RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/NOP/W/6
21November 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3628)
Working Party onNotification
Obligations andProcedures
NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS INTHE AGREEMENTS IN
ANNEX 1AOFTHE WTO AGREEMENT WHICH APPEAR
TOHAVE SOME ELEMENTS OFDUPLICATION
Note bytheSecretariat
1. Ithasbeensuggested intheWorking Group thatsome element ofduplication oroverlapping
ofnotification obligations might existbetween certain agreements. TheGroup hasheldapreliminary
discussion ofthistopicandthefollowing agreements havebeenidentified aspossibly having elements
ofduplication oroverlap: Agriculture/Subsidies; TRIMs/Subsidies; Agriculture/Import Licensing;
andSPS/TBT.
2. Atthemeeting on19October 1995, theSecretariat wasrequested toprepare aNote onthe
notification requirements which appeared tohavesome element ofduplication ascitedintheGroup,
assembling therelevant language from theAgreements.
3. Ithasalsobeensuggested, ingeneral terms, thatoverlap might existinrespect ofthenotification
requirements onregional arrangements/enabling clause, quantitative restrictions/obligations inanumber
ofagreements, aswellasincertain obligations inGATT 1947 vis-à-vis, obligations inGATT 1994
andtheAgreements andDecisions associated withit.These havenotbeendiscussed intheGroup
andarenotincluded inthepresent Note.
4. Insetting outthenotification requirements where duplication oroverlap might exist, the
Secretariat hasunderlined certain portions andadded some briefexplanatory notes, toassist thereader.
Thecontent andpresentation intheNoteiswithout prejudice toanypositions which delegations might
havewithrespect tothematters mentioned.G/NOP/W/6
Page2
Agreement onSubsidies
andCountervailing Measures
3.1. "Except asprovided intheAgreement on
Agriculture, thefollowing subsidies, within the
meaning ofArticle 1,shall beprohibited:
(a) ...
(b) subsidies contingent, whether solely oras
oneofseveral other conditions, upon theuse
ofdomestic overimported goods."
27.3 "The prohibition ofparagraph 1(b)of
Article 3shall notapply todeveloping country
Members foraperiod offiveyears, andshall not
apply toleast-developed country Members fora
period ofeight years, from thedateofentry into
force otheWTO Agreement."
28.1 "Subsidy programmes which have been
established within theterritory ofanyMember
before thedateonwhich such aMember signed
theWTO Agreement andwhich areinconsistent
withtheprovisions ofthisAgreement shall be:
(a) notified totheCommittee notlater than90
days after thedateofentry intoforce ofthe
WTO Agreement forsuch Member; and
(b) ..."Agreement onTrade-Related
Investment Measures
Annex
Paragraph 1."TRIMs thatareinconsistent with
theobligation ofnational treatment provided for
inparagraph 4ofArticle IIIofGATT 1994
include those which aremandatory orenforceable
under domestic laworunder administrative
rulings orcompliance withwhich isnecessary to
obtain anadvantage andwhich require:
(a) thepurchase orusebyanenterprise of
products ofdomestic origin orfrom any
domestic source, whether specified interms
ofparticular products, interms ofvolume
orvalue ofproducts, orinterms ofa
proportion ofvolume orvalue ofitslocal
production;
(b)..."
Article 5
1."Members, within 90days ofthedateofentry
intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, shall notify the
Council forTrade inGoods ofallTRIMs theyare
applying thatarenotinconformity withthe
provisions ofthisAgreement. Such TRIMs of
general orspecific application shall benotified,
along withtheir principal features."G/NOP/W/6
Page3
Agreement onSubsidies
andCountervailing Measures
Article 25
2."Members shall notify anysubsidy asdefined
inparagraph 1ofArticle 1,which isspecific
within themeaning ofArticle 2,granted or
maintained within their territories."
Secretariat Note: Asproposed atthe
September meeting oftheCommittee on
Agriculture, theSecretariat ispreparing a
Note comparing thenotification requirements
ofthese twoAgreements.Agreement onAgriculture
Article 18
1."Progress intheimplementation of
commitments negotiated under the
Uruguay Round reform programme shall be
reviewed bytheCommittee onAgriculture.
2.Thereview process shall beundertaken onthe
basis ofnotifications submitted byMembers in
relation tosuch matters andatsuch intervals as
shall bedetermined, aswellasonthebasis of
such documentation astheSecretariat maybe
requested toprepare inorder tofacilitate the
review process.
3.Inaddition tothenotifications tobesubmitted
under paragraph 2,anynewdomestic support
measure, ormodification ofanexisting measure,
forwhich exemption from reduction isclaimed
shall benotified promptly. Thisnotification shall
contain details ofthenewormodified measure
anditsconformity withtheagreed criteria asset
outeither inArticle 6orinAnnex 2."G/NOP/W/6
Page4
Agreement ontheApplication of
Sanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
Article 7
"Members shall notify changes intheir sanitary or
phytosanitary measures andshall provide
information ontheir sanitary orphytosanitary
measures inaccordance withtheprovisions of
Annex B."
Annex B
5."Whenever aninternational standard, guideline
orrecommendation does notexist orthecontent
ofaproposed sanitary orphytosanitary regulation
isnotsubstantially thesame asthecontent ofan
international standard, guideline or
recommendation, andiftheregulation mayhave a
significant effect ontrade ofother Members,
Members shall:
(a)...
(b)notify other Members, through the
Secretariat, oftheproducts tobecovered by
theregulation together withabrief indication
oftheobjective andrationale oftheproposed
regulation. Such notifications shall take
place atanearly stage, when amendments
canstillbeintroduced andcomments taken
intoaccount
(c)...
(d)....
6.However, where urgent problems ofhealth
protection arise orthreaten toarise foraMember,
thatMember mayomit such ofthesteps
enumerated inparagraph 5ofthisAnnex asit
finds necessary, provided thattheMember:
(a)immediately notifies other Members, through
theSecretariat, oftheparticular regulation andthe
products covered, withabrief indication ofthe
objective andtherationale oftheregulation,
including thenature oftheurgent problem(s)".
Secretariat Note: Adocument containing
explanatory graphs onthecoverage oftheSPS
andTBT Agreements isbeing circulated in
G/SPS/W/32Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade
Article 15
2."Each Member shall, promptly after thedate
onwhich theWTO Agreement enters intoforce
forit,inform theCommittee ofmeasures in
existence ortaken toensure theimplementation
andadministration ofthisAgreement. Any
changes ofsuch measures thereafter shall alsobe
notified totheCommittee."
Article 2
9."Whenever arelevant international standard
does notexist orthetechnical content ofa
proposed technical regulation isnotinaccordance
withthetechnical content ofrelevant international
standards, andifthetechnical regulation may
have asignificant effect ontrade ofother
Members, Members shall:
9.1. ...
9.2. Notify other Members through the
Secretariat oftheproducts tobecovered bythe
proposed technical regulation, together witha
brief indication ofitsobjective andrationale.
Such notifications shall takeplace atanearly
appropriate stage, when amendments canstillbe
introduced andcomments taken intoaccount."
Article 2
10."Subject totheprovisions inthelead-in to
paragraph 9,where urgent problems ofsafety,
health, environmental protection ornational
security arise orthreaten toarise foraMember,
thatMember mayomit such ofthesteps
enumerated inparagraph 9asitfinds necessary,
provided thattheMember, upon adoption ofa
technical regulation, shall:
10.1. Notify immediately other Members through
theSecretariat oftheparticular technical
regulation andtheproducts covered, withabrief
indication oftheobjective andtherationale ofthe
technical regulation, including thenature ofthe
urgent problems;"
Article 1
5."The provisions ofthisAgreement donot
apply tosanitary andphytosanitary measures as
defined inAnnex AoftheAgreement onthe
Application ofSanitary andPhytosanitary
Measures."G/NOP/W/6
Page5
Agreement onImport Licensing Procedures
Article 5
1."Members which institute licensing procedures
orchanges inthese procedures shall notify the
Committee ofsuch within 60days ofpublication.
2.Notifications oftheinstitution ofimport
licensing procedures shall include thefollowing
information: ..."
3."Notifications ofchanges inimport licensing
procedures shall indicate theelements mentioned
above, ifchanges insuch occur."Agreement onAgriculture
Article 4
1."Market access concessions contained in
Schedules relate tobindings andreductions of
tariffs, andtoother market access commitments
asspecified therein."
Article 18
1."Progress intheimplementation of
commitments negotiated under the
Uruguay Round reform programme shall be
reviewed bytheCommittee onAgriculture.
2.Thereview process shall beundertaken onthe
basis ofnotifications submitted byMembers in
relation tosuch matters andatsuch intervals as
shall bedetermined, aswellasonthebasis of
such documentation astheSecretariat maybe
requested toprepare inorder tofacilitate the
review process."
(Secretariat Note: Themarket access
commitments referred toinArticle 4.1include
tariff quota commitments. Also, thereference
to"such matters" inArticle 18.1 includes tariff
quota administration which may include import
licensing.)