RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/VAL/W/62
21 March 2000
(00-1151)
Committee on Customs Valuation Original:  French
COMMUNICATION FROM TUNI SIA CONCERNING ANNEX III,
 PARAGRAPH 1, OF THE AGREEMENT ON IMPLEMENTATION
OF ARTICLE VII OF THE GENERAL AGREEMENT
 ON TARIFFS AND TRADE 1994
The following communication, dated 6 March 2000, was received from the Permanent
Mission of Tunisia.
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The Permanent Mission of Tunisia in Geneva presents its compliments to the Secretariat of
the World Trade Organization (Market Access Division) and has the honour to submit, in annex, a
request from Tunisia pursuant to Annex III, para graph 1 of the Agreement on Implementation of
Article VII of the GATT 1994.G/VAL/W/62
Page 2
I. REQUEST
Pursuant to Annex III, paragraph 1 of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT) 1994, Tunisia hereby requests a postponement of the scheduled date for the
implementation of the Agreement for a further period of three years.
The transitional period accorded to Tunisia under the Agreement expires on 27 March 2000,
and Tunisia is not yet ready to implement the Agreement.
The requested additional period would expire on 27 March 2003.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE MEASURES FOR WHICH AN ADDITIONAL PERIOD IS
REQUESTED
Tunisia ratified the WTO Agreements on 23 January 1995, and the instruments of ratification
were deposited on 27 February 1995.  The Agreement Establishing the WTO entered into force for
Tunisia on 28 March 1995.
Tunisia immediately invoked the provisions on special and differential treatment for the
developing countries under Article 20.1 of the Agreement.
A number of steps were taken both at the institutional and regulatory levels to ensure a
smooth transition to the customs valuation system foreseen in the Agreement, and the entry into force
of the Agreement.
Activities were also undertaken and developed with a view to training and upgrading staff
responsible for the application of this new system in Tunisia and for the implementation of the
Agreement.
In spite of the positive results already achieved in this area, for Tunisia fully to respect its
customs valuation commitments it is essential that  it should continue to develop certain specific
measures or techniques that would enable it to ensure the full and careful implementation of the
Agreement.
This is why it is necessary to postpone the implementation of the Agreement for the requested
period.
III. GROUNDS AND JUSTIFICATION FOR THE REQUEST FOR A FURTHER
EXTENSION
The additional period of three years will be used, inter alia :
- To continue and complete the process of bringing domestic customs valuation
legislation into conformity with the Agreement and the introduction of appropriate
administrative mechanisms and procedures;
- to provide further and more substantial training of the staff concerned, in particular
officials in the customs administration and the services of the different ministerial
departments involved in customs valuation of imported goods or responsible for
managing and following up the implementation of the Agreement on Customs
Valuation, as well as other persons for whom the implementation of this Agreement
is central to their activities;G/VAL/W/62
Page 3
- to inform business circles and improve their awareness of the provisions and
principles of the Agreement and to enable them to improve their knowledge in that
area.
IV. CONCLUSION
In view of the above considerations and of the ongoing process of bringing Tunisian
legislation into conformity with the rules of th e Customs Valuation Agreement, Tunisia requests an
additional period of three years under A nnex III, paragraph 1 of the Agreement.
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