./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SCM/M/47
2 December 2003
(03-6405)
Committee on Subsidies
and Countervailing MeasuresOriginal:  English
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING
HELD ON 27 OCTOBER 2003
Chairman:  Ms. Olga Lozano (Colombia)
1. The Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (the "Committee") held a special
meeting on 27 October 2003.
2. The purpose of the meeting, as set fo rth in WTO/AIR/2195 an d WTO/AIR/2120, was to
review the 2003 new and full subsidy notifications of Guinea; Macao, China; and Switzerland.  TheCommittee adopted the agenda as set forth in the airgrams.
3. The Chairman recalled that the Committee had adopted procedures for review of 2003 new
and full subsidies notifications at its May 2003 meeting under G/SCM/W/524.  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 2003 and in the Spring andAutumn 2004.  This was the first 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 16 June 2003 could be reviewed.  Accordingly, the Committee had before it
three notifications which were circulated before that deadline.
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/2195 andWTO/AIR/2120, written questions regarding these notifications had been due no later than
14 July 2003.  Written answers to written questions had been due no later than 15 September 2003.
All written questions and answers which had been available in time were included in the document
package.  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. No written questions had been submitted in respect of the "nil" notifications of Guinea or
Macao, China, found in documents G/SCM/N/ 95/GIN and G/SCM/N/95/MAC, respectively.
6. Turning to the notification of Switzerland, which could be found in document
G/SCM/N/95/CHE, Chinese Taipei and the United St ates had posed written questions, in documents
G/SCM/Q2/CHE/12 and /13, respectively.  Switzerla nd had submitted written responses to these
questions, in documents G/SCM/CHE/14 and /15, resp ectively.  No additional comments or questions
were raised in respect of this notification at the meeting.
7. The Chair wished to remind delegations that written follow-up questions should be submitted
to the notifying Member and to the Secretariat by 7 November 2003.  Written responses would be due
by 8 January 2004.G/SCM/M/47
Page 2
8. She further recalled that this special meetin g was the first scheduled meeting to review 2003
new and full notifications of subsidies, and urged all Members who had not made a 2003 notification
to make every effort to meet this obligation as soon as possible.  This led her to a final point, which
was simply to recall the agreed procedures for reviewing the remaining 2003 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 Spring 2004 special meeting, 2003 new and
full notifications circulated in all three languages at least 19 weeks before, i.e. by 15 December  2003,
would be placed on the agenda of that meeting.  An airgram listing those notifications would be
circulated shortly after15 December.  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 January 2004 and written
answers no later than six weeks be fore the meeting, i.e. by 15 March 2004.  Discussion at the meeting
should focus on follow-up issues.  Members were not required to provide written answers in advanceof 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.
9. The Committee took note of the statements made and concluded its review of the notifications
concerned.
10. The meeting was adjourned.
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