal instrument with explicit recognition of th e old schedules as a proper source for interpreting 
commitments in the new schedules.  The emph asis was on GATS Article  XXI being the only 
legitimate channel to adopt new commitments less  favourable than existin g commitments.  Having 
noticed that the discussion on the proposal had rais ed various issues and concerns, she hoped that 
Members could speed up discussions on this subject.   She thanked the Chair for his endless efforts in 
galvanizing  discussion in this regard, hoping such e fforts would not be lost in the hands of the new 
Chair.  Her delegation would render its full support to the new Chair in his endeavour, particularly in 
addressing the issues related to the relationship between old and new commitments.  She suggested 
that Members pick up these issues soon, either formally or informally.  
13. The Chair
 suggested that the Committee take note of the statement made and revert to this 
item at its next meeting.  
14. It was so agreed .  
D. OTHER BUSINESS  
15. There was no intervention under this item.  S/CSC/M/46 
 Page 3 
 
 
  E. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRPERSON  
16. The Committee elected Mr. Nicolas Torres,  from Colombia, as its new Chairman by 
acclamation.  
 
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