. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/L/839 
12 November 2007 
 (07-4881) 
  
 
 
REPORT (2007) OF THE COMMITTEE ON MARKET ACCESS 
 
 1. Since the last review
1, the Committee on Market Access has held two formal meetings 
(4 April 2007 and 15 October 2007), and three informal dedicated sessions of the Committee (19 January, 24 April and 30 July 2007). The minutes of the formal meetings are contained in 
documents G/MA/M/44 and G/MA/M/45.   In addition, two periodic re ports giving an overview of the 
issues discussed in the Committee and providing fact ual information on the requests for waivers and 
waiver extensions related to the Harmonized Sy stem are contained in documents G/MA/195 and 
G/MA/197.  
2. At its meeting of 4 April 2007, the Committee took note of the nomination of 
Dr. Mohammad Saeed (Pakistan) as Chairman of th e Committee for the current year and elected him 
by acclamation. At its meeting of 15 Octobe r 2007, the Committee elected Mr. David Riley 
(United Kingdom) as the Vice-Chairman.     
A. 
INTRODUCTION OF HS96  CHANGES TO SCHEDULES OF CONCESSIONS  
3. At its formal meetings in 2007, the Co mmittee examined the situation related to the 
submission of HS96 documentation set out in doc uments G/MA/TAR/2/Rev.39-40.  The Committee 
noted that several Members (see JOB(05)/124/Add.2) had yet to follow the legal procedures contained 
in GATT document L/6905 to introduce HS96 changes to their  schedules. The Committee agreed to 
revert to this matter at its next meeting when Memb ers would have had more ti me to reflect on how to 
address the situation. 
 
B. INTRODUCTION OF HS2002  CHANGES TO SCHEDULES OF CONCESSIONS  
4.  At its meetings in 2007, the Secretaria t reported on the status of work concerning the 
introduction of HS2002 changes to schedules of co ncessions using the CTS database as well as on the 
outcomes of the informal dedicated sessions of the Committee in which the HS02 files of Members 
were examined.   The Committee was informed that the number of files that had passed the 
multilateral review had almost re ached 80% of the membership.  The Chairman reported on his 
activities to obtain approvals from those Members whose files had been approved by all other delegations except their own.  At its meeting of 15 October 2007, the Committee approved the 
extension of the HS2002 "collective" waiver (G /C/W/585).  It was noted that not all Members 
currently listed in the annex would need to be covered by the waiver as inter alia they had already 
completed the HS02 exercise. Finally, the Committ ee  took note of information provided by the 
Chairman on a question which had been raised about  the legal implications of certifying a tariff line 
which was unaffected by an HS02 change but  whose binding level had been increased. 
 C. 
INTRODUCTION OF HS2007  CHANGES TO SCHEDULES OF CONCESSIONS  
5. In 2007, the Committee took note of the reports  by the Secretariat on the status of work in 
incorporating HS2007 changes to schedules.  Rega rding the HS2007 "collective" waiver which   
                                                      
1 G/L/801 (dated 13 November 2006). G/L/839 
Page 2  
 
  expires on 31 December 2007, the Committee noted that Thailand, Mexico and Pakistan had 
requested and become covered  by that waiver deci sion.  Their communications had been circulated as 
addenda to the original waiver decision contained in  document WT/L/675.  At its meeting in October, 
the Committee approved the extension of the HS2007  "collective" waiver decision (G/C/W/584). 
 D. D
ATABASES  
6. With reference to the modalities and opera tion of the Integrated Data Base (IDB), the 
Committee, at its formal meetings in 2007, examined  the status of IDB submissions on the basis of 
documents G/MA/IDB/2/Rev.25-26.  The Secret ariat also reported on the status of IDB 
dissemination, use of IDB information, IDB technical assistance, status of submissions, and the status 
of software development (IDB reporting tools and in ternet analysis facility). In this regard, the 
Committee was informed th at the IDB and CTS data had been used, for inter alia the calculation of 
AVEs, responding to requests arising from the nego tiations, the preparation of the World Tariff 
Profiles which had been co-produced with the ITC and UNCTAD and the publication of the HS6-digit 
summaries. The Secretariat also reported on the work undertaken on the Consolidated Tariff 
Schedules Database.     
 7. In 2007, the Committee approved the requests for access to the IDB and CTS database from 
the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (G/MA/W/86), International Coffee Organization (ICO) (G/MA/W/87) and  the Southe rn African Customs Union (SACU) (G/MA/W/88). 
 E. 
PARAGRAPH 18 OF THE PROTOCOL OF ACCESSION OF THE PEOPLE 'S REPUBLIC OF  
 CHINA – CHINA 'S TRANSITIONAL REVIEW MECHANISM  
8. The review took place at the meeting of 15 October 2007.  Questions/comments to China 
were submitted by the European Communiti es (G/MA/W/91), Japan (G/MA/W/90) and the 
United States (G/MA/W/89).  China submitted the info rmation required by Annex I of its Protocol of 
Accession in document G/MA/W/92.  The Committee's report to the Council for Trade in Goods on 
the review is contained in G/MA/196 and corr.1.  
F. O
THER ACTIVITIES  
9. The Committee noted the Secretariat documen t which provided details on the most recent 
information available in the tariff library and the website addresses where more recent national tariffs 
could be found (G/MA/TAR/3/Rev.11).   The Committee also took note of the Secretariat document 
entitled "Situation of Schedules of WTO Members" (G/MA/W/23/Rev.4).  
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