Page412
DECISION ONNEGOTIATIONS ONMARITIME TRANSPORT SERVICES
Ministers,
Noting thatcommitments scheduled byparticipants onmaritime transport services atthe
conclusion oftheUruguay Round shallenter intoforce onanMFN basis atthesame timeasthe
AgreementEstablishingtheWorldTradeOrganization(hereinafterreferredtoasthe"WTOAgreement"),
Decide asfollows :
1. Negotiationsshallbeenteredintoonavoluntarybasisinthesectorofmaritimetransportservices
within theframework oftheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices. Thenegotiations shall be
comprehensive inscope, aiming atcommitments ininternational shipping, auxiliary services andaccess
toanduseofportfacilities, leading totheelimination ofrestrictions within afixed timescale.
2. ANegotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services (hereinafter referred toasthe“NGMTS ”)
isestablished tocarry outthismandate. TheNGMTS shallreport periodically ontheprogress ofthese
negotiations.
3. ThenegotiationsintheNGMTSshallbeopentoallgovernmentsandtheEuropeanCommunities
which announce theirintention toparticipate. Todate,thefollowing haveannounced theirintention
totakepartinthenegotiations:
Argentina, Canada, European Communities andtheirmember States, Finland, Hong Kong,
Iceland, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NewZealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland,
Romania, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States.
Further notifications ofintention toparticipate shall beaddressed tothedepositary oftheWTO
Agreement.
4. TheNGMTS shallholditsfirstnegotiating session nolaterthan16May1994. Itshallconclude
these negotiations andmake afinalreport nolaterthanJune1996. Thefinalreport oftheNGMTS
shallinclude adatefortheimplementation ofresults ofthese negotiations.
5. Until theconclusion ofthenegotiations Article IIandparagraphs 1and2oftheAnnex on
Article IIExemptions aresuspended intheirapplication tothissector, anditisnotnecessary tolist
MFN exemptions. Attheconclusion ofthenegotiations, Members shallbefreetoimprove, modify
orwithdraw anycommitments made inthissector during theUruguay Round without offering
compensation, notwithstanding theprovisions ofArticle XXIoftheAgreement. Atthesame time
Members shallfinalize theirpositions relating toMFN exemptions inthissector, notwithstanding the
provisions oftheAnnex onArticle IIExemptions. Should negotiations notsucceed, theCouncil for
Trade inServices shalldecide whether tocontinue thenegotiations inaccordance withthismandate.
6. Anycommitments resulting fromthenegotiations, including thedateoftheirentry intoforce,
shallbeinscribed intheSchedules annexed totheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices andbe
subject toalltheprovisions oftheAgreement.
7. Commencing immediately andcontinuing untiltheimplementation datetobedetermined under
paragraph 4,itisunderstood thatparticipants shallnotapply anymeasure affecting trade inmaritime
transport services except inresponse tomeasures applied byother countries andwithaview to
maintaining orimproving thefreedom ofprovision ofmaritime transport services, norinsuchamanner
aswould improve theirnegotiating position andleverage.Page413
8. Theimplementation ofparagraph 7shall besubject tosurveillance intheNGMTS. Any
participant maybring totheattention oftheNGMTS anyaction oromission which itbelieves tobe
relevant tothefulfilment ofparagraph 7.Suchnotifications shallbedeemed tohavebeensubmitted
totheNGMTS upon theirreceipt bytheSecretariat.