RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/VAL/W/2
13October 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3094)
Committee onCustoms Valuation
DRAFT RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR MEETINGS OF
THE COMMITTEE ONCUSTOMS VALUATION
Note bytheSecretariat
Atitsmeeting on12May1995, theCommittee onCustoms Valuation requested theSecretariat
toprepare draftrules ofprocedure foritsmeetings, based ontheRules ofProcedure adopted bythe
Council forTrade inGoods andapproved bytheGeneral Council on31July1995 (WT/L/79). The
following draftRules ofProcedure areproposed foradoption bytheCommittee onCustoms Valuation.
They shallsubsequently beforwarded forapproval totheCouncil forTrade inGoods, inaccordance
withparagraph 6ofArticle IVoftheWTO Agreement.
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TheRules ofProcedure formeetings oftheGeneral Council shallapply mutatis mutandis for
meetings oftheCommittee onCustoms Valuation, except asprovided below:
(i) Rule1ofChapter I(Meetings) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
TheCommittee onCustoms Valuation shallnormally meet onceayear, orasisotherwise
envisaged bytherelevant provisions oftheAgreement onImplementation ofArticle VIIoftheGeneral
Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994.
(ii) Thefollowing footnote shallbeadded toRules 2,3and4:
Itisunderstood thatitisdesirable thatanotice convening ameeting, thelistofitems proposed
fortheagenda ofthatmeeting andthedocumentation forconsideration atthatmeeting beissued at
leastthree weeks inadvance ofthemeeting.
(iii) Rule4ofChapter II(Agenda) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
Requests foritems tobeplaced ontheagenda ofaforthcoming meeting shallbecommunicated
totheSecretariat inwriting, together withtheaccompanying documentation tobeissued inconnection
withthatitem. Documentation forconsideration atameeting shall becirculated notlaterthan
tencalendar daysprior tothedatesetforthemeeting.
(iv) Rule5ofChapter II(Agenda) isnotapplicable.
./.G/VAL/W/2
Page2
(v) Rules 12,13and14ofChapter V(Officers) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
Rule12
TheCommittee onCustoms Valuation shall elect aChairperson*andmayelect aVice-
Chairperson from among therepresentatives ofMembers. Theelection shalltakeplace atthefirst
meeting oftheyearandshall takeeffect attheendofthemeeting. TheChairperson andVice-
Chairperson shallholdoffice untiltheendofthefirstmeeting ofthefollowing year.
Rule13
IftheChairpersonisabsentfromanymeetingorpartthereof,theVice-Chairpersonshallperform
thefunctions oftheChairperson. IfnoVice-Chairperson waselected oriftheVice-Chairperson is
notpresent, theCommittee onCustoms Valuation shallelectaninterim Chairperson forthatmeeting
orthatpartofthemeeting.
Rule14
IftheChairperson cannolonger perform thefunction oftheoffice, theCommittee onCustoms
Valuation shalldesignate theVice-Chairperson referred toinRule12or,ifnoVice-Chairperson was
elected, itshallelectaninterim Chairperson toperform those functions pending theelection ofanew
Chairperson.
(vi) Rule16ofChapter VI(Conduct ofBusiness) isnotapplicable.
(vii) Rule33ofChapter VII(Decision-Making) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
Where adecision cannot bearrived atbyconsensus, thematter atissue shallbereferred to
theCouncil forTrade inGoods.
(viii) Rule34ofChapter VII(Decision-Making) isnotapplicable.
*TheCommitteeonCustomsValuationshallapplytherelevantguidelinescontainedinthe"Guidelines
forAppointment ofOfficers toWTO Bodies" (WT/L/31 dated 7February 1995).