. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/MA/14 
10 February 2005 
 (05-0544) 
Negotiating Group on Market Access  
  
 
 
NEGOTIATING GROUP ON MARKET ACCESS 
Report by the Chairman, Ambassador S. H. J óhannesson, to the Trade Negotiations Committee
 
 
 
I. STATUS OF WORK 
1.1 I would like to recall that my oral report for the TNC meeting of 9 December 2004, which 
gave an overview of the November  and December 2004 meetings of the Negotiating Group on Market 
Access (NAMA Group), was circulated in JOB(04)/187.  
1.2 The NAMA Group met for the first time this year from 31 January to 4 February.  The 
meeting was convened by WTO/AIR/2483. The Gr oup met in open-ended informal session on 
31 January and 1 February to take  up a number of technical issues outlined in the organizational fax 
sent by me to all participants on 22 November 2004,  as well as non-tariff barriers (NTBs).   Following 
discussions of these technical issues and NTBs, the meeting was suspended to  allow delegations to 
meet bilaterally and plurilaterally.  The Group reconv ened on Friday, 4 February in the afternoon to 
hear a reporting from participants on the work done by them in those private sessions and to discuss 
the Group's future work.   1.3 The following technical issues were discussed in the Group's open-ended meeting: (1) product 
coverage;  (2) treatment of unbound tariff lines in relation to the formula;  (3) ad valorem  equivalents;  
(4) data availability;  (5) specific matters relating to  the flexibility in paragraph 8;  (6) provisions of 
flexibility for developing country participants in sectorals;  (7) recourse to special provisions for tariff reductions by newly acceded Members;  (8) elimination of low duties;  (9) non-reciprocal preferences;  
and (10) environmental goods.  NTBs which are a standing item of the Group's agenda were also 
discussed.  In particular two papers laying out possible vertical approaches to NTBs in the wood sector and automobile sector were introduced. The Group also agreed to undertake a multilateral 
examination of notified NTBs at a future meeting.   
 1.4 At the wrap up session, some reporting was give n of the work undertaken by participants in 
the intervening time between the open-ended sessions.  It was clear that delegations had been busy 
and had spent the time usefully in order to expl ain their ideas, positions and in some instances to 
brainstorm.  It is also evident from the reporti ng that such practice of making time available for 
participants to meet privately should be continued.  1.5 Overall, the discussions were good, and focused , and with this first session in 2005 we have 
concluded a first round of discussions on all the elements, cited in my 22 November 2004 
organizational fax,  which were dr awn from Annex B of the 1 August 2004 General Council Decision.    
   TN/MA/14 
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 II. OUTSTANDING ISSUES 
 
2.1 One conclusion which is a pparent from the discussions is that divergences on some 
fundamental issues remain.  The complexity as we ll as the political sensitivities surrounding  these 
issues make it evident that more work and political input will be required to move forward on them.  
 
III. FUTURE WORK 
 
3.1 I also held consultations during the NAMA week  with a number of participants regarding the 
Group's future work.  On the basis of those consu ltations, I provided to participants my sense of how 
the Group should take its work forward.  I indicated to the Group that there appeared to be a shared 
understanding that the Group should be working towards full modalities by the 6
th Ministerial 
Conference in Hong Kong, China.  As a result, what has been coined a "first approximation" of such 
modalities would be required by July.  In such a case,   the Group would already need to see an outline 
of where it was going with modalities by late May, early  June.  With such a perspective in mind, input 
by participants in the short-term was abso lutely essential and strongly encouraged.   
 3.2 Regarding the organization of work, I indicated  to participants that I would take into my 
deliberations the various suggestions made rega rding the organization of the 14-18 March 2005 
meeting of the Group.    
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