WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/TPR/W/39 
15 October 2008 
 (08-4970) 
Trade Policy Review Body  
  
 
 
DRAFT
1  
 
RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR MEETINGS OF 
THE TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY 
 
 
  The following rules of procedure for the Trade Policy Review Body were approved by the Body 
at its meeting on 10 November 2008. 
 
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 1. When the General Council convenes as the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB), it shall 
follow the rules of procedure of the General Council, except as set out below.
2 
  Chapter I - Meetings  
 2. The TPRB shall meet, as appropriate, to con duct Trade Policy Reviews of Members, 
including the European Communities considered as one trading entity, and the Annual Overview of 
Developments in the International Trading Environment.   
 
3. The cycle of reviews provided for in Paragra ph C (ii) of the Agreement on the Trade Policy 
Review Mechanism (TPRM)
3 shall be applied with a general flex ibility of up to six months, if and as 
may be necessary.  Schedules of subsequent review s shall be established counting from the date of the 
previous review meeting.  Members should adhere strictly to the timetables for the preparation of 
reviews, once agreed. 
  Chapter II - Agenda  
 4. The convening notice containing the proposed agenda for each review meeting of the TPRB 
shall be circulated to all Members not later than five  weeks before the relevant meeting.  Matters to be 
raised under "Other Business" shall be communicated  to the Chairperson or the Secretariat not less 
than ten calendar days befo re the relevant meeting. 
                                                     
 
1 This document is the draft update of WT/TPR/6 /Rev.1.  After consideration and approval by the 
Members of the TPRB, it will become WT/TPR/6/Rev.2 
2 These additional rules incorporate all relevant el ements of the Communication from the Chairman of 
the  GATT 1947 Council on Procedures for Review Meetings, dated 30 April 1993 (L/7208),  the GATT 1947 
Council Decision on Arrangements for the Continued Operation of the TPRM, adopted on 10 May 1994 (L/7458), and the WTO General Council Decision of 14 May 2002 on Procedures for the Circulation and 
Derestriction of WTO Documents. 
3 Annex 3 to the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization.  WT/TPR/W/39 
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  Chapter V - Officers
 
 5. The TPRB shall elect its own Chairperson from among the representatives of Members.  The 
TPRB may also elect a Vice-Chairperson.  The election shall take place at the first meeting of the year 
and shall take effect at the end of the meeting.  The Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson shall hold 
office until the end of the first meeting of the following year. 
6. If the Chairperson is absent from any meeting or part thereof, the Vice-Chairperson shall 
perform the functions of the Chairperson.  If a Vi ce-Chairperson was not elected, the Chairperson of 
the General Council or in the latter's absence, the Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Body shall 
perform the functions of the Chairperson.  If th e Chairpersons of the General Council and of the 
Dispute Settlement Body are also absent, the TPRB sh all elect an interim Chairperson for the meeting 
or that part of the meeting. 
7. If the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson can no longer perform the functions of the 
office, the TPRB shall designate a Chairperson in  accordance with paragraph 6 to perform those 
functions pending the election of a new Chairperson. 
  Chapter VI - Conduct of Business
 
 8. The TPRB shall adopt a programme of reviews fo r each year, as referred to in Section C (iv) 
of the Agreement on the TPRM, by the middle of the previous calendar year. 
9. There shall be no requirement of a quorum for the TPRB to conduct trade policy reviews. 
10. A TPRB review shall normally take place in two sessions (each typically half a day) with a 
day in between. 
11. Documentation relating to each review meeting sh all be circulated in all working languages 
not less than five weeks in advance of the relevant  meetings.  Reports by Members under review shall 
be in the form of policy statements, whose form and length is essentially to be determined by the 
Member under review.  Secretariat reports should fo cus principally on the trade policies and practices 
of the Member under review, seen, to the extent necessary, in the context of overall macro-economic and structural policies. 
12. Members should submit written questions to th e Member under review at least two weeks 
before the review meeting, to allow time to prepare replies. 
13. The Secretariat should identify the main points contained in the questions submitted at least 
two weeks before a review mee ting, post them on the Members' Website one week before the 
meeting, and distribute a revised list of main points during the first session of a review when 
questions received after the two-weeks deadlin e give rise to significantly new issues.  
14. Initial remarks by Members under review should be limited to 15 minutes and should provide 
an overview of policies, noting any new developments since the completion of the Secretariat and 
Government reports.  Discussants' statements shoul d not exceed in length that by the Member under 
review.  Statements from the floor should not exceed seven minutes.   
15. Replies by the Member under review, which shoul d be comprehensive, should be structured 
according to the main themes identified in cons ultation with the Chairperson, discussants and 
Secretariat;  the themes should be distributed to Members in advance of the second session of a TPRB review.  Time will be given for discussion by discussants and TPRB members of each theme.  Replies  WT/TPR/W/39 
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 by the Member under review should be distributed in writing;  advance questions submitted by the 
two-week deadline before the start of the TPRB revi ew should be answered in writing by the Member 
under review by the start of the meeting.  Questi ons posed subsequently should be answered, to the 
extent possible, before the start of the second session of the meeting.  Questions left unanswered at the 
end of the second session should be answered in wr iting no later than one month after the meeting 
with some latitude in the Chair's discretion for Me mbers reviewing a very large number of questions.   
  Chapter IX - Records  
 16. Reports by the Member under review and by the Secretariat shall be de restricted immediately 
on the expiry of the relevant press embargo;  a Member under review may request the Chair to de-
restrict the two reports at an earlier date. 
17. The Annual Report by the Director-General on the Overview of Developments in the 
International Trading Environment and minutes of TPRB meetings shall be issued as unrestricted 
documents. 
 
 
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