RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/TPR/OV/1
1December 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3921)
Trade Policy Review Body
OVERVIEW OFDEVELOPMENTS ININTERNATIONAL TRADE
AND THE TRADING SYSTEM
Annual Report bytheDirector-General
INTRODUCTION
1. TheWorld Trade Organization came intobeing on1January 1995. There were76Members
fromthebeginning, andanadditional 36Members willhavejoined by13December 1995, bringing
thetotalto112. Fiveprincipal taskshavebeenassigned totheWTO: tofacilitate theimplementation
oftheresults oftheUruguay Round; toprovide aforum formultilateral trade negotiations anda
framework fortheimplementation oftheirresults; toadminister thedispute settlement procedures;
toadminister theTrade Policy Review Mechanism; andtocooperate withtheIMFandtheWorld
Bank withaviewtoachieving greater coherence inglobal economic policy making.
2. Thisreport isdirectly related tothefourth task. PartGofAnnex 3oftheWTO Agreement
providesfortheTradePolicyReviewBodytoundertake,aspartoftheTradePolicyReviewMechanism,
anannual overview ofdevelopments intheinternational trading environment which arehaving animpact
onthemultilateral trading system. Theoverview istobeassisted byanannual report bytheDirector-
General setting outmajor activities oftheWTO andhighlighting significant policy issues affecting
thetrading system. Thisisthefirstsuchreport under theWTO.1
3. Thefirsttwopartsofthereport dealwith1995andcover, respectively, trends inworld output
andworld trade, andWTO activities. PartIIIconsiders policy issues which arelikely toconfront
thetrading system inthecoming year.
I. WORLD OUTPUT AND TRADE IN1995
4. Theoutlook fortheOECD countries (asagroup) forthewhole of1995 isforanexpansion
ofGDPof2½percent,somewhat below the3percentrecorded in1994, assteady growth inWestern
Europe isoff-set byslower growth inNorth America andnearly stagnating output inJapan.2Economic
growth isexpected tobehigher inAfrica thisyearthanin1994, butslower inLatin America. In
developing Asia, theoutstanding growth in1994 (8½percent) isexpected toberepeated in1995.
Overall, GDP growth inthedeveloping countries thisyearisprojected tobemore thandouble the
1PartI.FoftheCONTRACTING PARTIES 'Decision of12April 1989 (BISD 36S/403), which established theTPRM,
provided fortheGATT Council toundertake anoverview ofdevelopments intheinternational trading environment, assisted
byanannual reportoftheDirector-Gener alsettingoutmajorGATT activitiesandhighlightingsignificantpolicyissues affecting
themultilateral trading system. Thefirstreport wasdiscussed ataspecial meeting oftheCouncil on11December 1989,
andthelastreport wasdiscussed ataspecial meeting oftheCouncil on15December 1994.
2Thissection draws ontheWTO 'sInternational Trade: Trends andStatistics, 1995 andonrecent forecasts bytheIMF
andtheOECD.WT/TPR/OV/1
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rateintheOECD countries (aswasthecasein1994). Among thetransition economies inCentral
andEastern Europe, acontinued recovery ofoutput isexpected thisyear, withaverage GDP growth
inthese countries close totheworld average. Output isprojected toonceagain decline intheRussian
Federation, butataconsiderably smaller ratethanin1994. Fortheworld economy asawhole, GDP
growth in1995 isexpected tobeclose tolastyear's3percentgain.
5. Following thestrong growth ofworld trade in1994 -the9½percentincrease inthevolume
ofworld merchandise trade wasthelargest annual gaininnearly twodecades -1995 isexpected to
record slightly slower trade growth. Actual merchandise trade figures, asdistinct fromforecasts, are
available onavalue basisforthefirstsixmonths of1995formostoftheleading traders (collectively,
theyaccount forthree-quarters ofworld merchandise trade). Onaregional basis, thedatasuggest
thatAsia'simport growth onceagain exceeded itsexport growth. Inthefirstsixmonths of1995,
theimports ofCentral andEastern Europe rosebyone-third, compared withanincrease inexports
ofabout one-quarter. TheRussian Federation, incontrast, reported higher export thanimport growth
(24and15percent,respectively). North America 'sexports andimports, which arelessaffected by
thevaluation effect ofthedollar 'sdepreciation, expanded atrates(18and15percent, respectively)
somewhat below theglobal average.3Latin America 'sexports alsoexpanded faster thanimports, while
inWestern Europe there wasabalanced expansion ofexports andimports (byabout one-quarter).
Trade growth inAfrica andtheMiddle Eastwasboosted byarecovery ofprices forfuelsandother
primary products. However, theexports andimports ofthese tworegions areestimated tohaveagain
grown lessthantheglobal average.
6. Overall, therateofgrowth inthevalue ofworld merchandise trade inthefirsthalfofthis
year, relative tothefirsthalfof1994, wasnearly double theincrease recorded forallof1994 (23
versus 13percent). Thisgain, however, islargely theresult ofthevaluation effect oftheUSdollar 's
depreciation, by12percentagainst theECU andby14percentagainst theJapanese yen,during the
firstsixmonths of1995relative tothesame period in1994. Another factor wastherecovery ofprices
forfuels, coffee andagricultural rawmaterials. Together, theexchange ratemovements andprice
increases ledtoahigher growth inthevalue ofexports andimports forallmajor regions inthefirst
halfof1995 compared withallof1994.
7. These value figures areconsistent withtheprojected deceleration inthegrowth inthevolume
ofworld merchandise trade in1995 toaround 8percent. At8percent, thegrowth willbeclose to
triple thegrowth ofworld production, continuing thepattern -evident since 1990 -inwhich trade
growth exceeds output growth byamuch wider margin thanwasthecase, onaverage, during the
preceding fourdecades. Asisdiscussed intherecent WTO Annual Report, thisisstrong evidence
thatglobal integration iscontinuing atafastpace.4
8. Inthefirsthalfof1995, thedollar value ofworld exports ofcommercial services rosefaster
thanthe8percentgainrecordedin1994.Informationavailablefortheprincipalexportersandimporters
ofcommercial services indicates that,asin1994, theexpansion ofglobal tradeincommercial services
lagged wellbehind thatofmerchandise trade.
9. Thecurrent outlook for1996 isforthevolume ofworld output tocontinue growing atabout
thesame paceasin1994and1995. Although world merchandise trade isprojected toexpand in1996
3When thetrade statistics ofcountries whose currencies haverecently appreciated against thedollar areconverted into
dollars, theresulting figure islarger thanitwould havebeeniftheexchange rateagainst thedollar hadremained unchanged.
4SeeChapter 1ofInternational Trade: Trends andStatistics, 1995. Thediscussion alsoconsiders other evidence of
globalization, identifies thefactors behind thistrend anddraws conclusions forcurrent trade policies.WT/TPR/OV/1
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ataratesomewhat below thatfor1995, itwillstillbeclose todouble thegrowth inworld output and
above theaverage growth ofworld trade forthepastdecade.
II. WTO ACTIVITIES IN1995
10. Thissection reviews WTO activities in1995. Unless otherwise noted, thediscussion refers
todevelopments during theperiod from thebeginning oftheyeartomid-November.5
(1) Progress inimplementing theUruguay Round results
11. Atoppriority in1995hasbeentheimplementation oftheresults ofseven years ofnegotiations
intheUruguay Round. Forthepurpose ofreviewing progress, theimplementation ofUruguay Round
commitments canbedivided intothree(partly overlapping) categories: first,fulfilment ofnotification
requirements; second, implementation ofsubstantive commitments to(i)bring domestic legislation
intoconformity withWTO obligations, and(ii)implement scheduled increases inmarket access (and
additionally intheareaofagriculture, reductions inexport subsidies anddomestic support); andthird,
fulfilment ofvarious tasks(such asannual reviews) laiddown intheWTO agreements. Implementation
ofsubstantive commitments islisted second, eventhough itclearly isthemostimportant ofthethree
categories, because anunderstanding ofdevelopments inthenotification areaisaprerequisite toa
discussion ofprogress onsubstantive commitments.
12. Implementationofnotificationrequirements.ThenegotiatorsoftheWTOagreementsrecognized
thatasystem ofrules wasonlyasgood asitsimplementation, andthatthebestwaytoensure that
therules andother commitments arebeing respected wastoprovide thetransparency necessary for
collective surveillance. Theprimary instrument forensuring suchtransparency isnotifications made
byeachMember andreviewed bytherelevant bodies oftheWTO. Thatbeing said,itisnoteasy
todetermine theextent towhich Members arefulfilling the175notification requirements which the
Working Group onNotification Obligations andProcedures identified inthegoods area.6Many involve,
forexample, adhocnotifications ofspecific actions onlyastheyoccur. However, thetaskiseasier
inthose instances inwhich -forallorsome well-defined sub-group ofMembers -notifications are
required irrespective ofwhether aparticular action/program/law exists orhasbeentaken orintroduced
(inother words, "nil" notifications arerequired asappropriate). Responses to12suchnotification
requirements aresummarized inAppendix Table 1.
13. Insome instances, notably theAgreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures, lessthan
10percentoftheMembers hadnotified subsidy programs pursuant toArticle 25oftheAgreement
andArticle XVI:1 ofGATT 1994 by30June1995 (thatis,within thestipulated timeframe; since
thenadditional notifications havebeenreceived, buttheresponse rateremains below one-quarter).
Inother agreements thepicture isbrighter. Almost 90percentoftheMembers subject tonotification
requirements under theAgreement onTextiles andClothing have notified thefirststage oftheir
integration programs.
14. Itisevident thatthesmaller developing countries faceparticular problems withtheexpanded
notification obligations innumerous areas oftheWTO Agreement. Thisisconfirmed notonlyby
5Many oftheWTO activities reviewed inthissection aredescribed inconsiderably more detail inthe1995 reports of
WTO Committees andother bodies totheWTO General Council.
6TheWorking Group 'sreport (G/NOP/W/2/Rev.1) covers onlyagreements inAnnex 1AoftheWTO Agreement (that
is,trade ingoods). Thenumber ofnotifications intheareaofServices andTRIPs isapproximately 40,giving atotalof
some 215WTO notification requirements.WT/TPR/OV/1
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Appendix Table 1,butalsobytheincreasing demand fortechnical assistance inthisarea. However,
therealsoareinstances where theabsence ofnotifications isnotlimited tothesmaller traders, including
statetrading, customs valuation, subsidies, andpreferential rules oforigin.
15. Concernshavealsobeenexpressedregardingthecompletenessandcomparabilityofnotifications
insome areas, andthepotential needforstrengthened verification mechanisms. Togiveoneexample,
several Members havenotified thattheyhaveno(orperhaps oneortwo)subsidy programs, while
other Members have notified aconsiderable number ofsuchprograms. Thismaysimply reflect
differences inuseofsubsidies among Members, butitmayalsoreflect differences ininterpretation
oftheAgreement. Ineither case, theissue ofcompleteness andcomparability ofnotifications and
theaccuracy ofthecurrent verification mechanisms maydeserve further attention.
16. Responding toconcerns withtheadministrative burden ofnotifications andwithduplication,
theWorking Group onNotification Obligations andProcedures hasidentified fourgeneral subjects
forexamination: (i)duplication/overlapping ofnotification obligations inAnnex 1Aagreements;
(ii)simplification ofdatarequirements andstandardization offormats; (iii)improvement inthetiming
ofthereporting process (uniform periodicity); and(iv)assistance tosome developing countries in
meeting theirnotification obligations. TheGroup isworking towards submitting itsrecommendations
nextyearintimefortheCouncil onTrade inGoods toconsider them inthepreparations forthe
Ministerial Conference.
17. Asregards notification requirements intheservices area,mention should bemade ofarecent
Note bytheSecretariat which discusses tworequirements forGATS members (S/C/W/11). Oneis
arequirement foreachmember tonotify, within 12months fromthedateonwhich theWTO Agreement
takes effect forit,existing recognition measures. Forfounding members, thisdeadline expires on
31December. Asof27November, nosuchnotifications hadbeenreceived. Theotherisarequirement
tonotify promptly andatleastannually neworrevised laws, regulations oradministrative guidelines
which significantly affect tradeinservices covered byaMember 'sspecific commitments under GATS.
Asof27November, nosuchnotifications hadbeenreceived.
18. Implementation ofsubstantive commitments ondomestic lawsandmarket access. Because many
notification requirements arelinked totheimplementation ofsubstantive commitments to(i)bring
domestic lawsandregulations intoconformity withthenewWTO rules, and(ii)implement scheduled
reductions inprotection andsupport, including increases inmarket access, thesituation inthearea
ofnotifications makes itdifficult tobeprecise about progress thisyearonsubstantive commitments.7
Themostthatcanbedoneatthisstageisarough qualitative rather thanquantitative assessment, which
suggests thatwhile progress could havebeenbetter insome instances, itwasbroadly satisfactory in
mostareassubjecttosubstantivecommitments.Wehavemadeareasonablestart-especiallyconsidering
thescope andcomplexity oftheWTO Agreement -butclearly alotremains tobedonenextyear.
19. Implementation ofother requirements. Implementing theUruguay Round results involves,
inaddition tofulfilling notification requirements andsubstantive commitments meeting anumber of
other obligations. According totheSecretariat 'sNote on"Provisions forReview, Future Work or
Negotiations intheWTO Agreement andRelated Decisions andDeclarations" (WT/L/88), theWTO
Agreement contains some 74provisions forreviews, further negotiations andcooperation, andother
decisions anddeclarations related totheimplementation oftheresults oftheUruguay Round. Many
ofthemhavespecific butvaried timetables, while others areadhoc.Actions havebeentaken insome
34cases thisyear, including amajority oftheprovisions which called foractions during thefirstyear
7Inaddition tothefactthatnotallnotifications duein1995 have been made, there areanumber ofnotifications on
substantive commitments which were notduethisyear, while inthecaseoftheagreed reductions intariffs, itisassumed
thattheyhavebeenmade onschedule unless acomplaint ismade byaWTO Member (nosuchcomplaints havebeenreceived).WT/TPR/OV/1
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oftheWTO Agreement (whether thedegree ofprogress wassufficient ineachcasetosaythatthe
implementation actions required in1995 were satisfactorily fulfilled isaseparate question).
20. Along withnegotiations onfinancial services (seebelow fordetails), another well-known
implementation issuethatarose thisyearconcerned theestablishment oftheAppellate Body, asrequired
bythenewdispute settlement procedures. Agreement onthecomposition oftheAppellate Body was
reached inthesecond halfofNovember, andithasbeenagreed thatthemembers willbeformally
appointed totheAppellate Body inmid-December (theseven experts willcome fromEgypt, Germany,
Japan, NewZealand, thePhilippines, theUnited States andUruguay). Mention should alsobemade
ofthegoodprospects forresolving thestatus oftheindependent review entity tobeestablished under
theAgreement onPreshipment Inspection (seebelow).
21. Theimportance ofmaintaining theimplementation momentum in1996-andcatching-up where
thepacehasfallen behind schedule -istaken-up below inPartIII.
(2) General activities
Accessions
22. Animportant taskfacing theWTO isthatofmaking thenewmultilateral trading system truly
global inscope andapplication. While thepresent membership accounts formore than90percent
ofworld trade, anumber ofnations arestilloutside. Many ofthem haverequested accession tothe
WTO. Twenty eight governments -ranging from China, theRussian Federation, Ukraine, andViet
NamtotheBaltic States, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Panama andVanuatu -areatvarious stages ofaprocess
thathasbecome more involved because oftheWTO 'sincreased coverage relative totheGATT. With
many ofthecandidates currently undergoing aprocess oftransition fromcentrally planned tomarket
economies, accession totheWTO offers these countries -inaddition totheusual trade benefits -a
wayofunderpinning theirdomestic reform processes.
Trade Policy Review Mechanism
23. TheTrade Policy Review Mechanism, established provisionally in1989, hasbeengiven a
permanent roleintheWTO. Fifteen trade policy reviews wereundertaken between December 1994
andDecember 1995, including thirdreviews oftheEuropean Communities andJapan, second reviews
ofMorocco, Sweden andThailand andfirstreviews ofCameroon, Costa Rica, Côted'Ivoire, Israel,
Mauritius, Pakistan, theSlovak Republic, SriLanka, Uganda andZimbabwe. Each ofthese reports
noted thatefforts wereunder waytobring domestic trade lawsintoconformity withWTO provisions
andtoimplement related commitments.
24. The1995programme extended thecoverage toservices, intellectual property andotherpolicies
covered bytheUruguay Round agreements. Reviews ofdeveloped countries havehighlighted the
generally opennature oftheirtrade policy regimes forindustrial products, coupled withatendency
toprotect"sensitive"sectors,suchasagriculture,textilesandclothing,andtousecontingencyprotection,
bothofwhich impose highcosts ontherestoftheeconomy. Reviews ofdeveloping andtransition
economies haveunderlined theprogress ofautonomous tradeliberalization andtherapidpaceofchange
toenhance economic efficiency through deregulation, privatization, andmoreopeninvestment regimes.
25. The1996 programme willinclude thefourth reviews (andthefirstunder WTO provisions)
ofCanada andtheUnited States, second reviews ofBrazil, Colombia, theRepublic ofKorea andNew
Zealand andfirstreviews ofBenin, Cyprus, Fiji,Paraguay, ElSalvador, andTrinidad andTobago.WT/TPR/OV/1
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26. Consultations havebeenheldbytheChairman onpossible procedural improvements tothe
Mechanism, andtheSecretariat isexamining ways ofstreamlining reports andprocedures.
Dispute Settlement under theWTO Agreement
27. Since 1January 1995, newdisputes follow theprocedures oftheDispute Settlement
Understanding annexed totheWTO Agreement. Asiswellknown, theseprocedures mark asubstantial
change fromthepast. They areaunified setofruleswhich apply generally toallWTO disputes, the
adoption ofpanel reports cannot beblocked byparties tothedispute, andtheyprovide fortheappeal
ofapanel decision toanewseven-person Appellate Body. Thenewprocedures areoverseen bythe
General Council, sitting astheDispute Settlement Body.
28. Asof27November, theDispute Settlement Body hadbeen notified of21requests for
consultations (seeAppendix Table 2),thestepwhich marks thebeginning ofaWTO dispute.8As
these requests bydifferent Members sometimes concerned thesame measure, thenumber ofdistinct
measures subject todisputes was14.Ofthese 14,fourhavebeenwithdrawn, andpanels havebeen
established infour. Thefirstpanel report under theWTO isduetobecirculated attheendofJanuary
1996.
29. Allcases brought sofarhaveinvolved goods andGATT 1994. Most ofthe21requests have
additionally invoked other goods agreements: Technical Barriers toTrade (seven), Application of
SanitaryandPhytosanitaryMeasures(five),CustomsValuation(three),Agriculture(two),andLicensing
(two). InonecasetheGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices hasbeeninvoked.
30. Itistooearly todraw definite conclusions onthefunctioning oftheWTO dispute settlement
system. Thetotalrequests forconsultations andpanels established areroughly onthesame levelas
during 1994 under theGATT. However thenumber ofdisputes (involving different measures) is
somewhat lessthanbefore interms ofrequests forconsultation (14versus 18)andpanels established
(four versus nine). Theparties involved inthedisputes arelargely unchanged: asbefore, theUnited
States,theEuropeanCommunities,JapanandCanadahavebeenthemostactiveparticipants.Developing
countries, however, havebeenmore active ascomplainants thaninthepast: Brazil, Chile, Guatemala,
Honduras, India, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, andVenezuela havebeenorareallparties to
WTO disputes.
Dispute Settlement under theGATT 1947 andtheTokyo Agreements
31. During thereview period, dispute actions havebeeninitiated orpursued under certain WTO
predecessor agreements stillinforce. Under theGATT 1947, fourpanel reports9weresubmitted to
8Aparticularlyhighprofileearlycaseinvolvedtheproposed imposi tionbytheUnitedStatesofimportdutiesonautomobi les
from Japan under Sections 301and304oftheTrade Actof1974. Faced withastalemate inthebilateral negotiations with
Japan overaccess totheJapanese automobile andautopartsmarket, theUnited States announced on16May1995 itsintention
toimpose a100percenttariff onJapanese luxury carsasof28June. Japan requested urgent consultations pursuant tothe
DSU, alleging thattheUnited States violated, interalia,GATT Articles IandII.Separately, theUnited States indicated
itsintention torequest consultations withJapan overtheautoandautoparts issue under theDSU. On28June1995, Japan
andtheUnited States reached anagreement ontheautoandautoparts issue, andtheUnited States withdrew itsannouncement
ofthe100percenttariff.
9EC-Member states'import regimes forbananas (DS32/R), EC-Import regime forbananas (DS38/R), United States
-Restrictions onimports oftuna(DS29/R), United States -Taxes onautomobiles (DS31/R). Asof27November, none
ofthefourpanel reports hadbeen adopted.WT/TPR/OV/1
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theCouncil foradoption, andthere wasonenewrequest forconsultations.10Under theAnti-
Dumping Agreement, onenewpanel report wascirculated andadopted,11andonenewpanel report
wascirculated.12Under theSubsidies Agreement, onepanel casewassuspended,13onenewpanel
report circulated,14andonepanel report adopted.15
Balance-of-Payment Restrictions
32. Bytheendof1995, eleven Members willhaveheldconsultations, under Articles XIIorXVIII:B
oftheGATT, withtheWTO and/or GATT 1947Committees. InJune1995, theCommittees requested
Slovakia toeliminate the1994import surcharge bytheendof1995, ifpossible, butinanycasebefore
30June1996. Poland wasrequested toeliminate animport surcharge established in1992bythetime
ofthenextconsultation, dueinJune1996. TheCommittee recommended toSriLanka nottohave
recourse totheprovisions ofArticle XVIII:B. Consultations werealsoheldwithBangladesh andthe
Philippines, andconsultations withIndia willbeheldbefore theendof1995. Egypt, Israel andSouth
Africa disinvoked theBOPprovisions, inJuly, September andNovember 1995 respectively.
33. Hungary made anotification priortotheimposition ofanimport surcharge on20March 1995
andconsulted withtheCommittees inJune. TheCommittees requested Hungary topresent aconcrete
timetable forthereduction andelimination ofthesurcharge. InJuly,Brazil invoked Article XVIII:B
inrespect ofaquota onimports ofmotor vehicles forthesecond halfof1995. Following the
Committees 'request atconsultations heldinOctober 1995, theimport quota waswithdrawn.
Trade andDevelopment
34. Among other activities, theCommittee onTrade andDevelopment created aSub-Committee
onLeast Developed Countries, andtheGATT 1947 Working Party onMERCOSUR (theSouthern
CommonMarketAgreementbetweenArgentina,Brazil,ParaguayandUruguay)wasformallytransferred
totheWTO withtheappropriate modification oftheterms ofreference.
35. AttheCommittee 'srequest, aworkshop toassist Members inmeeting their notification
obligations wasorganized bytheSecretariat inMay. Other issues ontheCommittee 'sagenda include,
interalia,discussion oftheimpact oftheresults oftheUruguay Round ondeveloping country Members
andthequestion ofcredit andrecognition forautonomous trade liberalization measures. Atitslast
meeting oftheyear, theCommittee reviewed theparticipation ofdeveloping country Members inthe
multilateral trading system, recent developments intheGeneralized System ofPreferences (GSP), and
regional trade agreements between developing countries.
10Chile -Taxes ondistilled spirits (DS53/1).
11EC-Anti-dumping duties onimports ofcotton yarnfrom Brazil (ADP/137).
12EC-Anti-dumping duties onaudio tapes incassettes originating inJapan (ADP/136).
13United States -Countervailing duties oncertain carbon steel flatproducts from several Member states oftheEC
(SCM/189).
14United States -Imposition ofcountervailing duties oncertain hot-rolled leadandbismuth carbon steelproducts originating
inFrance, Germany andtheUnited Kingdom (SCM/185).
15United States -Countervailing duties onnon-rubber footwear from Brazil (SCM/94).WT/TPR/OV/1
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Trade andEnvironment
36. During thefirstpartof1995, thenewWTO Committee onTrade andEnvironment (CTE)
reviewed thenineitems onitswork programme. With respect tothree items, theCTE wasableto
takeadvantage ofandbuild onthework donebytheGATT Group onEnvironmental Measures and
International Trade during 1991-1993: theseweretherelationship between WTO provisions andtrade
measures taken pursuant tomultilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), eco-labelling andpackaging
requirements, andthetransparency oftrade-related environmental measures andenvironment-related
trade measures. Regarding exports ofdomestically prohibited goods, work intheCTEhasalsobeen
abletobenefit from earlier discussions inGATT. With respect totheother fiveitems initswork
programme, discussions intheCTEhaveofteninvolved examining tradeissues fromnewperspectives.
37. Where theCTEischarged withaddressing therelationship between WTO provisions andtrade-
related environmental measures ortrade measures applied forenvironmental purposes, discussions
haveconsidered anumber ofpolicies, related those policies torelevant WTO provisions, andexamined
howthose provisions apply -including whether theyprovide adequate rulesanddisciplines toensure
thatunnecessary traderestrictions anddistortions areavoided. Some delegations havealsoemphasized
theneedfortheCommittee toconsider towhatextent WTO provisions adequately accommodate trade
andtrade-related measures serving environmental purposes, andinthisrespect oneproposal hasbeen
made toamend and/or interpret GATT Article XXtoclarify itsrelationship totrade measures taken
pursuant tomultilateral environmental agreements.
38. ThegoalofsustainabledevelopmentisstatedseveraltimesintheMarrakeshMinisterialDecision
onTrade andEnvironment. Discussions intheCTEontheeffect ofenvironmental measures onmarket
access, especially inrelation todeveloping countries (particularly theleast-developed) andthe
environmental benefits ofremoving traderestrictions andother distortions haveindicated awidespread
belief thatthecomplementarities between good environmental policy-making andgood trade policy-
making have aparticular potential topromote andaccelerate sustainable development. Further
liberalization oftrade ingoods andinservices would allow thesame levelofoutput tobeproduced
atlessresource cost,generate income thatcanbeusedtohelppayforenvironmental protection and
conservation, andremove restrictive tradepolicies thatimpact adversely ontheenvironment. More
broadly, itisevident fromtheCTEdiscussions thatMembers believe thereisnoinherent contradiction
between upholding andsafeguarding anopen, non-discriminatory andequitable multilateral trading
system ontheonehand, andprotecting theenvironment andpromoting sustainable development on
theother.
Technical Cooperation andTraining
39. Theexpanded scope oftheWTO hasincreased substantially thedemand fortechnical assistance.
Oversixtynational orregional seminars, workshops andtechnical missions werearranged during 1995.
Inaddition, atotalofninety-nine officials fromdeveloping countries andfromeconomies intransition
participated intheTrade Policy Courses, covering aspects oftrade policy, international trade lawand
themultilateral trading system. AWorkshop onNotification Requirements oftheGATT/WTO legal
system washeldinGeneva, aswellasthesixth Special Training Course onDispute Settlement
Procedures andPractices.
40. Anumber oftechnical cooperation missions assisted officials inthecapitals ofleast-developed
countries andsmaller developing countries inthepreparation ofSchedules ofconcessions ongoods
andcommitments onservices. Also, studies were prepared onindividual products ofinterest to
developing andleast-developed countries, aswellascomprehensive studies ontheoutcome ofthe
Uruguay Round, andbackground notes onspecific issues indifferent areas ofthenegotiations.
Information wasprovided towards theassessment ofother countries 'offers inmarket access ingoodsWT/TPR/OV/1
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ofrelevance todeveloping countries 'export interests. Data ontrade flows, tariffs andnon-tariff
measures needed forconsultations andnegotiations haveoftenbeenmade available. Technical assistance
wasalsoprovided toseveral developing countries inthepreparation oftheirTrade Policy Reviews.
41. Twofinancial grants, tohelptheSecretariat meettheincreased demand fortechnical assistance,
havebeenreceived thisyear. TheEuropean Communities hasprovided 1.1million ECUs foreight
regional seminars toinform trade policy makers andbusinessmen intheACPcountries oftheresults
andopportunities oftheUruguay Round. Sixoftheeight seminars willbeheldinAfrica where a
major effort isbeing made bytheWTO toensure thatallcountries onthecontinent drawthemaximum
economic benefits from actual orprospective WTO membership. Theremaining twoseminars will
beheldforCaribbean andforPacific ACP countries. Theother grant isa$2.5million contribution
fromtheGovernment ofNorway toatechnical assistance fund. Thepurpose ofthefundistoassist
theleast-developed countries toparticipate actively intheWTO andtotakeadvantage ofthetrade
regime andthenewmarket openings offered bythenewWTO agreements. TheWTO willcollaborate
withother institutions, inparticular theInternational Trade Centre andUNCTAD, inutilizing the
assistance fund.
Cooperation withother international organizations
42. TherearetwoaspectstocooperationbetweentheWTOandotherinternationalorganizations-the
nature oftheformal institutional relationships, andtheinformal cooperative efforts insuchareas as
technical assistance andeconomic research.
43. Asregards thefirstaspect, anarrangement hasbeenconcluded withtheUnited Nations, on
thebasis ofArticle VoftheWTO andinlinewiththemandate given byMembers, thatisconsistent
withtherespective status andmandate ofthetwoorganizations (inparticular, thecontractual nature
oftheWTO). Under thearrangement, cooperation between theSecretariats willbeimproved, including
newandexpanded cooperation between theWTO andUNCTAD (more onthelatter below).
44. Inaddition toArticle VoftheWTO, relations withtheIMFand/or theWorld Bank arealso
governed byArticles XVofGATT 1994andXIIoftheGATS which detail theIMF'sroleinbalance
ofpayments matters, andbyWTO Article III.5andtheUruguay Round Ministerial Declaration on
theContribution oftheWorld Trade Organization toAchieving Greater Coherence inGlobal Economic
Policymaking, which callontheWTO tocooperate withtheIMFandtheWorld Bank. Cooperation
agreementswiththeIMFandtheWorldBankarecurrentlybeingdevelopedamongthethreeSecretariats,
onthebasisofmandates received fromtheirrespective Memberships. Theagreements willbesigned
bytherespective Heads aftertheyarecompleted andapproved bytheappropriate bodies oftheWTO,
theIMFandtheWorld Bank.
45. Asregardsthesecondaspect,plansforincreasedcooperationwiththeBrettonWoodsinstitutions
areprogressingonseveralfronts.TheMinisterialDeclarationongreatercoherenceinvitedthe"Director-
General oftheWTO toreview withtheManaging Director oftheInternational Monetary Fund and
thePresident oftheWorld Bank, theimplications oftheWTO 'sresponsibilities foritscooperation
withtheBretton Woods institutions, aswellastheforms suchcooperation might take, withaview
toachieving greater coherence inglobal economic policymaking." Themotivation behind thisrequest
istheongoing globalization oftheworld economy, which isencompassing different segments of
international economic relations andleading toever-growing interactions between theeconomic policies
pursued byindividual countries atthenational level. Asaresult, coherence between national policies,
andbetween theactivities ofthemajor international economic institutions, isbecoming increasingly
important inorder tosustain themomentum ofworld economic growth andtoincrease theeffectiveness
ofpolicies atthenational level.WT/TPR/OV/1
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46. While discussions between thethreeinstitutions arestillatanearlystage, theprogram ofwork
isexpected toaccelerate sharply in1996. Thegoalistoprepare asubstantive report thatdescribes
theconsensus among thethree institutions on(i)therelevant issues tobecovered under therubric
of"greater coherence", (ii)thenature oftheparticular cooperative efforts (mechanisms andinstruments)
todealwiththose issues, and(iii)atimetable forimplementing those efforts.
47. Another important areaofcooperation currently underway orinpreparation istheSecretariat 's
programofactivitiesforAfrica,aresults-orientedinitiativetohelpAfricancountriesexpandanddiversify
theirtrade, tobepursued inastrongly cooperative fashion withother intergovernmental organizations,
inparticular withUNCTAD andITC. Aspartofthiseffort, Iwillbevisiting anumber ofAfrican
countries inJanuary andwillbebackinthecontinent inApril forUNCTAD IX.
48. Future cooperation between theWTO andUNCTAD willnotbelimited totheWTO program
ofactivities forAfrica. Toenhance cooperation between thetwoorganizations anddevelop further
thealready strong complementarity, theSecretary-General ofUNCTAD andIhaveagreed (i)tohold
meetings, chaired jointly byus,every sixmonths beginning inmid-January 1996; (ii)toimprove the
working relationship between thetwoorganizations atalllevels, insuchareas asresearch, trade and
investment, trade andcompetition, trade andtheenvironment, andtrade anddevelopment; and(iii)
towork foragreater complementarity intechnical cooperation -notonlybetween theWTO, UNCTAD
andtheITC,butalsowithotheragencies, whether intheUNSystem, theBretton Woods organizations,
orregional bodies -inorder toimprove coordination across theboard andmake better useofresources.
Inannouncing these steps, wealsostressed ourcomplete agreement onthehighpriority thatmustbe
given toAfrica inthecooperative work ofthetwoinstitutions.
49. TheWTO 'sAfrica initiative, aswellastheongoing efforts atstrengthening inter-institutional
cooperation, arepartofabroader effort thatresponds toMinisterial Decisions taken atMarrakesh.16
Among other things, theMinisters agreed (i)that,totheextent possible MFN concessions ontariff
andnon-tariffmeasuresagreedintheUruguayRoundonproductsofexportinteresttotheleastdeveloped
countries maybeimplemented autonomously, inadvance andwithout stageing; (ii)thatleastdeveloped
countries shallbeaccorded substantially increased technical assistance inthedevelopment, strengthening
anddiversification oftheirproduct andexport bases, (iii)tokeepunder review thespecific needs of
theleastdeveloped countries andtocontinue toseektheadoption ofpositive measures which facilitate
theexpansion oftrading opportunities infavour ofthese countries; (iv)toestablish mechanisms to
ensure thatagricultural policy reforms agreed tointheUruguay Round donotadversely affect the
availability offoodaid,and(v)thatasaresult oftheUruguay Round certain developing countries
mayexperience short-term difficulties infinancing normal levels ofcommercial imports, andthatthese
countries maybeeligible todraw ontheresources ofinternational financial institutions inorder to
address suchfinancing difficulties.
50. Other partsofthatbroader effort include thepreviously mentioned creation oftheCTD'sSub-
Committee onLeast Developed Countries, work intheAgriculture Committee related tothenetfood
importers (seebelow), andextensive -andexpanding -technical assistance tothesecountries, including
utilization ofthegenerous special financial assistance thathasbeen announced bytheEuropean
Communities andtheGovernment ofNorway. Mention should alsobemade oftheGeneral Council 's
approval oftheschedules ongoods andservices of20leastdeveloped countries thathadbeengiven
(under adecision adopted atMarrakesh) additional timetosubmit theirschedules.
16InparticulartheDecisiononMeasur esinFavour ofLeast-Devel opedCount riesandtheDecisiononMeasur esConcer ning
thePossible Negative Effects oftheReform Programme onLeast-Developed andNetFood-Importing Developing Countries.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page11
TheGeneral Council
51. Incarrying outitsfunction ofoverseeing theoperation ofthemultilateral trading system between
Ministerial Conferences, theGeneral Council focused itswork during thefirstyearoftheWTO 's
existence, onprocedural, organizational andinstitutional matters. Itadopted itsrules ofprocedure
andthose fortheMinisterial Conference, andapproved therulesofprocedure ofitssubsidiary bodies.
Itapproved theHeadquarters Agreement anddecided thattheInternational Trade Centre should be
operated jointly bytheWTO andUNCTAD, thelatter acting onbehalf oftheUnited Nations. The
Council alsoagreed onprocedures foranannual overview ofWTO activities andforreporting under
theWTO, inorder toensure theefficient operation ofthesystem andtoensure thattheWTO Agreement
functions asasingle undertaking.
(3) Activities related togoods
Market access
52. TheCommittee onMarket Access examined thequestion ofimplementation oftariffconcessions
contained intheUruguay Round schedules andagreed tofollow thesameapproach usedaftertheTokyo
Round, which istorelyoncross orreverse notification ofanyproblem withtheimplementation of
concessions. Todatenosuchnotifications havebeenreceived.
53. TheCommittee alsotooktwoDecisions (tobeformally approved bytheCouncil forTrade
inGoods) concerning Notification Procedures forQuantitative Restrictions andReverse Notification
ofNon-Tariff Measures, respectively. According totheDecision onquantitative restrictions, Members
shallmakecompletenotificationsofquantitativerestrictionsby31January1996,andattwo-yearintervals
thereafter, andshallnotify changes intheirquantitative restrictions asandwhen these changes occur.
According totheDecision onreverse notification ofnon-tariff measures, Members shall havethe
possibility ofmaking notifications ofnon-tariff measures maintained byother Members insofaras
suchmeasures areneither subject toanyexisting WTO notification obligations nortoanyother reverse
notification possibilities.
Textiles andClothing
54. Theentry intoforce oftheAgreement onTextiles andClothing (ATC) setinmotion theten-
yeartransition fromtheMFA'scomplex network ofbilateral anddiscriminatory quotas toamultilateral
setofrulesanddisciplines fortextiles andclothing trade. Thisprocess isbeing overseen bytheTextiles
Monitoring Body. Theinitial integration intoGATT 1994ofproducts covered byATC began onthe
dateofitsentry intoforce. EachMember wasrequired tointegrate products fromthelistintheAnnex
oftheATC thatmettworequirements: theyaccounted foratleast16percentof1990 imports of
listed products, andtheyinclude products fromfourgroups: topsandyarns, fabrics, made-up textile
products andclothing.
55. WTO Members (other thanCanada, theEC,Norway andtheUnited States) were required
tonotify whether ornottheywished toretain therighttousethetransitional safeguard mechanism
inArticle 6oftheATC. Ifthechoice wasaffirmative, theywereobligated toprovide theirlistsof
products tobeintegrated intoGATT 1994 on1January 1995.17Intotal, 55notifications havebeen
received consisting of37former MFA participants and18non-MFA participants. Within thisgroup,
17However, different timeframes were provided: former MFA members notmaintaining import restrictions under the
MFA hadtostatetheiroption and(ifrelevant) hadtoprovide theirintegration listsbytheendofMarch 1995, while non-MFA
participants haduntiltheendofJune1995 todoso,anduntiltheendofDecember 1995 tonotify their integration programmes
forthefirststage.WT/TPR/OV/1
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49Members retained therighttousethetransitional safeguard mechanism, while sixdidnot,andare
thusdeemed tohavefullyintegrated allproducts covered bytheATC intoGATT 1994. Thus far,
listsoftheproducts which areintegrated asofthefirststagehavebeenprovided by32ofthe37former
MFA participants andbyfournon-MFA participants.
56. ThefourWTOMemberswhichon31December1994maintainedquantitativerestrictionswithin
bilateral MFA agreements (Canada, theEuropean Communities, Norway andtheUnited States) were
required tonotify allsuchmeasures inplace onthatdate. These restrictions havebecome thestarting
point fortheliberalization process under theATC whereby theannual growth ratesintheprevious
bilaterally agreed restrictions havetobeincreased byafactor ofnolessthan16percentforthefirst
three years. (Higher factors willapply atthesecond andthirdstages.) Apart fromthis,oneMember
ofheMFA (Norway) hasnotified thatanumber ofrestrictions arebeing abolished asof1January 1996.
57. Notifications regarding othernon-MFA quantitative restrictions ontextile andclothing, whether
consistent withGATT 1994ornot,havebeenmade by27Members. Ifsuchrestrictions arenotjustified
underaGATT1994provision,theymustbeeitherbroughtintoconformitywithinoneyearorphased-out
progressively overaperiod notexceeding tenyears.
58. Amajor partoftheTMB'sactivities hasbeentoreview matters brought toitconcerning
measures taken under thetransitional safeguard mechanism (Article 6).Altogether 24requests for
consultations havebeenmade bytheUnited States under thisArticle inrespect ofimports ofcertain
productsfromoneormoreWTOMembers.Followingconsultations,agreementswerereachedbilaterally
inanumber ofthese cases; theproposed measure waswithdrawn inothers, andtenunresolved cases
havebeensubmitted totheTMB forreview.
Agriculture
59. Thefocus ofmeetings oftheCommittee onAgriculture earlier intheyearwastheestablishment
ofefficient andeffective working procedures, including notification requirements. Ingeneral, itis
evident thatmost Members areimplementing theircommitments faithfully. Some oftheMembers
thatarestillfacing difficulties intheimplementation oftheiragricultural commitments havebeenable
togivedetails astowhen thenecessary changes indomestic legislation arelikely tooccur. Incases
whereimplementationisdelayed,otherMembershaveexpressedconcernthattheycouldlosethebenefits
ofconcessions for1995 andhaveencouraged implementing Members totakethisintoconsideration.
60. Thefirstareawhere notifications totheCommittee wererequired relates totheimplementation
oftariff andother quota commitments. Most Members withsuchcommitments havenownotified
themethod ofadministration tobeusedandthishasformed thebasis fordiscussions within the
Committee. Anumber ofgeneric issues have emerged from thediscussions, including the
interrelationship between preferential trading arrangements andMFN tariff quotas andtheauctioning
ofimport licences asameans toallocate tariff quota quantities. These issues willcontinue tobe
discussed intheCommittee during 1996.
61. Inthefuture, theCommittee willconsider domestic support andexport subsidies -indeed some
issues inthese areas havealready beenraised anddiscussed in1995. TheCommittee willalsoact
onother issues thatarespecified intheAgreement orhavebeenraised byparticipants, suchasthe
development ofinternationally agreed disciplines togovern theprovision ofexport credits.
62. Inaddition toitswork concerning theagricultural commitments undertaken byMembers, the
Committeeischargedwithmonitoringthefollow-uptotheDecisiononMeasuresConcerningthePossible
Negative Effects oftheReform Programme onLeast-Developed andNetFood-Importing Developing
Countries. Inthislight, ithasestablished themeans bywhich netfoodimporting developing countryWT/TPR/OV/1
Page13
Members willbeidentified andhasestablished aninitial work programme for1996 which includes
preparing forthereview oftheleveloffoodaid(assetoutintheDecision) andworking towards the
establishment ofguidelines designed tohelpensure thatincreasing proportion offoodaidisprovided
infullygrant form.
Safeguards
63. TheAgreement onSafeguards entered intoforce on1January 1995 andtheCommittee
established under theAgreement hasbegun reviewing national legislation. FiftyMembers havenotified
theCommittee oftheirdomestic safeguard legislations ormade communications inthisrespect. Forty-
oneMembers havenot,asyet,made notifications asrequired byArticle 12.6oftheAgreement.
64. Article 12.7oftheAgreement requires Members maintaining "grey area" measures tonotify
suchmeasures totheCommittee. Notifications inthisregard werereceived fromCyprus, theEuropean
Communities, theRepublic ofKorea, Slovenia, South Africa, andThailand. TheArticle alsorequires
notification ofanypre-existing measures imposed under Article XIXofGATT 1947. Notifications
ofsuchmeasures werereceived fromtheEuropean Communities andtheRepublic ofKorea. Members
arealsorequired tonotify totheCommittee immediately upontheinitiation ofaninvestigation regarding
serious injury orthreat thereof andthereason forit.Notifications inthisregard werereceived from
theUnited States andtheRepublic ofKorea.
Subsidies andCountervailing Measures
65. TheAgreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures entered intoforce on1January
1995, andallMembers oftheWTO areipsofacto members oftheCommittee established under the
Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures andArticle XVI:1. Thecorresponding Tokyo
Round Agreement willbeterminated bytheendofthisyearexcept fordisputes regarding investigations
andreviews notcovered bytheWTO Agreement forwhich transitional provisions havebeenestablished
untiltheendof1996.18
66. TheCommittee hasbegun reviewing thecountervailing dutylegislations thatsofarhavebeen
notified totheCommittee. Asof27November, 54Members (counting theECasone)hadnotified
ormade communication regarding theirlegislation. Thereview ofsubsidies notified pursuant to
Article 25oftheAgreement wasdeferred until1996asonly21Members hadnotified theirsubsidies
totheCommittee asof27November.
67. Countervailing actions taken during theperiod 1July1994 to30June1995 aresummarized
inAppendix Tables 3and4.Thetables areincomplete because 35notifications weremissing forthe
period 1Julyto31December 1994, and52notifications were missing fortheperiod 1January to
30June1995. Themost active Members during theyearending 30June, interms ofinitiations of
countervailing dutyactions, weretheUnited States (5),Peru(4)andArgentina andCanada withtwo
cases each. Thenumber ofmeasures inforce on30June1995byreporting Members is128,ofwhich
80percentaremaintained bytheUnited States. From theperspective ofexporters, enterprises from
theEuropean Communities havebeenthesubject ofalmost halfoftherecent cases, oreight outof
the17reported initiations during theperiod.
18There arefivedisputes thatremain before theTokyo Round Committee: (i)Report ofthePanel onECsubsidies on
export ofwheat flour (SCM/42), (ii)Report ofthePanel onECsubsidies onexport ofpasta products (SCM/43), (iii)
Report ofthePanel ontheimposition byCanada ofcountervailing duties onimports ofboneless manufacturing beeffrom
theEC(SCM/85), (iv)Report ofthePanel ontheGerman exchange ratescheme forDeutsche Airbus (SCM/142), (v)
Report ofthePanel ontheimposition bytheUnited States ofcountervailing duties oncertain hot-rolled leadandbismuth
carbon steelproducts originating inFrance, Germany andtheUnited Kingdom (SCM/185).WT/TPR/OV/1
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Anti-Dumping Practices
68. TheAgreement onImplementation ofArticle VIoftheGeneral Agreement ofTariffs andTrade
entered intoforce on1January 1995. AllMembers oftheWTO areipsofacto members ofthe
Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices established under theAgreement. Thecorresponding Tokyo
Round Agreement willbeterminated bytheendofthisyearexcept fordisputes regarding investigations
andreviews notcovered bytheWTO Agreement forwhich transitional provisions havebeenestablished
untiltheendof1996.19
69. TheWTO Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices hasbegun itsreview ofthose members -56
by27November -thathavesubmitted notifications ofanti-dumping legislation andregulations. Other
discussion items have included theissue ofanti-circumvention (referred totheCommittee bythe
Ministerial Decision onAnti-Circumvention), theenlargement oftheEuropean Communities andthe
automatic application ofanti-dumping duties tothenewMembers oftheEC, andtheinitiation by
theEuropean Communities ofanti-circumvention investigations involving imports ofmicrodisks from
several Members.
70. Anti-dumping actions taken during theperiod 1July1994 to30June1995 aresummarized
inAppendix Tables 5and6.Thetables areincomplete because 34notifications weremissing forthe
period 1Julyto31December 1994, and53notifications were missing fortheperiod 1January to
30June1995. Themostactive Members during theyearending 30June, interms ofinitiations of
dumping investigations, weretheEuropean Communities (37),theUnited States (30), Mexico (18)
andBrazil (12). Thenumber ofmeasures inforce on30June1995 byreporting Members is805,
ofwhich 60percentaremaintained bytheUnited States andtheEuropean Communities. From the
perspective ofexporters, enterprises inChina havebeenthesubject of27anti-dumping initiations,
followed byenterprises intheEuropean Communities with17,andtheRepublic ofKorea with10.
State Trading Enterprises
71. TheWorking Party onStateTrading Enterprises wasestablished inaccordance withparagraph 5
oftheUnderstanding ontheInterpretation ofArticle XVII oftheGATT 1994. Work hasbegun on
theagenda fortheWorking Party, which includes reviewing thenotifications andcounter-notifications
submitted byMembers, reviewing theadequacy ofthe1960 questionnaire andthecoverage ofstate
trading enterprises notified under paragraph 1oftheUnderstanding, anddeveloping anillustrative
listofrelationships between governments andstatetrading enterprises andofactivities engaged inby
these enterprises.
Sanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
72. Thetransparency provisions oftheSPSAgreement came intoforce forallWTO Members
on1January 1995.20Meetings oftheSPSCommittee during 1995included onespecial jointmeeting
withtheCommittee onTechnical Barriers toTrade (TBT) toconsider theimplementation ofthe
transparency provisions ofbothagreements.
19There arefourdisputes thatremain before theCommittee serving theTokyo Round Code onAnti-Dumping Practices:
(i)European Communities -Anti-dumping duties onaudio tapes andcassettes originating inJapan; (ii)United States -Anti-
dumping duties onimports ofstainless steelplatefrom Sweden; (iii)United States -Anti-dumping duties onimports ofgray
portland cement andcement clinker from Mexico; and(iv)United States -Imposition ofanti-dumping duties onimports
ofseamless stainless steelhollow products from Sweden.
20However, developing countries may invoke atwo-year delay (five years fortheleast-developed countries) inthe
implementation oftheAgreement asitregards theirmeasures onimports, ifimmediate application isnotpossible because
ofthelackoftechnical expertise, technical infrastructure orresources.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page15
73. Theformat andrecommendations fortherequired notification ofproposed newregulations
orchanges inregulations which theCommittee agreed toarelargely thesame orsimilar tothose to
beusedforthenotification oftechnical regulations under theTBTAgreement. Inorder tofacilitate
Members meeting theirobligations under theAgreement, theCommittee identified existing international
standardsdevelopedbytheFAO/WHOCodexAlimentariusCommission(Codex),theOfficeInternational
desEpizooties (OIE), andtheFAOInternational PlantProtection Convention (IPPC). Italsoidentified
relevant riskassessment methodologies being developed bytheseorganizations which Members could
takeintoaccount intheirownriskassessment practices. Several Members provided information
regarding theirnational useofriskassessment, aswellasdescriptions oftheirnational regulatory
processes. More generally, theCommittee hasbegun toaddress theissue ofassisting Members in
achieving consistency intheirriskmanagement decisions.
Technical Barriers toTrade
74. TheCommittee onTechnical Barriers toTrade (TBT) reached anagreement inJulyonthe
information Members arerequired tosubmit onmeasures taken toensure theimplementation and
administration oftheAgreement, andanumber ofdraftstatements havebeenreceived. Notifications
byindividual Members oftechnical regulations andconformity assessment procedures thatmayhave
asignificant effect onthetrade ofother Members, haveproceeded smoothly. Inaddition, asof27
November, 23standardizing bodies haveaccepted theCode ofGood Practice forthePreparation,
Adoption andApplication ofStandards.21
75. TheCommittee alsoadopted decisions andrecommendations on:notification procedures,
procedures forinformation exchange, technical assistance, andregional standard-related activities.
Itwillcarry outitsfirstannual review oftheimplementation andoperation oftheAgreement under
Article 15.3inthefirsthalfof1996. TheCommittee hasbegun discussing therelationship ofthe
provisions oftheTBTAgreement toeco-labelling schemes, andagreed thatdiscussions willcontinue
injointinformal meetings withtheCommittee onTrade andEnvironment. Asnoted above, there
wasalsoaspecial jointmeeting withtheSPSCommittee.
Rules ofOrigin
76. Inresponse totherequest from theCommittee onRules ofOrigin, theWTO Technical
Committee onRules ofOrigin submitted areport ontheresults ofthefirstphase oftheRules ofOrigin
Harmonization Work Programme. Atameeting inmid-November, theCommittee considered the
interpretation andopinions oftheTechnical Committee asreflected initsreport. WTO Members are
requiredtonotifyexistingrulesoforigin,bothpreferentialandnon-preferential.Approximatelyone-third
oftheMembers hadfulfilled thisobligation by27November.
Customs Valuation
77. TheCommittee onCustoms Valuation agreed onprocedures forthenotification ofnational
legislation, andstarted theprocess ofexamination ofthevarious communications andnotifications
regarding implementing legislation thathadbeensubmitted. Provisions forspecial anddifferential
treatment havebeeninvoked byanumber ofdeveloping countries. During theperiod, Canada (cereals),
theUnited States (cereals andrice), andThailand (rice) requested separate consultations withthe
European Communities under Article 19oftheAgreement regarding certain regulations oftheEuropean
Communities. Apanel hasbeenestablished toheartheCanadian complaint.
21Itisestimated thatthere areabout 600standardizing bodies worldwide, including central government, localgovernment
andnon-governmental bodies.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page16
Preshipment Inspection (PSI)
78. Although theAgreement onPreshipment Inspection entered intoforce on1January 1995, it
hasnotbeenoperational because therewasnoagreement onthestatus oftheindependent review entity
tobeestablished under Article 4oftheAgreement. There nowappears tobeasolution inprospect,
which would locate thisentity intheWTO Secretariat. Article 5ofthePSIAgreement provides that
Members shallsubmit totheSecretariat, copies ofthelawsandregulations bywhich theyputthis
Agreement intoforce, aswellascopies ofanyother lawsandregulations relating topreshipment
inspection. Todate, only11Members havemade notifications.
Trade-Related Investment Measures
79. Most ofthework oftheCommittee onTrade-Related Investment Measures during theperiod
pertained totheimplementation ofnotification requirements, particularly those ofArticle 5.1ofthe
TRIMs Agreement. Thisprovision requires thatWTO Members shallnotify theCouncil forTrade
inGoods, within 90daysofthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, ofallTRIMs they
areapplying thatarenotinconformity withtheprovisions oftheAgreement (each Member isto
eliminate allTRIMs notified under Article 5.1within aperiod oftwoyears foradeveloped country
Member, fiveyears inthecaseofadeveloping country Member andseven years inthecaseofaleast-
developed country Member, withapossibility ofextending thetimelimit). TheCommittee hasreceived
26notifications under Article 5.1,asubstantial number ofwhich describe measures intheautomotive
sector. Judging fromTPRM reports, itispossible thatnotallcountries having TRIMs inplace have
notified theirmeasures. Intheabsence ofcomprehensive empirical information ontheapplication
ofTRIMs bydifferent countries, itistherefore difficult toevaluate thedegree ofcompliance with
Article 5.1represented bythe26notifications. Discussions intheCommittee havenoted thatsome
notifications didnotprovide thedetailed information required bytheagreed standard format, aswell
asthefactthatsome notifications were made aftertheexpiry oftherelevant timelimits.
Regional trading arrangements intheareaofgoods
80. During 1995, work intheareaofregional agreements hadthree basic features: arranging for
thetransfer ofGATT 1947competence vis-à-vis theexamination ofregional agreements totheWTO;
conduct oftheexamination ofregional agreements notified totheGATT 1947; anddealing withregional
agreements notified totheWTO.
81. AtitsmeetinginJuly,theGeneralCouncilmodifiedthetermsofreferenceoftheelevenworking
parties established under Article XXIV oftheGATT 1947which hadnotyetmetsothattheagreements
willbeexamined inlightoftherelevant provisions oftheGATT 1994andthereports oftheworking
parties submitted totheCouncil forTrade inGoods. Similarly, atitsmeeting inSeptember the
Committee onTrade andDevelopment agreed tomodify theterms ofreference oftheMERCOSUR
Working Party inlinewiththiscommon approach butwithsome adjustment -thatis,theexamination
would bedoneinlightoftherelevant provisions oftheEnabling Clause andoftheGATT 1994, with
thereport being transmitted totheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment andacopyalsotransmitted
totheCTG.
82. Animportant development wastheagreement attheNovember meeting oftheGeneral Council
foritsChairman tocarry outconsultations onthepossible establishment intheWTO ofaCommittee
onRegional Trading Arrangements. Thiswastheresult ofaformal request made bytheGovernment
ofCanada, which indicated thatsuchacommittee would offerthepossibility ofbetter organizing work
inthisarea, aswellasprovide aforum fortheexamination oftherelationship ofregional trading
arrangements tothemultilateral trading system. Open-ended consultations havetherefore started on
thepossibility ofestablishing suchaCommittee, aswellasonitspossible terms ofreference.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page17
83. TwoWorking Parties -onNAFTA andMERCOSUR -heldtheirfirstmeetings in1995. No
otherworkingpartiesmetduring1995.IssueswhichattractedparticularinterestintheNAFTAWorking
Party weretheprovisions relating torulesoforigin andtoquotas foragricultural products, andMexico 's
customs valuation practices. Discussions intheMERCOSUR Working Party centred onissues relating
totariff andnon-tariff liberalization within thecustoms union, andthemechanics andimplications
forthirdparties oftheestablishment ofacommon external tariffandother common rulesofcommerce
inthefourmember countries.
84. In1995, 12regional tradeagreements werenotified intheareaofgoods, ofwhich twoinvolved
developing countries.
85. Europe. AWorking Party wasestablished toexamine theEuropean Communities enlargement
toinclude Austria, Finland andSweden asfrom1January 1995; inparallel tothismultilateral process,
theECisconducting -inlinewithArticle XXIV:6 requirements -bilateral negotiations withanumber
ofWTO Members regarding thebreaking ofbindings resulting from theEnlargement. Interim
Agreements between theECandBulgaria andtheECandRomania, partofthelarger so-called "Europe
Agreements", were notified andworking parties established (theaimistoestablish freetrade areas
between theECandBulgaria andtheECandRomania overamaximum period oftenyears). Free
Trade Agreements between theECandEstonia, Latvia andLithuania, respectively, werenotified and
working parties established. While theAgreement between theECandEstonia establishes afreetrade
areabetween theparties asfrom 1January 1995, theother twoprovide forafreetrade areatobe
established gradually, overamaximum period offouryears inthecaseofLatvia andsixyears inthe
caseofLithuania.
86. TheFree Trade Agreement between Hungary andSlovenia, providing forthegradual
establishment ofafreetradeareawiththetransitional period ending on31December 2000atthelatest,
wasnotified andaworking party established. TheFreeTrade Agreement between theEFTA States
(Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway andSwitzerland) andSlovenia, applied onaprovisional basisasfrom
1July1995, (pending theratification bytheParties) wasnotified; itsobjective istoabolish tariffs
andother restrictions forindustrial products, fishandother marine products andprocessed agricultural
products. TheTrade Agreement between theEC,ontheonepart,andtheGovernment ofDenmark
andtheHome Government oftheFaroe Islands, ontheother part,containing provisions relating to
freetrade ingoods between theECandtheFaroe Islands, wasnotified.
87. FreeTrade Agreements between theCzech Republic andRomania andbetween theSlovak
Republic andRomania werenotified. TheAgreements, applied provisionally asfrom1January 1995,
cover products falling within Chapters 1to97oftheHarmonized System andprovide forthegradual
establishment offreetradeareas between theParties, withthetransitional period ending notlaterthan
1January 1998.
88. LatinAmerica.AmemorandumofUnderstandingwasnotified,providing,interalia,forBolivia
andMERCOSUR toconclude by1996, negotiations onanagreement toestablish aFreeTrade Area
within amaximum of10years.
89. Africa.ATreatyEstablishingtheCommonMarketforEasternandSouthernAfrica(COMESA),
withthefollowingsignatorieswasnotifiedtotheCommitteeonTradeandDevelopment(CTD):Angola,
Burundi, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia andZimbabwe. TheCOMESA Treaty, which supersedes the
Preferential Trade AreaforEastern andSouthern African States (PTA), provides fortheestablishment
ofacustoms union, including acommon external tariff, within atransitional period oftenyears and
forthefreemovement ofpersons andtherightofestablishment ofbusiness bynationals ofCOMESAWT/TPR/OV/1
Page18
inanymember state. Its36chapters include cooperation inalleconomic andsocial sectors ofthe
economies ofthemember states.
90. Asia. Thenotification ofthemembers oftheASEAN FreeTrade Area(AFTA) totheCTD
containsinformationonnumerousaspectsoftheAgreement,includingtheCommonEffectivePreferential
Tariffs (CEPT) scheme fortheAFTA, theCEPT product profile andinstitutional arrangements.
(4) Activities related toservices
Financial Services
91. Counting themembers oftheEuropean Communities asoneparticipant, 68participants had
made commitments inthefinancial services sector bytheendoftheUruguay Round. Ofthisgroup,
29offered improved access intheextended financial services negotiations which were concluded at
theendofJuly.Amongthese29Members,20madeimprovedcommitmentsininsurance,24inbanking,
17insecurities, and25inother financial services. Eight countries deleted theexemptions totheMFN
obligation under theGATS, while others reduced thescope ofsuchexemptions. Itwasalsoagreed
thatforaperiod of60daysstarting on1November 1997, Members willagain haveanopportunity
tomodify orimprove theiroffers onfinancial services schedules andtotakeMFN exemptions inthe
sector.
92. TheProtocol towhich thenewfinancial services schedules areannexed isopenforacceptance
until30June1996 inorder toallow Members timetofulfil domestic ratification procedures. The
Protocol, andtherefore thecommitments, willenterintoforce30daysafteracceptance byallMembers
concerned. The29Members whose improved schedules ofcommitments andlistsofArticle II(MFN)
exemptions (where relevant) infinancial services areannexed totheSecond Protocol totheGATS
arethefollowing: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt,
theEuropean Communities, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia,
Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa,
Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey andVenezuela. Three other Members, Colombia, Mauritius andthe
United States, added toorexpanded thescope oftheirMFN exemptions infinancial services, andhave
notannexed theirschedules andlistsofMFN exemptions totheSecond Protocol. Allother Members
withspecific commitments infinancial services havemaintained theirexisting schedules.
Basic Telecommunications
93. AttheendoftheUruguay Round itwasdecided toextend negotiations ontrade inbasic
telecommunications withaviewtoimproving theGATS schedules ofcommitments. Thenegotiations
began inMay1994andarescheduled toconclude inApril 1996. Currently, thereare29fullparticipants
(counting the15members oftheEuropean Communities asone) representing most major
telecommunications markets, andanother 29governments areattending asobservers.
94. Participants agreed tosetaside national differences onhowbasic telecommunications maybe
defined domestically andtonegotiate onallpublic telecommunications services thatinvolve transmission
(without adding value). They havealsoagreed thatbasic telecommunications services provided on
aninfrastructure-basis andthose provided through resale shallbothfallwithin thescope ofnegotiations.
Asaresult, market access commitments thatwillbenegotiated oncommercial presence (oneofthe
four"modes ofsupply" covered bytheGATS) mayrelate totheability offoreign firms toownand
operate telecommunications networks andinfrastructure.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page19
95. AttheendofJuly, participants began circulating written drafts oftheirtelecom offers within
thenegotiating group, with14draftoffers presented thusfar.22Participants arealsodiscussing the
possible needforcommitments orcommon understandings intheareaofconditions ofcompetition -for
example, inrelation totheterms forinterconnections withexisting networks.
Maritime Services
96. Negotiations onmaritime transport services continued beyond theconclusion oftheUruguay
Round pursuant totheMinisterial Decision onNegotiations onMaritime Transport Services ,andunder
theterms oftheAnnex onNegotiations onMaritime transport Services .They arescheduled tobe
concluded by30June1996. There arecurrently 42participants (counting the15members ofthe
European Communities asone), and15observer governments. TheNegotiating Group hasfocused
during theinitial phase ontechnical andregulatory issues relating tointernational shipping, auxiliary
services andaccess toanduseofportfacilities. AQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services,
containing 36questions ontechnical andregulatory matters concerning themaritime sector, hasbeen
prepared bytheSecretariat andcirculated toparticipants. Thirty-three participants andoneobserver
haveresponded thusfartothequestionnaire. These responses havebeensubject todiscussion inthe
negotiating group. Also, adraftSchedule onMaritime Transport Services hasbeenprepared bythe
Secretariat anddiscussed intheGroup.
97. Thenegotiating group moved from thetechnical stage ofitswork intothenegotiating phase
inthesecond halfof1995. Sixgovernments havesofarmade conditional offers, primarily reinstating
thebestoffers which theyhadpreviously submitted during theUruguay Round, butwhich were
withdrawn attheendof1993 when itwasdecided thatthenegotiations should continue withaview
toachieving better results.23Many other participants haveoffered tomaintain thecommitments they
made atthattime.
Movement ofNatural Persons
98. TheNegotiating Group ontheMovement ofNatural Persons completed itswork on28July
1995, producing sixsetsofcommitments which areannexed totheThird Protocol totheGATS. The
Protocol willenter intoforce attheendofJanuary 1996 forthose Members which haveaccepted it
bythatdateandshallbeopenforacceptance byother Members until30June1996.
99. Australia, Canada, theEuropean Communities, India, Norway andSwitzerland havemade
higher levels ofcommitments onmovement ofnatural persons. Thecommitments willguarantee new
opportunities inthese markets forindividual service suppliers -qualified professionals, computer
specialists, experts ofvarious kinds -toworkabroad inanindividual capacity ontemporary assignments
without therequirement thattheybelinked withacommercial presence inthehostcountry.
Professional Services
100. AWorking Party onProfessional Services wasestablished thisyear, withthetaskofmaking
recommendations onmultilateral disciplines thatmaybeneeded toensure thatmeasures relating to
qualification requirements andprocedures, technical standards andlicensing requirements inthearea
ofprofessional services donotconstitute unnecessary trade barriers. Priority attention isbeing given
totheaccountancy sector. TheWorking Party hasfocused onthecollection andclarification of
22Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, theEuropean Communities, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, NewZealand, Norway,
Singapore, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, Venezuela andtheUnited States.
23ThesixareAustralia, Canada, theEuropean Communities, Japan, New Zealand andNorway.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page20
information thatmaybeneeded regarding thedomestic regulatory requirements mentioned above.
Ithasbeenagreed toevaluate relevant work going onoutside theWTO before deciding ontheneed
forundertaking asurvey orother analytical work intheWorking Party. Anevaluation ofefforts
underway inthree fora-OECD, UNCTAD andtheIFAC (International Federation ofAccountants)
-isinprogress, theintention being toreport backtotheWorking Party atitsmeeting inJanuary 1996.
GATS rules
101. AWorking Party onGATS Rules hasbeen established tocarry outtherequirements in
ArticlesX,XIIIandXVonsafeguards,governmentprocurementofservices,andsubsidies,respectively.
TheWorking Party hasheldtwomeetings onthesubject ofsafeguards. Itwilltakeupgovernment
procurement inDecember 1995 andsubsidies inMarch 1996.
Committee onSpecific Commitments
102. ThisCommittee wasestablished inNovember 1995tooversee theimplementation ofspecific
commitments onservices.
(5) Activities related tointellectual property
103. Given thetransition periods under theTRIPS Agreement, much ofthework oftheCouncil
forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) thisyearwasconcerned withsetting
upprocedural mechanisms forfuture work. TheCouncil agreed onprocedures bothforthenotification
oflawsandregulations pertaining tothesubject matter oftheAgreement, andforthereview ofsuch
notifications bytheCouncil. Agreement wasreached onhowtohandle provisions requiring notification
asacondition ofinvoking exceptions allowed tocertain basic rules, Articles 1.3(beneficiaries of
protection)and3.1(nationaltreatment),aswellasnotificationsrequiredunderArticle69,whichconcern
international cooperation withaview toeliminating international trade ininfringing goods andthe
identificationofcontactpointsinnationaladministrationsforthispurpose.By27November,theCouncil
hadreceived 21notifications under Articles 1.3and3.1.TheCouncil hasdecided thatnotifications
under Article 69should bemade by1January 1996.
104. TheCouncil haskeptunder review theimplementation ofArticle 70.8(relating topatent
applications forpharmaceutical andagricultural chemical products). There havealsobeendiscussions
onhowtheCouncil should carry outitsmonitoring ofthestandstill obligation, andinparticular what
information might besought from Members tofacilitate suchmonitoring.
105. Given theextensive changes tothelegislation, institutions andpractices ofmany Members,
especially developing ones, required bytheTRIPS Agreement, technical cooperation isofgreat
importance.TheCouncilhasreceivedinformationonthetechnicalcooperationactivitiesof12developed
country Members, seven intergovernmental organizations andtheWTO Secretariat, andhasinitiated
further work ontheimplementation oftherelevant obligations intheTRIPS Agreement.
106. TheCouncil forTRIPS isrequired toseektoestablish within oneyearofitsfirstmeeting,
inconsultation with WIPO, appropriate arrangements forcooperation with thebodies ofthat
Organization. TheTRIPS Council hasmade proposals toWIPO oncooperation inthree areas:
notifications ofTRIPS implementing legislation, notifications under Article 6teroftheParisConvention
asapplicable under theTRIPS Agreement, andtechnical cooperation. Suggestions forcooperation
between WIPO andtheWTO werealsoconsidered bytheGoverning Bodies ofWIPO (25September
to4October 1995). Consultations between thetwoOrganizations ledtothetabling ofadraftagreement
attheCouncil 'sNovember meeting.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page21
(6) Theplurilateral agreements
107. Formostpart,allWTO members subscribe toallWTO agreements (theSingle Undertaking).
There remain, however, fouragreements, originally negotiated intheintheTokyo Round, which have
anarrower group ofsignatories andareknown therefore as"plurilateral agreements".
TheAgreement onGovernment Procurement
108. TheInterim Committee onGovernment Procurement wasestablished toprepare theentry into
force ofthenewAgreement onGovernment Procurement on1January 1996. Thefollowing are
members oftheCommittee: Canada, thefifteen member states oftheEuropean Communities and
theEuropean Commission, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, Switzerland andtheUnited States. Observers
andthose whohaverequested observer status are:Chinese Taipei, theKingdom oftheNetherlands
withrespect toAruba, Liechtenstein, Colombia, Argentina, Turkey, Panama, Singapore, Romania
andIceland. Thework oftheInterim Committee in1995focused onmodifications totheAppendices
containingmarketopeningconcessions,bothofatechnicalnatureandtoreflecttheresultsofnegotiations
aimed atfurther liberalization; accession negotiations withChinese Taipei, Liechtenstein, theKingdom
oftheNetherlands withrespect toAruba, andSingapore; recommendations forprocedural decision
bytheCommittee tobeestablished under thenewAgreement in1996; theestablishment ofapractical
guide tothenewAgreement; andtheuseofinformation technology ingovernment procurement and
statistical reporting requirements, forwhich theInterim Committee established aspecific Working
Group onStatistical Reporting.
TheAgreement onTrade inCivil Aircraft
109. TheChairman informed theCommittee onTrade inCivil Aircraft ofhisviews regarding the
status oftheAgreement. While the1979 Agreement onTrade inCivil Aircraft wasincluded assuch
inanAnnex totheWTO Agreement, attempts toatleastadapt itsprovisions tothenewWTO framework
have been tofarunsuccessful. TheChairman wasoftheopinion thatthissituation washighly
unsatisfactory because theapplication oftheAgreement onTrade inCivil Aircraft initspresent form
wascreating considerable legaluncertainty and,inaddition, there wasnoeffective dispute settlement
procedure. Several delegations shared theChairman 'sviews andagreed towork further withhim
toresolve thismatter. TheChairman alsoreported totheCommittee ontheworkoftheSub-Committee
established toconduct negotiations under Article 8.3oftheAgreement onTrade inCivilAircraft, which
alsometoncethisyear, primarily toreview replies toaquestionnaire ongovernment involvement
inthecivilaircraftsector.TheChairmanplanstoholdinformalconsultationsonhowtheSub-Committee
should continue itswork.
TheInternational Dairy Agreement
110. Asof27November1995,Argentina,Bulgaria,theEuropeanCommunities,Japan,NewZealand,
Norway, Romania, Switzerland andUruguay wereparties totheAgreement. Atitsmeeting inOctober,
theInternational Dairy Council decided tosuspend untilDecember 1997 boththeimplementation of
theAnnex totheAgreement which contains minimum export price provisions, andtheCommittee on
Certain Milk Products whose function wastomonitor theimplementation oftheAnnex.
TheInternational Bovine Meat Agreement
111. Asof27November 1995, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the
European Communities, Japan, NewZealand, Norway, Paraguay, Romania, South Africa, Switzerland,
theUnited States andUruguay wereparties totheAgreement. AtitsJunemeeting, theCouncil had
anexchange ofviews onthefunctioning oftheAgreement inlight ofpastexperience under itsWT/TPR/OV/1
Page22
predecessor, theTokyo Round Arrangement Regarding Bovine Meat, andtheUruguay Round outcome.
Parties agreed thatthefunctions ofthenewInternational Meat Council should takeintoaccount the
prioritynatureofworkintheCommitteeonAgricultureandtheCommitteeonSanitaryandPhytosanitary
Measures. TheCouncil decided nottore-establish theMeat Market Analysis Group andtoinclude
intheCouncil 'sagenda those items which hadbeenusually discussed inthatbody.
III. THE COMING YEAR
112. Developments thatarelikely toconcern theWTO in1996 fallintooneoftwocategories:
acontinuation ofactivities began thisyear, related totheimplementation oftheresults oftheUruguay
Round andtotheWTO program ofactivities forAfrica; andthecontinued exploration, inavariety
offora, ofnewtopics thathavebeensuggested forpossible multilateral consideration.
(1) Ongoing work
113. AstheWTO program ofactivities forAfrica isbriefly described above (paragraph 47),itonly
remains toreaffirm theSecretariat 'scommitment togivetheproject ahighpriority in1996. Weare
verymuch aware thatpractical suggestions andpragmatic actions foraccelerating Africa 'sintegration
intotheworld market areurgently needed.
114. Similarly, many oftheimplementation activities thatwilloccupy delegations andtheSecretariat
in1996 were begun thisyear, andtherefore havealready beendescribed above. These include the
ongoing implementation ofsubstantive commitments andnotification requirements, aswellasofthe
mandated reviews, negotiations andother actions, including cooperation withtheWorld Bank andthe
IMF. Asregards thefulfilment ofnotification requirements, therecord thisyearinanumber ofareas
hastobeimproved. Itisveryimportant forawiderange ofWTO activities thatthepace, andinsome
cases thequality, ofnotifications increase inthose areas, andthatthenotification momentum be
maintained intheother areas. Notifications areessential fortransparency andforthefuture work of
WTO Committees. They permit Members tocollectively verify thatthevarious agreements arebeing
implemented asintended, tothereby muster further domestic political support fortheagreements, while
atthesametimemaking iteasier forfirms andtraders totakeadvantage ofthenewtrading opportunities.
115. Theextended services negotiations isanother areawhere itiscritically important tomaintain
astrong implementation momentum in1996; 30June1996istheratification deadline fortheProtocol
onFinancial Services; theProtocol ontheMovement ofNatural Persons enters intoforceon31January
1996 andisopen foracceptance until30June; thenegotiations onbasic telecommunications are
scheduled toconclude on30April 1996; andthenegotiations onmaritime services arescheduled to
conclude bytheendofJune. Because eachofthese services isnotonlytraded initsownright, but
isalsoaninput intothetradeofother goods andservices, giving themthebenefit ofmultilateral rules
andimproved market access willprovide animportant boost tointernational integration through trade
andtoglobal efficiency.
116. Although itisgenerally referred toasoneofthe"new issues", theinteraction between trade
andtheenvironment isalready ontheWTO agenda. Aswasnoted above, theCommittee onTrade
andEnvironment iswellalong towards thegoalofpresenting nextDecember 'sMinisterial Conference
withareport thatcombines substantive progress onarange ofissues andthematerial Ministers will
needtosettheCommittee 'swork program for1997-98.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page23
(2) Twoadditional topics forpossible multilateral consideration
117. Along withtrade andenvironment, anumber ofnewtopics orinitiatives havebeenproposed,
byanalysts andpolicy makers, forconsideration atamultilateral level. Thisisnottheplace toattempt
adetailed discussion ofeachofthem. What Iwould liketodoinstead istobriefly consider twoof
themore widely discussed possible topics: regionalism andthemultilateral trading system, and
investment andcompetition policies.
Regionalism andthemultilateral trading system
118. Aswasnoted above, 12preferential trade arrangements have been notified totheWTO
Secretariat, during thefirst11months of1995. Inaddition, there areanumber ofother regional
tradingarrangementscurrentlyunderconsideration.Inmid-November,theleadersoftheAPECcountries,
meeting inOsaka, made further progress intheirplans tobring about freetrade throughout theregion
bytheyear2020. Earlier thisyearthere wasintensive discussion ofaproposal foraTrans Atlantic
FreeTrade Area(TAFTA) between theEuropean Communities andtheUnited States. Although the
support foraTAFTA appears tohavedeclined, theissue ofcloser economic co-operation, andthe
form itmaytake, isanimportant itemontheagenda oftheMadrid Summit inDecember. Efforts
areactively being pursued atthepolitical andtechnical levels forthecreation ofafreetrade area
encompassing alltheAmericas. TheDeclaration issued attheendoftherecent meeting inBarcelona
between theEuropean Communities andanumber ofMediterranean countries envisages, among other
things, afreetrade areainindustrial goods intheyear2010.24
119. Thetrade-mark ofcurrent regionalism is,first, thatitgoesbeyond, sometimes farbeyond,
exchanging trade concessions inthetraditional areaofgoods, andsecond, thatthegoals arenotjust
economic, butalsoinvolve intensified efforts tocreate amorestable international political environment.
FortheWTOtohelpensurethatregionalismremainsopenandcompatiblewithmultilateralism,Members
needtoapproach theissueondifferent levels. LastApril, theWTO published astudy which identified
many oftheshortcomings oftheexisting rulesandprocedures andexplored some actions thatmight
beconsidered inaneffort tocorrect those shortcomings.25Butefforts inthese areas willbeoflimited
useunless they aresupported bymore fundamental measures toensure thatregionalism and
multilateralism progress inparallel. Inthissense, theimportance oftheWTO 'sagenda forfuture
work, which should bebothsolid andwide-ranging wellbeyond consideration ofspecific regional
initiatives, iscrucial.
Investment andcompetition policies
120. Since theendoftheUruguay Round, thequestion oftheneedforfurther examination of
investment policy andcompetition policy inrelation totheinternational trading system hasbeenthe
subject oflively discussion informal andinformal settings outside theWTO.26Thishas,inpart,been
24Similar movements areunderway elsewhere. Totakejustoneexample, theseven-nation South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) grouping Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, andSriLanka, metin
mid-November inNew Delhi todiscuss further extension oftheirpreferential trade arrangement (SAPTA). According to
reports, thearrangement mayextend beyond preferential tariff concessions toinclude policies onintra-regional investments
andjointventures, harmonization ofcustoms procedures andtechnology.
25Regionalism andtheWorld Trading System, WTO Secretariat, April 1995.
26Thereisalonghistoryofconsiderationofinvestmentpolicyandcompet itionpolicymattersintheGATT/W TOframewor k,
going backtowork ontheHavana Charter in1947. Moreover, existing WTO rules incertain areas address some aspects
ofinvestment policy andofcompetition policy. Totakefirsttheareaofinvestment policy, theTRIMs Agreement addresses
theuseofcertain performance requirements andtheGATS deals withthesupply ofservices through commercial presence,WT/TPR/OV/1
Page24
prompted byaperception ofaneedforabroader conception ofmarket access inanincreasingly
globalized andintegrated world economy, addressing notonlytraditional trade policy measures but
alsoother policy areas important fortheability ofcompanies tosupply markets, including commercial
presence inoverseas markets, forthesupply ofgoods aswellasservices, andthecontrol ofanti-
competitive practices which might hinder market access. Thishasgenerated interest inexploring options
forfuture international arrangements inthese areas, including therolewhich could beplayed bythe
WTO.
121. Thepossibility offuture action intheWTO intheareaofinvestment hasbeenalluded to
particularly inconnection withtheconsideration ofpossible approaches towards theestablishment of
asetofmultilateral rules oninvestment. Intensive negotiations havebeeninitiated under theaegis
oftheOECD todevelop a"Multilateral Agreement onInvestment". Thequestion thathasbeenraised
iswhether, because ofthesubstantive interlinkages between thesubject matter ofthese negotiations
andWTO rules-forexample intheareas oftrade inservices, intellectual property andtrade-related
investment measures -andbecause oftheneedtoensure atrulymultilateral dimension thatwould enable
theinterests ofalltrading nations tobetaken intoaccount, itisdesirable thattheWTO decide atan
early stage toinitiate anexamination ofinvestment policy issues.
122. Along withtheOECD andperhaps theWTO, investment policy isalsopresent orontheagenda
inother important fora, including NAFTA, APEC andthelatest initiative between theEuropean
Communities andtheUnited States, duetobelaunched attheearly December meeting inMadrid.
Aquestion worth considering iswhether, instead, thefocus should beonasingle multilateral negotiation
intheWTO.
123. Therelationship between trade andcompetition policy hasbeenunder consideration forsome
timeintheOECD andmaybeasubject fordiscussion attheforthcoming UNCTAD IXconference.
Proposals byindependent expert groups onfuture international arrangements ontradeandcompetition
policy haveattracted considerable attention. Some WTO Agreements, notably GATS andtheTRIPS
Agreement, already contain certain competition-related provisions, andissues intheareaofcompetition
policy arealsobeing addressed inthecurrent negotiations under theGATS onbasictelecommunications.
Anumber ofrecent trade disputes havehighlighted thequestion ofthemarket access implications of
competition policy, especially asitapplies tocertain distribution arrangements. These examples raise
thequestion ofwhether theWTO should onlydealwithcompetition policy-related issues inanadhoc
manner inthecontext ofspecific tradepolicy questions, orwhether anoverall examination ofthelinks
between trade andcompetition should beinitiated withaviewtodeveloping acoherent multilateral
vision ofhowtrade policy andcompetition policy canbemutually supportive. Aswithinvestment
policy, competition policy isincluded inanumber ofimportant regional agendas.
Other topics
124. Anumber ofother topics were mentioned byMinisters atMarrakesh aspossible candidates
fortheWTOagenda,includingtherelationshipbetweenthetradingsystemandinternationallyrecognized
labourstandards,therelationshipbetweenimmigrationpoliciesandinternationaltrade,andtheinteraction
between trade policies andpolicies relating tofinancial andmonetary matters, including debtand
commodity markets. Among those which haveattracted considerable attention inthemedia andpublic
statements istheoneinvolving labour standards.
thatis,through foreign investment. TheTRIPS andGovernment Procurement Agreements alsoaddress certain aspects of
investment policy. Asregards competition policy, boththeGATS andtheTRIPS Agreement contain provisions onthismatter.
Article 9oftheAgreement onTrade-Related Investment Measures provides foraconsideration oftheneed forprovisions
oninvestment policy andcompetition policy notlaterthanfiveyears afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page25
125. Arguments infavour oflinking thetrading system tointernationally recognized labour standards
stress thatnon-enforcement ofsuchstandards allegedly results inan"unfair" competitive advantage,
orinaviolation ofuniversal human rights, andthatifpolitical andpopular concerns onthese issues
arenotaddressed substantively there willbeincreased pressure forunilateral trade measures todeal
withthesituation. Alternatively, itisnoted thatthere appears tobelittleempirical evidence linking
thenon-enforcement ofinternationally recognized labour standards totrade issues, thatenforcement
ofsuchstandards should bedealtwithintheproper fora(forexample, theILO) using means other
thantrade restrictions (forexample, financial andtechnical assistance andbetter market access
opportunities), andthatusing traderestrictions toenforce labour standards would notonlybesusceptible
toprotectionist abuse butcould, byreducing theireconomic growth, alsoreduce theability oflow
income countries toafford better labour standards. Despite extensive examinations ofthisissue in
other international fora,including theILOandtheOECD, there isnoagreement ontheexistence of
alinkbetween trade andtheenforcement oflabour standards.
Afinal note
126. Theinitial years ofaneworganization 'slifearecrucial toitsfuture credibility andeffectiveness.
Wemade agoodbeginning thisyearwithrespect tosome aspects oftheimplementation oftheUruguay
Round results. Butthecoming yearwillbeevenmore crucial. Implementation must continue, in
some instances atanaccelerated pacetomake upforinadequate progress thisyear.
127. And, ofcourse, there arethepreparations fortheMinisterial Conference inSingapore in
December. Theagenda forthatmeeting willinclude anevaluation ofprogress inimplementing the
UruguayRoundcommitments,includingtheobligationfortheMinisterialConferencetoreviewprogress
inareasranging fromtradeandtheenvironment totheimpact oftheRound onleast-developed countries.
Thismeans thattheSingapore agenda should beessentially anon-confrontational one,andweshould
beonourguard against anyattempts tomake itanything else. Likewise thefuture work oftheWTO,
towhich weallhopeSingapore willgiveafreshimpetus, hassome clearagreed directions. Andeven
atthefrontier ofthemultilateral system -thesuggested newagenda items -Iamconfident thatwe
willbeabletoensure thatthesystem continues tomove forward, asitmust, onthebasisofconsensus.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page26
Appendix Table 1:Fulfillment ofSelected Notification Requirements asof27.11.1995
(Figures refer toMembers whose WTO membership hadentered intoforce by31.7.95)
Subsi-
diesCountervailing
DutiesAnti-Dumping Safe-
guardsAgri-
cultureState
Trad.Rules ofOrigin Custom
Val.Tex&
Cloth.
(25.1) Laws Semi-
Ann.Laws Semi-
Ann.Laws (18.2) XVII (5.1) (Annex) Laws (2.7)
Antigua andBarbuda NA NA
Argentina X X X X X NA X X X
Australia X X X X X X X X X X X NA
Bahrain NA NA
Bangladesh NA X X
Barbados X X X NA
Belize NA NA
Bolivia X X X X NA X X
Botswana X X NA NA
Brazil X X X X X X
Brunei Darussalam NA X X X NA
Burkina Faso NA X NA
Burundi NA X NA
Canada X X X X X X X X X X X
Central African Rep. NA X NA
Chile X X X X X NA X X NA
Colombia X X X X X X X X X X X X
Costa Rica X X X X X X X X X X X
Côted'Ivoire NA X NA
Cuba X X X X X NA X X X NA
Cyprus X X NA X NA
Czech Republic X X X X X X X X X X X
Djibouti NA NA
Dominica NA NA
Dominican Republic X X X X X NA X X X
EC X X X X X X X X X X X X
Egypt X X X X X NA X
ElSalvador X X X X X
Gabon NA X NA
Ghana NA X NA
Guatemala X X X X X
Guinea Bissau NA NA
Guyana NA NA
Honduras X X X X X NA X X X X
Hong Kong X X X X X X NA X X X NAWT/TPR/OV/1
Page27
Appendix Table 1:Fulfillment ofSelected Notification Requirements asof27.11.1995
(continued)
Subsi-
diesCountervailing
DutiesAnti-Dumping Safe-
guardsAgri-
cultureState
Trad.Rules ofOrigin Custom
Val.Tex&
Cloth.
(25.1) Laws Semi-
Ann.Laws Semi-
AnnLaws (18.2) XVII (5.1) (Annex) Laws (2.7)
Hungary X X X X X X X X X X
Iceland X X X X X X X NA
India X X X X X X NA X X X
Indonesia X X X X X X X X X X
Israel X X X X NA
Jamaica X X NA X X X
Japan X X X X X X X X X X X
Kenya NA X
Korea X X X X X X X X X X
Kuwait NA NA
Lesotho NA
Macau X X NA X NA
Malawi NA X
Malaysia X X X X X X X X X X NA
Maldives X X X NA NA
Mali NA NA
Malta X NA X X X NA
Mauritania NA NA
Mauritius X X X X NA X X X X NA
Mexico X X X X X X
Morocco X X X X X X X NA NA
Myanmar NA X NA
Namibia NA X
NewZealand X X X X X X X X X X X NA
Nigeria NA NA
Norway X X X X X X X X X
Pakistan X X X NA X X
Paraguay X X X NA X X
Peru X X X X X NA X X X NA X
Philippines X X X X X X X X X
Poland X X X X X X X X
Romania X X X X X X X X X X
Saint Lucia X X X NA NA
Saint Vincent &Gre. NA NAWT/TPR/OV/1
Page28
Appendix Table 1:Fulfillment ofSelected Notification Requirements asof27.11.1995
(continued)
Subsi-
diesCountervailing
DutiesAnti-Dumping Safe-
guardsAgri-
cultureState
Trad.Rules ofOrigin Custom
Val.Tex&
Cloth.
(25.1) Laws Semi-
Ann.Laws Semi-
Ann.Laws (18.2) XVII (5.1) (Annex) Laws (2.7)
Senegal NA X NA
Sierra Leone NA NA
Singapore X X X X X NA X X X X NA
Slovak Republic X X X X X X X X X X X
Slovenia X X X X X X X X
South Africa X X X X X X X NA
SriLanka X X X NA X
Suriname X X X NA NA
Swaziland NA NA
Switzerland X X X X X X X X X X
Tanzania X X NA NA
Thailand X X X X X X X X X X X X
Togo NA X NA
Trinidad andTobago X X X X NA NA
Tunisia X X
Turkey X X X X X X NA X X
Uganda NA NA
United States X X X X X X X X X X
Uruguay X X X X X NA X X X X
Venezuela X X X X X X X X X X X
Zambia X X X X X NA X NA
Zimbabwe NA X NA
X =Notification received bytheWTO Secretariat (asof27.11.1995).
NA =NotApplicable (forthisWTO Member atthecurrent time).
Blank =Missing Notification (orinafewcases incomplete notification).
Notifications Included inSurvey:
1.Subsidies. (Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures, Article 25:1; GATT 1994, Article XVI:1).
2.Countervailing Duties: Laws/Regulations. (Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures, Article 32.6).
3.Countervailing Duties: Semi-Annual Report. (Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures, Article 25:11). (Report period January 1-June30).
4.Anti-Dumping: Laws/Regulations. (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VIofGATT 1994, Article 18:5).
5.Anti-Dumping: Semi-Annual Report. (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VIofGATT 1994, Article 16:4). (Report period January 1-June30).
6.Safeguards: Law/Regulation. (Agreement onSafeguards, Article 12:6).
7.Agriculture: Notification oftariff rateandother quota administration. (Agreement onAgriculture, Article 18:2).
8.State Trading Enterprises (Understanding ontheInterpretation ofArticle XVII ofGATT 1994, paragraph 1).
9.Rules ofOrigin: Existing non-preferential rules oforigin. (Agreement onRules ofOrigin, Article 5:1).
10.Rules ofOrigin: Existing preferential rules oforigin. (Agreement onRules ofOrigin, Annex II,paragraph 4).
11.Customs Valuation: Laws or,fordeveloping country Members invoking Article 20:1regarding delayed application, notification ofdelayed application. (Agreement
onImplementation ofArticle VIIofGATT 1994, Article 22and20:1).
12.Textiles andClothing: Integration program forfirststage. (Agreement onTextiles andClothing, Article 2:7).WT/TPR/OV/1
Page29
Appendix Table 2:Disputes under theWTO
(1January-27 November 1995)
Dispute title Complainants Agreement(s)
citedProduct or
SectorConsultations
requested*Panel
establishedSettlement
notified
1.Malaysia -Prohibition ofimports of
polyethylene andpolypropyleneSingapore GATT
LicensingPetrochemical 13Jan95 19Jul95
2.United States -Standards forreformulated
andconventional gasolineVenezuela GATT
TBTPetroleum 2Feb95 10Apr95
3.Korea -Measures concerning thetesting
andinspection ofagricultural productsUnited States GATT, SPS
TBT, Agricult.Agriculture 6Apr95
4.United States -Standards forreformulated
andconventional gasolineBrazil GATT
TBTPetroleum 12Apr95 31May95
5.Korea -Measures concerning theshelf-life
ofproductsUnited States GATT, SPS
TBT, Agricult.Agriculture 5May95 31Jul95
6.United States -Imposition ofimport duties
onautomobiles from Japan under Sections 301
and304oftheTrade Actof1974Japan GATT Automobile 22May95 19Jul95
7.European Communities -Trade description
ofscallopsCanada GATT
TBTFish 24May95 19Jul95
8.Japan -Taxes onalcoholic beverages EC GATT Beverages 29Jun95 27Sep95
9.European Communities -Duties on
imports ofcerealsCanada GATT
Cus.Val.Agriculture 10Jul95 11Oct95
10.Japan -Taxes onalcoholic beverages
(Canada)Canada GATT Beverages 17Jul95 27Sep95
11.Japan -Taxes onalcoholic beverages
(United States)United States GATT Beverages 17Jul95 27Sep95
12.European Communities -Trade description
ofscallops (Peru)Peru GATT
TBTFish 25Jul95 11Oct95
13.European Communities -Duties on
imports ofgrains (United States)United States GATT
Cus.Val.Agriculture 26Jul95
14.European Communities -Trade description
ofscallops (Chile)Chile GATT Fish 31Jul95 11Oct95
15.Japan -Measures affecting thepurchase of
telecommunications equipmentEC GATT Telecom
equipment24Aug95 apparent
settlement
16.Poland -Import regime forautomobiles India GATT Automobiles 28Sep95
17.European Communities -Regime forthe
importation, saleanddistribution ofbananasGuatemala,
Honduras,
Mexico, United
StatesGATT
Licensing
GATSAgriculture 28Sep95
18.European Communities -Duties on
imports ofriceThailand GATT
Cus.Val.Agriculture 11Oct95
19.Australia -Measures affecting the
importation ofsalmonCanada GATT
SPSFish 11Oct95
20.Korea -Measures concerning bottled water Canada GATT, SPS,
TBTBeverages 8Nov95
21.Australia -Measures affecting the
importation ofsalmonidsUnited States GATT
SPSFish 17Nov95
*Date ofcirculation.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page30
Appendix Table 3-Summary ofCountervailing Duty Actions, 1994-951
(Based onnotifications asof6.11.1995 from Members asof31.7.1995)
Initiation Provisional
measures2Definitive
duties3Price
undertakingsMeasures in
force on30
June19954
Argentina 2 0 0 0 n.a.5
Australia 1 0 0 0 13
Brazil 0 5 0 0 1
Canada 2 0 1 0 6
Chile 1 0 1 0 0
EC 0 0 0 0 1
Mexico 1 1 0 0 n.a.5
NewZealand 1 0 0 0 1
Peru 4 2 0 0 n.a.5
United States 5 3 6 0 103
Venezuela 0 0 0 0 3
Total 17 14 8 0 128
n.a.=notavailable
Notes: 1.Thereporting period covers 1July1994 to30June1995. Thetableincludes actions covered bythe
Tokyo Round Agreement, theWTO Agreement andArticle VIofGATT 1947. Thetable isbased on
information fromMembers thathavesubmitted theirsemi-annual notification andtherefore isincomplete
because 35notifications aremissing fortheperiod 1.7.94-31.12.94, and52aremissing fortheperiod
1.1.95-30.6.95.
2.Negative preliminary determination notincluded.
3.Negative determinations notincluded.
4.Includes definitive duties andprice undertakings.
5.Didnotsubmit aseparate listofmeasures inforce during thisperiod.
Appendix Table 4-Exporters subject toinitiations ofcountervailing
investigations, 1994-951
(Based onnotifications asof6.11.1995 from Members asof31.7.1995)
Total Total
European Communities28 Republic ofSouth Africa 1
Korea 2 Thailand 1
Argentina 1 Turkey 1
Brazil 1 United States 1
China 1
Total 17
Notes: 1.Thereporting period covers 1July1994 to30June1995. Thetableincludes actions covered by
theTokyo Round Agreement, theWTO Agreement andArticle VIofGATT 1947. Thetableisbased
oninformation from Members thathave submitted theirsemi-annual notification andtherefore is
incomplete because 35notifications aremissing fortheperiod 1.7.94-31.12.94, and52aremissing
fortheperiod 1.1.95-30.6.95.
2.Initiations concerning exporters oftheEuropean Communities anditsmember States
arereported asnotified. Figure includes Austria, Finland andSweden.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page31
Appendix Table 5-Summary ofAnti-Dumping Actions, 1994-951
(Based onnotifications asof6.11.1995 from Members asof31.7.1995)
Initiation Provisional
Measures2Definitive
Duties3Price
UndertakingsMeasures in
Force on30
June1995
Argentina 6 6 6 2 34
Australia 6 5 2 1 86
Brazil 12 2 0 0 18
Canada 9 2 13 1 91
Chile 2 2 3 0 2
Colombia 1 0 2 0 6
EC 37 15 21 1 178
India 9 3 0 0 5
Japan 0 0 0 0 2
Korea 3 7 3 0 6
Mexico 18 19 15 0 42
NewZealand 9 0 1 0 22
Peru 4 1 0 0 n.a.5
Singapore 2 2 0 0 0
South Africa, Rep.69 0 1 n.a. n.a.5
Thailand 0 0 1 0 17
Turkey 2 0 11 0 38
United States 30 44 48 3 305
Venezuela 1 2 2 0 n.a.5
Total 160 113 129 8 805
n.a.=notavailable
Notes: 1.Thereporting period covers 1July1994to30June1995. ThetableIncludes actions covered bytheTokyo
Round Agreement, theWTO Agreement andArticle VIofGATT 1947. Thetableisbased oninformation
from Members thathave submitted their semi-annual notifications andtherefore isincomplete because
34notifications aremissing fortheperiod 1.7.94-31.12.94, and53aremissing fortheperiod 1.1.95-30.6.95.
2.Negative preliminary determination notincluded.
3.Negative determinations notincluded.
4.Figure refers tomeasures inforce asat31December 1994.
5.Didnotsubmit aseparate listofmeasures inforce.
6.South Africa didnotsubmit areport fortheperiod 1January-30 June1995. Hence, the
figures reflect onlyactions during theperiod 1July-31 December 1994.
7.Asat31December 1994.WT/TPR/OV/1
Page32
Appendix Table 6-Exporters subject totwo* ormore initiations of
anti-dumping investigations, 1994-951
(Based onnotifications asof6.11.1995 from Members asof31.7.1995)
Total Total
China 27 Hong Kong 4
European Communities oritsmember
States217 Kazakhstan 4
Korea, Rep. 10 Ukraine 4
Indonesia 8 Argentina 3
Japan 7 India 3
Thailand 7 Malaysia 3
United States 7 Uzbekistan 3
Russian Fed. 6 Belarus 2
Brazil 5 Philippines 2
Chinese Taipei 5 South Africa 2
Mexico 5 Turkey 2
Total 1363
Notes: 1.Thereporting period covers 1July1994 to30June1995. ThetableIncludes actions covered bytheTokyo Round
Agreement, theWTO Agreement andArticle VIofGATT 1947. Thetableisbased oninformation fromMembers that
havesubmitted theirsemi-annual notifications andtherefore isincomplete because 34notifications aremissing forthe
period 1.7.94-31.12.94, and53aremissing fortheperiod 1.1.95-30.6.95.
2.Initiations concerning theEuropean Communities anditsmember states. Figure includes initiations regarding Austria,
Finland andSweden before 1January 1995.
3.Does notinclude exporters subject toonlyoneinitiation (seebelow). Thetotalnumber ofinitiations including those
listed below is160.
*Countries subject toonlyoneinitiation ofananti-dumping investigation areArmenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macau, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav
Republic of),Moldova, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, VietNam
andYugoslavia.