. /.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/MA/TAR/RS/74
15 December 2000
(00-5504)
Committee on Market Access Original:  English
RECTIFICATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS OF SCHEDULES
Schedule CXL – European Communities
The following communication, dated 29 November 2000, has been received from the
Permanent Delegation of the European Commission.
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I attach herewith a notice concerning rectific ations and modifications to our Schedule CXL
related to ITA products.
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If no objection is notified to the Secretariat within three months from the date of this
document, the rectifications and modifications to Schedule CXL – European Communities will be
deemed to be approved and will be formally certified.1
                                                     
1The certification of the attached rectifications an d modifications will take place no sooner than the
certification of Schedule CXL.G/MA/TAR/RS/74
Page 2
RECTIFICATION AND MODIFICATIONS OF SCHEDULES
SCHEDULE CXL - EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT (G/MA/TAR/RS16)2
When the European Communities notified their commitments under the Information Technology
Agreement in doc. G/MA/TAR/RS/16 of 2 April 1997, they  indicated that the EC would classify "set-
top boxes", an Attachment B product , under the following tariff lines: 8517 50 90, 8517 80 90 and 8525
20 99, all duty-free from 1 January 2000.
Customs experts from ITA participants have met seve ral times to discuss classification divergences on
ITA products, as mandated by paragraph 5 of the A nnex to the Ministerial Declaration of 13 December
1996. Their recommendations to the Committee of Partic ipants to the Agreement are contained in doc.
G/IT/14 of 6 September 2000.
As indicated in that document, the European Co mmunities have decided to join some other ITA
participants in classifying certain types of ITA set-top boxes under HS sub-heading 8528 12. The
European Communities have created a new tari ff line for such set-top boxes, as follows:
Base
rateFinal
rateImplementation
8528 12 91 ------- Apparatus with a microprocessor-based device
incorporating a modem for gaining access to theInternet, and having a function of interactive
information exchange, capable of receiving
television signals ("Set-top boxes with acommunication function")New
line0.0 2000
This change took effect from 1 October 20003. It is without prejudice to other possible changes in ITA
product classification that may be necessary once th e Committee of Participants to the Agreement has
completed its examination of the recommendations from customs experts.
Consequently, the tariff references shown against product descriptions in Attachment B of the ITA
Schedule of the European Communities should be modified as follows:
Set-top boxes: Replace by following refere nce: 8517.50.90 (unchanged), 8517.80.90 (unchanged),
8525.20.99 (unchanged), 8528.12.91 (new) .
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2 Certified in document WT/LET/156.
3 Council Regulation (EC) N° 2559/2000 of 16 November 2000, published in the Official Journal of the
European Communities, L 293 of 22 November 2000