RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/LIC/Q/CAN/2
31January 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0370)
Original: English Committee onImport Licensing
NOTIFICATION OFREPLIES TOTHE QUESTIONNAIRE ONIMPORT LICENSING
PROCEDURES UNDER ARTICLE 7.3OFTHE AGREEMENT1
Questions from theEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES toCANADA2
Thefollowing communication, dated 11March 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Delegation oftheEuropean Commission.
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1. Ifasafeguard measure isimposed byCanada under theformofaquantitative restriction, the
management ofthisquota issubject totheExport andImport Permits Act(page 17).Could Canada
explain howsuchquota isallocated among applicants: pastperformance (preferred method under
Article 3.5(j) oftheWTO Agreement), chronological order, auction, oranother method? This
information isonlygiven forspecific product groups, butnotingeneral.
2. Under theExport andImport Permits Act,theGovernor-in-Council mayinclude aproduct
subject toasafeguard measure ontheImport Control List"fortheperiod that,intheopinion ofthe
Governor-in-Council, isnecessary toprevent orremedy theinjury "(page 17,4thindent). Howcan
thisapparent discretion bereconciled withArticle 7.1oftheWTO Agreement onSafeguards which
provides foramaximum duration offouryears?
3. Under theExport andImport Permits Acts, import licences haveavalidity of30dayswith
possible extension (page 18).Forwhich duration cananextension begranted? Howmany successive
extensions arepossible? Does Canada consider thatthis(short) 30-day duration conforms to
Article 3.5(g) oftheWTO Agreement, which provides thattheperiod oflicence validity shallbeof
reasonable duration andshallnotpreclude imports from distant sources?
4. Could Canada indicate thesubstantive andprocedural conditions under which theimport of
aproduct maybesubject tosurveillance/automatic licensing under theExport andImport Permits Act?
Isthesurveillance applied onaselective basis oronaMFN basis?
5. Carbon andspeciality steeliscitedasanexample ofautomatic licensing (page 37). Where
itismentioned thatlicences aregranted "immediately "(page 38,Reply 7),doesthatmean ontheday
ofapplication?
1G/LIC/N/3/CAN/1.
2SeeUnderstanding reached bytheCommittee onImport Licensing (G/LIC/M/4, paragraphs 5,6,9and10).