WORLD TRADE WT/TC/NOTIF/RO/1
12August 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3195)
Original: English
TECHNICAL COOPERATION HANDBOOK ONNOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Agreement onRules ofOrigin
1. Thissection oftheHandbook onNotification Requirements covers thenotification obligations
under theAgreement onRules ofOrigin. Itconsists ofthefollowing fiveparts:
PartI: Overview ofnotification requirements
PartII: Listing ofthenotification obligations
PartIII: Document concerning guidelines andformats
PartIV: "Mock" examples ofnotifications
PartV: TextoftheAgreement
2. Foracceding countries, thedeadlines forthesubmission oftheirnotifications willbegoverned
bytheirrespective Protocols ofAccession.
Note: TheHandbook onNotification Requirements doesnotconstitute alegalinterpretation of
thenotification obligations under therespective Agreement(s). Ithasbeen prepared bythe
Secretariat toassist Members incomplying withtheirnotification obligations.RO-I -Page1
RO-I
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
OVERVIEW OFNOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTSRO-I -Page2
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
TheAgreement contains notification obligations withrespect torules oforigin ofanon-
preferential nature (Article 5.1), aswellastopreferential rules oforigin (Annex II,paragraph 4).
Regarding non-preferential rules, theAgreement requires allWTO Members tonotify, within
90daysofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement forthemselves, rulesoforigin, judicial decisions
andadministrative rulings ofgeneral application relating torules oforigin ineffect onthatdate.
Subsequently, allWTO Members arerequired topublish newormodified rulesoforigin (Article 5.2).
Regarding preferential rules, theAgreement requires allWTO Members tonotify promptly
rules oforigin (indicating thepreferential agreements towhich theyapply), judicial decisions, and
administrative rulings ofgeneral application. WTO Members arealsorequired tonotify anysubsequent
modifications toexisting preferential rules oforigin ortheintroduction ofnewrules oforigin.
TheCommitteeonRulesofOrigin,atitsfirstmeetingon4April1995,notedthattheAgreement
onRules ofOrigin wassilent onthelanguage inwhich notifications under Article 5.1andparagraph
4ofAnnex IIaretobemade, butthatanotification made inalanguage other thanoneoftheWTO
working languages could cause difficulties tootherMembers. It,therefore, agreed that,ifanotification
weretobemade inalanguage other thanoneoftheWTO working languages, suchnotification should
beaccompanied byasummary inoneoftheWTO working languages.
There isnostandard format forrules oforigin notifications.RO-II -Page1
RO-II
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
NOTIFICATION OBLIGATIONSRO-II -Page2
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
NOTIFICATION OBLIGATIONS
Item Notification
requirement1Type ofmeasure Periodicity Format Members notifying ToWhom
1. Agreement onRules of
Origin, Art.5.1Existing non-preferential
rules oforigin; judicial
decisions and
administrative rulings of
general application
relating tonon-
preferential rules oforiginOnce, within
90daysofthe
dateofentry into
force oftheWTO
Agreement forthe
Member
concernedNO WTO Members Committee on
Rules of
Origin
2. Agreement onRules of
Origin, Annex II,
paragraph 4-firsttimeExisting preferential rules
oforigin; judicial
decisions and
administrative rulings of
general application
relating topreferential
rules oforiginOnce, promptly
afterentry into
force oftheWTO
Agreement forthe
Member
concernedNO WTO Members Committee on
Rules of
Origin
3. Agreement onRules of
Origin, Annex II,
paragraph 4-adhocChanges inpreferential
rules oforigin; new
preferential rules oforiginAdhoc NO WTO Members Committee on
Rules of
Origin
_________________________________________
1Concerning thelanguages ofnotifications, seedocument G/RO/1.RO-III -Page1
RO-III
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
DOCUMENTSRO-III -Page2
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION RESTRICTED
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DUCOMMERCEG/RO/1
22May1995
ORGANIZACI ÓNMUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO(95-1310)
Committee onRules ofOrigin
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES
Agreement bytheCommittee onRules ofOrigin atitsmeeting on4April 1995
TheCommitteeonRulesofOrigin,atitsfirstmeetingon4April1995,notedthattheAgreement
onRules ofOrigin wassilent onthelanguage inwhich notifications under Article 5.1andparagraph
4ofAnnex IIaretobemade, butthatanotification made inalanguage other thanoneoftheWTO
working languages could cause difficulties tootherMembers. It,therefore, agreed that,ifanotification
weretobemade inalanguage other thanoneoftheWTO working languages, suchnotification should
beaccompanied byasummary inoneoftheWTO working languages.
Comité desrègles d'origine
PROCEDURES DENOTIFICATION
Point convenu parleComité desrègles d'origine àsaréunion du4avril1995
LeComité desrègles d'origine anoté, àsapremière réunion, le4avril1995, quel'Accord
surlesrègles d'origine neprécisait paslalangue danslaquelle lesnotifications autitredel'article 5:1
etduparagraphe 4del'Annexe IIdevaient êtreprésentées, maisqu'unenotification dansunelangue
quin'étaitpasunelangue detravail del'OMC risquait decauser desdifficultés auxautres Membres.
Ilestdoncconvenu que,siunenotification devait êtreprésentée dansunelangue quin'étaitpasune
langue detravail del'OMC, ilfaudrait qu'ellesoitaccompagnée d'unrésumé dansl'unedeceslangues
detravail.
Comité deNormas deOrigen
PROCEDIMIENTOS DENOTIFICACI ÓN
Acuerdo adoptado porelComité deNormas deOrigen
ensureunión del4deabrilde1995
ElComité deNormas deOrigen, ensuprimera reunión, celebrada el4deabrilde1995, tomó
notadequeelAcuerdo sobre Normas deOrigen nodecíaenquéidioma debían hacerse lasnotificaciones
previstas enelpárrafo 1delartículo 5yenelpárrafo 4delAnexo II,peroobservó queunanotificación
hecha enunidioma distinto dealguno delosidiomas detrabajo delaOMC podía causar dificultades
aotros Miembros. Enconsecuencia, acordó que,sisehacía unanotificación enunidioma queno
fuera alguno delosidiomas detrabajo delaOMC, lanotificación debería iracompañada deunresumen
enalguno deesosidiomas detrabajo.
_________________________________________
1Concerning thelanguages ofnotifications, seedocument G/RO/1.RO-IV -Page1
RO-IV
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
EXAMPLESRO-IV -Page2
RE: Notification under Article 5.1andparagraph 4ofAnnex IIofthe
Agreement onRules oforigin
With reference toArticle 5.1andparagraph 4ofAnnex IIoftheAgreement onRules
ofOrigin, Ihavethehonour toprovide totheSecretariat legalinstruments relating totherules
oforigin of[Members Name] ineffect onthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement,
together withashort descrition ofthesystem ofapplication oftherules oforigin.RO-V -Page1
RO-V
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
TEXT OFTHE AGREEMENTRO-V -Page2
AGREEMENT ONRULES OFORIGIN
Members,
Noting thatMinisters on20September 1986 agreed thattheUruguay Round ofMultilateral
Trade Negotiations shallaimto"bring about further liberalization andexpansion ofworld trade",
"strengthen theroleofGATT" and"increase theresponsiveness oftheGATT system totheevolving
international economic environment";
Desiring tofurther theobjectives ofGATT 1994;
Recognizing thatclearandpredictable rulesoforigin andtheirapplication facilitate theflow
ofinternational trade;
Desiring toensure thatrulesoforigin themselves donotcreate unnecessary obstacles totrade;
Desiring toensure thatrules oforigin donotnullify orimpair therights ofMembers under
GATT 1994;
Recognizing thatitisdesirable toprovide transparency oflaws, regulations, andpractices
regarding rules oforigin;
Desiring toensure thatrules oforigin areprepared andapplied inanimpartial, transparent,
predictable, consistent andneutral manner;
Recognizingtheavailabilityofaconsultationmechanismandproceduresforthespeedy,effective
andequitable resolution ofdisputes arising under thisAgreement;
Desiring toharmonize andclarify rules oforigin;
Hereby agree asfollows:
PART I
DEFINITIONS AND COVERAGE
Article 1
Rules ofOrigin
1. Forthepurposes ofParts ItoIVofthisAgreement, rules oforigin shallbedefined asthose
laws, regulations andadministrative determinations ofgeneral application applied byanyMember to
determine thecountry oforigin ofgoods provided suchrules oforigin arenotrelated tocontractual
orautonomous traderegimes leading tothegranting oftariffpreferences going beyond theapplication
ofparagraph 1ofArticle IofGATT 1994.
2. Rules oforigin referred toinparagraph 1shallinclude allrulesoforigin usedinnon-preferential
commercial policy instruments, suchasintheapplication of:most-favoured-nation treatment under
Articles I,II,III,XIandXIIIofGATT 1994; anti-dumping andcountervailing duties under Article VI
ofGATT 1994; safeguard measures under Article XIXofGATT 1994; origin marking requirements
under Article IXofGATT 1994; andanydiscriminatory quantitative restrictions ortariff quotas.
They shallalsoinclude rules oforigin usedforgovernment procurement andtrade statistics.1
1Itisunderstood thatthisprovision iswithout prejudice tothose determinations made forpurposes
ofdefining "domestic industry" or"likeproducts ofdomestic industry" orsimilar terms wherever they
apply.RO-V -Page3
PART II
DISCIPLINES TOGOVERN THE APPLICATION OFRULES OFORIGIN
Article 2
Disciplines During theTransition Period
Until thework programme fortheharmonization ofrules oforigin setoutinPartIVis
completed, Members shallensure that:
(a) when theyissueadministrative determinations ofgeneral application, therequirements
tobefulfilled areclearly defined. Inparticular:
(i) incases where thecriterion ofchange oftariff classification isapplied, such
aruleoforigin, andanyexceptions totherule, must clearly specify the
subheadings orheadings within thetariff nomenclature thatareaddressed by
therule;
(ii) incases where theadvalorem percentage criterion isapplied, themethod for
calculating thispercentage shallalsobeindicated intherules oforigin;
(iii) incases where thecriterion ofmanufacturing orprocessing operation is
prescribed, theoperation thatconfers origin onthegood concerned shallbe
precisely specified;
(b) notwithstanding themeasure orinstrument ofcommercial policy towhich theyare
linked, theirrules oforigin arenotusedasinstruments topursue trade objectives
directly orindirectly;
(c) rulesoforigin shallnotthemselves create restrictive, distorting, ordisruptive effects
oninternational trade. They shallnotposeunduly strict requirements orrequire the
fulfilment ofacertain condition notrelated tomanufacturing orprocessing, asa
prerequisite forthedetermination ofthecountry oforigin. However, costsnotdirectly
related tomanufacturing orprocessing maybeincluded forthepurposes ofthe
application ofanadvalorem percentage criterion consistent withsubparagraph (a);
(d) therulesoforigin thattheyapply toimports andexports arenotmore stringent than
therulesoforigin theyapply todetermine whether ornotagoodisdomestic andshall
notdiscriminate between other Members, irrespective oftheaffiliation ofthe
manufacturers ofthegood concerned2;
(e) theirrulesoforigin areadministered inaconsistent, uniform, impartial andreasonable
manner;
(f) theirrulesoforigin arebased onapositive standard. Rules oforigin thatstatewhat
doesnotconfer origin (negative standard) arepermissible aspartofaclarification of
apositive standard orinindividual cases where apositive determination oforigin is
notnecessary;
(g) their laws, regulations, judicial decisions andadministrative rulings ofgeneral
application relating torules oforigin arepublished asiftheyweresubject to,andin
accordance with, theprovisions ofparagraph 1ofArticle XofGATT 1994;
2Withrespect torulesoforigin applied forthepurposes ofgovernment procurement, thisprovision
shallnotcreate obligations additional tothose already assumed byMembers under GATT 1994.RO-V -Page4
(h) upon therequest ofanexporter, importer oranyperson withajustifiable cause,
assessments oftheorigin theywould accord toagood areissued assoonaspossible
butnolaterthan150days3afterarequest forsuchanassessment provided thatall
necessary elements have been submitted. Requests forsuchassessments shall be
accepted before trade inthegood concerned begins andmaybeaccepted atanylater
point intime. Such assessments shallremain valid forthree years provided thatthe
factsandconditions, including therulesoforigin, under which theyhavebeenmade
remain comparable. Provided thattheparties concerned areinformed inadvance, such
assessments willnolonger bevalidwhen adecision contrary totheassessment ismade
inareview asreferred toinsubparagraph (j).Suchassessments shallbemade publicly
available subject totheprovisions ofsubparagraph (k);
(i) when introducing changes totheirrules oforigin ornewrules oforigin, theyshall
notapply suchchanges retroactively asdefined in,andwithout prejudice to,theirlaws
orregulations;
(j) anyadministrative action which theytakeinrelation tothedetermination oforigin
isreviewable promptly byjudicial, arbitral oradministrative tribunals orprocedures,
independent oftheauthority issuing thedetermination, which caneffect themodification
orreversal ofthedetermination;
(k) allinformation thatisbynature confidential orthatisprovided onaconfidential basis
forthepurpose oftheapplication ofrules oforigin istreated asstrictly confidential
bytheauthorities concerned, which shallnotdisclose itwithout thespecific permission
oftheperson orgovernment providing suchinformation, except totheextent thatit
mayberequired tobedisclosed inthecontext ofjudicial proceedings.
Article 3
Disciplines aftertheTransition Period
Taking intoaccount theaimofallMembers toachieve, asaresult oftheharmonization work
programme setoutinPartIV,theestablishment ofharmonized rulesoforigin, Members shallensure,
upon theimplementation oftheresults oftheharmonization work programme, that:
(a) theyapply rules oforigin equally forallpurposes assetoutinArticle 1;
(b) under theirrules oforigin, thecountry tobedetermined astheorigin ofaparticular
good iseither thecountry where thegood hasbeenwholly obtained or,when more
thanonecountry isconcerned intheproduction ofthegood, thecountry where the
lastsubstantial transformation hasbeencarried out;
(c) therulesoforigin thattheyapply toimports andexports arenotmore stringent than
therulesoforigin theyapply todetermine whether ornotagoodisdomestic andshall
notdiscriminate between other Members, irrespective oftheaffiliation ofthe
manufacturers ofthegood concerned;
(d) therulesoforigin areadministered inaconsistent, uniform, impartial andreasonable
manner;
(e) their laws, regulations, judicial decisions andadministrative rulings ofgeneral
application relating torules oforigin arepublished asiftheyweresubject to,andin
accordance with, theprovisions ofparagraph 1ofArticle XofGATT 1994;
3Inrespect ofrequests made during thefirstyearfrom thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement, Members shallonlyberequired toissue these assessments assoonaspossible.RO-V -Page5
(f) upon therequest ofanexporter, importer oranyperson withajustifiable cause,
assessments oftheorigin theywould accord toagood areissued assoonaspossible
butnolaterthan150daysafterarequest forsuchanassessment provided thatall
necessary elements have been submitted. Requests forsuchassessments shall be
accepted before trade inthegood concerned begins andmaybeaccepted atanylater
point intime. Such assessments shallremain valid forthree years provided thatthe
factsandconditions, including therulesoforigin, under which theyhavebeenmade
remain comparable. Provided thattheparties concerned areinformed inadvance, such
assessments willnolonger bevalidwhen adecision contrary totheassessment ismade
inareview asreferred toinsubparagraph (h).Suchassessments shallbemade publicly
available subject totheprovisions ofsubparagraph (i);
(g) when introducing changes totheirrules oforigin ornewrules oforigin, theyshall
notapply suchchanges retroactively asdefined in,andwithout prejudice to,theirlaws
orregulations;
(h) anyadministrative action which theytakeinrelation tothedetermination oforigin
isreviewable promptly byjudicial, arbitral oradministrative tribunals orprocedures,
independent oftheauthority issuing thedetermination, which caneffect themodification
orreversal ofthedetermination;
(i) allinformation which isbynature confidential orwhich isprovided onaconfidential
basisforthepurpose oftheapplication ofrulesoforigin istreated asstrictly confidential
bytheauthorities concerned, which shallnotdisclose itwithout thespecific permission
oftheperson orgovernment providing suchinformation, except totheextent thatit
mayberequired tobedisclosed inthecontext ofjudicial proceedings.
PART III
PROCEDURAL ARRANGEMENTS ONNOTIFICATION, REVIEW,
CONSULTATION AND DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
Article 4
Institutions
1. There ishereby established aCommittee onRules ofOrigin (referred tointhisAgreement
as"theCommittee") composed oftherepresentatives fromeachoftheMembers. TheCommittee shall
electitsownChairman andshallmeet asnecessary, butnotlessthanonceayear, forthepurpose
ofaffording Members theopportunity toconsult onmatters relating totheoperation ofParts I,II,III
andIVorthefurtherance oftheobjectives setoutinthese Parts andtocarry outsuch other
responsibilities assigned toitunder thisAgreement orbytheCouncil forTrade inGoods. Where
appropriate, theCommittee shallrequest information andadvice fromtheTechnical Committee referred
toinparagraph 2onmatters related tothisAgreement. TheCommittee mayalsorequest suchother
work from theTechnical Committee asitconsiders appropriate forthefurtherance oftheabove-
mentioned objectives ofthisAgreement. TheWTO Secretariat shall actasthesecretariat tothe
Committee.
2. There shall beestablished aTechnical Committee onRules ofOrigin (referred tointhis
Agreement as"theTechnical Committee") under theauspices oftheCustoms Co-operation Council
(CCC) assetoutinAnnex I.TheTechnical Committee shallcarry outthetechnical work called for
inPartIVandprescribed inAnnex I.Where appropriate, theTechnical Committee shallrequest
information andadvice from theCommittee onmatters related tothisAgreement. TheTechnical
Committee mayalsorequest suchother work fromtheCommittee asitconsiders appropriate forthe
furtherance oftheabove-mentioned objectives oftheAgreement. TheCCC Secretariat shallactas
thesecretariat totheTechnical Committee.RO-V -Page6
Article 5
Information andProcedures forModification
andIntroduction ofNewRules ofOrigin
1. EachMember shallprovide totheSecretariat, within 90daysafterthedateofentry intoforce
oftheWTO Agreement forit,itsrulesoforigin, judicial decisions, andadministrative rulings ofgeneral
application relating torules oforigin ineffect onthatdate. Ifbyinadvertence aruleoforigin has
notbeenprovided, theMember concerned shallprovide itimmediately afterthisfactbecomes known.
Listsofinformation received andavailable withtheSecretariat shallbecirculated totheMembers by
theSecretariat.
2. During theperiod referred toinArticle 2,Members introducing modifications, other than
deminimis modifications, totheirrules oforigin orintroducing newrules oforigin, which, forthe
purpose ofthisArticle, shallinclude anyruleoforigin referred toinparagraph 1andnotprovided
totheSecretariat, shallpublish anotice tothateffect atleast60daysbefore theentry intoforce of
themodified ornewruleinsuchamanner astoenable interested parties tobecome acquainted with
theintention tomodify aruleoforigin ortointroduce anewruleoforigin, unless exceptional
circumstances ariseorthreaten toariseforaMember. Inthese exceptional cases, theMember shall
publish themodified ornewruleassoonaspossible.
Article 6
Review
1. TheCommittee shallreview annually theimplementation andoperation ofParts IIandIIIof
thisAgreement having regard toitsobjectives. TheCommittee shallannually inform theCouncil for
Trade inGoods ofdevelopments during theperiod covered bysuchreviews.
2. TheCommittee shallreview theprovisions ofParts I,IIandIIIandpropose amendments as
necessary toreflect theresults oftheharmonization work programme.
3. TheCommittee, incooperation withtheTechnical Committee, shallsetupamechanism to
consider andpropose amendments totheresults oftheharmonization work programme, taking into
account theobjectives andprinciples setoutinArticle 9.Thismayinclude instances where therules
needtobemade more operational orneedtobeupdated totakeintoaccount newproduction processes
asaffected byanytechnological change.
Article 7
Consultation
Theprovisions ofArticle XXII ofGATT 1994, aselaborated andapplied bytheDispute
Settlement Understanding, areapplicable tothisAgreement.
Article 8
Dispute Settlement
Theprovisions ofArticle XXIII ofGATT 1994, aselaborated andapplied bytheDispute
Settlement Understanding, areapplicable tothisAgreement.RO-V -Page7
PART IV
HARMONIZATION OFRULES OFORIGIN
Article 9
Objectives andPrinciples
1. With theobjectives ofharmonizing rules oforigin and,interalia,providing more certainty
intheconduct ofworld trade, theMinisterial Conference shallundertake thework programme set
outbelow inconjunction withtheCCC, onthebasis ofthefollowing principles:
(a) rules oforigin should beapplied equally forallpurposes assetoutinArticle 1;
(b) rules oforigin should provide forthecountry tobedetermined astheorigin ofa
particular good tobeeither thecountry where thegood hasbeenwholly obtained or,
when more thanonecountry isconcerned intheproduction ofthegood, thecountry
where thelastsubstantial transformation hasbeencarried out;
(c) rules oforigin should beobjective, understandable andpredictable;
(d) notwithstanding themeasure orinstrument towhich theymaybelinked, rulesoforigin
should notbeusedasinstruments topursue trade objectives directly orindirectly.
They should notthemselves create restrictive, distorting ordisruptive effects on
international trade. They should notposeunduly strict requirements orrequire the
fulfilment ofacertain condition notrelating tomanufacturing orprocessing asa
prerequisite forthedetermination ofthecountry oforigin. However, costsnotdirectly
related tomanufacturing orprocessing maybeincluded forpurposes oftheapplication
ofanadvalorem percentage criterion;
(e) rulesoforiginshouldbeadministrableinaconsistent,uniform,impartialandreasonable
manner;
(f) rules oforigin should becoherent;
(g) rules oforigin should bebased onapositive standard. Negative standards maybe
usedtoclarify apositive standard.
Work Programme
2. (a) Thework programme shallbeinitiated assoonaftertheentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement aspossible andwillbecompleted within three years ofinitiation.
(b) TheCommittee andtheTechnical Committee provided forinArticle 4shallbethe
appropriate bodies toconduct thiswork.
(c) Toprovide fordetailed input bytheCCC, theCommittee shallrequest theTechnical
Committee toprovide itsinterpretations andopinions resulting fromtheworkdescribed
below onthebasisoftheprinciples listed inparagraph 1.Toensure timely completion
ofthework programme forharmonization, suchwork shallbeconducted onaproduct
sector basis, asrepresented byvarious chapters orsections oftheHarmonized System
(HS)nomenclature.RO-V -Page8
(i) Wholly Obtained andMinimal Operations orProcesses
TheTechnical Committee shalldevelop harmonized definitions of:
- thegoods thataretobeconsidered asbeing wholly obtained inonecountry.
Thiswork shallbeasdetailed aspossible;
- minimal operations orprocesses thatdonotbythemselves confer origin to
agood.
Theresults ofthiswork shallbesubmitted totheCommittee within three months of
receipt oftherequest from theCommittee.
(ii) Substantial Transformation -Change inTariff Classification
- TheTechnical Committee shallconsider andelaborate upon, onthebasis of
thecriterion ofsubstantial transformation, theuseofchange intariffsubheading
orheading when developing rulesoforigin forparticular products oraproduct
sector and,ifappropriate, theminimum change within thenomenclature that
meets thiscriterion.
- TheTechnical Committee shalldivide theabove workonaproduct basistaking
intoaccount thechapters orsections oftheHSnomenclature, soastosubmit
results ofitsworktotheCommittee atleastonaquarterly basis. TheTechnical
Committee shallcomplete theabove work within oneyearandthree months
from receipt oftherequest oftheCommittee.
(iii) Substantial Transformation -Supplementary Criteria
Upon completion ofthework under subparagraph (ii)foreachproduct sector or
individual product category where theexclusive useoftheHSnomenclature doesnot
allow fortheexpression ofsubstantial transformation, theTechnical Committee:
- shallconsider andelaborate upon, onthebasis ofthecriterion ofsubstantial
transformation, theuse,inasupplementary orexclusive manner, ofother
requirements, including advalorem percentages4and/or manufacturing or
processing operations5,when developing rulesoforigin forparticular products
oraproduct sector;
- mayprovide explanations foritsproposals;
- shalldivide theabove work onaproduct basistaking intoaccount thechapters
orsections oftheHSnomenclature, soastosubmit results ofitswork tothe
Committee atleastonaquarterly basis. TheTechnical Committee shall
complete theabove work within twoyears andthree months ofreceipt ofthe
request from theCommittee.
RoleoftheCommittee
3. Onthebasis oftheprinciples listed inparagraph 1:
4Iftheadvalorem criterion isprescribed, themethod forcalculating thispercentage shallalsobe
indicated intherules oforigin.
5Ifthecriterion ofmanufacturing orprocessing operation isprescribed, theoperation thatconfers
origin ontheproduct concerned shallbeprecisely specified.RO-V -Page9
(a) theCommitteeshallconsidertheinterpretationsandopinionsoftheTechnicalCommittee
periodically inaccordance withthetime-frames provided insubparagraphs (i),(ii)
and(iii)ofparagraph 2(c)withaviewtoendorsing suchinterpretations andopinions.
TheCommittee mayrequest theTechnical Committee torefine orelaborate itswork
and/or todevelop newapproaches. Toassist theTechnical Committee, theCommittee
should provide itsreasons forrequests foradditional work and,asappropriate, suggest
alternative approaches;
(b) upon completion ofallthework identified insubparagraphs (i),(ii)and(iii)of
paragraph 2(c), theCommittee shall consider theresults interms oftheir overall
coherence.
Results oftheHarmonization Work Programme andSubsequent Work
4. TheMinisterial Conference shallestablish theresults oftheharmonization work programme
inanannex asanintegral partofthisAgreement.6TheMinisterial Conference shallestablish atime-
frame fortheentry intoforce ofthisannex.
6Atthesametime,consideration shallbegiven toarrangements concerning thesettlement ofdisputes
relating tocustoms classification.RO-V -Page10
ANNEX I
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ONRULES OFORIGIN
Responsibilities
1. Theongoing responsibilities oftheTechnical Committee shallinclude thefollowing:
(a) attherequest ofanymember oftheTechnical Committee, toexamine specific technical
problems arising intheday-to-day administration oftherules oforigin ofMembers
andtogiveadvisory opinions onappropriate solutions based uponthefactspresented;
(b) tofurnish information andadvice onanymatters concerning theorigin determination
ofgoods asmayberequested byanyMember ortheCommittee;
(c) toprepare andcirculate periodic reports onthetechnical aspects oftheoperation and
status ofthisAgreement; and
(d) toreview annually thetechnical aspects oftheimplementation andoperation ofParts II
andIII.
2. TheTechnicalCommitteeshallexercisesuchotherresponsibilitiesastheCommitteemayrequest
ofit.
3. TheTechnical Committee shallattempt toconclude itswork onspecific matters, especially
those referred toitbyMembers ortheCommittee, inareasonably short period oftime.
Representation
4. EachMember shallhavetherighttoberepresented ontheTechnical Committee. EachMember
maynominate onedelegate andoneormore alternates tobeitsrepresentatives ontheTechnical
Committee. SuchaMember sorepresented ontheTechnical Committee ishereinafter referred toas
a"member" oftheTechnical Committee. Representatives ofmembers oftheTechnical Committee
maybeassisted byadvisers atmeetings oftheTechnical Committee. TheWTO Secretariat mayalso
attend suchmeetings withobserver status.
5. Members oftheCCC which arenotMembers oftheWTO mayberepresented atmeetings
oftheTechnical Committee byonedelegate andoneormore alternates. Such representatives shall
attend meetings oftheTechnical Committee asobservers.
6. Subject totheapproval oftheChairman oftheTechnical Committee, theSecretary-General
oftheCCC (referred tointhisAnnex as"theSecretary-General") mayinvite representatives of
governments which areneither Members oftheWTO normembers oftheCCC andrepresentatives
ofinternational governmental andtrade organizations toattend meetings oftheTechnical Committee
asobservers.
7. Nominations ofdelegates, alternates andadvisers tomeetings oftheTechnical Committee shall
bemade totheSecretary-General.
Meetings
8. TheTechnical Committee shallmeetasnecessary, butnotlessthanonceayear.
Procedures
9. TheTechnical Committee shallelectitsownChairman andshallestablish itsownprocedures.RO-V -Page11
ANNEX II
COMMON DECLARATION WITH REGARD TOPREFERENTIAL RULES OFORIGIN
1. RecognizingthatsomeMembersapplypreferentialrulesoforigin,distinctfromnon-preferential
rules oforigin, theMembers hereby agree asfollows.
2. Forthepurposes ofthisCommon Declaration, preferential rules oforigin shallbedefined
asthoselaws,regulationsandadministrativedeterminationsofgeneralapplicationappliedbyanyMember
todetermine whether goods qualify forpreferential treatment under contractual orautonomous trade
regimes leading tothegranting oftariff preferences going beyond theapplication ofparagraph 1of
Article IofGATT 1994.
3. TheMembers agree toensure that:
(a) when theyissueadministrative determinations ofgeneral application, therequirements
tobefulfilled areclearly defined. Inparticular:
(i) incases where thecriterion ofchange oftariff classification isapplied, such
apreferential ruleoforigin, andanyexceptions totherule,mustclearly specify
thesubheadings orheadings within thetariff nomenclature thatareaddressed
bytherule;
(ii) incases where theadvalorem percentage criterion isapplied, themethod for
calculating thispercentage shallalsobeindicated inthepreferential rules of
origin;
(iii) incases where thecriterion ofmanufacturing orprocessing operation is
prescribed, theoperation thatconfers preferential origin shall beprecisely
specified;
(b) theirpreferential rules oforigin arebased onapositive standard. Preferential rules
oforigin thatstatewhat doesnotconfer preferential origin (negative standard) are
permissible aspartofaclarification ofapositive standard orinindividual cases where
apositive determination ofpreferential origin isnotnecessary;
(c) their laws, regulations, judicial decisions andadministrative rulings ofgeneral
application relating topreferential rulesoforigin arepublished asiftheyweresubject
to,andinaccordance with, theprovisions ofparagraph 1ofArticle XofGATT 1994;
(d) uponrequest ofanexporter, importer oranyperson withajustifiable cause, assessments
ofthepreferential origin theywould accord toagood areissued assoonaspossible
butnolaterthan150days7afterarequest forsuchanassessment provided thatall
necessary elements have been submitted. Requests forsuchassessments shall be
accepted before trade inthegood concerned begins andmaybeaccepted atanylater
point intime. Such assessments shallremain valid forthree years provided thatthe
factsandconditions, including thepreferential rulesoforigin, under which theyhave
beenmade remain comparable. Provided thattheparties concerned areinformed in
advance, suchassessments willnolonger bevalid when adecision contrary tothe
assessment ismade inareview asreferred toinsubparagraph (f).Suchassessments
shallbemade publicly available subject totheprovisions ofsubparagraph (g);
7Inrespect ofrequests made during thefirstyearfrom entry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement,
Members shallonlyberequired toissue these assessments assoonaspossible.RO-V -Page12
(e) when introducing changes totheirpreferential rulesoforigin ornewpreferential rules
oforigin, theyshallnotapply suchchanges retroactively asdefined in,andwithout
prejudice to,theirlawsorregulations;
(f) anyadministrative action which theytakeinrelation tothedetermination ofpreferential
origin isreviewable promptly byjudicial, arbitral oradministrative tribunals or
procedures, independent oftheauthority issuing thedetermination, which caneffect
themodification orreversal ofthedetermination;
(g) allinformation thatisbynature confidential orthatisprovided onaconfidential basis
forthepurpose oftheapplication ofpreferential rules oforigin istreated asstrictly
confidential bytheauthorities concerned, which shallnotdisclose itwithout thespecific
permissionofthepersonorgovernmentprovidingsuchinformation,excepttotheextent
thatitmayberequired tobedisclosed inthecontext ofjudicial proceedings.
4. Membersagree toprovidetotheSecretariatpromptlytheirpreferentialrulesoforigin,including
alisting ofthepreferential arrangements towhich theyapply, judicial decisions, andadministrative
rulings ofgeneral application relating totheirpreferential rulesoforigin ineffect onthedateofentry
intoforceoftheWTO Agreement fortheMember concerned. Furthermore, Members agree toprovide
anymodifications totheirpreferential rules oforigin ornewpreferential rules oforigin assoonas
possible totheSecretariat. Lists ofinformation received andavailable withtheSecretariat shallbe
circulated totheMembers bytheSecretariat.