. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SCM/W/557 
25 April 2012 
 (12-2225) 
Committee on Subsidies and  
Countervailing Measures  Original:   English 
 
 
 
PROPOSED PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION OF 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS UNDER ARTICLES 25.8 AND 25.9 
 
Proposal from the United States 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 24 April 2012,  is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the United States.   
 
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 As noted in the previous paper of the Un ited States, several Members have requested 
information under Article 25.8 of the Agreem ent on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures 
(Subsidies Agreement) regarding possible subsidy programs of other Members that have not been 
notified under Article 25.1.1  Many of these requests were answered only after lengthy delays.  
Unfortunately, four requests have never been answered.2  The purpose of the proposed text below is to 
clarify a Member's obligations to reply to info rmation requests under Article 25.9 of the Subsidies 
Agreement. It is proposed that the text below be adopted by the Committee to establish appropriate 
procedures under Articles 25.8 and 25.9.     Proposed Text 
 
1. Pursuant to Article 25.8 of the Subsidies Agre ement:  "Any Member may, at any time, make a 
written request for information on the nature and ex tent of any subsidy granted or maintained by 
another Member (including any subsidy referred to in  Part IV), or for an explanation of the reasons 
for which a specific measure has been  considered as not subject to the requirement of notification".  
 
2. Under Article 25.9 of the Subsidies Agreemen t, Members who have received a request under 
article 25.8 "shall provide such information as qui ckly as possible and in a comprehensive manner, 
and shall be ready, upon request, to provide additi onal information to the requesting Member.  In 
particular, they shall provide sufficient details to  enable the other Member to assess their compliance 
with the terms of this Agreement" (emphasis added).   
3. The submission of requests for information u nder Article 25.8 and the submission of answers 
under Article 25.9 shall be on the basis of a written procedure, i.e. on the basis of written questions 
and written answers.  Members who receive a writte n request under Article 25.8 shall provide written 
answers as quickly as possible, but no later than [X] days after the receipt of the request.  All requests 
shall be answered in a comprehensive manner.  Af ter a Member submits writte n answers, the Member 
                                                      
1 G/SCM/W/555, 21 October 2011. 
2 G/SCM/Q2/CHN/4, 11/4/2002;  G/SCM/Q2/ZAF/7, 10/15/2003;  G/SCM/Q2/CHN/9, 10/6/2004;  
G/SCM/Q2/ZAF/10, 10/30/2008. G/SCM/W/557 
Page 2  
 
  shall be ready, upon written request, to provide additional written inform ation to the requesting 
Member.  In answering a written request of a Member under Article 25.8, the requested Member shall provide sufficient details in writing to enable th e other Member to assess their compliance with the 
terms of the Subsidies Agreement.  Written rep lies to follow up questions shall be answered 
within [Y] days. 
 
4. All requests under Article 25.8 to which writte n responses have not been provided in writing 
shall remain on the agenda of the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures until such 
time that the Members so requested have appr opriately answered in writing as described under 
Article 25.9 and these procedures.  
 
  
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