RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/IT/M/17
3 June 1999
(99-2238)
Committee of Participants on the Expansion of
Trade in Information Technology Products
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 30 APRIL AND 19 MAY 1999
Chairmen: Ambassador R. Saborío Soto (Costa Rica) and Mr. Y. Shiran (Israel)
Agenda of the Meeting  Page
1. Election of Chairperson ................................................................................................ 2
2. Review of the Status of Implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on
Trade in Information Technolo gy Products (G/IT/1/Rev.9)............................ 2
3. Review of the Product Description of Moni tors, as Contained in Attachment B of the
Ministerial Declarati on (WT/MIN(96)/16 ....................................................... 2
4. Consultations on Non-tariff Barriers (G/IT/SPEC/Q1/25) ........................................... 2
5. Divergences in Classifying Information Technology Products (G/IT/2,
G/IT/2/Corr.1, G/IT/2/Add.1).......................................................................... 3
6. New Partic ipants ........................................................................................................... 4
7. Information Techno logy Symposium ........................................................................... 4
8. Review of Product Coverage ........................................................................................ 6
9. Other Business ............................................................................................................ 7
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Introduction
The Chairman stated that the proposed agenda for this meeting was circulated in
WTO/AIR/1072 on 20 April 1999.  He asked if there were any other matters to be raised under "Other
Business".  Hearing no requests, he stated he would take up the date of the next meeting of the
Committee under this agenda item.  The agenda was adopted.G/IT/M/17
Page 2
1. Election of Chairperson
1.1 The Chairman stated that, as the elected Chairman of this Committee, Mr. Martin Harvey, had
returned to New Zealand in December 1998, he was asked to serve in this capacity on an ad hoc  basis
after his departure.   As the election of Chairperson had not taken place for this Committee this year, hehad continued to serve in this capacity.  After holding consultations on the issue of Chairperson, he
believed there was concensus on the election of Mr. Yair Shiran as the new Chairman of this Committee.
1.2 The Committee agreed to elect Mr. Yair Shiran as Chairman.
1.32 After taking the chair, Mr. Shiran thanked the participants for electing him as Chairman and also
thanked his predecessors, Mr. Martin Harvey and Ambassador Saborío for their excellent work.
2. Review of the Status of Implementation of the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in
Information Technology Products (G/IT/1/Rev.9)
2.1 The Chairman pointed out to participants that an overview of the implementation of the
Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products was contained in G/IT/1/Rev.9.
He noted that this document reflected the recent developments in the ITA with the addition of Latvia and
the Kyrgyz Republic as participants.  Therefore, there were now 46 participants to the Ministerial
Declaration.  As shown in this document, implementation seemed to be proceeding as envisioned under
the Ministerial Declaration.
The Committee took note of the Chairman's statement.
3. Review of the Product Description of Monitors, as Contained in Attachment B of the
Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(96)/16)
3.1  The Chairman recalled that Attachment B of the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information
Technology Products (WT/MIN(96)/16) contained a footnote to the section on Monitors that stated
"Participants will conduct a review of this product description in January 1999 under the consultation
provisions of paragraph 3 of the Declaration."  At the last meeting of this Committee it was agreed to
place the item on the agenda of this meeting as some delegations required more time to review the matter.
3.2 The delegate of Malaysia stated that his delegation had expressed an interest in seeing this
matter on the agenda of this meeting, but at this time he had no further information on the issue.
3.3 The Committee took note of the statement of Malaysia.  The Chairman  stated that the item
would not appear on the agenda of the next meeting unless a delegation specifically requested it.
4. Consultations on Non-tariff Barriers (G/IT/SPEC/Q1/25)
4.1 The Chairman recalled that at the last meeting of the Committee, Australia had circulated a paper
on a work programme on the issue of non-tariff measures.  In that paper Australia also shared their
national experience on the issue.  The Australian paper was well received, although most delegations
were only in a position to make preliminary comments as their capitals had not had a chance to study it.
As a first step on the issue of non-tariff measures, it was agreed that the Secretariat would prepare an
analytical summary of the survey responses.  This summary was prepared and circulated in restricted
document G/IT/SPEC/Q1/25 on 22 March1999.  While a number of delegations expressed an interest inpursuing work on non-tariff measures, the details of such work had not yet been fully addressed in the
Committee.
4.2 The delegate of Australia thanked the Secretariat for the document prepared on the survey
responses.  He encouraged those delegations that had not responded to the survey to do so as this wouldG/IT/M/17
Page 3
contribute to the body of knowledge sought in this area.   He recalled the proposal presented by his
delegations at the last meeting on a work programme and welcomed detailed comments on it from
delegations.  He noted the importance of sharing information and encouraged others to submit national
experience papers.  He encouraged the Committee to continue the ongoing work on non-tariff measures,
specifically as they related to standards matters.
4.3 The delegate of Canada thanked the Secretariat for the document on the survey results and
expressed Canada's continued interest in non-tariff measures.  He stated that it was important to look at
the reasons and roles of standards for IT products and that the work should continue in this area.  His
delegation supported the statement made by Australia.
4.4 The delegate of the United States took note of the statements made by Australia and Canada and
reaffirmed his delegation's strong interest in the area as well.  His delegation was reviewing the possibility
of providing a national experience paper on the matter.  He encouraged those delegations that had not
responded to the survey to do so as soon as possible, as this was an opportunity to advance work on this
issue.
4.5 The delegate of the European Communities supported and endorsed the work undertaken by
Australia on this matter.  His delegation continued to support what had been proposed and would like to
participate in consultations on the subject to make progress on the issue.  From his delegation's point of
view, two key aspects were important to make progress on non-tariff measures—that of deregulation and
decentralization of conformity assessment procedures, and developing international standards, includingthe alignment of the different Members on the subject.  With respect to the latter point, the study carried
out by the Secretariat would be extremely useful and he expected to come back to it at a later stage.
4.6 The delegate of Norway thanked the Secretariat for the analysis of the survey responses, and
encouraged others who had not responded to the survey to do so.  His delegation continued to support the
Australian work programme and was planning to present a national experience paper and encouraged
others to do so as well.
4.7 The delegate of Switzerland thanked the Secretariat for the paper on the survey responses and
encouraged everyone to participate in the exercise.  Furthermore, her delegation could support the
Australian proposal on a work programme for non-tariff measures.
4.8 The delegate of India thanked the Secretariat for the paper on the survey responses.  Her
delegation shared the view that this paper would be very useful for the deliberations on this subject which
India regarded as important.  She noted the importance of sharing information.  This would further the
work on non-tariff measures as was mandated in the agreement.  Her delegation was also studying the
possibility of submitting a national experience paper on the matter.
4.9 The delegate of Malaysia, speaking on behalf of ASEAN members present in the room, stated
that they supported the work programme and looked forward to working with other participants on the
matter.
4.10 The Committee took note of the statements made.
5. Divergences in Classifying Information Technology Products (G/IT/2, G/IT/2/Corr.1,
G/IT/2/Add.1)
5.1 The Chairman recalled that the Committee had addressed divergences in classifying information
technology products at previous meetings of the Committee.  There was some progress on this matter,
specifically regarding the work relating to semiconductor manufacturing and testing equipment.  As many
delegations were focusing on the review of product coverage last year, this part of the work was not very
actively pursued.  He took this opportunity to stress the importance of this work.G/IT/M/17
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5.2 The delegate of Australia suggested that informal consultations be held on the matter so that this
issue could be moved forward and brought into the work of the Committee.
5.3 The delegate of the European Communities stated that his delegation shared the views expressed
by the Chairman.  His delegation would like to see work reactivated on this matter and discussions were
being held internally on ways to move forward.  His delegation would like to participate in any informal
discussions on this matter.  He noted the need to involve customs experts at some point in the discussions.
5.4 The delegate of the United States stated his delegation's interest in participating in the informal
discussions proposed by Australia.  Furthermore, he noted that he saw the usefulness in consulting and
providing technical assistance on implementation of classification matters.
5.5 The Chairman noted that there was an interest in holding informal consultations on the matter
and this would be arranged before the next formal meeting of the Committee.
6. New Participants
6.1 The Chairman noted that there had been no new or revised schedules submitted to the Committee
since the last meeting.  The status of the schedule of China which had been submitted to the Committee
some time ago remained unchanged.
6.2 The Committee took note of his statement.
7. Information Technology Symposium
7.1 The Chairman recalled that at the last meeting of the Committee, the United States proposed to
hold an Information Technology Symposium and it was agreed that the Chairman would hold
consultations on the matter.  He informed the Committee that he had held such consultations and  it
appeared that delegations were in favor of holding such a symposium.
7.2 The delegate of the United States noted that a number of useful ideas related especially to the
content and participation in the symposium had emerged after consultations with other participants.  It
would appear that the symposium should have international representation.  He proposed that theChairman convene consultations to agree on a date, as well as on content and participation.
7.3 The delegate of Australia was in favour of the symposium which would provide an opportunity
for an information exchange. The symposium should be as broadly based as possible.  The symposium
should involve diplomatic delegations in Geneva, industry representatives and regulators with a broadgeographical spread, and international standards and conformance bodies such as ISO, IEC, IAF and
ILAC.  He noted the importance of sharing information, and also looking at the dynamism of IT and its
future, recent R&D developments, technology convergence, and anticipated products and services.  These
were important to explain the role of IT in promoting economic growth and development, and its
expanding contribution to the infrastructure for a global information economy.  Furthermore, it would beimportant to highlight the value of the application of IT, drawing on examples from developed and
developing countries.  This would enhance the competitiveness of large and small businesses, and be
beneficial for government, and for consumers.  It would be an opportunity to discuss the importance that
the IT industry attached to the process of liberalization for exporters and distributors.  On the structure of
the symposium, he noted that it would be useful for the industry representatives to provide an overview oftheir industry including technological advances, convergence, and innovative business applications.
Useful discussions could be held on the contribution of IT to economic growth and development and the
role of trade in the mutual reinforcement of global and national IT policies.  Some practical problems
encountered in IT trade could be discussed, such as the broader effects of non-tariff measures, the
implications of current approaches to standards making and conformity assessment, and developments inG/IT/M/17
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international standards in other relevant bodies.   He noted that it would be useful at the end of the
symposium to have a general discussion and consider what next steps could be taken.
7.4 The delegate of Canada supported the symposium as it would be useful for many issues such as
non-tariff measures and the role of the IT sector in economic growth, development, and trade.  He
emphasized the importance of broad participation and coverage, including matters relating to standards
and conformity assessment, thereby involving the regulators and standards bodies.  He supported having
informal consultations to discuss the date, content, and speakers.
7.5 The delegate of Malaysia, speaking on behalf of ASEAN, supported the idea of a symposium
and looked forward to having informal consultations to discuss the content and the dates.  He was
however concerned on the budgetary impact of such a symposium, and stated that the funding should notcome from the WTO budget.
7.6 The delegate of New Zealand stated her delegations support for the symposium.  In her
delegation's view, the symposium would serve two purposes, namely, to increase the understanding of
participants about the IT industry and to provide some useful input into the work of the Committee,especially as concerned non-tariff measures.  As for the dates of such a symposium, her delegation
favoured an earlier, rather than later date, but was quite flexible.  Like Malaysia, her delegation would
like additional information concerning the funding aspects.
7.7 Norway favoured having a symposium, but was still considering content and participation.  A
symposium could provide useful information for the work of the Committee.  The proposal made by
Australia would be further studies.  He noted the  importance of holding informal consultations to work
out the details for the symposium.
7.8 The delegate of Hong Kong, China stated his delegation's support for holding an IT symposium.
He agreed with the US proposal of having informal consultations to work out the details of such a
symposium.  Furthermore, he welcomed the proposal by Australia and would consult his capital on the
details to obtain a response by the next meeting.
7.9 The delegate of India stated her delegation's approval of having a symposium and looked
forward to participating in informal consultations to discuss the dates, budgetary aspects, content,
participation, and the possible outcome of the symposium.  She appreciated the useful contribution madeby Australia concerning the possible participants and content of the symposium.
7.10 The delegate of the European Communities stated that his delegation viewed the idea of a
symposium favorably.  He referred to the symposium on trade facilitation and noted that the IT
symposium would likely be a smaller event.  His delegation viewed the symposium as an informalinformation tool as it would provide clarification and enlightenment of the activities of the Committee.
The symposium would be an open information session, but it was not intended to draw specific
conclusions.  With respect to the content, he agreed with the statements made by Australia and Canada,
that the information should come directly from the experts concerned.  He expressed his delegation's
interest in participating in the informal discussions.
7.11 The delegate of Switzerland agreed with the idea of a symposium and noted that it should be
similar to the one held on trade facilitation.  It should be a one-day symposium but the details needed to
be worked out.  Her delegation appreciated the Australian proposal and looked forward to participating in
the informal discussions.
7.12 The delegate of Japan, while not having official instructions from capital, stated his delegation's
constructive consideration of the matter and looked forward to participating in the informal consultations.G/IT/M/17
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7.13 The delegate of Romania supported the idea of a symposium.  His delegation was flexible as to
the topics to be discussed and the participation.  For Romania, the symposium would be an opportunity to
learn more and to improve understanding of IT topics.  As for the dates, his delegation was flexible but
preferred to link the symposium with a meeting date of the Committee in light of the participation of
experts from capital.
7.14 The delegate of the Czech Republic, speaking also on behalf of the Slovak Republic , noted their
support for the symposium.7.15 The delegate of Poland supported the idea of having a symposium as it would contribute to the
future work of the Committee.
7.16 The Chairman noted the statements made by delegations and stated that informal consultations
would be held to continue work on this matter.  He noted that this agenda item would be suspended
pending the informal discussion.  He suggested that discussions next week would focus on the dates,
content, participants, funding and possible outcome of the symposium.
7.17 After suspending this agenda item pending the informal consultations, the discussions were
resumed on 19 May 1999.
7.18 The Chairman recalled that at the meeting of the Committee on 30 April 1999, the agenda item
2.G. concerning an Information Technology Symposium was suspended pending informal consultations.
He now proposed that the Committee resume discussions on this agenda item, specifically concerning the
elements for the symposium including funding considerations, dates, content, participants, and the
possible outcome of the symposium.  He stated that he believed the Committee had reached
agreement on all aspects of the symposium as contained in the informal paper of 7 May 1999 and
subsequently revised in part on 11 May 1999.
7.19 With respect to funding considerations, the Se cretariat had provided the following details and
cost considerations based on the experience with the Trade Facilitation Symposium and other similar
symposia that were recently held at the WTO.  First, there would be no costs for the use of the
meeting facilities, as rooms would be available for this purpose.  Second, with respect to
interpretation for the meeting, this would be covered by the normal conference budget for such
services.  Thus, there were no added costs.  Thirdly, in the case of the Trade Facilitation Symposium,the travel expenses for those developing country speakers who could not afford their own travel were
paid for by a special technical cooperation fund.  In that case, the travel expense of 6 speakers were
provided.  In addition, the travel and per diem expenses of 5 least-developed-country attendees were
paid for as well, as representatives from capitals did not have the funds to do so.  Thus, this last aspect
relating to speakers and attendees was the only out-of-pocket cost for holding the Trade FacilitationSymposium.  The Secretariat had been investigating whether similar funds would be available from
special funds for this symposium as well, and it had been confirmed that, if necessary, a limited
amount of money would be made available to finance the participation of least-developed and
developing countries in a similar way as was the case for the trade facilitation symposium.
7.20 The Chairman asked whether there was agreement on the details of the symposium as
outlined in the informal paper dated 19 May 1999, with the agreed date of 16 July 1999 for holding
the symposium.  It was so agreed.  In addition, he encouraged delegations that had suggestions for
possible speakers, to be in contact with the Secretariat.
8. Review of Product Coverage
8.1 The Chairman stated that the Committee had devoted time and effort last year trying to reach
agreement on a package of products to expand the existing product coverage.  He noted that consultationsG/IT/M/17
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were continuing on this matter and he encouraged delegations to continue their efforts.  The Committee
took note of the Chairman's statement.
9. Other Business
9.1 The Chairman proposed that the Committee's next regular meeting be held on 29 June 1999.  He
furthermore proposed that the current meeting be suspended and reconvened as soon as possible
pending the informal consultations on the IT symposium.  It was so agreed.
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