RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/MA/W/3
20November 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3609)
Committee onMarket Access
DRAFT
REPORT (1995) OFTHE COMMITTEE ONMARKET ACCESS
1. TheCommittee onMarket Access hasbeenestablished under Article IV,paragraph 7ofthe
WTO bytheGeneral Council atitsmeeting of30January 1995. Theterms ofreference ofthe
Committee arecontained indocument WT/L/47. Mr.JeanSaint-Jacques (Canada) hasbeenelected
Chairman, andMrs. Marie Gosset (Côte d'Ivoire), ViceChairperson oftheCommittee.
2. Inthecourseof1995theCommitteehadfourformalmeetings,on25April,26June,31October
and22November andanumber ofinformal meetings. Detailed reports ontheformal meetings can
befound indocuments G/MA/M/1 to4.
3. Areport oftheCommittee covering itsactivities anddecisions taken during thefirstsixmonths
of1995 hasbeencirculated indocument G/MA/1 dated 29June1995.
4. Onthequestion ofobservers, theCommittee agreed thatgovernments which wereintheprocess
ofacceding totheWTO orhadinitiated negotiations todoso,orhaddeclared theirintention todo
sointhenearfuture would bewelcome toattend themeetings oftheCommittee. TheCommittee
alsoagreed that,pending theapproval ofthecriteria andcondition forobserver status forinternational
intergovernmental organizations intheWTO, thefollowing organizations: FAO, IMF, UNCTAD,
WCO andtheWorld Bankwould beinvited toattend thenextmeetings oftheCommittee inthecapacity
ofobservers.
5. Atitsmeeting of31October 1995, theCommittee adopted itsRules ofProcedure (document
G/MA/W/2) based ontheRules ofProcedure adopted bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods andapproved
bytheGeneral Council on31July1995(document WT/L/75). [TheCommittee 'sRules ofProcedure
should beadopted bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods on1December 1995.]
6. InOctober 1995, theCommittee alsoadopted twoDecisions onnon-tariff measures:
(1)Notification procedures ofquantitative restrictions (document G/MA/NTM/W/1/Rev.1) and
(2)Reverse notification onnon-tariff measures (document G/MA/NTM/W/2/Rev.1).
7. Atthemeeting inOctober theCommittee Members alsoexamined several issues concerning
thefuture oftheIntegrated DataBaseandtheyagreed tomake every effort toprovide thenecessary
trade andtariff datainorder toestablish areliable database. Inaddition theCommittee agreed that:
(1)theSecretariat prepare asimplified format fortheIDBdatasubmissions anddevelop PCapplications
forthepreparation ofdataincapitals; (2)theSecretariat undertake astudy onthe"downsizing" of
theIDBfromamainframe toaPCenvironment; (3)theIDBbemade operational withbasicinformation
ontariffs andimports before broadening itsscope byincluding non-tariff measures andother types
ofrestrictions; and(4)access totheIDBcould begiven tointernational organizations.
./.G/MA/W/3
Page2
8. During thesecond halfoftheyeartheactivities oftheCommittee were, foralarge part,
dedicated totheintroduction ofamendments totheHarmonized System nomenclature recommended
bytheCounciloftheWorldCustomsOrganization(WCO)whichwillenterintoforceon1January1996
andtotheprocedures tofollow under theWTO torectify theSchedules ofConcessions. [Inthiscontext,
atthemeeting of22November, Members agreed tothetextofacollective waiver forthesuspension
oftheprovisions ofArticle IIoftheGATT 1994inaccordance withArticle IXoftheWTO Agreement
forthose Members which requested awaiver fortheintroduction oftheHS96 changes.]
9. During thecourse oftheyeartheCommittee alsoexamined various issues related tothe
establishment ofconsolidated loose-leaf schedules. These issues related, among other things, tothe
legal implications; thecoverage onunbound items; advalorem, specific andmixed duties; rates
ofstaging; other duties andcharges (ODCs); treatment ofagriculture andInitial Negotiating Rights
(INRs). [Atthemeeting on22November 1995 theCommittee agreed totheestablishment of
consolidated loose-leaf schedules onthebasis ofproposals bytheChairman contained indocument
G/MA/TAR/W/4/Rev.2.
10. Thisreport willbecompleted inlightofthediscussion thatwilltakeplace during themeeting
of22November 1995. Anannex containing factual information onthestatus ofcurrent waivers will
beadded tothereport.