./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SCM/W/441
19 April 2001
(01-1970)
Committee on Subsidies
and Countervailing Measures
DRAFT PROCEDURE FOR REVIEW
OF 2001 NEW AND FULL NOTIFICATIONS
Note from the Chairperson
Pursuant to discussions in the Working Part y on Subsidy Notifications, the following draft
procedures for the review of 2001 new and full subsidy notifications will be on the agenda for
adoption at the Committee's 2 May 2001 regular meeting.  As discussed in the Working Party, these
procedures are identical, except for dates, to those adopted for the review of 1998 new and full
notifications (G/SCM/18).
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1. Pursuant to Article 25.1 of the SCM Agreement, 2001 new and full subsidies notifications
must be submitted by 30 June 2001.   Because delays in notification would make it difficult for the
Secretariat to translate and circulate notifications in a manner which would allow the procedures set
forth below to operate, the Committee considers it important that all Members respect the30 June 2001 deadline for submission of notifications as well as the deadlines for the question and
answer procedure set out below.
2. The 2001 new and full subsidy notifications will be reviewed in special meetings to be held in
conjunction with the regular meetings of the SCM Committee in October 2001, April 2002 and (if
required) October 2002.  The length of the special meetings will be determined by the Chair in light of
the number and extent of the notifications scheduled for review.  Only notifications distributed in all
three WTO working languages not less than nineteen weeks before a meeting may be reviewed at thatmeeting.
3. The review of new and full notifications will be held on the basis of a written procedure,
i.e. on the basis of written questions and written answers provided before the meeting.  Written
questions shall be submitted to the notifying Member and to the Secretariat not less than fifteen weeksbefore the date of the meeting at which a notification is to be reviewed, and written responses shall besubmitted not less than six weeks before the date of that meeting.  Members desiring clarification of
answers, identifying issues for discussion or otherwise following up on written responses are
encouraged to submit follow-up questions in writin g in advance of the meeting.  Written answers to
follow-up questions are required only where the follow-up questions are submitted in writing.
4. The written procedure is intended to avoid the repetition of lengthy questions and answers in
the meeting and to allow the Committee to (a) follow-up in areas where the written answers were
unclear and (b) discuss issues identified as a result of the written procedure.  The result should be
shorter and more focused meetings where meaningful discussion could occur.
5. In order for this format to be effective, two conditions must be fulfilled.  First,  questions and
answers need to be provided on a timely basis.  Thus, a Member is not required to provide writtenG/SCM/W/441
Page 2
answers in advance of a meeting where the questions were provided after the deadline had passed.  On
the other hand, a Member that fails to provide written answers within the specified time period shall
provide full oral answers at the meeting itself.  Second, the purpose of the written procedure is to
allow better discussion in the meetings, not to replace the meetings.  Meaningful discussion can onlyoccur if the responsible officials are present; thus, Members should make maximum efforts to bringappropriate capital-based officials to the reviews of their notifications.
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