RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SCM/M/37
9 October 2002
(02-5424)
Committee on Subsidies
and Countervailing Measures
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING
HELD ON 30 APRIL 2002
Chairman:  Mr. Remo Moretta (Australia)
1. The Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (the "Committee") held a special
meeting on 30 April 2002.
2. The purpose of the meeting, as set forth in WTO/AIR/1778 and WT O/AIR/1693 and Corr. 1,
was to review the 2001 new and full subsidy notifications of Belize, Burundi, Chile, the EuropeanCommunities, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, India, Korea, Latvia, Mali, Namibia, Singapore, and
Turkey, as well as to revert to the review of the new and full subsidy notifications of Paraguay and
Zimbabwe.  The Committee adopted the agenda as set forth in the airgrams.
3. The Chairman recalled that the Committee had adopted procedures for review of 2001 new
and full subsidies notifications at its May 2001 meeting under G/SCM/W/441.  Under those
procedures, these subsidy notifications were to be reviewed in three special meetings to be held in
conjunction with the regular meetings of the Committee in Autumn 2001 and in the Spring and
Autumn 2002.  This was the second of that series of meetings.  Pursuant to these procedures, only
notifications distributed in all three working languages not less than 19 weeks before the meeting
could be reviewed at that meeting.  In this case, therefore, only notifications distributed in all three
working languages by 18 December 2001 could be reviewed.  Accordingly, the Committee had before
it 14 additional notifications which were circulated before that deadline, in addition totwo notifications of Paraguay and Zimbabwe to which the Committee would subsequently revert.
4. Furthermore, the review of subsidy notifications was to be conducted on the basis of written
questions and answers provided before the meeting.  As indicated in WTO/AIR/1693, written
questions regarding these notifications had been due no later than 15 January 2002.  Written answers
to written questions had been due no later than 19 March 2002.  All written questions and answerswhich had been available in time were included in the document package.  Unfortunately, not all of
the questions and answers had been available in all three languages, partly due to late submission of
documentation and partly due to translation delays.  He hoped that this had not caused too much
inconvenience to delegations.  In addition, as indicated in the airgram, due to the volume of material
involved, delegations had been asked to bring their own copies of the notifications.
5. Turning to the notification of the  European Communities, which could be found in document
G/SCM/N71/EEC + Adds. 1-15, Australia had posed questions in respect of this notification, and the
European Communities had provided written replies to these questions.  These questions and answers
could be found in G/SCM/ Q2/EEC/32.  Follow-up questions a nd answers could be found in document
G/SCM/Q2/EEC/37.
6. The next notification was that of India, wh ich could be found in document G/SCM/N/71/IND.
The European Communities had posed questions in respect of this notification, to be found inG/SCM/M/37
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document G/SCM/Q2/IND/10, and India's written responses to these questions were found in
document G/SCM/Q2/IND/11.  The United States had also posed questions to India, to be found in
document G/SCM/Q2/IND/12.  No written responses to the questions from the United States have
yet been received.
7. Turning to the notification of Korea, whic h could be found in do cument G/SCM/N/71/KOR,
the Chairman noted that the European Communities had posed questions in respect of this
notification, to be found in document G/SCM/Q2/K OR/21 and Korea had provided written responses
to these questions, in do cument G/SCM/N/71/KOR/22.
8. With respect to the notification of Turkey, which could be found in document
G/SCM/N/71/TUR, the European Communities had posed questions, and Turkey had provided
written replies to these questions.  These questions and answers could be found in document
G/SCM/Q2/TUR/16.
9. Reverting to the notification of Paraguay, the Chairman recalled that the United States had
posed questions concerning this notification, and Paraguay had submitted written responses.  These
questions and answers were to be found in document G/SCM/Q2/PRY/4.
10. Reverting to the notification of Zimbabwe , the Chairman noted that the United States had
posed questions concerning this notification, and Zimbabwe had submitted written responses.  These
questions and answers were to be found in document G/SCM/Q2/ZWE/2.
11. No questions were posed in this context with respect to the notifications of
Belize (G/SCM/N/71/BLZ), Burundi (G/SCM/N/71/BUR), Chile (G/SCM/N/71/CHL),
Ghana (G/SCM/N/71/GHA), Grenada (G/SCM/N/71/GRD), Guatemala (G/SCM/N/71/GTM),
Latvia (G/SCM/N/71/LVA), Mali (G/SCM/N/71/MLI), Namibia (G/SCM/N/71/NAM) orSingapore (G/SCM/N/71/SGP).  The Committee therefore concluded its review in respect of these
notifications in this context.
1
12. The Chairman wished to remind delegations that, if they desired written answers to their oral
follow-up questions, they should submit these questions to the notifying Member and to the
Secretariat within two weeks, i.e. by 13 May 2002.  Written answers to follow-up questions were to
be provided by 10 June 2002.   He further recalled that this special meeting was the second scheduled
meeting to review 2001 new and full notifications of subsidies, and urged all Members who had not
made a 2001 notification to make every effort to meet this obligation as soon as possible.  This led
him to a final point, which was simply to recall the agreed procedures for reviewing the remaining
2001 new and full notifications, i.e. those that had received too late to be included on the agenda for
this meeting and any that would arrive in the future.  For the Committee's fall 2002 special meeting,
2001 new and full notifications circulated in all three languages at least 19 weeks before, i.e. by17 June 2002, would be placed on the agenda of that meeting.  An airgram listing those notifications
would be circulated shortly after 17 June.  Written questions on the notifications to be reviewed in the
fall would be due no later than 15 weeks before the meeting, that is, by 15 July 2002 and written
answers no later than six weeks before the meetin g, i.e. by 16 September 2002.  Discussion at the
meeting should focus on follow-up issues.  Members were not required to provide written answers inadvance of a meeting to any questions received after the deadline for questions.  A notifying Member
presenting its written answers after the deadline for answers was required to present those answers in
full, orally, at the meeting.
                                                     
1 The Chairman noted that some of these notifications also related to requests for extension pursuant to
Article 27.4 and would be taken up at the special meeting to consider these requests immediately following this
meeting (see G/SCM/M/38).G/SCM/M/37
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13. The Committee took note of the statements made.
14. The meeting was adjourned.
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