RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/RO/W/4
25July1995
ORGANIZATION(95-2139)
Committee onRules ofOrigin
INITIATION OFTHE HARMONIZATION WORK PROGRAMME
Note bytheSecretariat
1. Atitsmeeting on4April 1995, theCommittee onRules ofOrigin mandated itsChairman
tosend, around mid-July 1995, theCommittee 'srequest totheTechnical Committee tobegin work
ontheharmonization ofnon-preferential rulesoforigin inaccordance withtheprovision ofArticle 9
oftheAgreement onRules ofOrigin (G/RO/M/1, paragraphs 35and36). Atitsmeeting on
27June1995,theCommitteeagreedthattherequestbesenton20July1995(G/RO/M/2,paragraphs23
and24).
2. Thefollowing communication wassentbytheChairman on20July1995 totheChairman
oftheTechnical Committee onRules ofOrigin, withacopytotheSecretary-General oftheWorld
Customs Organization:
"Inconformity withparagraph 2(c)ofArticle 9oftheAgreement onRules ofOrigin,
theCommittee onRules ofOrigin, atitslastmeeting, mandated metoforward toyouitsrequest
thattheTechnical Committee onRules ofOrigin undertake thework ontheharmonization
ofnon-preferential rules oforigin inaccordance withtheprovisions ofArticle 9ofthe
Agreement, including thetime-table laiddown therein.
TheCommittee hasalsorequested metodraw yourattention totherequirements in
Article 9,paragraph 2(c)oftheAgreement, i.e.thattheTechnical Committee submit results
ofitswork totheCommittee onRules ofOrigin atleastonaquarterly basis.
Atitsmeeting on27June1995, theCommittee waspleased totakenoteofthestatement
bytheobserver from theWCO thattheWCO Council hadaccepted theprinciple offunding
theuseofthethree WTO working languages intheWCO Technical Committee andthatthis
decision wasbeing implemented immediately intimeforthesecond meeting oftheTechnical
Committee inSeptember 1995."