WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/IT/13
10 July 2000
(00-2808)
Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in
Information Technology ProductsOriginal: English
AUSTRALIAN PROPOSAL FOR A NON-TARIFF MEASURES
WORK PROGRAMME
The Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology
Products,
RECALLING that Ministers had acknowledged the importance of non-tariff measures
(NTMs) and their impact on trade in information technology products when they agreed on the need
for discussion of this issue (paragraph 3 of the Annex to the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in
Information Technology Products, Singapore, December 1996),
NOTING that liberalised trade in IT products can assist participants to take advantage of the
benefits of electronic commerce and the information economy, which contribute directly to improving
competitiveness and economic development,
NOTING that as of 1 January 2000 tariffs on ITA I had been eliminated and that
arrangements for further tariff liberalisation are under consideration,
AGREEING that, in parallel with tariff liberal isation, there is a need to identify non-tariff
barriers to the expansion of trade in information technology products and to explore how such non-
tariff barriers could be eliminated,
AIMING to complement work carried out by WTO bodies under other agreements, such as
the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade,
ACKNOWLEDGING the conclusion of an agreement on basic telecommunications and
continuing negotiations under the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services,
WELCOMING the work on NTMs already undertaken by the Committee on the provision of
national experience papers by participants,
AGREES to proceed with a work programme on NTMs, focusing inter alia  on standards and
conformance, including arrangements to :
• identify NTMs which are significant impediments to trade in information technology
products;
• examine the economic and developmental impact of such measures on trade ininformation technology products and the benefits which would accrue to participants
from addressing their undue trade-distorting effects;
• develop findings and recommendations for action to be taken by the Committee or
referred to other relevant WTO, intergovernmental or industry bodies.G/IT/13
Page 2
The Committee will establish working groups for this purpose.  The working groups should,
as appropriate, draw on the expertise of industry, regulatory, and relevant WTO and other
international bodies.  The working groups should take due account of any future expansion of the
product coverage as provided for in paragraph 3 of the Annex to the Ministerial Declaration on Trade
in Information Technology Products.  The Committee will meet to consider findings andrecommendations of the working groups no later than July 2001.
Participants will not introduce regulatory measures which would unduly restrict trade in a
manner inconsistent with the objectives of the work program.G/IT/13
Page 3Work Program on Non-Tariff Measures:  Proposed Work Streams
Work Stream Issues Action
Standards Divergences among
national standards• review steps in global, regional and bilateral fora that have led to progress
• review developments in international standards bodie s, identifying impediments to successful resolution
of their work and proposing appropriate links/channels of cooperation
• examine the factors which inhibit countries' participation in the deliberations of international standards
bodies
Conformance Multiple testing
and certification
Import licensing• examine the value and feasibility of the development and publication of accurate, detailed and accessible
regulatory information would facilitate trade in IT products and provide a base for considering further
mutually beneficial outcomes
• examine the principles for regulatory practice which both ensure the integrity of legitimate regulatory
protections and maximise the benefits of greater trade facilitation for all participating countries
• examine the application of risk-based assessment by regulators to the setting of conformity assessment
requirements (taking into account the work being undertaken by organisations such as the International
Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation/Internat ional Accreditation Forum (ILAC/ID) and IEC)
• review the objectives and coverage of import licensing régimes for IT products
• examine the cost-effectiveness and technical merits  of mechanisms such as mutual recognition
arrangements/agreements (MRAs), suppliers' declarations of conformity and the unilateral recognition of
other countries' conformity assessment
• review unilateral recognition by any one country of other countries' standards as equivalent to its own
• examine the possibility of improving the transparency and clarity of current import licensing regimes for
IT products and review the benefits of decreasing the administrative burden and cost of compliance withimport licensing regimes (e.g. number of approval bodies)
It is envisaged that there would be a working group for each stream; the working groups would review the national experience pa pers provided by
participants and would support each other by the continuous exchange of information.G/IT/13
Page 4
ITA Work Program on NTMs:  Timeline
Committee of Participants Working groups
ITA 2000/2 – June
ITA considers proposed work program
identifying:
• Parameters of work program – relationship
with TBT, Services Negotiations
• Work streams
• Working mechanisms
• Time frame for work program
July-September
ITA participants provide written comment on
proposals to Secretariat by mid-September
ITA 2000/3 – September-October
Committee adopts work program
Implementation:
• Relevant issues within work streams clearly
identified
• Working groups established –
Chair/membership finalised
• Secretariat to assistOctober/November
• Chairs convene working groups
• As appropriate, industry representatives
(drawn from cross-section of ITA
membership) and relevant internationalbodies to be invited to support the activities
of Working Groups
• Establish work plans through to April
ITA 2000/4  - December
Progress reports from Working Group Chairs
ITA 2001/1 – February/March 2001
• Feedback from participants on progress
reports
• Update from Working GroupsMay 2001
Chairs submit Findings and Recommendations to
Secretariat
Secretariat to circulate papers to members out of
session (4-6 weeks before next ITA meeting)
ITA 2001/2 – June/July 2001
Consideration of Findings and Recommendations
of Working Groups
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