RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/REG4/6
19June1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2502)
Original: English Committee onRegional Trade Agreements
NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Communications from Norway andSwitzerland
Thefollowing requests forfurther clarification havebeenreceived from thedelegations of
Norway andSwitzerland, inrelation totheexamination oftheNorth American FreeTrade Agreement
(NAFTA), forcirculation toMembers.
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1. Could theParties confirm whether FOBisusedtodetermine ifaproduct qualifies forNAFTA
origin?
2. Could theParties confirm whether FOBisusedtocalculate theduties onproducts qualifying
forNAFTA origin?
3. Could eachParty indicate which baseituses(FOB orCIF) forcustoms valuation purposes
tocalculate theduties applied toproducts from non-NAFTA origin?
4. CouldeachPartyindicatethepercentageofimportsofproductsfromNAFTApartnersqualifying
forNAFTA origin (asacomplement tothe"NAFTA -Update ofTrade Data" submitted bytheParties
inWT/REG4/5)?
5. Could eachParty indicate which base(FOB orCIF)wasusedforcustoms valuation purposes,
prior andaftertheentry intoforce oftheNAFTA, forthevaluation ofitsimports fromParties (with
andwithout NAFTA origin) andfrom thirdParties?
6. Inthecontext ofthechange ofthecustoms valuation system (from FOBtoCIF)introduced
byMexico inDecember 1993, doesMexico consider thatthemaintenance oftheFOBbased customs
valuation, forproducts qualifying forNAFTA origin, wasadecision taken inthecontext oforwith
aviewtotheformation ofNAFTA?
7. Does Mexico apply theFOBbased customs valuation forproducts originating fromfree-trade
areas other thanNAFTA towhich Mexico isparty?
8. DidMexico useFOB asameans tocalculate customs value forallimports prior to
30December 1993? DidMexico on30December 1993 change itscustoms valuation system toCIF
except forimports being granted NAFTA-origin? Could Mexico provide thelegaltextwhich provides
thatFOBvalue istobeusedforcustoms valuation ofgoods originating inNAFTA?
./.WT/REG4/6
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9. From theanswers provided byMexico ontheoccasion ofthefirstround ofexamination of
theNAFTA, itseems unclear whether Mexico considers thattheintroduction oftheCIFsystem for
allimports except forthose given NAFTA-origin islinked totheentry intoforce oftheNAFTA.
Could Mexico clarify thispoint?
10. Norway understands Mexico 'sreason forchanging thebasis forcalculation ofcustoms tobe
thatCIFisconsidered tobeabetter system. Isthisacorrect understanding? Ifsuchisthecase, why
isCIFnotbeing implemented forimports from allcountries?
11. Could Mexico indicate thepercentage oftotalimports for1994, 1995 and1996 (ifavailable)
from Canada andtheUSwhich isgiven NAFTA-origin?
12. Could Mexico confirm thatonlyproducts withNAFTA origin areimported using FOBasthe
basis forcustoms valuation?
13. Does, intheviewofMexico, theuseofCIFprovide ahigher basisforcalculation ofcustoms
duties thantheFOBsystem?