RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/MA/W/1
20April 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0969)
Committee onMarket Access
NOTIFICATIONS OFQUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS
AND OTHER NON-TARIFF MEASURES
Note bytheSecretariat
1. Under itsterms ofreference (paragraph (d)ofWT/L/47), theCommittee onMarket Access
shall"conduct theupdating andanalysis ofthedocumentation onquantitative restrictions andother
non-tariff measures, inaccordance withthetimetable andprocedures agreed bytheCONTRACTING
PARTIES in1984 and1985 (BISD 31S/227 and228,andBISD 32S/92 and93)".
2. Thisnotesummarises thenotification requirements under theabove-mentioned decisions of
theGATT CONTRACTING PARTIES andthepresent stateoftheresulting documentation.
I. Quantitative restrictions
A. Notification requirements forquantitative restrictions under theMarket Access Committee
(i) Self-notifications
3. Thenotification requirements forquantitative restrictions under theMarket Access Committee
(paragraph (d)ofWT/L/47) arethesame asthose under theGATT Technical Group onQuantitative
Restrictions andOther Non-Tariff Measures. Theyresult fromdecisions taken bytheCONTRACTING
PARTIES in1984and1985(BISD 32S/92 and93),according towhich Members arerequired tomake
complete notifications every twoyears ofthequantitative restrictions which theymaintain, andtonotify
changes thereto asandwhen theyoccur. Thenotifications should contain afulldescription ofthe
products andtariff linesaffected (inCCCN orHSnomenclature), aprecise indication ofthetypeof
restrictions(usingthesymbolsadoptedbytheCONTRACTINGPARTIES),andthegroundsandprecise
GATT/WTO justification cited, and, totheextent possible, thetrade effects ofthemeasures.
Notifications made under other GATT requirements (BOP, licensing, safeguards, etc.)areincluded
inthedatabase, without delegations having tomake thesame notification twice. MFA restrictions,
however, were notincluded astheyuseadifferent nomenclature.
4. Thenotifications arestored inadatabaseinthemain-frame computer (separate fromtheIDB),
eachintheofficial GATT language inwhich itwasmade. Owing tothesizeofthedatabase, the
GATTCouncildecidedin1989nottoissuefurthercompilationsofitstotalcontents;listsofnotifications
received andincorporated inthedatabasewould continue tobepublished asandwhen necessary
(AddendatoNTM/W/6/Rev.5,whichwasthelastcompletecompilationtobepublished),andcontracting
parties would beabletorequest detailed extracts ofthedataonpaper orcomputer tape. Forthemeetings
oftheTechnical Group onQuantitative Restrictions andOther Non-Tariff Measures (held biennially,
after receipt ofthecomplete notifications), theSecretariat produced adocument analysing and
summarising thenotifications (themost recent onebeing NTM(TG)/W/5 fortheTechnical Group 's
lastmeeting in1989).G/MA/W/1
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5. Thedatabasecurrently contains notifications by46GATT contracting parties (counting the
ECasone), inaddition towhich 7contracting parties havenotified thattheydonotmaintain any
quantitative restrictions, and2contracting parties havemade notifications inanomenclature other than
theHSorCCCN nomenclatures (seeAnnex).
6. Apart fromthefactthatfewnotifications areup-to-date (only 12werereceived in1994), few,
ifany,aresatisfactory inrespect ofalldetails required: tariff lineorpartthereof, precise GATT
provision cited, useofapproved symbols forthemeasure (nonotification gives anyindication oftrade
effects). Furthermore, asoftheentry intoforce oftheWTO, thesituation withrespect toquantitative
restrictions willhavechanged (e.g.intheareaofagriculture).
(ii) Reverse notifications
7. Theopportunity isavailable todelegations tomake reverse notifications. Theprocedures are
thesame asforreverse notifications ofother non-tariff measures (seeSection IIbelow).
B. WTO Agreements withnotification requirements forquantitative restrictions
8. WTO instruments which haverequirements relating tonotification procedures forquantitative
restrictions (QRs) include thefollowing:
- GATT 1994: Articles XVIII:C andXIX(anytypeofQR);
- Agreement onAgriculture (export restrictions);
- Agreement onImport Licensing Procedures (non-automatic licensing, inc.products
affected andmeasures implemented bymeans oflicensing);
- Agreement onSafeguards;
- Agreement ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures;
- Agreement onTextiles andClothing (QRs including safeguard measures);
- Understanding onBalance-of-Payments Provisions oftheGATT 1994 (anytypeof
QR);
- Trade Policy Review Mechanism Reports (anytypeofQR);
- 1979 Understanding Regarding Notification, Consultation, Dispute Settlement and
Surveillance (anytypeofQR);
- Enabling Clause (preferential arrangements among developing countries; special
treatment forLLDCs; more favourable treatment withrespect tonon-tariff measures
governed byGATT Codes);
9. ForQRsmaintained under other WTO provisions, which donotcontain requirements relating
tonotification procedures (e.g.Articles XXandXXIofGATT 1994), theobligation tonotify flows
from the1984 and1985 decisions oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES andthe1979 Understanding
Regarding Notification, Consultation, Dispute Settlement andSurveillance.
II. Other non-tariff measures
A. Notification requirements forother non-tariff measures under theMarket Access Committee
10. Theprovisions fornotification ofothernon-tariff measures under theMarket Access Committee
(paragraph (d)ofWT/L/47) arethesame asthose under theGATT Technical Group onQuantitative
Restrictions andOther Non-Tariff Measures. Theyresult fromdecisions taken bytheCONTRACTING
PARTIES in1984(BISD 31S/227 and228). These decisions reaffirmed a1979decision (BISD 27S/18).
Inaccordance withthesedecisions, theInventory ofNon-Tariff Measures (Industrial Products) isopen
forreverse notifications byMembers ofnon-tariff measures maintained byother Members. ReverseG/MA/W/1
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notifications should contain anindication oftheprecise nature ofthemeasure, where applicable afull
descriptionoftheproductsaffectedincludingthecorrespondingtariffheading,theeffectsofthemeasure,
and,where appropriate, areference totherelevant GATT/WTO provisions; theMember maintaining
themeasure isinvited tocomment upon thereverse notification before itisincluded intheInventory
along withthecomment.
11. Thenotifications arecompiled inaloose-leaf document, onpaper only, inEnglish andFrench.
Addenda areissued asandwhen necessary. Thesummary andanalysis document prepared bythe
Secretariat forthemeetings oftheTechnical Group onQuantitative Restrictions andOther Non-Tariff
Measures (seeparagraph 2above) alsocovered theInventory.
12. TheInventory currently contains 703notifications. Many ofthese datefrom thebeginnings
oftheInventory in1981 andhaveremained substantially untouched since then. Themost recent
notifications weremade in1990. Thenotifications havebeenmade by23contracting parties against
70contracting parties (counting theECasone).
13. Thenotifications contained intheInventory are,forthemostpart,unreliable either because
theyareoutofdate,orbecause themaintaining country hasnotcommented, orbecause thenotifying
country hasexercised itsrighttomaintain thenotification despite comment bythemaintaining country
thatthenotification isincorrect orobsolete.
B. WTO Agreements withnotification requirements forother non-tariff measures
14. WTOinstrumentswhichhaverequirementsrelatingtonotificationproceduresforothernon-tariff
measures include thefollowing:
- GATT 1994: Articles XVII, XVIII:C andXIX(anytypeofNTM);
- Agreement onAgriculture (domestic support measures, export subsidies, tariffquotas);
- Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VIofGATT 1994 (anti-dumping actions);
- Agreement onRules ofOrigin (existing rules oforigin);
- Agreement onSafeguards (safeguard measures);
- Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures (subsidies, countervailing duty
actions);
- Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade (standards, technical regulations, conformity
assessment procedures);
- Agreement ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures (sanitary and
phytosanitary measures);
- Agreement onTRIPs (eligibility criteria, trademark protection, limitation ofrights);
- Agreement onTRIMs (investment measures);
- Understanding onBalance-of-Payments Provisions oftheGATT 1994 (anytypeof
NTM);
- Trade Policy Review Mechanism Reports (anytypeofNTM);
- 1979 Understanding Regarding Notification, Consultation, Dispute Settlement and
Surveillance (anytypeofNTM);
- Enabling Clause (preferential arrangements among developing countries; special
treatment forLLDCs; more favourable treatment withrespect tonon-tariff measures
governed byGATT Codes);
- Agreement onTrade inCivil Aircraft (subsidies);
- International Bovine Meat Agreement (domestic support);
- International Dairy Agreement (domestic support).G/MA/W/1
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ANNEX
Lastcomplete notifications ofquantitative restrictions
(nonotifications havebeenmade since theentry intoforce oftheWTO)
GATT contracting party Date GATT contracting party Date
Argentina 1991 Macau 1993
Australia 1994 Malawi 1985
Bangladesh 1992 Malaysia 1984
Bolivia 1993 Malta 1993
Brazil 1993 Mauritius 1994
Cameroon 1992 Morocco 1992
Canada 1994 Myanmar 1993
Colombia 1986 NewZealand 1990
Côted'Ivoire 1984 Nigeria 1993
Cuba 1994 Norway 1994
Cyprus 1994 Pakistan 1991
EC 1988 Peru 1993
Egypt 1992 Philippines 1994
ElSalvador 1990 Poland 1993
Ghana 1987 Romania 1993
Guyana 1993 Senegal 1993
Honduras 1994 Singapore 1993
Hong Kong 1994 South Africa 1988
Hungary 1988 SriLanka 1994
Iceland 1984 Switzerland 1988
India 1991 Thailand 1988
Indonesia 1984 Tunisia 1994
Israel 1987 Turkey 1993
Jamaica 1985 United States 1990
Japan 1987 Uruguay 1988
Kenya 1983 Zambia 1986
Korea, Rep.of 1994 Zimbabwe 1984