WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/BOP/N/77 
27 July 2010 
 (10-4013) 
Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION UNDER PARAGRAPH 9 OF THE UNDERSTANDING 
ON THE BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS PROVISIONS OF THE 
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE 1994 
 
Communication from Ecuador
 
 
  The following communication, dated 26 July 2010, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Ecuador.  
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  WT/BOP/N/77 
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  RESOLUTION NO. 580 
 
THE FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT COUNCIL 
 
WHEREAS: 
 
By virtue of Resolution No. 466, published in the supplement to Official Journal No. 512 of 
22 January 2009, the Foreign Trade and Investme nt Council (COMEXI), in plenary session, approved 
the application of a safeguard measure for ba lance-of-payment purposes, under Article XVIII, 
Section B, of the General Agreement on Ta riffs and Trade (GATT), owing to Ecuador's 
balance-of-payments difficulties.  Account wa s also taken of the Understanding on the 
Balance-of-Payments Provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994  of the World 
Trade Organization (WTO), and of Decision No. 563 of the Commission of the Cartagena Agreement 
containing the codified text of the Cartagena Agreem ent, which provides, in Article 95 of Chapter XI 
("Safeguard Clauses"), that member countries may adopt measures to restore equilibrium in their 
balance of payments, including on an emergency basis; 
 By COMEXI Resolution No. 533, published in Official  Journal No. 109 of 15 January 2010, all tariff 
surcharges introduced as balance-of-payments safe guards pursuant to COMEXI Resolution 466 and 
subsequent amendments were reduced by 10 per cent;  
By COMEXI Resolution No. 549, published in O fficial Journal No.128 of 11 February 2010, 
surcharges introduced as balance-o f-payments safeguards were reduced by 30 per cent and a reduction 
timetable based on specially conducted monthly evaluations was approved; 
 By COMEXI Resolution No. 566, published in Offi cial Journal No. 210 of 9 June 2010, all tariff 
surcharges introduced as balance-of-payments safeg uards pursuant to COMEXI Resolution No. 466 
and subsequent amendments were reduced by a further 30 per cent; 
 The Foreign Trade and Investment Council (COM EXI) in plenary session examined and approved the 
technical report by the Inter-Institutional Techni cal Group, which recommends that the reduction 
timetable provided for in COMEXI Resolution 549 be completed, thereby terminating the 
balance-of-payments safeguard; 
  In exercise of the powers conferred on it by Article 11 of the Law on Foreign Trade and Investment (LEXI),  
DECIDES:  
 
Article 1.   All tariff surcharges and quota shares in troduced as balance-of-payments safeguards 
pursuant to COMEXI Resolution No. 466 and subseque nt amendments thereto shall be reduced by a 
further 30 per cent.  
Article 2.   Instruct the Ministry of Foreign Relations , Trade and Integration to notify the competent 
international bodies accordingly.  Article 3.   The reduction in tariff surcharges established in Article 1 above shall be applied to goods 
that are shipped to Ecuador as of the entry into force of this Resolution. 
 
Article 4.  Laws of equal or lesser status that are contra ry to this Resolution sh all be considered null 
and void.  
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   This Resolution was adopted by the Foreign Trade and Investment Council (COMEXI) in 
plenary session on 22 July 2010, and shall enter into  force on 23 July 2010, without prejudice to its 
publication in the Official Journal.    Nathalie Cely,  Juan Francisco Ballén,   CHAIRPERSON SECRETARY 
 
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