WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/L/560
13 September 2002
(02-4865)
Original:  English
INTRODUCTION OF HARMONIZED SYSTEM CHANGES INTO WTO
SCHEDULES OF TARIFF CONCESSIONS ON 1 JANUARY 1996
ISRAEL – SCHEDULE XLII
Request for a Waiver
The following communication, dated 4 September 2002, has been received from the
Permanent Mission of Israel.
_______________
Israel requests the granting of a six-month extension of the waiver with respect to the
introduction of HS96 changes in its schedule of concessions. This need is due to the fact that there is
still a reservation pending on Israel’s documentation, presented by the EC.
The original waiver was granted to Israel on 13 May 2002, and it will expire on
31 October 2002.
Previously, Israel had been granted a waiver and extensions in a collective basis, as follows:
WT/L/124 + WT/L/173+ WT/L/216+ WT/L/243+ WT/L/268+ WT/L/281+ WT/L/303+ WT/L/338+
WT/L/351+ WT/L/379+ WT/L/400.
With respect to the 1996 changes on the Harmonized System-Schedule XLII, Israel has
submitted the following documents: G/SECRET/HS96 dated 08 October 1996;
G/SECRET/HS96/Add.1 dated 5 March 1999 and G/SECRET/HS96/Add.1/Corr.1 dated 6 July 2000.
In this regard, general reservations were presented by: US (dated 08.11.1996); EC (dated
06.12.1996, and specified concerns on 03.10.2000); Australia (dated 12.12.1996) and Canada (dated
06.01.1997, and specified concerns on 17.02.2000).
The reservations by Australia, Canada and US have been withdrawn or expired. The
reservation by the EC is, nevertheless, still pending.
On February 2002 Israel submitted its responses to the EC questions and concerns regarding
HS96. On 4 September 2002, the EC specified two further conc erns with respect to the answers
provided, which Israel will respond immediately.
Since it is not clear whether the EC will be able to remove its reservation before the
expiration date of the current waiver, notably 31 October 2002, Israel is in need of requesting a further
extension, and will do its best to provide the requested explanations in the shortest possible time, in
the hope that this will lead to the removal of the reservation in the near future.
__________