G/L/1465  
G/RO/W/217  
6 December  2022 
(22-9047)  Page: 1/9 
Council for Trade in Goods  
Committee on Rules of Origin    
 
 
REPORT ON THE CURRENT  FUNCTIONING OF THE  
COMMITTEE  ON RULES OF ORIGIN  
REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON  
The following report is being submitted by the  Chairperson of the Committee on Rules of Origin , 
Mrs Laura GAUER , under her own responsibility and at the request of the Chairperson of the Council 
for Trade in Goods1. The report was prepared with the assistance of the Secretariat.  
 
1 PAST EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE  
1.1 The Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO, o r the Committee) has regularly engaged in initiatives 
aimed at improving different aspects of its work and to adapt to new circumstances. As a result of 
these discussions, the following initiatives were introduced : 
 
1. "Educational exercise" on non -preferential rules of origin : following the stalemate in the Work 
Programme for the Harmonization of non -preferential rules of origin , several Members 
proposed to use the resources of the Committee in a relevant and more productive manner. 
One of the suggesti ons made was to engage in an "educational exercise" to learn more about 
current practices related to non -preferential origin , to better understand  the design, coverage 
and effect of existing rules , and their impact on international trade. As a result, several 
information sessions have been  organized since 2014. During these sessions, speakers from 
Members, the Secretariat, other international organizations and the private sector shared their 
experiences in relation to different aspects of non-preferential o rigin requirements (see for, 
for instance, (G/RO/M/63, paragraphs 2.1-2.6; G/RO/M/64; G/RO/M/65; G/RO/M/66 ; 
G/RO/W/162; G/RO/W/167 ; G/RO/M/68 ; G/RO/M/70  and G/RO/M/71 ). 
 
2. Use of an official WTO language for notifications : at the first CRO meeting  in 1995 , Members 
agreed that, if a notification were to be made containing rules of origin in a language other 
than one of the WTO working languages, such notification should be accompanied by a 
summary in one of the WTO working languages (Decision G/RO/1).  
 
3. Notification of preferential rules of origin adopted in the context of regional trade agreements : 
rules of origin applied in the context of reciprocal trade preferences must be notified to the 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) or to the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) . In addition, they must also be notified to the CRO according to Annex II 
paragraph 4 of the Agreement on Rules of Origin. In order to avoid a duplication of 
notifications, in 2012 , the CRO agreed that one notificat ion to either of these bodies would be 
sufficient to discharge Members' notification obligations under the Agreement on Rules of 
Origin ( G/RO/M/59 ).  As a result, the Secretariat coordinates internally to make sure that 
notifications made to one body are also shared with the other relevant bodies . Notifications 
using the G/RO/N document series clearly cross -reference the original notification 
(e.g., WT/REG ###/N document series).  
 
4. Decisions on preferential rules of origin for LDCs : in 2013 (WT/L/917) and in 2015 
(WT/L/917/Add.1), Members a dopted two Ministerial Decisions aimed at ensuring that the 
rules of origin used in the context of non -preferential rules  of origin for LDCs are simple and 
transparent. The Bali Ministerial Decision (2013) establishes the first set of multilateral 
guidelines for rules of origin that WTO preference -granting members apply to their 
 
1 JOB/CTG/18 . G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  non-reciprocal preference schemes for LDCs. Th e guidelines are intended to make it easier for 
LDC exporters to qualify for preferences and therefore better utilize market access 
opportunities that are available to them. The Nairobi Ministerial Decision (2015) further 
elaborates on the 2013 Decision by  providing more detailed directions on specific issues which 
would facilitate LDCs' export s of goods to both developed and developing countries under 
unilateral preferential trade arrangements. In a Decision taken by the CRO in April 2022 
Members further u nderscored their commitment to identifying and addressing as appropriate 
specific challenges that LDCs face in complying with preferential rules of origin and origin 
requirements to effectively use trade preferences (G/RO/95) . 
 
5. Template for the notificatio n of preferential rules of origin applied in the context of 
non-reciprocal trade arrangements for LDCs : in March 2017, the CRO adopted a Decision 
containing a template for the notification of preferential rules of origin for LDCs (G/RO/84). 
Since then, the se notifications are submitted under document symbol "G/RO/LDC/N".  In 
addition, the Secretariat prepares a summary yearly with an overview of all notifications 
received and outstanding (G/RO/W/167 series).  This new template  allowed for the 
standardization of the information received and therefore facilitated a categorization and 
examination of current practices . 
 
6. Webinars on rules of origin and preference utilization : Since the adoption of the 2013 and 
2015 Ministerial Decisions on preferential rules of ori gin for LDCs, the Secretariat has been 
asked to calculate the rates of utilization of trade preferences available to LDCs. These 
calculations can help better understand the linkages between rules of origin and origin 
requirements and the utilization of tra de preferences. Several background notes were 
prepared by the Secretariat (see, for instance, G/RO/W/168/Rev.1; G/RO/W/179; 
G/RO/W/185; G/RO/W/187/Rev.1; G/RO/W/203; G/RO/W/204 and G/RO/W/212). The result 
of this work is regularly presented to Members duri ng the Committee's formal meetings. In 
addition, some events have also been organized on this topic , offering Members an opportunity 
to share their own experiences monitoring the utilization of their preferential trade agreements 
(see, for instance, the webinars of May 2021  and April 2022 ). Discussions during formal 
meetings of the CRO were attended by Members and observers only. However, side events 
were open to th e public and very well attended (over 300 participants joined the webinar in 
2021 and 200 participants joined the webinar in 2022).  
 
2 CURRENT STATUS OF COMMITTEE PRACTICES  
2.1 Assistance to delegates  
2.1 There is no annual or periodic  training programme for Gen eva-based delegates  concerning the 
work of the CRO or the Agreement on Rules of Origin . However, the Secretariat has sporadically 
delivered presentations with an overview of the work of the Committee in the past years. These 
sessions were organized either at the request of some delegations or at the initiative of the 
Chairperson. Some took place during meetings of the Committee;  others were organized as side 
events. They proved useful for newly posted delegates in Geneva , but also capital -based officials. 
The last such session was held in October 2022 . 
2.2 In addition, t he Secretariat often provides assistance to delegations upon request (via email, 
in person or , increasingly,  by virtual  meetings) . Such request s concern specific points (like the 
preparation of notifications or questions concerning the ongoing work of the CRO) or may concern 
the use of  rules of origin in general (questions on legislation, Members' practices, etc. ). 
2.3 At the request of Members, the Secretariat also organizes national technical assistance and 
capacity building activities. These activities are financed through the WTO technical assistance funds. 
In some cases, the Secretariat has partnered with the World Customs Organization for the delivery 
of activities.  G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  2.2 Organization of Committee  work  
2.2.1  Digital tools used for Committee work  
2.4 The CRO makes use of the WTO -wide digital tools, such as e-registration  and the " e-
subscription " option in Documents Online. E-registration allows Members to indicate their contact 
information as well as the different Committees that are covered by each delegate. The Secretariat 
relies on the information provided in this system to identify delegates covering the Committee and 
to e-mail communications and other documents, as necessary. The E -subscription function in 
Documents Online allows delegates to indicate the Committees and other bodies that they follow 
and to receive daily alerts by e -mail every time that a new document is issued , including those by 
the CTG.  
2.5 The CRO does not maintain a formal contact list of delegates following the Committee. Rather, 
it relies on the WTO e-registration  system to contact delegations and  send communications by email. 
Emails are usually sent from the WTO  address "Email -MarketAccess, WTO (email -
marketaccess@wto.org )". 
2.6 There have not been any requests for the introduction of new digital tools, such as an eAgend a 
platform or an online platform for the submission of notifications.  However, the Secretariat 
implemented the following two initiatives:  
 
1. Easier access to notific ations of non -preferential rules of origin : notifications received by the 
WTO Secretariat regarding Members' non -preferential rules of origin were made directly 
accessible via the revised rules of origin page  of the WTO website . For non -preferential rules 
of origin, a scroll -down menu allows users to quickly check which WTO members apply or do 
not apply non -preferential rules of origin and, in the case of the former, to access details on 
their relevant rules.  Previously, these notifications were only accessible via Documents Online 
or by request (in the case of annexes).  
 
2. Online database of rules of origin and origin requirements : the " Origin F acilitator " is an 
initiative of the WTO, the International Trade Centre and the World Customs Organization. It 
was launched  in 2019 and provides firms with free access to a uniqu e searchable database on 
MFN duty rates, preferential rates  and the corresponding rules of origin. Users can search the 
tool by product name or product code, and access original documentation, including 
certificates of origin.  The information concerning ru les of origin and origin requirements 
(e.g., certification) is based on notifications made to the WTO and on the text of agreements 
officially published. In addition to the actual rules of origin, the Facilitator also contains a 
glossary of terms  related to rules of origin and some capacity -building materials.  
 
2.2.2  Planning and organization of meetings  
2.7 The Committee generally holds two formal meetings a year . To the extent possible, these  
formal meetings are organized in coordination with the meetings of other subsidiary bodies of the 
Council for Trade in Goods .  
2.8 At each formal meeting of the Committee , the Chairperson informs Members about the dates 
of the next two formal meetings of the Committee . 
2.9 There is currently no process to plan the issues to be discussed each year  by the Committee, 
and the issues are defined individually by Members for each of the meetings .  
2.10 In addition, the Secretariat (and, occasionally, the Chairperson of the CRO) also attends and 
delivers a report to the annual meeting of the Technical Com mittee on Rules of Origin of the World 
Customs Organization (in Brussels). The Technical Committee was established by Article 4.2 and 
Annex I of the Agreement on Rules of Origin.  G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  2.2.3  Formal meetings  
2.2.3.1  Communication before meetings  
2.11 The Chairperson reminds Me mbers of the dates of the upcoming meetings at the end of each 
meeting . More recently, the Chairperson has been sending Members a reminder about the next 
meeting dates, a draft agenda , and the dates by which additional items may be sent before the final 
version of the agenda is circulated. Usually, this reminder is sent about 20 days before the date of 
the Committee meeting.  Communications are sent to delegations by email.  
2.12 Recently, this has been complemented by a communication by the Chairperson annot ating 
selected agenda items to guide Members in their preparations.  
2.2.3.2  Number of meetings  
2.13 Table 1 below describes the number of formal and informal meetings of the CRO s ince 2019.  
Table 1: Overview of formal and informal meetings  
Year Formal meeting  
(number and 
duration)  Informal meetings  
(number and 
duration ) Other (e.g. workshops, symposia, etc.)  
2019  15-16 May (1.5 days)  
17-18 October (1.5 
days)  4 (0.5 day each)  2 
(1. Launch of the WTO -ITC-WCO Origin Facilitator  
2. Presentation of UNCTAD's 2019 Economic Development 
report in Africa)  
2020  5-6 March (1.5 days)  
14 October (1 day)  1 (0.5 day)  1 
(25th anniversary of the WTO Agreement on Rules of 
Origin)  
2021  20 May (1 day)  
25 October (1 day)  - 1 
(1. - Webinar on What drives the utilization of trade 
preferences ) 
2022  7 April (1 day)  
13 October (1 day)  1 (0.5 day)  2 
(1. - Webinar on What drives the utilization of trade 
preferences  
2. Background to the Harmonization Work Programme)  
 
2.2.3.3  Preparation of Airgrams and Agendas  
2.14 In 2021 and 2022, with a view to give Members an advance notice on the preliminary agenda 
for an upcoming formal meeting, as well as the practice followed by other Committees, the 
Secretariat began circulating a draft version of the Airgram in two steps:  
• First, the Secretariat sends a  draft agenda  to Members by e -mail which is circulated by 
approximately 20 days before the date of the meeting  (no official document symbol) . This 
draft agenda  includes the standing agenda items and all other known information  as of that 
date of circulation , and indicates the date in which the agenda will close  as well as any other 
specific issues to consider  for the preparation of the meeting ; 
• Second, o nce Members have submitted their documents and requested the inclusion of agenda 
items, a final version of the agenda ( Airgram ) is issued as an official document. The last 
version of the Airgram is ci rculated  at least ten days before the date of the meeting  
(WTO/AIR/ RO series ).  
2.15 The agenda of the CRO is composed of a number of regular items  and other items proposed 
by Members or Observers . Regular items include the election of a Chairperson, the adoption of annual G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  reports to the Council for Trade in Goods and the General Council, an annual report of activities of the 
Technical Committee on rules of Origin by a representative of the World Customs Organization (among 
others).  
Table 2:  Preparation of Airgrams and Agen das 
Year   Date of formal meeting   Date of circulation of Airgram   No. of days before the 
meeting   
2019   15-16 May  
17-18 October  3 May (Airgram)  
7 October (Airgram)  12 days   
10 days   
2020   5-6 March  
14 October  21 February (Airgram)  
30 October (Airgram)  13 days   
14 days   
2021   20 May  
25 October  7 May (Airgram)  
4 October (Airgram)  13 days   
10 days   
2022   7 April  
13 October  25 March (Airgram)  
30 September (Airgram)  13 days   
14 days   
 
2.2.3.4  Distribution of documents prior to meetings  
2.16 The distribution of formal documents, notifications , and any other submissions  are circulated 
in the order in which they are received by the Secretariat and the WTO Central Registry of 
Notifications (CRN), following verification by the Secretariat.  
 
2.17 All documents relevant to a meeting are added to the "Documents for Meetings " in the WTO 
webpage (i.e ., under the link for the meeting in the calendar) , which is sourced from Documents 
Online (i.e ., under "Documents for Meetings", topic: Rules of Origin ). Pre sentations or other 
documents received in advance are circulated as room documents under the RD/ RO or JOB/RO  
document series. Delegates subscribed to the Committee under the "e -subscriptions" option of 
Documents Online are alerted via e -mail daily on all new relevant documents issued.  
 
2.2.3.5  Communication after meetings  
2.18 The Chairperson does not normally send a follow -up communication after the formal meetings. 
The only exception is if a report needs to be revised or updated by the Secretariat and is then 
circulated for approval through written procedures  (for instance, annual reports to the Council for 
Trade in Goods or to the General Council) . 
 
2.19 A news item for each formal meeting is prepared by external relations , which provide s a list 
of key is sues discussed  and is posted on the WTO website.  
 
2.2.3.6  Preparation of the minutes  
2.20 The Secretariat prepares minutes after every formal meeting, which capture for the record all 
information – reports by the Chairperson, Members' statements , and reactions to these statements 
– shared at the formal meeting. These minutes are a summary of the discussions and not an almost 
verbatim transcription. A complete draft of the minutes is not shared with delegations for comments 
and validation.  
2.21 The average lapse for  the preparation of the minutes in the past few years has been 73 days 
with a noticeable reduction of that period in the past two years. Table  3 summarizes information in 
relation to the preparation and circulation of these minutes . 
2.22 No minutes are pre pared for informal meetings . Occasionally, however, a summary has been 
prepared for such meetings.  G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  2.23 The minutes of the CRO are prepared as follows:  
- At its outset and during the course of a meeting, delegates are encouraged to submit their full 
written statements. A  list of speakers is drawn -up during the course of the meeting, and 
subsequently verified ; 
- A full verbatim transcript is prepared by the Secretariat;  
- The verified list of speakers is inserted into an initial frame or template document ; 
- Written statements already received by the Secretariat , as well as the statements by the 
Chairperson,  are inserted into this initial draft in the appropriate places . The Secretariat 
usually does not reach out to delegations who have not submitted their stat ements. The 
Secretariat also relies on the transcript of the meeting to complement the text ; 
- The minutes are drafted as a summary of the meeting and not as a verbatim transcription of 
statements made.  
- The full draft, once completed, is never circulated amo ng delegations for verification or 
validation.  
- Once the draft includes all statements, the complete draft is edited and reviewed to correct 
factual errors, inconsistencies, and typos. T he text is also formatted and checked for 
consistent WTO  style and gene ral readability . The minutes are then edited. Delays may occur 
due to limited editing capacity ; 
- The edited draft minutes are then reviewed again  in their entirety . Once finalized and 
approved, the English version of the minutes is circulated to Members .  
- The English language version is then translated into French and Spanish language versions, a 
process that can take several months depending on the workload of the translation team;  
- In case of error, or upon request of a Member, a corrigendum may be circulat ed. As a result 
of the series of quality controls that have been put in place, this has happened only once over 
the past five  years.  
Table 3:  Preparation of the Minutes  
Year Last date of the formal 
meeting  Date of circulation of the 
minutes  No. of 
pages  No. of days  
2019  15-16 May 2019  2 September 2019  11 110 
 17-18 October 2019  18 February 2020  18 124 
2020  5 March 2020  20 May 2020  15 76 
 13 November 2020  1 February 2021  19 80 
2021  20 May 2021  5 July 2021  10 46 
 14 October 2021  18 November 2021  7 35 
2022  7 April 2022  18 May 2022  9 41 
 13 October 2023  2 December 2022  10 50 
 
2.24 Once the minutes are circulated, and pursuant to Paragraph 2(c) of the WTO's Procedures for 
Circulation and Derestriction of WTO Documents (WT/L/452), they remain restricted in documents 
online (DOL) for 45 days. The minutes become automatically derestricted 45 days after the date of 
circulation.  G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  2.2.3.7  Informal meetings  
2.25 Informal meetings are convened through a communication that is sent to the official e -mail 
addresses of all Members2, as well as the delegates that have identified as covering the Committee  
in the e -registration system.  
2.26 The convening email contains information on the meeting date, time, location, purpose , and 
the proposed agenda. The convening email has been sent on average three weeks in advance 
(Table  4). 
2.27 During the harmonization Work Programme, there used to be fr equent informal meetings of 
the CRO. Nowadays, informal meetings only take place sporadically.  
Table 4: Convening of informal meetings  
Year Date of informal meeting  Date of communication convening the 
informal meeting  No. of days  
2019  7 February  
13 March (0.5 days)  
15 May (0.5 days)  
13 December  16 January (e -mail) 
8 February (e -mail) 
3 May (e -mail) 
3 December (e -mail) 22 days  
33 days  
12 days  
10 days  
2020  4 March (1 day)  24 February (e -mail) 9 days  
2021  - - - 
2022  2 December (0.5 days)  18 November (e -mail) 14 days  
 
2.3 Substantive work  
2.3.1  Thematic sessions  
2.28 As noted above, the Committee has frequently organized thematic information sessions or 
webinars  within its formal meetings . Such sessions have been frequently organized since 2014. 
Sometimes, they took place as part of formal CRO meeting. Sometimes they were organized as 
separate events. They were not referred as "dedicated sessions" but rather "information sessions". 
They have been organized back -to-back with f ormal meetings of the CRO and have consisted of 
separate events, mainly to allow for a larger participation of speakers and stakeholders ( e.g., the 
private sector).  
2.29 Some of the topics covered include the harmonization of non -preferential rules of ori gin; 
compliance with non -preferential rules of origin by the private sector; certification of origin; labelling 
and marks of origin; notification obligations; utilization of trade preferences, etc.  
2.3.2  Specific trade concerns  
2.30 Any Member may raise a specif ic trade concern in Committee meetings  and there are some 
examples of trade concerns raised in the CRO . This has, however, not been a frequent  practice . 
2.3.3  Notifications  and Transparency  
2.31 The following WTO instruments require Members to notify their rules of origin:  
 
 
2 The list of official e -mail addresses is maintained by the Council and TNC Division.  G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  Preferential rules of origin (reciprocal and non -reciprocal preferences)  
 
- Paragraph 4 of Annex II of the Agreement on Rules of Origin  requires Members to notify "promptly" 
"to the Secretariat" any preferential rules of origin. Notificatio ns are circulated under the G/RO/N/ 
document series and are examined by the Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO);  
 
- The 2013 (Bali) Ministerial Decision on Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs (WT/L/917) and the 
2015 (Nairobi) Decision (WT/L/917/Add.1)  reiterate these obligations. In addition, the CRO agreed 
on a template to be used by all WTO preference -granting Members (G/RO/84) when notifying their 
preferential  rules of origin. These notifications are circulated under the G/RO/LDC/N/ document 
series.  
 
Preferential tariffs and preferential imports from LDCs (and under regional trade 
agreements)  
 
2.32 In addition, to notifications on rules of origin, the two Ministerial Decisions require the 
Secretariat to calculate the rates of utilization of preferential trade arrangements. As a result, these 
Decisions also reiterate the obligation that Members have t o notify their preferential tariffs and 
preferential imports at the tariff line level  under t he Transparency Mechanism for Preferential Trade 
Arrangements ( WT/L/806  of 14 December 2010) . In addition, a full analysis of preference utilization 
also requires Members to notify any preferential imports under reciprocal regional trade agreements 
in case they have concluded such agreements with any LDC.  
 
Non-reciprocal rules of origin  
  
- Paragraph 5 of the Agreement on Rules of Origin  requires Members to provide to the Secretariat 
rules of origin, judicial decisions and administrative rulings of general application relating to rules 
of origin. Notifications are cir culated under the G/RO/N/ document series and are reviewed by the 
Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO). Any modifications introduced to such rules must be published  
(not notified) at least 60 days before entering into force.  
 
2.33 The WTO Handbook on Notifications  contains a detailed explanation about how to prepare 
notifications related to rules of origi n. 
 
2.34 It should be noted, in addition,  that the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement  also contain s 
some transparency  obligations relate d to rules of origin and origin requirements as follows:  
 
- 1(1.1) Each Member shall promptly publish the following information in a non -discriminatory and 
easily ac cessible manner in order to enable governments, traders, and other interested parties to 
become acquainted with them: (e) laws, regulations, and administrative rulings of general 
application relating to rules of origin;  
 
- 1(4) Each Member shall notify the C ommittee on Trade Facilitation established under paragraph 
1.1 of Article 23 (referred to in this Agreement as the "Committee") of: (a) the official place(s) 
where the items in subparagraphs 1.1(a) to (j) have been published . 
 
2.3.4  Reports by the Secretariat  
2.35 The Secretariat prepares the following annual reports and documents  for consideration at the 
CRO: 
 
1. Annual report of the CRO to the General Council concerning the review of developments in 
preferential rules of origin for LDCs  (a draft is prepared by the Secretariat before the meeting  
for discussion. If the report does not need to be complemented, it is adopted at the meeting. 
In case it needs to be u pdated , it is revised  after the meeting, circulated and then adopted by 
Members  through written procedures) ; 
2. Annual report to the Council for Trade in Goods with an overview of the work of the CRO (a 
draft is prepared by the Secretariat before the meeting  for discussion. If the report does not 
need to be complemented, it is adopted at  the meeting. In case it needs to be u pdated , it is 
revised  after the meeting, circulated and then adopted by Members  through written 
procedures. It is then circulated under the G/L/ document series) . G/L/1465 • G/RO/W/217  
 
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  3. Status of notifications of preferential rules of origin  for LDCs and preferential import data 
(G/RO/W/163 document series);  
4. Annual review of the implementation of the Agreement on Rules of Origin  (a draft is prepared 
by the Secretariat before the meeting  for discussion. If the report does not need to be 
comple mented, it is adopted at the meeting. In case it needs to be u pdated , it is revised  after 
the meeting, circulated and then adopted by Members  through written procedures) . 
 
2.3.5  Participation by external stakeholders  
2.36 Government representatives of all WTO Members and Observers are also Members and 
Observers to the CRO. In addition, the following international organizations also have observer 
status at the Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO): ACP, EFTA, IADB, IMF, ITC, OE CD, UNCTAD, WCO 
and World Bank.  They are listed in the annual report reviewing the implementation of the Agreement 
(latest: document G/RO/96 ). 
 
2.37 The Committee has occasionally interact ed with other types of external stakeholders, including 
the academia, private sectors, etc.  in the context of its information sessions or webinars.  
 
2.3.6  Work with other Committees or WTO bodies  
2.38 There are linkages between the work of the CRO and the work of other WTO bodies . In the 
past, the Committee has held a joint session with the Anti -Dumping Committee. More recently the 
collaboration with other bodies is mostly ensured by the Secretariat, for instance : 
 
1) General Counci l: submission of an annual report (on recent developments related to 
preferential rules of origin for LDCs). It must be noted that there has also been an exchange 
of letters between the Chairperson of the CRO and the Chairperson of the General Council on 
issues concerning the work programme for the harmonization of non -preferential rules of 
origin (see, for instance, document G/RO/W/152 ): 
2) Council for Trad e in Goods: submission of an annual report (on the work of the CRO);  
3) General Council: submission of an annual report (on recent developments related to 
preferential rules of origin for LDCs)  
4) Sub-Committee on Least Developed Countries: submission of an annu al (oral) report (on 
recent developments related to preferential rules of origin for LDCs);  
5) Committee on Trade and Development: coordination concerning notifications of preferential 
rules of origin and collaboration for the preparation of factual reports u nder the Transparency 
Mechanism;  
6) Committee on Regional Trade Agreements: coordination concerning notifications of 
preferential rules of origin and occasional collaboration for the preparation of factual reports 
under the Transparency Mechanism.  
 
2.3.7  Work with other Organizations  
2.39 The CRO collaborates regularly with the Technical Committee on Rules of Origin of the World 
Custo ms Organization  (TCRO) . This usually takes the form of a report. However, there were also 
instances in which the CRO has sou ght expert opinions from the TCRO (for instance, concerning 
harmonized non -preferential rules of origin and, more recently, concerning the transposition of draft 
harmonized rules to more recent versions of the Harmonized System nomenclature).  
 
 
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