. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/ADP/AHG/W/175 
13 April 2006 
 
 (06-1737) 
Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices 
Ad-Hoc Group on Implementation  
 
 
 
DRAFT RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING  
THE CONDUCT OF VERIFICATIONS 
 
 
 The Committee notes that Article 6.7 of the Ag reement on Implementation of Article VI of 
GATT 1994 envisages that investigating authoriti es may carry out on-the-spot investigations 
(hereinafter "verifications") in the territory of ot her Members in order to verify or obtain further 
details about information submitted.  The Committee recognizes that the conduct of such verifications 
is not mandatory, and that investigating authorities intending to carry out such verifications must 
obtain the agreement of the firms concerned and canno t proceed when there is an objection on the part 
of the government of the Member in question. 
The Committee is mindful that Annex I of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of 
GATT 1994 contains a series of procedures that Me mbers conducting verifications must apply and 
comply with, and that the results of verifications must be made available or disclosed to the firms 
investigated, and may be made available to the a pplicants, subject to the requirement to protect 
confidentiality. 
The Committee notes that the Ag reement on Implementation of Article VI of GATT 1994 
does not prescribe any detailed rules about when or  how firms and governments should be notified of 
an investigating authority's intention to conduct a ve rification.  Nor does it specify in detail either the 
manner in which the results should be  made available or disclosed, nor the precise contents thereof.  
In practice, Members follow a variety of appro aches when addressing these particular aspects of the 
verification process.  The Committee recognizes that these variances may reflect the particularities of 
different national legal structures and/or systems of anti-dumping administration.  Nonetheless, the 
Committee considers that it would be useful to adopt  a recommendation in relation to these particular 
aspects of the verification process with a view to enhancing transparency. 
In the light of the foregoing considerations, the Committee recommends that, in applying the 
provisions of Article 6.7 and Annex I of the Ag reement on Implementation of Article VI of GATT 
1994, Members should comply with the following: 
(a) Notification of Intention to Conduct a Verification  
An investigating authority should provide  the firms concerned and the relevant 
Member governments at least 30 days advance written notice of any intention to 
conduct a verification.  The firms concerne d should be given a reasonable period of 
time to agree, and the Member governments to object, to the investigating authority's intended course of action.  
 G/ADP/AHG/W/175 
Page 2  
 
  In order to allow the firms concerned ade quate time to prepare, the investigating 
authority should provide its intended programme  of verification no later than 10 days 
prior to the proposed date of commencement of the verification.   
(b) Disclosure to Firms Subject to Verification
 
Investigating authorities should disclose or make available to the firms concerned a 
full and detailed report of the verification as soon as practicable, but in no case later 
than 10 days, after completion of the verification.   
The firms concerned should be provided with an opportunity to comment within a 
reasonable period of time on the verification report, before it is finalized.  A copy of the finalized verification report should be provided to the firms concerned in 
sufficient time to defend their interests. 
 The firms concerned should be requested to identify any confidential information appearing in the finalized verification report.  
(c) Disclosure to Other Interested Parties
 
Investigating authorities should make a non- confidential version of the finalized 
verification report available to the applicants  and other interested parties in sufficient 
time to allow them to defend their interests.    
__________