RESTRICTED
PREPARATORY COMMITTEE PC/IPL/W/1
FOR THE 21June1994
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION Limited Distribution
(94-1292)
SUB-COMMITTEE ONINSTITUTIONAL
PROCEDURAL AND LEGAL MATTERS
PROVISIONS INTHE URUGUAY ROUND FINAL ACT TEXTS RELEVANT TO
TERMS OFREFERENCE AND RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR THE BODIES
ESTABLISHED THEREUNDER
Note bytheSecretariat
1.UnderthemandateassignedtoitbythePreparatoryCommittee,theSub-CommitteeonInstitutional,
Procedural andLegal Matters is,interalia,"tomake proposals concerning terms ofreference forthe
bodies oftheWTO, inparticular those established inArticle IVoftheWTO Agreement, andtherules
ofprocedure which theyarecalled upon toestablish forthemselves, bearing inmind paragraph 1of
Article XVI".
2.Toassistitinthistask,theSub-Committee,atitsmeetingon13June1994,requestedtheSecretariat
tocompile alisting oftheprovisions intheFinal Acttextsrelevant totheterms ofreference andthe
rules ofprocedure forthevarious bodies established under those Agreements.
3.Thefollowing Notehasbeenprepared inresponse tothatrequest. Inthesection ontheFinal
Actprovisions relevant toterms ofreference, theNote liststhebodies mentioned inandfunctions
ascribed bytherespective Agreements toaparticular body without attempting todifferentiate asto
whether these functions areofatime-bound orpermanent nature. TheNotereproduces inAppendix
Itherules ofprocedure forSessions oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES toGATT, including rules
forairmail andtelegraphic ballots, astheyappear intheirlatest version inthetwelfth supplement of
theBISD. InthelightofArticle XVI:1 oftheWTO Agreement, which reads: "Except asotherwise
provided under theAgreement ortheMultilateral Trade Agreements, theWTO shallbeguided by
thedecisions,proceduresandcustomarypracticesfollowedbytheCONTRACTINGPARTIEStoGATT
1947 andthebodies established intheframework ofGATT 1947", attention isdrawn tothechapter
onInstitutions andProcedure ofthesixthedition oftheAnalytical Index oftheGATT, pages 1008-1043.
Thischapter makes more explicit, interalia,therules contained inAppendix I.
4.Itshould benoted thattheplurilateral Agreements onCivil Aircraft, Bovine Meat, Dairy and
Government Procurement, thetextsofwhich werenotattached totheFinal Actsubmitted forsignature
byMinisters atMarrakesh, havenotbeentaken intoconsideration inthisNote.
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TABLE OFCONTENTS
Page
I.Provisions Relevant toTerms ofReference
(a) Ministerial Conference3 ................................... 3
(b) General Council ........................................ 4
(c) Dispute Settlement Body ................................... 5
(i) Panels ........................................... 6
(ii) Expert Review Groups ................................ 7
(iii) Standing Appellate Body ............................... 7
(d) Trade Policy Review Body ................................. 7
(e) Committee onTrade andDevelopment .......................... 8
(f) Committee onBalance-of-Payments Restrictions .................... 8
(g) Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration .................. 8
(h) Council forTrade inGoods ................................. 8
(i) Committee onAgriculture .............................. 9
(ii) Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ..............10
(iii) Textiles Monitoring Body ..............................11
(iv) Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade ....................12
-Technical Expert Group .............................13
(v) Committee onTrade-Related Investment Measures ...............13
(vi) Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices ......................13
(vii) Committee onCustoms Valuation .........................14
-Technical Committee onCustoms Valuation .................14
(viii) Committee onRules ofOrigin ...........................14
-Technical Committee onRules ofOrigin ...................15
(ix) Committee onImport Licensing ..........................15
(x) Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures ............16
-Permanent Group ofExperts ..........................17
(xi) Committee onSafeguards ..............................18
(xii) Working Group onNotification Obligations andProcedures .........19
(xiii) Working Party onState Trading Notifications andCounter-Notifications .19
(xiv) Working Party onNotifications under Article XXIV:7(a) ...........19
(i) Council forTrade inServices ................................20
(i) Sectoral Committees onServices ..........................20
(ii) Negotiating Group onMovement ofNatural Persons .............21
(iii) Committee onTrade inFinancial Services ....................21
(iv) Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport ....................21
(v) Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications ................22
(vi) Working Party onProfessional Services .....................21
(j) Council forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights .........21
II.Provisions Relevant toRules ofProcedure
(a) Ministerial Conference ....................................24
(b) General Council ........................................24
(c) Dispute Settlement Body ...................................24
(i) Panels ...........................................24
(ii) Expert Review Groups ................................28
(ii) Standing Appellate Body ...............................28PC/IPL/W/1
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(d) Trade Policy Review Body .................................29
(e) Council forTrade inGoods .................................29
(i) Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ..............29
(ii) Textiles Monitoring Body ..............................29
(iii) Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade ....................29
(iv) Committee onTrade-Related Investment Measures ...............30
(v) Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices ......................30
(vi) Committee onCustoms Valuation .........................30
-Technical Committee onCustoms Valuation .................30
(vii) Committee onRules ofOrigin ...........................32
-Technical Committee onRules ofOrigin ...................32
(viii) Committee onImport Licensing ..........................32
(ix) Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures ............32
(x) Working Party onState Trading Notifications andCounter-Notifications .32
(f) Council forTrade inServices ................................32
- Negotiating Group onMovement ofNatural Persons .............32
(g) Council forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights .........32
(h) Other Bodies ..........................................33
III.Provisions Relating toChairmanship ...............................33
IV.Provisions Relating toMembership ................................35
V.GATT 1947 Bodies ThatHave NoCounterpart intheWTO Agreements
(a) Committee onTariff Concessions .............................40
(b) Technical Group onQuantitative Restrictions andOther Non-Tariff Measures ..40
(c) Consultative Group ofEighteen ..............................40
(d) Joint Advisory Group ontheInternational Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT ....40
Appendix I:Rules ofProcedure forSessions oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES ......41
I.Provisions Relevant toTerms ofReference
(a)Ministerial Conference1
1.TheMinisterial Conference shallcarry outthefunctions oftheWTO andtakeactions
necessary tothiseffect (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:1).
2.TheMinisterial Conference shallhavetheauthority totakedecisions onallmatters under any
oftheMultilateral Trade Agreements, ifsorequested byaMember, inaccordance withthe
specific requirements fordecision-making inthisAgreement andintherelevant Multilateral
Trade Agreement (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:1).
1IntheDecision onMeasures inFavour ofLeast-Developed Countries ,Ministers agree tokeepunder review thespecific
needs oftheleast-developed countries andtocontinue toseektheadoption ofpositive measures which facilitate theexpansion
oftrading opportunities infavour ofthese countries. Thismaybeafunction fortheMinisterial Conference .PC/IPL/W/1
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3.TheMinisterial Conference shallestablish procedures2forperiodic consultations withthe
objective ofenabling suchrecommendations tobemade totheMember concerned asitmay
deem appropriate (GATS ,Art.XII:5(b)).
4.Theprovisions ofthisDecision willbesubject toregular review bytheMinisterial
Conference (Decision onMeasures Concerning thePossible Negative Effects oftheReform
Programme onLeast-Developed andNetFood-Importing Developing Countries ,para. 6).
5.Ministers invite theMinisterial Conference tocomplete afullreview ofdispute settlement
rules andprocedures under theWorld Trade Organization within fouryears aftertheentry
intoforce oftheWTO Agreement ,andtotakeadecision ontheoccasion ofitsfirstmeeting
afterthecompletion ofthereview, whether tocontinue, modify orterminate suchdispute
settlement rules andprocedures (Decision ontheApplication andReview ofthe
Understanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes ).
6.Attheendofthesecond yearfrom thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement and
every three years thereafter, theMinisterial Conference shallreview theprovisions,
implementation andoperation ofthisAgreement, taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof
andexperience gained initsoperation. Asaresult ofsuchreview, theMinisterial
Conference mayamend theprovisions oftheAgreement (Agreement onPreshipment
Inspection ,Art.6).
7.TheMinisterial Conference shallestablish aCommittee onTrade andDevelopment ,a
Committee onBalance-of-Payments Restrictions andaCommittee onBudget, Finance and
Administration ,which shallcarry outthefunctions assigned tothem bythisAgreement and
bytheMultilateral Trade Agreements ,andanyadditional functions assigned tothem bythe
General Council ,andmayestablish suchadditional Committees withsuchfunctions asitmay
deem appropriate (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:7).
8.TheMinisterial Conference andtheGeneral Council shallhavetheexclusive authority to
adopt interpretations ofthisAgreement andoftheMultilateral Trade Agreements. Inthe
caseofaninterpretation ofaMultilateral Trade Agreement inAnnex 1,theyshallexercise
theirauthority onthebasis ofarecommendation bytheCouncil overseeing thefunctioning of
thatAgreement (WTO Agreement ,Art.IX:2).
9.Inexceptional circumstances, theMinisterial Conference maydecide towaive anobligation
imposed onaMember bythisAgreement oranyoftheMultilateral Trade Agreements (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IX:3).
(b)General Council
1.Intheintervals between meetings oftheMinisterial Conference ,itsfunctions shallbe
conducted bytheGeneral Council (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:2).
2.TheGeneral Council shallalsocarry outthefunctions assigned toitbythisAgreement (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:2).
3.Ministers direct thefirstmeeting oftheGeneral Council toestablish aCommittee onTrade
andEnvironment opentoallmembers oftheWTO toreport tothefirstbiennial meeting of
theMinisterial Conference aftertheentry intoforce oftheWTO when theterms ofreference
oftheCommittee3willbereviewed, inthelightofrecommendations oftheCommittee
(Marrakesh Decision onTrade andEnvironment ).
4.There shallbeaCouncil forTrade inGoods ,aCouncil forTrade inServices andaCouncil
forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights which shalloperate under the
general guidance oftheGeneral Council .These Councils shallcarry outthefunctions
2Afootnote tothetextreads: "Itisunderstood thattheprocedures under paragraph 5shallbethesame astheGATT 1994
procedures".
3MTN.TNC/45(MIN), Annex II.PC/IPL/W/1
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assigned tothem bytheirrespective agreements andbytheGeneral Council .They shall
establish theirrespective rules ofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheGeneral Council
(WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
5.TheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment ,[the]Committee onBalance-of-Payments
Restrictions and[the]Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration ...shallcarry out
thefunctions assigned tothem bythisAgreement andbytheMultilateral Trade Agreements,
andanyadditional functions assigned tothem bytheGeneral Council (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IV:7).
6.TheGeneral Council shallmake appropriate arrangements foreffective cooperation with
other intergovernmental organizations thathaveresponsibilities related tothose oftheWTO
(WTO Agreement ,Art.V:1).
7.TheGeneral Council maymake appropriate arrangements forconsultation andcooperation
withnon-governmental organizations concerned withmatters related tothose oftheWTO
(WTO Agreement ,Art.V:2).
8.TheMinisterial Conference andtheGeneral Council shallhavetheexclusive authority to
adopt interpretations ofthisAgreement andoftheMultilateral Trade Agreements. Inthe
caseofaninterpretation ofaMultilateral Trade Agreement inAnnex 1,theyshallexercise
theirauthority onthebasis ofarecommendation bytheCouncil overseeing thefunctioning of
thatAgreement (WTO Agreement ,Art.IX:2).
(c)Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)
1.TheDSBshalladminister these rules andprocedures and,except asotherwise provided ina
covered agreement, theconsultation anddispute settlement provisions ofthecovered
agreements (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,Art.2:1).
2.TheDSBshallhavetheauthority toestablish panels, adopt panel andAppellate Body reports,
maintain surveillance ofimplementation ofrulings andrecommendations, andauthorize
suspension ofconcessions andother obligations under thecovered agreements (Understanding
onDispute Settlement ,Art.2:1)..
3.Recommendations orrulings made bytheDSBshallbeaimed atachieving asatisfactory
settlement ofthematter inaccordance withtherights andobligations under this
Understanding andunder thecovered agreements (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,
Art.3:4).
4.TheDSBshallestablish aStanding Appellate Body tohearappeals from panel cases, andshall
appoint persons toserve ontheAppellate Body (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,
Art.17:1and2).
5.TheDSBshallinform therelevant WTO Councils andCommittees ofanydevelopments in
disputes related toprovisions oftherespective covered agreements (Understanding onDispute
Settlement ,Art.2:2)..
6.TheCouncil forTrade inServices ortheDispute Settlement Body (DSB) may, attherequest
ofaMember, consult withanyMember orMembers inrespect ofanymatter forwhich ithas
notbeenpossible tofindasatisfactory solution through consultation under paragraph 1
(GATS ,Art.XXII:2).
Surveillance ofImplementation ofRecommendations andRulings
7.TheDSBshallkeepunder surveillance theimplementation ofadopted recommendations or
rulings. Theissue ofimplementation oftherecommendations orrulings mayberaised atthe
DSBbyanyMember atanytimefollowing theiradoption. Unless theDSBdecides
otherwise, theissue ofimplementation oftherecommendations orrulings shallbeplaced on
theagenda oftheDSBmeeting aftersixmonths following thedateofestablishment ofthe
reasonable period oftimepursuant toparagraph 3andshallremain ontheDSB'sagenda until
theissue isresolved. Atleast10daysprior toeachsuchDSBmeeting, theMemberPC/IPL/W/1
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concerned shallprovide theDSBwithastatus report inwriting ofitsprogress inthe
implementation oftherecommendations orrulings (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,
Art.21.6).
8.Ifthematter isonewhich hasbeenraised byadeveloping country Member, theDSBshall
consider whatfurther action itmight takewhich would beappropriate tothecircumstances
(Understanding onDispute Settlement ,Art.21.7).
(i) Panels
Terms ofReference ofPanels (Allreferences aretoArticles intheUnderstanding onDispute
Settlement )
1.Panels shallhavethefollowing terms ofreference unless theparties tothedispute agree
otherwise within 20daysfrom theestablishment ofthepanel:
"Toexamine, inthelightoftherelevant provisions in(name ofthecovered agreement(s)
citedbytheparties tothedispute), thematter referred totheDSBby(name ofparty) in
document ...andtomake suchfindings aswillassist theDSBinmaking therecommendations
oringiving therulings provided forinthat/those agreement(s)." (Art. 7.1).
2.Inestablishing apanel, theDSBmayauthorize itsChairman todraw uptheterms of
reference ofthepanel inconsultation withtheparties tothedispute, subject totheprovisions
ofparagraph 1.Theterms ofreference thusdrawn upshallbecirculated toallMembers. If
other thanstandard terms ofreference areagreed upon, anyMember mayraiseanypoint
relating thereto intheDSB. (Art. 7.3).
Function ofPanels
3.Thefunction ofpanels istoassist theDSBindischarging itsresponsibilities under this
Understanding andthecovered agreements. Accordingly, apanel should make anobjective
assessment ofthematter before it,including anobjective assessment ofthefactsofthecase
andtheapplicability ofandconformity withtherelevant covered agreements, andmake such
other findings aswillassist theDSBinmaking therecommendations oringiving therulings
provided forinthecovered agreements. Panels should consult regularly withtheparties to
thedispute andgivethem adequate opportunity todevelop amutually satisfactory solution
(Art. 11).
Right toSeekInformation
4.Each panel shallhavetherighttoseekinformation andtechnical advice from anyindividual
orbody which itdeems appropriate. However, before apanel seeks suchinformation or
advice from anyindividual orbody within thejurisdiction ofaMember itshallinform the
authorities ofthatMember. AMember should respond promptly andfullytoanyrequest by
apanel forsuchinformation asthepanel considers necessary andappropriate. Confidential
information which isprovided shallnotberevealed without formal authorization from the
individual, body, orauthorities oftheMember providing theinformation (Art. 13.1).
5.Panels mayseekinformation from anyrelevant source andmayconsult experts toobtain their
opinion oncertain aspects ofthematter. With respect toafactual issue concerning a
scientific orother technical matter raised byaparty toadispute, apanel mayrequest an
advisory report inwriting from anexpert review group. Rules fortheestablishment ofsucha
group anditsprocedures aresetforth inAppendix 4(Art. 13.2).
Panel Recommendations
6.Where apanel ortheAppellate Body concludes thatameasure isinconsistent withacovered
agreement, itshallrecommend thattheMember concerned4bring themeasure intoconformity
4Afootnote tothetextreads: "The 'Member concerned 'istheparty tothedispute towhich thepanel orAppellate Body
recommendations aredirected".PC/IPL/W/1
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withthatagreement.5Inaddition toits
recommendations, thepanel orAppellate Body maysuggest ways inwhich theMember
concerned could implement therecommendations (Art.19.1).
7.Inaccordance withparagraph 2ofArticle 3,intheirfindings andrecommendations, thepanel
andAppellate Body cannot addtoordiminish therights andobligations provided inthe
covered agreements (Art. 19.2).
(ii) Expert Review Groups
Apanel mayrequest anadvisory report from anexpert review group. [Such] groups areunder
thepanel'sauthority. Their terms ofreference anddetailed working procedures shallbe
decided bythepanel andtheyshallreport tothepanel (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,
Art.13:2andAppendix 4).
(iii) Standing Appellate Body (Allreferences aretoArticles intheUnderstanding on
Dispute Settlement )
1.Astanding Appellate Body shallbeestablished bytheDSB. TheAppellate Body shallhear
appeals from panel cases. Itshallbecomposed ofseven persons, three ofwhom shallserve
onanyonecase. Persons serving ontheAppellate Body shallserve inrotation. Such
rotation shallbedetermined intheworking procedures oftheAppellate Body (Art. 17.1).
2.Where apanel ortheAppellate Body concludes thatameasure isinconsistent withacovered
agreement, itshallrecommend thattheMember concerned6bring themeasure intoconformity
withthatagreement.7Inaddition toitsrecommendations, thepanel orAppellate Body may
suggest ways inwhich theMember concerned could implement therecommendations
(Art.19.1).
3.Inaccordance withparagraph 2ofArticle 3,intheirfindings andrecommendations, thepanel
andAppellate Body cannot addtoordiminish therights andobligations provided inthe
covered agreements (Art. 19.2).
(d)Trade Policy Review Body
TheTrade Policy Review Body:
1.[Shall] carry outperiodic trade policy reviews ofallMembers (TPRM, C(i)and(ii)).
2.Shall establish abasic planfortheconduct ofthereviews (TPRM, C(iv)).
3.Mayalsodiscuss andtakenoteofupdate reports from Members (TPRM, C(iv)).
4.Shall establish aprogramme ofreviews foreachyearinconsultation withtheMembers
directly concerned (TPRM, C(iv)).
5.Shall undertake anappraisal oftheoperation oftheTPRM notmore thanfiveyears afterthe
entry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement (TPRM, F).
6Shall conduct anannual overview ofdevelopments intheinternational trading environment
which arehaving animpact onthemultilateral trading system (TPRM, G).
5Afootnote tothetextreads: "With respect torecommendations incases notinvolving aviolation ofGATT 1994 or
anyother covered agreement, seeArticle 26".
6Afootnote tothetextreads: "The 'Member concerned 'istheparty tothedispute towhich thepanel orAppellate Body
recommendations aredirected".
7Afootnote tothetextreads: "With respect torecommendations incases notinvolving aviolation ofGATT 1994 or
anyother covered agreement, seeArticle 26".PC/IPL/W/1
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(e)Committee onTrade andDevelopment
1.TheCommittee onTrade andDevelopment shallcarry outthefunctions assigned toitbythis
Agreement andbytheMultilateral Trade Agreements, andanyadditional functions assigned
toitbytheGeneral Council (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:7).
2.Aspartofitsfunctions, theCommittee onTrade andDevelopment shallperiodically review
thespecial provisions intheMultilateral Trade Agreements infavour oftheleast-developed
country Members andreport totheGeneral Council forappropriate action (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IV:7).
(f)Committee onBalance-of-Payments Restrictions
1.TheCommittee onBalance-of-Payments Restrictions shallcarry outthefunctions assigned toit
bythisAgreement andbytheMultilateral Trade Agreements, andanyadditional functions
assigned toitbytheGeneral Council (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:7).
2.TheCommittee shallcarry outconsultations inorder toreview allrestrictive import measures
taken forbalance-of-payments purposes (Understanding onBalance-of-Payments Provisions ,
para. 5).
3.TheCommittee shallreport onitsconsultations totheGeneral Council (Understanding on
Balance-of-Payments Provisions ,para. 13).
4.Members applying theprovisions ofthisArticle shallconsult promptly withtheCommittee on
Balance-of-Payments Restrictions onrestrictions adopted under thisArticle (GATS ,
Art.XII:5(a)).
(g)Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration
TheCommittee onBudget, Finance andAdministration :
1.Shall carry outthefunctions assigned toitbythisAgreement andbytheMultilateral Trade
Agreements, andanyadditional functions assigned toitbytheGeneral Council (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:7).
2.Shall review theannual budget estimate andthefinancial statement presented bythe
Director-General andmake recommendations thereon totheGeneral Council (WTO
Agreement ,Art.VII:1).
3.Shall propose totheGeneral Council financial regulations which shallinclude provisions
setting out:a)thescale ofcontributions apportioning theexpenses oftheWTO among its
Members; andb)themeasures tobetaken inrespect ofMembers inarrears. Thefinancial
regulations shallbebased, asfaraspracticable, ontheregulations andpractices of
GATT 1947 (WTO Agreement ,Art.VII:2).
(h)Council forTrade inGoods
1.TheCouncil forTrade inGoods shalloversee thefunctioning oftheMultilateral Trade
Agreements inAnnex 1Aandshallcarry outthefunctions assigned toitbytherespective
Agreements andbytheGeneral Council (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
2.TheCouncil shallestablish subsidiary bodies asrequired which shallestablish theirrespective
rules ofprocedure, subject totheapproval oftheCouncil (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:6).
3.Notlaterthanfiveyears afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement ,theCouncil
forTrade inGoods shallreview theoperation ofthisAgreement and,asappropriate, propose
totheMinisterial Conference amendments toitstext. Inthecourse ofthisreview, the
Council forTrade inGoods shallconsider whether theAgreement should becomplemented
withprovisions oninvestment policy andcompetition policy (Agreement onTRIMS ,Art.9).PC/IPL/W/1
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4.Inorder tooversee theimplementation ofthisAgreement, theCouncil forTrade inGoods
shallconduct amajor review before theendofeachstage oftheintegration process
(Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,Art.8:11).
5.TheCouncil forTrade inGoods willundertake areview ofnotification obligations and
procedures under theAgreements inAnnex 1AoftheWTO Agreement .Thereview willbe
carried outbyaworking group, membership inwhich willbeopentoallMembers. The
group willbeestablished immediately afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement
(Decision onNotification Procedures ,para. III).
6.Inthecaseofaninterpretation oftheMultilateral Trade Agreements inAnnex 1AoftheWTO
Agreement theMinisterial Conference andtheGeneral Council shallexercise theirauthority
onthebasis ofarecommendation bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IX:2).
7.Arequest forawaiver concerning theMultilateral Trade Agreements inAnnex 1Aofthe
WTO Agreement shallbesubmitted initially totheCouncil forTrade inGoods for
consideration during atime-period which shallnotexceed 90days. Attheendofthe
time-period theCouncil shallsubmit areport totheMinisterial Conference (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IX:3(b)).
8.TheCouncil mayalsosubmit totheMinisterial Conference proposals toamend theprovisions
oftheMultilateral Trade Agreements inAnnex 1AoftheWTO Agreement (WTO Agreement ,
Art.X:1).
9.TheCouncil forTrade inGoods isthecompetent body toapprove arequest byanimporting
country totakeanti-dumping action onbehalf ofathirdcountry (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VI,Art.14.4)
(i) Committee onAgriculture
1.Progress intheimplementation ofcommitments negotiated under theUruguay Round reform
programme shallbereviewed bytheCommittee onAgriculture (Agreement onAgriculture ,
Art.18:1).
2.Thereview process shallprovide anopportunity forMembers toraiseanymatter relevant to
theimplementation ofcommitments under thereform programme assetoutinthisAgreement
(Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.18:6).
3.Thereview process shallbeundertaken onthebasis ofnotifications submitted byMembers in
relation tosuchmatters andatsuchintervals asshallbedetermined, aswellasonthebasis of
suchdocumentation astheSecretariat mayberequested toprepare inorder tofacilitate the
review process (Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.18:2).
4.Aspartofthisreview process theCommittee onAgriculture would needtoestablish
appropriate notification procedures inconnection with:
(i) newormodified domestic support measures inrespect ofwhich exemption from
reduction commitments isclaimed (Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.7and18:3);
(ii) transparency intheoperation ofthespecial safeguard (Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.
5:7);
(iii) prevention ofcircumvention ofexport subsidy commitments (Agreement onAgriculture ,
Art.10);
(iv) disciplines onexport prohibitions andrestrictions (Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.12);
(v) implementation ofdifferential andmore favourable treatment fordeveloping country
Members assetoutintherelevant provisions oftheAgreement andasembodied inthe
Schedules ofconcessions andcommitments (Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.15:1);
(vi) action bydeveloped country Members within theframework oftheDecision on
Measures Concerning thePossible Negative Effects oftheReform Programme onLeast-PC/IPL/W/1
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Developed andNetFood-Importing Developing Countries (Agreement onAgriculture ,
Art.16:1);
(vii) counter notifications withrespect tomeasures which anyMember considers ought to
havebeennotified byanother Member (Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.18:7).
5.Members agree toconsult annually intheCommittee onAgriculture withrespect totheir
participation inthenormal growth ofworld trade inagricultural products within the
framework ofthecommitments onexport subsidies under thisAgreement (Agreement on
Agriculture ,Art.18:5).
6.TheCommittee onAgriculture shallmonitor, asappropriate, thefollow-up totheDecision on
Measures Concerning thePossible Negative Effects oftheReform Programme onLeast-
Developed andNetFood-Importing Developing Countries (Agreement onAgriculture ,Art.
16:2).
(ii) Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
TheCommittee :
1.Shall provide aregular forum forconsultations (Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary
Measures ,Art.12:1).
2.Shall carry outthefunctions necessary toimplement theprovisions ofthisAgreement andthe
furtherance ofitsobjectives, inparticular withrespect toharmonization (Agreement on
Sanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ,Art.12:1)
3.Shall encourage andfacilitate adhocconsultations ornegotiations onspecific issues
(Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ,Art.12:2).
4.Shall encourage theuseofinternational standards and,inthisregard, sponsor technical
consultation andstudy withrespect tosystems forapproval ofadditives andestablishment of
tolerances forcontaminants (Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ,Art.12:2).
5.Shall maintain close contact withtherelevant international organizations inthefieldof
sanitary andphytosanitary protection, especially withtheCodex Alimentarius Commission, the
International Office ofEpizootics, andtheSecretariat oftheInternational Plant
Protection Convention ,withtheobjective ofsecuring thebestavailable scientific andtechnical
advice fortheadministration ofthisAgreement andinorder toensure thatunnecessary
duplication ofeffort isavoided (Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ,
Art.12:3).
6.Shall develop aprocedure tomonitor theprocess ofinternational harmonization andtheuseof
international standards, guidelines orrecommendations (Agreement onSanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures ,Art.3:5&12:4).
7.Shall review theoperation andimplementation ofthisAgreement three years afterthedateof
entry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement ,andthereafter astheneedarises (Agreement on
Sanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ,Art.12:7).
8.May, where appropriate, submit totheCouncil forTrade inGoods proposals toamend the
textofthisAgreement having regard, interalia,totheexperience gained inits
implementation (Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ,Art.12:7).
9.Shall develop guidelines fortheimplementation ofconsistency intheapplication ofthe
concept ofappropriate levelofprotection (Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary
Measures ,Art.5:5).
10.May, upon request from adeveloping country Member, grant time-limited exceptions to
obligations under theAgreement (Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures ,
Art.10:3).PC/IPL/W/1
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(iii) Textiles Monitoring Body (TMB)
1.TheTMB isestablished tosupervise theimplementation ofthisAgreement, toexamine all
measures taken under thisAgreement andtheirconformity therewith, andtotaketheactions
specifically required ofitbythisAgreement (Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,Art.8:1).
2.TheTMB shallbeconsidered asastanding body. Itshallrelyonnotifications and
information supplied bytheMembers under therelevant Articles ofthisAgreement,
supplemented byanyadditional information ornecessary details theymaysubmit oritmay
decide toseekfrom them. Itmayalsorelyonnotifications toandreports from other WTO
bodies andfrom suchother sources asitmaydeem appropriate (Agreement onTextiles and
Clothing ,Art.8:3).
3.Intheabsence ofanymutually agreed solution inthebilateral consultations provided forin
thisAgreement, theTMB shall, attherequest ofeither Member, andfollowing athorough
andprompt consideration ofthematter, make recommendations totheMembers concerned
(Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,Art.8:5).
4.Attherequest ofanyMember, theTMB shallreview promptly anyparticular matter which
thatMember considers tobedetrimental toitsinterests under thisAgreement andwhere
consultations between itandtheMember orMembers concerned havefailed toproduce a
mutually satisfactory solution. Onsuchmatters, theTMB maymake suchobservations asit
deems appropriate totheMembers concerned andforthepurposes ofthereview provided for
inparagraph 11(Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,Art.8:6).
5.Before formulating itsrecommendations orobservations, theTMB shallinvite participation of
suchMembers asmaybedirectly affected bythematter inquestion (Agreement onTextiles
andClothing ,Art.8:7).
6.Whenever theTMB iscalled upon tomake recommendations orfindings, itshalldoso,
preferably within aperiod of30days, unless adifferent timeperiod isspecified inthis
Agreement. Allsuchrecommendations orfindings shallbecommunicated totheMembers
directly concerned. Allsuchrecommendations orfindings shallalsobecommunicated tothe
Council forTrade inGoods foritsinformation (Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,
Art.8:8).
7.TheMembers shallendeavour toaccept infulltherecommendations oftheTMB, which shall
exercise proper surveillance oftheimplementation ofsuchrecommendations (Agreement on
Textiles andClothing ,Art.8:9).
8.IfaMember considers itself unable toconform withtherecommendations oftheTMB, it
shallprovide theTMB withthereasons therefor notlaterthanonemonth afterreceipt ofsuch
recommendations. Following thorough consideration ofthereasons given, theTMB shall
issue anyfurther recommendations itconsiders appropriate forthwith. If,aftersuchfurther
recommendations, thematter remains unresolved, either Member maybring thematter before
theDispute Settlement Body andinvoke paragraph 2ofArticle XXIII ofGATT 1994 andthe
relevant provisions oftheDispute Settlement Understanding (Agreement onTextiles and
Clothing ,Art.8:10).
9.Inorder tooversee theimplementation ofthisAgreement, theCouncil forTrade inGoods
shallconduct amajor review before theendofeachstage oftheintegration process. To
assist inthisreview, theTMB shall, atleastfivemonths before theendofeachstage,
transmit totheCouncil forTrade inGoods acomprehensive report ontheimplementation of
thisAgreement during thestage under review, inparticular inmatters withregard tothe
integration process, theapplication ofthetransitional safeguard mechanism, andrelating to
theapplication ofGATT 1994 rules anddisciplines asdefined inArticles 2,3,6and7
respectively. TheTMB'scomprehensive report mayinclude anyrecommendation asdeemed
appropriate bytheTMB totheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Agreement onTextiles and
Clothing ,Art.8:11).PC/IPL/W/1
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Other TMB functions arising from theAgreement onTextiles andClothing
10.Tooversee thecirculation ofnotifications, asrequired under paragraphs 2,7,10,11,and15
ofArt.2,andunder para. 5ofArt3;
11.Completion ofanyresidual work oftheTextiles Surveillance Body asregards consideration of
unilateral actions ordisputes under theMFA (Art. 2:5and4:4)
12.Toreview allnotifications ofmeasures taken byMembers relating to:(a)restraints inplace
onthedateofentry intoforce (Art. 2:7); (b)theintegration ofproducts (Art. 2:11); (c)the
liberalization ofquotas (review oftheimplementation ofArt.2assuch-ref.Art.2:21); (d)
phase-out programmes inrespect ofother restrictions ontextiles andclothing (Art. 3:2(b));
and(e)make recommendations, asappropriate inrespect oftheabove (Art. 2:2,2:3,2:21
and3:2(b))
13.Toreview andrecommend, asrequired, withrespect tochanges inadministrative practices,
rules, procedures, etc,pursuant toArticle 4(Art. 4:4)
14.Toreview andrecommend, asrequired, inmatters relating tocircumvention oftheAgreement
through transshipment, falsedeclaration, etc.pursuant toArt.5(ref. Art.5:2,5:4and5:6)
15.Toreview notifications withrespect tomeasures taken under Article 6todetermine whether
bilateral agreements reached arejustified inaccordance withtheprovisions ofthatArticle and
make recommendations, asappropriate. Incases where agreement isnotreached through
bilateral consultations andthematter isreferred totheTMB orwhere measures aretaken
provisionally, theBody willexamine thematter andmake appropriate recommendations
(Art. 6:9-11 and6:21)
16.Toreview notifications andreverse notifications withrespect toactions taken byMembers to
achieve improved market access, ensure theapplication ofpolicies relating tofairand
equitable trading conditions andavoid discrimination against imports inthetextile and
clothing sector, pursuant toArticle 7(Art. 7:2and7:3)
(iv) Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
1.TheCommittee shallmeetforthepurpose ofaffording Members theopportunity ofconsulting
onanymatters relating totheoperation ofthisAgreement orthefurtherance ofitsobjectives,
andshallcarry outsuchresponsibilities asassigned toitunder thisAgreement orbythe
Members (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,Art.13:1).
2.TheCommittee shallestablish working parties orother bodies asmaybeappropriate, which
shallcarry outsuchresponsibilities asmaybeassigned tothem bytheCommittee in
accordance withtherelevant provisions ofthisAgreement (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,
Art.13:2).
3.Itisunderstood thatunnecessary duplication should beavoided between thework under this
Agreement andthatofgovernments inother technical bodies. TheCommittee shallexamine
thisproblem withaviewtominimizing suchduplication (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,
Art.13:3).
4.TheCommittee shallreview annually theimplementation andoperation ofthisAgreement
taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,Art.15:3).
5.Notlaterthantheendofthethirdyearfrom thedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement andattheendofeachthree-year period thereafter, theCommittee shallreview the
operation andimplementation ofthisAgreement, including theprovisions relating to
transparency, withaviewtorecommending anadjustment oftherights andobligations ofthis
Agreement where necessary toensure mutual economic advantage andbalance ofrights and
obligations, without prejudice totheprovisions ofArticle 12.Having regard, interalia,to
theexperience gained intheimplementation oftheAgreement, theCommittee shall, where
appropriate, submit proposals foramendments tothetextoftheAgreement totheCouncil for
Trade inGoods (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,Art.15:4).PC/IPL/W/1
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6.TheCommittee shall, without prejudice toprovisions onconsultation anddispute settlement,
atleastonceayearreview thepublication provided bytheISO/IEC Information Centre on
information received according totheCode ofGood Practice forthePreparation, Adoption
andApplication ofStandards inAnnex 3ofthe[Technical Barriers toTrade] Agreement, for
thepurpose ofaffording Members opportunity ofdiscussing anymatters relating tothe
operation ofthatCode (Decision onReview oftheISO/IEC Information Centre Publication ).
- Technical Expert Group
Attherequest ofaparty toadispute, oratitsowninitiative, apanel mayestablish a
technical expert group toassist inquestions ofatechnical nature, requiring detailed
consideration byexperts (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,Art.14:2).
(v) Committee onTrade-Related Investment Measures
TheCommittee onTrade-Related Investment Measures :
1.Shall carry outresponsibilities assigned toitbytheCouncil forTrade inGoods andshall
afford Members theopportunity toconsult onanymatters relating totheoperation and
implementation ofthisAgreement (Agreement onTRIMS ,Art.7:2).
2.Shall monitor theoperation andimplementation ofthisAgreement andshallreport thereon
annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Agreement onTRIMS ,Art.7:3).
(vi) Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
1.TheCommittee shallcarry outresponsibilities asassigned toitunder thisAgreement orbythe
Members anditshallafford Members theopportunity ofconsulting onanymatters relating to
theoperation oftheAgreement orthefurtherance ofitsobjectives (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VI,Art.16:1).
2.TheCommittee maysetupsubsidiary bodies asappropriate (Agreement onImplementation of
Article VI,Art.16:2).
3.Incarrying outtheirfunctions, theCommittee andanysubsidiary bodies mayconsult withand
seekinformation from anysource theydeem appropriate. However, before theCommittee or
asubsidiary body seeks suchinformation from asource within thejurisdiction ofaMember,
itshallinform theMember involved. Itshallobtain theconsent oftheMember andanyfirm
tobeconsulted (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VI,Art.16.3).
4.TheCommittee shallreview annually theimplementation andoperation ofthisAgreement
taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shallinform annually theCouncil
forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during theperiod covered bysuchreviews (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VI,Art.18:6).
5.TheCommittee shallalsoreceive notifications byMembers of:
- allpreliminary orfinalanti-dumping actions taken, andofsemi-annual reports of
anti-dumping actions taken within thepreceding sixmonths (Art. 16:4)
- thedomestic authorities competent toinitiate andconduct anti-dumping investigations,
andofdomestic procedures governing theinitiation andconduct ofsuchinvestigations
(Art. 16:5)
- anychanges inmembers 'lawsandregulations relevant totheAgreement andinthe
administration ofsuchlawsandregulations (Art. 18:5)
6.Ministers decide toreferthismatter [theproblem ofcircumvention ofanti-dumping duty
measures] totheCommittee onAnti-Dumping Practices forresolution (Decision on
Anti-Circumvention ).PC/IPL/W/1
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7.Thestandard ofreview inparagraph 6ofArticle 17"shall bereviewed afteraperiod ofthree
years withaviewtoconsidering thequestion ofwhether itiscapable ofgeneral application"
(Decision onReview ofArt.17.6oftheAgreement onImplementation ofArticle VI).
(vii)Committee onCustoms Valuation
1.TheCommittee shallmeetforthepurpose ofaffording Members theopportunity toconsult on
matters relating totheadministration ofthecustoms valuation system byanyMember asit
might affect theoperation ofthisAgreement orthefurtherance ofitsobjectives andcarrying
outsuchother responsibilities asmaybeassigned toitbytheMembers (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Art.18:1).
2.TheCommittee shallreview annually theimplementation andoperation ofthisAgreement
taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof. TheCommittee shallannually inform theCouncil
forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during theperiod covered bysuchreviews (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Art.23).
- Technical Committee onCustoms Valuation
1.ATechnical Committee onCustoms Valuation shallbeestablished under theauspices ofthe
Customs Cooperation Council withaviewtoensuring, atthetechnical level, uniformity in
interpretation andapplication ofthisAgreement (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VII,
Annex II,para. 1).
2.Theresponsibilities oftheTechnical Committee shallinclude thefollowing:
- toexamine specific technical problems arising intheday-to-day administration ofthe
customs valuation system ofMembers andtogiveadvisory opinions onappropriate
solutions based upon thefactspresented;
- tostudy, asrequested, valuation laws, procedures andpractices astheyrelate tothis
Agreement andtoprepare reports ontheresults ofsuchstudies;
- toprepare andcirculate annual reports onthetechnical aspects oftheoperation and
status ofthisAgreement;
- tofurnish suchinformation andadvice onanymatters concerning thevaluation of
imported goods forcustoms purposes asmaybyrequested byanyMember orthe
Committee .Such information andadvice maytaketheform ofadvisory opinions,
commentaries orexplanatory notes;
- tofacilitate, asrequested, technical assistance toMembers withaviewtofurthering the
international acceptance ofthisAgreement;
- tocarry outanexamination ofamatter referred toitbyapanel under Article 19ofthis
Agreement; and
- toexercise suchother responsibilities astheCommittee mayassign toit(Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 2).
(viii) Committee onRules ofOrigin
1.TheCommittee shallmeetforthepurpose ofaffording Members theopportunity toconsult on
matters relating totheoperation ofParts I,II,IIIandIVorthefurtherance oftheobjectives
setoutinthese Parts andtocarry outsuchother responsibilities assigned toitunder this
Agreement orbytheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Art.4:1).
2.TheCommittee shallreview annually theimplementation andoperation ofParts IIandIIIof
theAgreement onRules ofOrigin having regard toitsobjectives. TheCommittee shall
annually inform theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during theperiod covered by
suchreviews (Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Art.6:1).PC/IPL/W/1
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3.TheCommittee shallreview theprovisions ofParts I,IIandIIIandpropose amendments as
necessary toreflect theresults oftheharmonization work programme (Agreement onRules of
Origin ,Art.6:2).
4.TheCommittee ,incooperation withtheTechnical Committee [established under theauspices
oftheCustoms Cooperation Council ],shallsetupamechanism toconsider andpropose
amendments totheresults oftheharmonization work programme, taking intoaccount the
objectives andprinciples setoutinArticle 9.Thismayinclude instances where therules need
tobemade more operational orneedtobeupdated totakeintoaccount newproduction
processes asaffected byanytechnological change (Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Art.6:3).
- Technical Committee onRules ofOrigin
1.ATechnical Committee onRules ofOrigin [under theauspices oftheCustoms Cooperation
Council ]shallcarry outthetechnical work called forinPartIVandprescribed inAnnex I.
Where appropriate, theTechnical Committee shallrequest information andadvice from the
Committee onmatters related tothisAgreement. TheTechnical Committee mayalsorequest
suchother work from theCommittee asitconsiders appropriate forthefurtherance ofthe
above-mentioned objectives oftheAgreement (Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Art.4:2).
2.TheCommittee shallrequest theTechnical Committee toprovide itsinterpretation and
opinions resulting from thework described below onthebasis oftheprinciples listed in
paragraph 1(Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Art.9:2(c)).
3.Theongoing responsibilities oftheTechnical Committee shallinclude thefollowing:
- attherequest ofanymember oftheTechnical Committee ,toexamine specific technical
problems arising intheday-to-day administration oftherules oforigin ofMembers and
togiveadvisory opinions onappropriate solutions based upon thefactspresented;
- tofurnish information andadvice onanymatters concerning theorigin determination of
goods asmayberequested byanyMember ortheCommittee ;
- toprepare andcirculate periodic reports onthetechnical aspects oftheoperation and
status ofthisAgreement;
- toreview annually thetechnical aspects oftheimplementation andoperation ofParts II
andIII(Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Annex I,para. 1).
4.TheTechnical Committee shallexercise suchother responsibilities astheCommittee may
request ofit(Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Annex I,para. 2).
5.TheTechnical Committee shallattempt toconclude itswork onspecific matters, especially
those referred toitbyMembers ortheCommittee ,inareasonably short period oftime
(Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Annex I,para. 3).
(ix) Committee onImport Licensing
1.TheCommittee shallmeetasnecessary forthepurpose ofaffording Members theopportunity
ofconsulting onanymatters relating totheoperation ofthisAgreement orthefurtherance of
itsobjectives (Agreement onImport Licensing ,Art.4).
2.TheCommittee shallreview asnecessary, butatleastonceevery twoyears, the
implementation andoperation ofthisAgreement, taking intoaccount theobjectives thereof,
andtherights andobligations contained therein (Agreement onImport Licensing ,Art.7:1).
3.TheCommittee shallinform theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during the
period covered bysuchreviews (Agreement onImport Licensing ,Art.7:4).PC/IPL/W/1
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(x) Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
(Allreferences aretoArticles intheAgreement onSubsidies andCountervailing
Measures )
TheCommittee :
1.May setupsubsidiary bodies asappropriate (Art. 24:2).
2.Shall establish aPermanent Group ofExperts ("PGE") andwillelectitsmembers (Art. 24:3).
3.Incarrying outitsfunctions, mayconsult andseekinformation from anysource itdeems
appropriate (Art. 24:5).
General
4Shall carry outresponsibilities assigned toitbytheAgreement orbyitsMembers (Art. 24:1).
5.Shall afford Members theopportunity ofconsulting onanymatter relating totheoperation of
theAgreement orthefurtherance ofitsobjectives (Art. 24:1).
6.Shall review annually theimplementation andoperation oftheAgreement taking intoaccount
theobjectives thereof (Art. 32:7).
7.Shall inform theCouncil forTrade inGoods ofdevelopments during theperiod covered by
theCommittee 'sannual reviews (Art. 32:7).
Notification andSurveillance
8.Shall receive notifications ofsubsidies (Art. 25:2).
9.Shall establish aWorking Party toreview thecontents andtheform ofthequestionnaire
regarding subsidies ascontained inBISD 9S/193-194 (footnote toArt.25.3).
10.Shall examine fullsubsidies notifications every thirdyearinspecial sessions, andtoexamine
updating notifications forintervening years ateachregular meeting (Art. 26:1).
11Shall consider, upon request, thefailure ofaMember tonotify asubsidy ortoprovide
information requested byanother Member regarding asubsidy (Art. 25:9, 25:10).
12Shall receive, within ninety daysofthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement,
notifications regarding subsidies inconsistent withtheAgreement (Art. 28:1).
13.Shall receive advance notifications, aswellasyearly updates andinformation regarding any
modification ofnon-actionable subsidies (Art. 8:3).
14.Shall receive notifications regarding developing country Member subsidies granted within and
directly linked toaprivatization programme (Art. 27:13)
15Shall receive notifications, from Members intheprocess oftransformation from a
centrally-planned intoamarket economy, regarding subsidies within thescope ofArticle 3
(Art. 29:3).
16Shall receive notifications from developing country Members thathaveeliminated theirexport
subsidies prior totheexpiry oftheperiod ofeight years from thedateofentry intoforce of
theWTO Agreement (Art. 27:11).
17.Shall receive notifications from Members regarding preliminary andfinalactions withrespect
tocountervailing duties (Art. 25:11).
18.Shall receive semi-annual reports from Members regarding countervailing duties (Art. 25:11).
19.Shall examine notifications regarding preliminary andfinalcountervailing actions, and
semi-annual reports ofcountervailing actions, ateachregular meeting (Art. 26:2).
20.Shall receive notifications from Members regarding theauthorities competent toinitiate
countervailing dutyinvestigations andtheprocedures governing suchinvestigations
(Art. 25:12).
21.Shall beinformed byMembers ofanychanges intheirlawsandregulations relevant tothe
Agreement andintheadministration thereof (Art. 32:6).
Reviews andDeterminations
22.Shall review, upon request, anynotifications ofnon-actionable subsidies (ormodifications
thereto) andanyfindings oftheSecretariat made pursuant toarequest byaMember fora
review ofsuchnotifications, withaviewtodetermining whether theconditions andcriteria of
Article 8.2havenotbeenmet(Art. 8:4).PC/IPL/W/1
Page17
23.Shall review, upon referral totheCommittee byaMember, whether anon-actionable subsidy
hasresulted inserious adverse effects tothatMember 'sdomestic industry which would be
difficult torepair, torecommend anymodifications totheprogramme soastomodify those
effects, andtoauthorize appropriate countermeasures iftherecommendations arenot
followed (Art. 9:4).
24.Shall seekanadvisory opinion from thePermanent Group ofExperts ontheexistence and
nature ofanysubsidy (Art. 24:3).
25.Shall consult withdeveloping country Members which deem itnecessary toextend prohibited
subsidies beyond theeight-year transition period, todetermine ifsuchanextension isjustified,
andifso,toholdannual consultations withthedeveloping country Member todetermine the
necessity ofmaintaining thesubsidies (Art. 27:4).
26.Shall giveMembers intheprocess oftransformation from acentrally-planned intoamarket
economy departures from theirnotified programmes, measures andtime-frames ifsuch
departures aredeemed necessary fortheprocess oftransformation (Art. 29:4).
27.Shall examine, upon request, whether aspecific export subsidy practice isinconformity with
adeveloping country Member 'sdevelopment needs (Art. 27:14).
28.Shall review, upon request byadeveloping country Member, whether acountervailing duty
applied toadeveloping country Member isconsistent withtheAgreement 'sprovisions
regarding deminimis subsidization andnegligible import volumes (Art. 27:15).
Work onspecific issues
29.Shall review, notlaterthan18months afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement, theoperation oftheprovisions ofArticle 8.2(a) (non-actionable research
subsidies), withaviewtomaking allnecessary modifications toimprove theiroperation
(including areview ofthedefinitions ofthecategories setforth therein) (Art. 8:2(a), note25).
30.Shall review theoperation ofArt.27:6(export competitiveness) fiveyears from thedateof
entry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement (Art. 27:6).
31.Shall review, notlaterthan180daysbefore theendofafiveyearperiod afterthedateof
entry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement, theoperation ofArticles 6:1,8and9,withaview
todetermining whether toextend theirapplication, either aspresently drafted, orinmodified
form, forafurther period (Art. 31).
Other
32.Shall, upon therequest ofaMember, determine whether theconditions ofArticle 8:2(a) have
beenmet(Art. 8:5).
33.Mayreceive notification from developing country Members which haveachieved export
competitiveness inaproduct (Art. 27:6).
- Permanent Group ofExperts
1.TheCommittee [onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures] shallestablish aPermanent Group
ofExperts (PGE) composed offiveindependent persons, highly qualified inthefields of
subsidies andtrade relations. ThePGEmayberequested toassist apanel, asprovided forin
paragraph 5ofArticle 4.TheCommittee mayalsoseekanadvisory opinion ontheexistence
andnature ofanysubsidy (Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures ,Art.24:3).
2.ThePGEmaybeconsulted byanyMember andmaygiveadvisory opinions onthenature of
anysubsidy proposed tobeintroduced orcurrently maintained bythatMember. Such
advisory opinions willbeconfidential andmaynotbeinvoked inproceedings under Article 7
(Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures ,Art.24:4).
3.Upon itsestablishment, thepanel mayrequest theassistance ofthePGEwithregard to
whether themeasure inquestion isaprohibited subsidy. Ifsorequested, thePGEshall
immediately review theevidence withregard totheexistence andnature ofthemeasure in
question andshallprovide anopportunity fortheMember applying ormaintaining the
measure todemonstrate thatthemeasure inquestion isnotaprohibited subsidy. ThePGE
shallreport itsconclusions tothepanel within atime-limit determined bythepanel. ThePC/IPL/W/1
Page18
PGE'sconclusions ontheissue ofwhether ornotthemeasure inquestion isaprohibited
subsidy shallbeaccepted bythepanel without modification (Agreement onSubsidies and
Countervailing Measures ,Art.4:5).
(xi) Committee onSafeguards
(Allreferences aretoArticles intheAgreement onSafeguards )
TheCommittee willhavethefollowing functions:
1.tomonitor, andreport annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Art. 13:1(a)) on,the
general implementation oftheAgreement andmake recommendations towards its
improvement. TheCommittee willbaseitsreport on,interalia,afactual report prepared
annually bytheSecretariat ontheoperation oftheAgreement based onnotifications and
other reliable information available toit(Art. 13:2)
2.toassist Members, iftheysorequest, intheirconsultations under theprovisions ofthe
Agreement (Art. 13:1(c))
3.toperform anyfunction connected withtheAgreement thattheCouncil forTrade inGoods
maydetermine (Art. 13:1(g))
Notifications andSurveillance
4.toreceive andreview allnotifications provided forintheAgreement andreport asappropriate
totheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Art. 13:1(f))
5.Specific aspects oftheCommittee 'stasks regarding notifications under theAgreement include:
(i) Tonormally receive allnotifications under theAgreement totheCouncil forTrade in
Goods (Art. 12:10)
(ii) Toreceive thenotifications byMembers when theyinitiate aninvestigation relating to
serious injury orthreat thereof, make afinding ofserious injury orthreat thereof
caused byincreased imports, ortakeadecision toapply orextend asafeguard measure
-including adecision totakeaprovisional measure -(Details oftheinformation tobe
provided inthese notifications areinArticles 11.1and11.2) (Art. 12:1and12:4)
(iii) Toreceive, notlaterthan60daysaftertheentry intoforce, notifications byMembers
oftheirpre-existing Article XIXmeasures andofthemeasures prohibited under
Article 11(Art. 12:7)
(iv) Toreceive, within 180daysoftheentry intoforce, timetables forphasing outthe
measures prohibited under Article 11orforbringing them intoconformity withthe
Agreement (Art. 11:2)
(v) Toreceive, within 90daysoftheentry intoforce, notifications oftheexception
mentioned inArticle 11.2(Art. 11:2)
(vi) Toreceive notifications ofspecial anddifferential safeguard actions taken regarding
exports from developing country Members (Art. 9:1,footnote 2)
(vii) Toreceive notifications oflaws, regulations andadministrative procedures relating to
safeguard measures aswellasmodifications made tothem (Art. 12:6)
(viii) Toreceive notifications andreport totheCouncil forTrade inGoods oftheresults of
theconsultations referred toinArticle 12,ofmid-term reviews referred toin
Article 7.4,anyform ofcompensation referred toinArticle 8.1,andproposed
suspensions ofconcessions andother obligations referred toinArticle 8.2(Art. 8:2and
12:5)
(ix) Toreceive notifications thatMembers maymake ofalllaws,regulations, administrative
procedures andanymeasures taken oractions dealtwithintheAgreement thathavenot
beennotified bytheMembers thatarerequired bytheAgreement tomake such
notifications (Art. 12:8)
(x) Toreceive notifications thatMembers maymake ofanynon-governmental measures
referred toinArt.11:3(Art. 12:9)
6.TheCouncil forTrade inGoods ortheCommittee onSafeguards mayrequest suchadditional
information astheymayconsider necessary from theMember proposing toapply orextend
themeasure (Art. 12:2)PC/IPL/W/1
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7.Toexamine thepre-existing Article XIXmeasures andthemeasures prohibited under
Article 11,monitor thephase-out ofthese measures andreport asappropriate totheCouncil
forTrade inGoods (Art. 13:1(d))
8.Toprovide theauspices forconsultations onproposed discriminatory allocation ofimport
quotas under Article 5.2(b) andprovide apossibility todemonstrate thattherequisite
conditions forsuchallocation aremet(Art. 5:2(b))
Review anddetermination
9.Tofind,upon request ofanaffected Member, whether ornottheprocedural requirements of
theAgreement havebeencomplied withinconnection withasafeguard measure andreport its
findings totheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Art. 13:1(b))
10.Toreview, attherequest oftheMember taking asafeguard measure, whether proposals to
suspend concessions orother obligations are"substantially equivalent", andreport as
appropriate totheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Art. 13:1(e))
11.Toreview andaccept theexception mentioned inArt.11:2(Art. 11:2)
(xii)Working Group onNotification Obligations andProcedures
Theterms ofreference oftheworking group willbe:
1.Toundertake athorough review ofallexisting notification obligations ofMembers established
under theAgreements inAnnex 1AoftheWTO Agreement ,withaviewtosimplifying,
standardizing andconsolidating these obligations tothegreatest extent practicable, aswellas
toimproving compliance withthese obligations, bearing inmind theoverall objective of
improving thetransparency ofthetrade policies ofMembers andtheeffectiveness of
surveillance arrangements established tothisend,andalsobearing inmind thepossible need
ofsome developing country Members forassistance inmeeting theirnotification obligations.
2.Tomake recommendations totheCouncil forTrade inGoods notlaterthantwoyears after
theentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement (Decision onNotification Procedures ,para. III).
(xiii) Working Party onState Trading Notifications andCounter-Notifications8
1.AWorking Party shallbesetup,onbehalf oftheCouncil forTrade inGoods toreview
notifications andcounter-notifications (Understanding onInterpretation ofArticle XVII,
para.5).
2.TheWorking Party shallalsoreview, inthelightofthenotifications received, theadequacy of
thequestionnaire onstatetrading andthecoverage ofstatetrading enterprises notified under
paragraph 1.Itshallalsodevelop anillustrative listshowing thekinds ofrelationships
between governments andenterprises, andthekinds ofactivities engaged inbythese
enterprises, which mayberelevant forthepurposes ofArticle XVII. [Theworking party]
shallreport annually totheCouncil forTrade inGoods (Understanding onInterpretation of
Article XVII,para. 5).
(xiv)Working Party onNotifications under Article XXIV:7(a)
Allnotifications made under paragraph 7(a)ofArticle XXIV shallbeexamined byaWorking
Party inthelightoftherelevant provisions ofGATT 1994 andofparagraph 1ofthis
Understanding. TheWorking Party shallsubmit areport totheCouncil forTrade inGoods
onitsfindings inthisregard (Understanding onInterpretation ofArticle XXIV, para. 7).
8Afootnote tothetextreads: "The activities ofthisworking party shallbecoordinated withthose oftheworking group
provided forinSection IIIoftheMinisterial Decision onNotification Procedures adopted on15April 1994".PC/IPL/W/1
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(i)Council forTrade inServices
1.TheCouncil forTrade inServices shalloversee thefunctioning oftheGATS andshallcarry
outthefunctions assigned toitbytheGATS andbytheGeneral Council (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IV:5).
2.TheCouncil forTrade inServices shallcarry outsuchfunctions asmaybeassigned toitto
facilitate theoperation ofthisAgreement andfurther itsobjectives. TheCouncil may
establish suchsubsidiary bodies asitconsiders appropriate fortheeffective discharge ofits
functions (GATS ,Art.XXIV:1). These subsidiary bodies shallestablish theirrespective rules
ofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheCouncil (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:6).
3.TheCouncil forTrade inServices ortheDispute Settlement Body (DSB) may, attherequest
ofaMember, consult withanyMember orMembers inrespect ofanymatter forwhich ithas
notbeenpossible tofindasatisfactory solution through consultation under paragraph 1(GATS
Art.XXII:2).
4.TheCouncil forTrade inServices shallreview allexemptions [from obligations under
Article II:1]granted foraperiod ofmore than5years. Thefirstsuchreview shalltakeplace
nomore than5years aftertheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement (GATS ,Annex on
Article IIExemptions).
5.TheCouncil forTrade inServices shallreview periodically, andatleastevery fiveyears,
developments intheairtransport sector andtheoperation ofthisAnnex withaviewto
considering thepossible further application oftheAgreement inthissector (GATS ,Annex on
AirTransport Services).
6.Inthecaseofaninterpretation oftheGATS theMinisterial Conference andtheGeneral
Council shallexercise theirauthority onthebasis ofarecommendation bytheCouncil for
Trade inServices (WTO Agreement ,Art.IX:2).
7.Arequest forawaiver concerning theGATS shallbesubmitted initially totheCouncil for
Trade inServices forconsideration during atime-period which shallnotexceed 90days. At
theendofthetime-period theCouncil shallsubmit areport totheMinisterial Conference
(WTO Agreement ,Art.IX:3(b)).
8.TheCouncil mayalsosubmit totheMinisterial Conference proposals toamend theprovisions
oftheGATS (WTO Agreement ,Art.X:1).
(i) Sectoral Committees onServices
Anysectoral committee shallcarry outresponsibilities asassigned toitbytheCouncil [for
Trade inServices], andshallafford Members theopportunity toconsult onanymatters
relating totrade inservices inthesector concerned andtheoperation ofthesectoral annex to
which itmaypertain. Such responsibilities shallinclude:
- tokeepunder continuous review andsurveillance theapplication oftheAgreement with
respect tothesector concerned;
- toformulate proposals orrecommendations forconsideration bytheCouncil in
connection withanymatter relating totrade inthesector concerned;
- ifthere isanannex pertaining tothesector, toconsider proposals foramendment of
thatsectoral annex, andtomake appropriate recommendations totheCouncil ;
- toprovide aforum fortechnical discussions, toconduct studies onmeasures of
Members andtoconduct examinations ofanyother technical matters affecting trade in
services inthesector concerned;
- toprovide technical assistance todeveloping country Members anddeveloping countries
negotiating accession totheWTO Agreement inrespect oftheapplication ofobligations
orother matters affecting trade inservices inthesector concerned; and
- tocooperate withanyother subsidiary bodies established under theGATS orany
international organizations active inanysector concerned (Decision onInstitutional
Arrangements fortheGATS ,para. 2).PC/IPL/W/1
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(ii) Negotiating Group onMovement ofNatural Persons
TheNegotiating Group shallcarry outthenegotiations. Thegroup shallreport periodically to
theCouncil forTrade inServices (Decision onNegotiations onMovement ofNatural Persons ).
(iii) Committee onTrade inFinancial Services
1.TheCommittee willhavetheresponsibilities listed inparagraph 2(Decision onInstitutional
Arrangements forGATS ,para. 3).
2.TheCommittee shallmonitor theprogress ofanynegotiations undertaken under theterms of
thisDecision andshallreport thereon totheCouncil forTrade inServices nolaterthanfour
months afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement (Decision onFinancial
Services ,para. 2).
(iv) Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
1.TheNegotiating Group shallcarry outthismandate [onnegotiations onmaritime transport
services]. TheNegotiating Group shallreport periodically ontheprogress ofthese
negotiations (Decision onNegotiations onMaritime Transport Services ,para. 2).
2.Theimplementation ofparagraph 7[onstandstill provisions] shallbesubject tosurveillance in
theNegotiating Group (Decision onNegotiations onMaritime Transport Services ,para. 8).
(v) Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
TheCommittee shallcarry outthismandate [onnegotiations onbasic telecommunications].
TheCommittee shallreport periodically ontheprogress ofthese negotiations (Decision on
Negotiations onBasic Telecommunications) .
(vi) Working Party onProfessional Services
1.TheWorking Party shallexamine andreport, withrecommendations, onthedisciplines
necessary toensure thatmeasures relating toqualification requirements andprocedures,
technical standards andlicensing requirements inthefieldofprofessional services donot
constitute unnecessary barriers totrade (Decision onProfessional Services ,para. 1);
2.Asamatter ofpriority, theWorking Party shallmake recommendations fortheelaboration of
multilateral disciplines intheaccountancy sector, soastogiveoperational effect tospecific
commitments. Inmaking these recommendations, theWorking Party shallconcentrate on:
- developing multilateral disciplines relating tomarket access soastoensure that
domestic regulatory requirements are:(i)based onobjective andtransparent criteria,
suchascompetence andtheability tosupply theservice; (ii)notmore burdensome
thannecessary toensure thequality oftheservice, thereby facilitating theeffective
liberalization ofaccountancy services;
- theuseofinternational standards and,indoing so,itshallencourage thecooperation
withtherelevant international organizations asdefined under paragraph 5(b)of
Article VI[ofGATS ],soastogivefulleffect toparagraph 5ofArticle VII[ofGATS ];
- facilitating theeffective application ofparagraph 6ofArticle VIoftheAgreement
[GATS ]byestablishing guidelines fortherecognition ofqualifications (Decision on
Professional Services ,para. 2).
(j)Council forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights
1. TheCouncil forTRIPS shalloversee thefunctioning oftheAgreement onTRIPS andshall
carry outthefunctions assigned toitbytheAgreement onTRIPS andbytheGeneralPC/IPL/W/1
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Council (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
2. TheCouncil forTRIPS shallestablish subsidiary bodies asrequired which shallestablish
theirrespective rules ofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheCouncil (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IV:6).
3. TheCouncil mayalsosubmit totheMinisterial Conference proposals toamend the
provisions oftheAgreement onTRIPS (WTO Agreement ,Art.X:1).
General Functions
4. Inthecaseofaninterpretation oftheAgreement onTRIPS theMinisterial Conference and
theGeneral Council shallexercise theirauthority onthebasis ofarecommendation bythe
Council forTRIPS (WTO Agreement ,Art.IX:2).
5. Arequest forawaiver concerning theAgreement onTRIPS shallbesubmitted initially to
theCouncil forTRIPS forconsideration during atime-period which shallnotexceed
90days. Attheendofthetime-period theCouncil shallsubmit areport totheMinisterial
Conference (WTO Agreement ,Art.IX:3(b)).
6. TheCouncil forTRIPS shallmonitor theoperation ofthisAgreement and,inparticular,
Members 'compliance withtheirobligations hereunder, andshallafford Members the
opportunity ofconsulting onmatters relating tothetrade-related aspects ofintellectual
property rights (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.68).
7. TheCouncil forTRIPS shallcarry outsuchother responsibilities asassigned toitbythe
Members, anditshall, inparticular, provide anyassistance requested bythem inthecontext
ofdispute settlement procedures (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.68).
8. Incarrying outitsfunctions, theCouncil mayconsult withandseekinformation from any
source itdeems appropriate. Inconsultation withWIPO, theCouncil shallseektoestablish,
within oneyearofitsfirstmeeting, appropriate arrangements forcooperation withbodies of
thatOrganization (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.68).
Review andamendment
9. TheCouncil mayalsoundertake reviews inthelightofanyrelevant newdevelopments
which might warrant modification oramendment ofthisAgreement (Agreement onTRIPS ,
Art.71:1).
10. TheCouncil shallreview theimplementation ofthisAgreement aftertheexpiration ofthe
transitional period referred toinparagraph 2ofArticle 65.TheCouncil shall, having
regard totheexperience gained initsimplementation, review ittwoyears afterthatdate,
andatidentical intervals thereafter (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.71:1).
11. Amendments merely serving thepurpose ofadjusting tohigher levels ofprotection of
intellectual property rights achieved, andinforce, inother multilateral agreements and
accepted under those agreements byallMembers oftheWTO maybereferred tothe
Ministerial Conference foraction inaccordance withparagraph 6ofArticle XoftheWTO
Agreement onthebasis ofaconsensus proposal from theCouncil (Agreement onTRIPS ,
Art.71:2).
Notification
12. Members shallnotify thelawsandregulations referred toinparagraph 1totheCouncil for
TRIPS inorder toassist thatCouncil initsreview oftheoperation ofthisAgreement. The
Council shallattempt tominimize theburden onMembers incarrying outthisobligation
andmaydecide towaive theobligation tonotify suchlawsandregulations directly tothe
Council ifconsultations withWIPO ontheestablishment ofacommon register containing
these lawsandregulations aresuccessful. TheCouncil shallalsoconsider inthisconnection
anyaction required regarding notifications pursuant totheobligations under thisAgreement
stemming from theprovisions ofArticle 6teroftheParis Convention (1967) (Agreement on
TRIPS ,Art.63:2).
13. AnyMember availing itself ofthepossibilities provided inparagraph 3ofArticle 5or
paragraph 2ofArticle 6oftheRome Convention shallmake anotification asforeseen in
those provisions totheCouncil forTRIPS (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.1:3).
14. AnyMember availing itself ofthepossibilities provided inArticle 6oftheBerne
Convention (1971) orparagraph 1(b)ofArticle 16oftheRome Convention shallmake aPC/IPL/W/1
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notification asforeseen inthose provisions totheCouncil forTRIPS (Agreement onTRIPS ,
Art.3:1).
15. Exempted from thisobligation areanyadvantage, favour, privilege orimmunity accorded
byaMember: ...(d)deriving from international agreements related totheprotection of
intellectual property which entered intoforce prior totheentry intoforce oftheWTO
Agreement, provided thatsuchagreements arenotified totheCouncil forTRIPS anddonot
constitute anarbitrary orunjustifiable discrimination against nationals ofother Members
(Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.4:(d)).
Transitional Arrangements
16. Inviewofthespecial needs andrequirements ofleast-developed country Members, their
economic, financial andadministrative constraints, andtheirneedforflexibility tocreate a
viable technological base, suchMembers shallnotberequired toapply theprovisions ofthis
Agreement, other thanArticles 3,4and5,foraperiod of10years from thedateof
application asdefined under paragraph 1ofArticle 65.TheCouncil forTRIPS shall, upon
dulymotivated request byaleast-developed country Member, accord extensions ofthis
period (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.66:1).
Geographical Indications
17. TheCouncil forTRIPS shallkeepunder review theapplication oftheprovisions ofthis
Section [Geographical Indications]; thefirstsuchreview shalltakeplace within twoyears
oftheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement. Anymatter affecting thecompliance with
theobligations under these provisions maybedrawn totheattention oftheCouncil ,which,
attherequest ofaMember, shallconsult withanyMember orMembers inrespect ofsuch
matter inrespect ofwhich ithasnotbeenpossible tofindasatisfactory solution through
bilateral orplurilateral consultations between theMembers concerned. TheCouncil shall
takesuchaction asmaybeagreed tofacilitate theoperation andfurther theobjectives of
thisSection (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.24:2).
Further work onspecific points
18. Inorder tofacilitate theprotection ofgeographical indications forwines, negotiations shall
beundertaken intheCouncil forTRIPS concerning theestablishment ofamultilateral
system ofnotification andregistration ofgeographical indications forwines eligible for
protection inthose Members participating inthesystem (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.23:4).
19. Members mayalsoexclude from patentability: ...(b)plants andanimals other thanmicro-
organisms, andessentially biological processes fortheproduction ofplants oranimals other
thannon-biological andmicrobiological processes. However, Members shallprovide for
theprotection ofplant varieties either bypatents orbyaneffective suigeneris system orby
anycombination thereof. Theprovisions ofthissubparagraph shallbereviewed fouryears
afterthedateofentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement (Agreement onTRIPS ,Art.27:3).
20. During thetimeperiod referred toinparagraph 2,theCouncil forTRIPS shallexamine the
scope andmodalities forcomplaints ofthetypeprovided forunder subparagraphs 1(b)and
1(c)ofArticle XXIII ofGATT 1994 made pursuant tothisAgreement, andsubmit its
recommendations totheMinisterial Conference forapproval. Anydecision ofthe
Ministerial Conference toapprove suchrecommendations ortoextend theperiod in
paragraph 2shallbemade onlybyconsensus, andapproved recommendations shallbe
effective forallMembers without further formal acceptance process (Agreement onTRIPS ,
Art.64:3).
II.Provisions Relevant toRules ofProcedure
Article IXoftheWTO Agreement -Decision-Making isreproduced hereonitsownbecause
ofitsgeneral application.PC/IPL/W/1
Page24
TheWTO shallcontinue thepractice ofdecision-making byconsensus followed under
GATT 1947.9Except asotherwise provided, where adecision cannot bearrived atby
consensus, thematter atissue shallbedecided byvoting. Atmeetings oftheMinisterial
Conference andtheGeneral Council, eachMember oftheWTO shallhaveonevote.
Where theEuropean Communities exercise theirrighttovote, theyshallhaveanumber of
votes equal tothenumber oftheirmember States10which areMembers oftheWTO.
Decisions oftheMinisterial Conference andtheGeneral Council shallbetaken bya
majority ofthevotes cast,unless otherwise provided inthisAgreement orintherelevant
Multilateral Trade Agreement.11
(a) Ministerial Conference
TheMinisterial Conference shallmeetatleastonceevery twoyears (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IV:1).
(b) General Council
TheGeneral Council shallestablish itsrules ofprocedure (WTO Agreement ,Art.XVI:1).
(c) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)
TheDSBshallestablish suchrules ofprocedure asitdeems necessary forthefulfilment of
itsresponsibilities (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:3).
Time-frame forDSBDecisions
Unless otherwise agreed tobytheparties tothedispute, theperiod from thedateof
establishment ofthepanel bytheDSBuntilthedatetheDSBconsiders thepanel or
appellate report foradoption shallasageneral rulenotexceed ninemonths where thepanel
report isnotappealed or12months where thereport isappealed. Where either thepanel or
theAppellate Body hasacted, pursuant toparagraph 9ofArticle 12orparagraph 5of
Article 17,toextend thetimeforproviding itsreport, theadditional timetaken shallbe
added totheabove periods (Art. 20)
(i) Panels
Confidentiality
1. Panel deliberations shallbeconfidential (Art. 14.1)
2. Thereports ofpanels shallbedrafted without thepresence oftheparties tothedispute inthe
lightoftheinformation provided andthestatements made (Art. 14.2)
3. Opinions expressed inthepanel report byindividual panellists shallbeanonymous (Art. 14.3)
Interim Review Stage
4. Following theconsideration ofrebuttal submissions andoralarguments, thepanel shallissue
thedescriptive (factual andargument) sections ofitsdraftreport totheparties tothedispute.
Within aperiod oftimesetbythepanel, theparties shallsubmit theircomments inwriting (Art.
15.1)
5. Following theexpiration ofthesetperiod oftimeforreceipt ofcomments from theparties to
thedispute, thepanel shallissueaninterim report totheparties, including boththedescriptive
9Afootnote tothetextreads: "The body concerned shallbedeemed tohavedecided byconsensus onamatter submitted
foritsconsideration, ifnoMember, present atthemeeting when thedecision istaken, formally objects totheproposed
decision".
10Afootnote tothetextreads: "The number ofvotes oftheEuropean Communities andtheirmember States shallin
nocaseexceed thenumber ofthemember States oftheEuropean Communities".
11Afootnote tothetextreads: "Decisions bytheGeneral Council when convened astheDispute Settlement Body shall
betaken onlyinaccordance withtheprovisions ofparagraph 4ofArticle 2oftheDispute Settlement Understanding".PC/IPL/W/1
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sections andthepanel'sfindings andconclusions. Within aperiod oftimesetbythepanel,
aparty maysubmit awritten request forthepanel toreview precise aspects oftheinterim report
priortocirculation ofthefinalreport totheMembers. Attherequest ofaparty, thepanel shall
holdafurther meeting withtheparties ontheissues identified inthewritten comments. Ifno
comments arereceived from anyparty within thecomment period, theinterim report shallbe
considered thefinalpanel report andcirculated promptly totheMembers (Art. 15.2)
6. Thefindings ofthefinalpanel report shallinclude adiscussion ofthearguments made atthe
interim review stage. Theinterim review stage shallbeconducted within thetime-period set
outinparagraph 8ofArticle 12(Art. 15.3)
Adoption ofPanel Reports
7. Inorder toprovide sufficient timefortheMembers toconsider panel reports, thereports shall
notbeconsidered foradoption bytheDSBuntil20daysafterthedatetheyhavebeencirculated
totheMembers (Art. 16.1)
8. Members having objections toapanel report shallgivewritten reasons toexplain theirobjections
forcirculation atleast10daysprior totheDSB meeting atwhich thepanel report willbe
considered (Art. 16.3)
9. Theparties toadispute shallhavetherighttoparticipate fullyintheconsideration ofthepanel
report bytheDSB, andtheirviews shallbefullyrecorded (Art. 16.3)
10. Within 60daysafterthedateofcirculation ofapanel report totheMembers, thereport shall
beadopted ataDSBmeeting12unless aparty tothedispute formally notifies theDSBofits
decision toappeal ortheDSBdecides byconsensus nottoadopt thereport. Ifapartyhasnotified
itsdecision toappeal, thereport bythepanel shallnotbeconsidered foradoption bytheDSB
untilaftercompletion oftheappeal. Thisadoption procedure iswithout prejudice totheright
ofMembers toexpress theirviews onapanel report (Art. 16.4)
Panel Procedures (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,Art.12)
11. Panels shallfollow theWorking Procedures inAppendix 3unless thepanel decides otherwise
afterconsulting theparties tothedispute (Para. 1)
12. Panel procedures should provide sufficient flexibility soastoensure high-quality panel reports,
while notunduly delaying thepanel process (Para. 2)
13. After consulting theparties tothedispute, thepanellists shall, assoonaspracticable andwhenever
possible within oneweek afterthecomposition andterms ofreference ofthepanel havebeen
agreed upon, fixthetimetable forthepanel process, taking intoaccount theprovisions of
paragraph 9ofArticle 4,ifrelevant (Para. 3)
14. Indetermining thetimetable forthepanel process, thepanel shallprovide sufficient timefor
theparties tothedispute toprepare theirsubmissions (Para. 4)
15. Panels should setprecise deadlines forwritten submissions bytheparties andtheparties should
respect those deadlines (Para. 5)
16. Eachparty tothedispute shalldeposit itswritten submissions withtheSecretariat forimmediate
transmission tothepanel andtotheother party orparties tothedispute. Thecomplaining party
shallsubmit itsfirstsubmission inadvance oftheresponding party'sfirstsubmission unless
thepanel decides, infixing thetimetable referred toinparagraph 3andafterconsultations with
theparties tothedispute, thattheparties should submit theirfirstsubmissions simultaneously.
When there aresequential arrangements forthedeposit offirstsubmissions, thepanel shall
establish afirmtime-period forreceipt oftheresponding party'ssubmission. Anysubsequent
written submissions shallbesubmitted simultaneously (Para. 6)
17. Where theparties tothedispute havefailed todevelop amutually satisfactory solution, thepanel
shallsubmit itsfindings intheform ofawritten report totheDSB. Insuchcases, thereport
ofapanel shallsetoutthefindings offact,theapplicability ofrelevant provisions andthebasic
rationale behind anyfindings andrecommendations thatitmakes. Where asettlement ofthe
12Afootnote tothetextreads: "Ifameeting oftheDSB isnotscheduled within thisperiod atatimethatenables the
requirements ofparagraphs 1and4ofArticle 16tobemet,ameeting oftheDSB shall beheldforthispurpose".PC/IPL/W/1
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matter among theparties tothedispute hasbeenfound, thereport ofthepanel shallbeconfined
toabriefdescription ofthecaseandtoreporting thatasolution hasbeenreached (Para. 7)
18. Inorder tomake theprocedures more efficient, theperiod inwhich thepanel shallconduct its
examination, fromthedatethatthecomposition andterms ofreference ofthepanel havebeen
agreed uponuntilthedatethefinalreport isissued totheparties tothedispute, shall, asageneral
rule,notexceed sixmonths. Incases ofurgency, including those relating toperishable goods,
thepanel shallaimtoissueitsreport totheparties tothedispute within three months (Para. 8)
19 When thepanel considers thatitcannot issueitsreport within sixmonths, orwithin threemonths
incases ofurgency, itshallinform theDSBinwriting ofthereasons forthedelay together
withanestimate oftheperiod within which itwillissueitsreport. Innocaseshould theperiod
fromtheestablishment ofthepanel tothecirculation ofthereport totheMembers exceed nine
months (Para. 9)
20. Inthecontext ofconsultations involving ameasure taken byadeveloping country Member,
theparties mayagree toextend theperiods established inparagraphs 7and8ofArticle 4.If,
aftertherelevant period haselapsed, theconsulting parties cannot agree thattheconsultations
haveconcluded,theChairmanoftheDSBshalldecide,afterconsultationwiththeparties,whether
toextend therelevant period and,ifso,forhowlong. Inaddition, inexamining acomplaint
against adeveloping country Member, thepanel shallaccord sufficient timeforthedeveloping
country Member toprepare andpresent itsargumentation. Theprovisions ofparagraph 1of
Article 20andparagraph 4ofArticle 21arenotaffected byanyaction pursuant tothisparagraph
(Para. 10)
21. Where oneormore oftheparties isadeveloping country Member, thepanel'sreport shall
explicitly indicate theforminwhich account hasbeentaken ofrelevant provisions ondifferential
andmore-favourable treatment fordeveloping country Members thatformpartofthecovered
agreements which havebeenraised bythedeveloping country Member inthecourse ofthedispute
settlement procedures (Para. 11)
22. Thepanel maysuspend itswork atanytimeattherequest ofthecomplaining party foraperiod
nottoexceed 12months. Intheevent ofsuchasuspension, thetime-frames setoutinparagraphs
8and9ofthisArticle, paragraph 1ofArticle 20,andparagraph 4ofArticle 21shallbeextended
bytheamount oftimethatthework wassuspended. Ifthework ofthepanel hasbeensuspended
formore than12months, theauthority forestablishment ofthepanel shalllapse (Para. 12)
Procedures forMultiple Complainants
23. Where more thanoneMember requests theestablishment ofapanel related tothesame matter,
asingle panel maybeestablished toexamine these complaints taking intoaccount therights
ofallMembers concerned. Asingle panel should beestablished toexamine suchcomplaints
whenever feasible (Art. 9.1)
24. Thesingle panel shallorganize itsexamination andpresent itsfindings totheDSBinsucha
manner thattherights which theparties tothedispute would haveenjoyed hadseparate panels
examined thecomplaints areinnowayimpaired. Ifoneoftheparties tothedispute sorequests,
thepanel shallsubmit separate reports onthedispute concerned. Thewritten submissions by
eachofthecomplainants shallbemade available totheother complainants, andeachcomplainant
shallhavetheright tobepresent when anyoneoftheother complainants presents itsviews
tothepanel (Art. 9.2)
25. Ifmore thanonepanel isestablished toexamine thecomplaints related tothesame matter, to
thegreatest extent possible thesame persons shallserve aspanellists oneachoftheseparate
panels andthetimetable forthepanel process insuchdisputes shallbeharmonized (Art. 9.3)
Third Parties
26. Theinterests oftheparties toadispute andthose ofother Members under acovered agreement
atissue inthedispute shallbefullytaken intoaccount during thepanel process (Art. 10.1)
27. AnyMember having asubstantial interest inamatter before apanel andhaving notified itsinterest
totheDSB(referred tointhisUnderstanding asa"third party") shallhaveanopportunity to
beheard bythepanel andtomake written submissions tothepanel. These submissions shall
alsobegiven totheparties tothedispute andshallbereflected inthepanel report (Art. 10.2)PC/IPL/W/1
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28. Third parties shallreceive thesubmissions oftheparties tothedispute tothefirstmeeting of
thepanel (Art. 10.3)
29. Ifathirdparty considers thatameasure already thesubject ofapanel proceeding nullifies or
impairs benefits accruing toitunder anycovered agreement, thatMember mayhaverecourse
tonormaldisputesettlementproceduresunderthisUnderstanding.Suchadisputeshallbereferred
totheoriginal panel wherever possible (Art. 10.4)
Special Procedures Involving Least-Developed Country Members
30. Atallstages ofthedetermination ofthecauses ofadispute andofdispute settlement procedures
involving aleast-developed country Member, particular consideration shallbegiven tothespecial
situationofleast-developedcountryMembers.Inthisregard,Membersshallexerciseduerestraint
inraising matters under these procedures involving aleast-developed country Member. If
nullification orimpairment isfound toresult fromameasure taken byaleast-developed country
Member, complaining parties shallexercise duerestraint inasking forcompensation orseeking
authorization tosuspend theapplication ofconcessions orother obligations pursuant tothese
procedures (Art.24.1)
31. Indispute settlement cases involving aleast-developed country Member, where asatisfactory
solution hasnotbeenfound inthecourse ofconsultations theDirector-General ortheChairman
oftheDSBshall, upon request byaleast-developed country Member offertheirgood offices,
conciliation andmediation withaviewtoassisting theparties tosettlethedispute, before arequest
forapanel ismade. TheDirector-General ortheChairman oftheDSB, inproviding theabove
assistance, mayconsult anysource which either deems appropriate (Art. 24.2)
Working Procedures forPanels (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,Appendix 3)
32. InitsproceedingsthepanelshallfollowtherelevantprovisionsofthisUnderstanding.Inaddition,
thefollowing working procedures shallapply (Para. 1)
33. Thepanel shallmeetinclosed session. Theparties tothedispute, andinterested parties, shall
bepresent atthemeetings onlywhen invited bythepanel toappear before it(Para. 2)
34. Thedeliberations ofthepanel andthedocuments submitted toitshallbekeptconfidential.
Nothing inthisUnderstanding shallpreclude aparty toadispute from disclosing statements
ofitsownpositions tothepublic. Members shalltreatasconfidential information submitted
byanother Member tothepanel which thatMember hasdesignated asconfidential. Where a
party toadispute submits aconfidential version ofitswritten submissions tothepanel, itshall
also,uponrequestofaMember,provideanon-confidentialsummaryoftheinformationcontained
initssubmissions thatcould bedisclosed tothepublic (Para. 3)
35. Before thefirstsubstantive meeting ofthepanel withtheparties, theparties tothedispute shall
transmit tothepanel written submissions inwhich theypresent thefactsofthecaseandtheir
arguments (Para. 4)
36. Atitsfirstsubstantive meeting withtheparties, thepanel shallasktheparty which hasbrought
thecomplaint topresent itscase. Subsequently, andstillatthesamemeeting, theparty against
which thecomplaint hasbeenbrought shallbeasked topresent itspoint ofview(Para. 5)
37. Allthirdparties which havenotified theirinterest inthedispute totheDSBshallbeinvited in
writing topresent theirviews during asession ofthefirstsubstantive meeting ofthepanel set
aside forthatpurpose. Allsuchthirdparties maybepresent during theentirety ofthissession
(Para. 6)
38. Formal rebuttals shall bemade atasecond substantive meeting ofthepanel. Theparty
complained against shallhavetherighttotakethefloorfirsttobefollowed bythecomplaining
party. Theparties shallsubmit, prior tothatmeeting, written rebuttals tothepanel (Para. 7)
39. Thepanel mayatanytimeputquestions totheparties andaskthem forexplanations either in
thecourse ofameeting withtheparties orinwriting (Para. 8)
40. Theparties tothedispute andanythirdparty invited topresent itsviews inaccordance with
Article 10shallmake available tothepanel awritten version oftheiroralstatements (Para. 9)
41. Intheinterest offulltransparency, thepresentations, rebuttals andstatements referred toin
paragraphs 5to9shallbemade inthepresence oftheparties. Moreover, eachparty'swrittenPC/IPL/W/1
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submissions, including anycomments onthedescriptive partofthereport andresponses to
questions putbythepanel, shallbemade available totheother party orparties (Para. 10)
42. Anyadditional procedures specific tothepanel (Para. 11)
43. Proposed timetable forpanel work (Para. 12)
Theabove calendar [notreproduced] maybechanged inthelightofunforeseen developments.
Additional meetings withtheparties shallbescheduled ifrequired.
(ii) Expert Review Groups (Understanding onDispute Settlement ,Appendix 4)
1. Thefollowing rulesandprocedures shallapply toexpert review groups established inaccordance
withtheprovisions ofparagraph 2ofArticle 13.
2. Expert review groups areunder thepanel'sauthority. Their terms ofreference anddetailed
working procedures shallbedecided bythepanel, andtheyshallreport tothepanel (Para. 1)
3. Participation inexpert review groups shallberestricted topersons ofprofessional standing and
experience inthefieldinquestion (Para. 2)
4. Expert review groups mayconsult andseekinformation andtechnical advice fromanysource
theydeem appropriate. Before anexpert review group seeks suchinformation oradvice from
asource within thejurisdiction ofaMember, itshallinform thegovernment ofthatMember.
AnyMember shallrespond promptly andfullytoanyrequest byanexpert review group for
suchinformation astheexpert review group considers necessary andappropriate (Para. 4)
5. Theparties toadispute shallhaveaccess toallrelevant information provided toanexpert review
group, unless itisofaconfidential nature. Confidential information provided totheexpert review
group shallnotbereleased without formal authorization fromthegovernment, organization or
person providing theinformation. Where suchinformation isrequested fromtheexpert review
group butrelease ofsuchinformation bytheexpert review group isnotauthorized, anon-
confidential summary oftheinformation willbeprovided bythegovernment, organization or
person supplying theinformation (Para. 5)
6. Theexpert review group shallsubmit adraftreport totheparties tothedispute withaview
toobtaining theircomments, andtaking them intoaccount, asappropriate, inthefinalreport,
which shallalsobeissued totheparties tothedispute when itissubmitted tothepanel. The
finalreport oftheexpert review group shallbeadvisory only(Para. 6)
(iii) Standing Appellate Body
Procedures forAppellate Review
1. Working procedures shallbedrawn upbytheAppellate Body inconsultation withtheChairman
oftheDSBandtheDirector-General, andcommunicated totheMembers fortheirinformation
(Art. 17.9)
2. Theproceedings oftheAppellate Body shallbeconfidential. Thereports oftheAppellate Body
shallbedrafted without thepresence oftheparties tothedispute andinthelightoftheinformation
provided andthestatements made (Art. 17.10)
3. Opinions expressed intheAppellate Body report byindividuals serving ontheAppellate Body
shallbeanonymous (Art. 17.11)
4. TheAppellate Body shalladdress eachoftheissues raised inaccordance withparagraph 6during
theappellate proceeding (Art. 17.12)
5. TheAppellate Body mayuphold, modify orreverse thelegalfindings andconclusions ofthe
panel (Art. 17.13)
Adoption ofAppellate Body Reports
6. AnAppellate Body report shallbeadopted bytheDSBandunconditionally accepted bytheparties
tothedispute unless theDSBdecides byconsensus nottoadopt theAppellate Body report withinPC/IPL/W/1
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30daysfollowing itscirculation totheMembers.13Thisadoption procedure iswithout prejudice
totherightofMembers toexpress theirviews onanAppellate Body report (Art. 17.14)
7. Asageneral rule,theproceedings shallnotexceed 60daysfromthedateaparty tothedispute
formally notifies itsdecision toappeal tothedatetheAppellate Body circulates itsreport. In
fixing itstimetable theAppellate Body shalltakeintoaccount theprovisions ofparagraph 9
ofArticle 4,ifrelevant. When theAppellate Body considers thatitcannot provide itsreport
within 60days, itshallinform theDSBinwriting ofthereasons forthedelay together with
anestimate oftheperiod within which itwillsubmit itsreport. Innocaseshalltheproceedings
exceed 90days(Art. 17.5).
Communications withthePanel orAppellate Body
8. There shallbenoexparte communications withthepanel orAppellate Body concerning matters
under consideration bythepanel orAppellate Body (Art. 18.1)
9. Written submissions tothepanel ortheAppellate Body shallbetreated asconfidential, butshall
bemade available totheparties tothedispute. Nothing inthisUnderstanding shallpreclude
aparty toadispute from disclosing statements ofitsownpositions tothepublic. Members
shalltreatasconfidential information submitted byanother Member tothepanel ortheAppellate
Body which thatMember hasdesignated asconfidential. Aparty toadispute shallalso,upon
request ofaMember, provide anon-confidential summary oftheinformation contained inits
written submissions thatcould bedisclosed tothepublic (Art. 18.2)
(d) Trade Policy Review Body
TheTrade Policy Review Body shallestablish suchrules ofprocedure asitdeems necessary
forthefulfilment ofitsresponsibilities (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:4).
(e) Council forTrade inGoods
1. TheCouncil forTrade inGoods shallestablish itsrules ofprocedure subject totheapproval
oftheGeneral Council (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
2. TheCouncil forTrade inGoods shallestablish subsidiary bodies asrequired. These subsidiary
bodies shallestablish theirrespective rulesofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheCouncil
(WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:6).
(i) Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
TheCommittee shallreach itsdecisions byconsensus (Agreement onSanitary andPhytosanitary
Measures ,Art.12:1).
(ii) Textiles Monitoring Body (TMB)
1. TheTMB shalldevelop itsownworking procedures. Itisunderstood, however, thatconsensus
within theTMB doesnotrequire theassent orconcurrence ofmembers appointed byMembers
involved inanunresolved issueunder review bytheTMB (Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,
Art.8:2).
2. TheTMB shallmeetasnecessary tocarry outthefunctions required ofitunder thisAgreement
(Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,Art.8:3).
13Afootnote tothetextreads: "Ifameeting oftheDSB isnotscheduled during thisperiod, such ameeting ofthe
DSB shall beheldforthispurpose".PC/IPL/W/1
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(iii) Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
TheCommittee shallmeetasnecessary, butnotlessthanonceayear,forthepurpose ofaffording
Members theopportunity ofconsulting onanymatters relating totheoperation ofthisAgreement
orthefurtherance ofitsobjectives (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,Art.13:1).
(iv) Committee onTrade-Related Investment Measures
TheCommittee shallmeetnotlessthanonceayearandotherwise attherequest ofanyMember
(Agreement onTRIMS ,Art.7:1).
(v) Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
TheCommittee shallmeet notlessthantwice ayearandotherwise asenvisaged byrelevant
provisions ofthisAgreement attherequest ofanyMember (Agreement onImplementation of
Article VI,Art.16:1).
(vi) Committee onCustoms Valuation
TheCommittee shallnormally meetonceayear, orasisotherwise envisaged bytherelevant
provisions ofthisAgreement (Agreement onCustoms Valuation ,Art.XVIII:1).
- Technical Committee onCustoms Valuation
General
1. TheTechnical Committee shallbeassisted asappropriate initsactivities bytheCCC Secretariat
(Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 4).
Technical Committee Meetings
2. TheSecretary-General, orofficers oftheCCC Secretariat designated bytheSecretary-General,
shallperform thesecretarial work ofthemeetings oftheTechnical Committee (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 19).
3. TheTechnical Committee shallmeet asnecessary butatleasttwotimes ayear. Thedateof
eachmeeting shallbefixed bytheTechnical Committee atitspreceding session. Thedateof
themeeting maybevaried either attherequest ofanymember oftheTechnical Committee
concurred inbyasimple majority ofthemembers oftheTechnical Committee or,incases
requiring urgent attention, attherequest oftheChairman. Notwithstanding theprovisions in
sentence 1ofthisparagraph, theTechnical Committee shallmeetasnecessary toconsider matters
referred toitbyapanel under theprovisions ofArticle 19ofthisAgreement (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 9).
4. Themeetings oftheTechnical Committee shallbeheldattheheadquarters oftheCCC unless
otherwise decided (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 10).
5. TheSecretary-General shallinform allmembers oftheTechnical Committee andthose included
under paragraphs 6and7atleast30daysinadvance, except inurgent cases, oftheopening
dateofeachsession oftheTechnical Committee (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VII,
Annex II,para. 11).
Agenda
6. Aprovisional agenda foreachsession shallbedrawn upbytheSecretary-General andcirculated
tothemembers oftheTechnical Committee andtothose included under paragraphs 6and7
atleast30daysinadvance ofthesession, except inurgent cases. Thisagenda shallcomprise
allitems whose inclusion hasbeenapproved bytheTechnical Committee during itspreceding
session, allitems included bytheChairman ontheChairman 'sowninitiative, andallitems whose
inclusion hasbeenrequested bytheSecretary-General, bytheCommittee orbyanymember
oftheTechnical Committee (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 12)PC/IPL/W/1
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7. TheTechnical Committee shalldetermine itsagenda attheopening ofeachsession. During
thesession theagenda maybealtered atanytimebytheTechnical Committee (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 13).
Officers andConduct ofBusiness
8. TheTechnical Committee shallelectfromamong thedelegates ofitsmembers aChairman and
oneormore Vice-Chairmen. TheChairman andVice-Chairmen shalleachholdoffice fora
period ofoneyear. Theretiring Chairman andVice-Chairmen areeligible forre-election.
Themandate ofaChairman orVice-Chairman whonolonger represents amember ofthe
Technical Committee shallterminate automatically (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VII,
Annex II,para. 14).
9. IftheChairman isabsent from anymeeting orpartthereof, aVice-Chairman shallpreside.
Inthatevent, thelatter shallhavethesame powers andduties astheChairman (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 15).
10. TheChairman ofthemeeting shallparticipate intheproceedings oftheTechnical Committee
assuchandnotastherepresentative ofamember oftheTechnical Committee (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 16).
11. Inaddition toexercising theother powers conferred upon theChairman bythese rules, the
Chairman shalldeclare theopening andclosing ofeachmeeting, direct thediscussion, accord
therighttospeak, and,pursuant tothese rules, havecontrol oftheproceedings. TheChairman
mayalsocallaspeaker toorder ifthespeaker 'sremarks arenotrelevant (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 17).
12. During discussion ofanymatter adelegation mayraise apoint oforder. Inthisevent, the
Chairman shallimmediately statearuling. Ifthisruling ischallenged, theChairman shallsubmit
ittothemeeting fordecision anditshallstand unless overruled (Agreement onImplementation
ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 18).
13. TheSecretary-General, orofficers oftheCCC Secretariat designated bytheSecretary-General,
shall perform thesecretarial work ofmeetings oftheTechnical Committee (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 19).
Quorum andVoting
14. Representatives ofasimple majority ofthemembers oftheTechnical Committee shallconstitute
aquorum (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 20).
15. Each member oftheTechnical Committee shallhaveonevote. Adecision oftheTechnical
Committee shallbetaken byamajority comprising atleasttwothirds ofthemembers present.
Regardless oftheoutcome ofthevoteonaparticular matter, theTechnical Committee shall
befreetomake afullreport totheCommittee andtotheCCC onthatmatter indicating the
different views expressed intherelevant discussions. Notwithstanding theabove provisions
ofthisparagraph, onmatters referred toitbyapanel, theTechnical Committee shall take
decisions byconsensus. Where noagreement isreached intheTechnical Committee onthe
question referred toitbyapanel, theTechnical Committee shallprovide areport detailing the
factsofthematter andindicating theviews ofthemembers (Agreement onImplementation of
Article VII,Annex II,para. 21).
Languages andRecords
16. TheofficiallanguagesoftheTechnicalCommitteeshallbeEnglish,FrenchandSpanish.Speeches
orstatements made inanyofthesethreelanguages shallbeimmediately translated intotheother
official languages unless alldelegations agree todispense withtranslation. Speeches orstatements
made inanyother language shallbetranslated intoEnglish, French andSpanish, subject tothe
same conditions, butinthatevent thedelegation concerned shallprovide thetranslation into
English, French orSpanish. Only English, French andSpanish shallbeusedfortheofficial
documents oftheTechnical Committee .Memoranda andcorrespondence fortheconsideration
oftheTechnical Committee must bepresented inoneoftheofficial languages (Annex II,
para. 22).
17. TheTechnical Committee shalldrawupareport ofallitssessions and,iftheChairman considers
itnecessary, minutes orsummary records ofitsmeetings. TheChairman oradesignee ofthePC/IPL/W/1
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Chairman shallreport onthework oftheTechnical Committee ateachmeeting oftheCommittee
andateachmeetingoftheCCC(AgreementonImplementationofArticleVII,AnnexII,para.23).
(vii) Committee onRules ofOrigin
TheCommittee shallmeetasnecessary, butnotlessthanonceayear(Agreement onRules of
Origin ,Art.4:1).
- Technical Committee
TheTechnical Committee shallestablish itsownprocedures (Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,
Annex I,para. 9).
(viii) Committee onImport Licensing
TheCommittee shallmeetasnecessary (Agreement onImport Licensing ,Art.4).
(ix) Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
TheCommittee shallmeet notlessthantwice ayearandotherwise asenvisaged byrelevant
provisions ofthisAgreement attherequest ofanyMember (Agreement onSubsidies and
Countervailing Measures ,Art.24:1).
(x) Working Party onState Trading Notifications andCounter-Notifications
TheWorking Party shallmeetwithin ayearofthedateofentry intoforceoftheWTO Agreement
andthereafter atleastonceayear(Understanding ontheInterpretation ofArt.XVII,para. 5).
(f) Council forTrade inServices
1. TheCouncil shallestablish itsrulesofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheGeneral Council
(WTO Agreement, Art.IV:5).
2. TheCouncil shallestablish subsidiary bodies asrequired. These subsidiary bodies shallestablish
theirrespective rules ofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheCouncil (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IV:6).
- Negotiating Group onMovement ofNatural Persons
TheNegotiatingGroupshallestablishitsownprocedures(DecisiononNegotiationsonMovement
ofNatural Persons ,para. 2).
(g) Council forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights
1. TheCouncil shallestablish itsrulesofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheGeneral Council
(WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
2. TheCouncil shallestablish subsidiary bodies asrequired. These subsidiary bodies shallestablish
theirrespective rules ofprocedure subject totheapproval oftheCouncil (WTO Agreement ,
Art.IV:6).PC/IPL/W/1
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(h) Other Bodies
TheUruguay Round Final Acttextsdonotdescribe anyrules ofprocedure forthefollowing
bodies established thereunder:
- Committee onTrade andDevelopment
- Committee onBalance-of-Payments Provisions
- Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration
- Committee onAgriculture
- Technical Expert Group (ontechnical barriers)
- Technical Committee onCustoms Valuation
- Permanent Group ofExperts
- Committee onSafeguards
- Working Group onNotification Obligations andProcedures
- Working Party onNotification Obligations under Article XXIV:7(a)
- Sectoral Committees onServices
- Committee onTrade inFinancial Services
- Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
- Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
- Working Party onProfessional Services
III.Provisions Relating toChairmanship
Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)
TheDSBmayhaveitsownchairman (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:3).
Trade Policy Review Body
TheTrade Policy Review Body mayhaveitsownchairman (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:4).
Textiles Monitoring Body (TMB)
TheTMB shallconsist ofaChairman (Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,Art.8:1).
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
TheCommittee shallelectitsownChairman (Agreement onTechnical Barriers ,Art.13:1).
Committee onTrade-Related Investment Measures
TheCommittee shallelectitsownChairman andVice-Chairman (Agreement onTRIMS ,
Art.7:1).
Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
TheCommittee shallelectitsownChairman (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VI,
Art.16:1).PC/IPL/W/1
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Committee onCustoms Valuation
TheCommittee shallelectitsownChairman (Agreement onImplementation ofArticle VI,
Art.18:1).
Technical Committee onCustoms Valuation
TheTechnical Committee shallelectfrom among thedelegates ofitsmembers aChairman
andoneormore Vice-Chairmen. TheChairman andVice-Chairmen shalleachholdoffice
foraperiod ofoneyear. Theretiring Chairman andVice-Chairmen areeligible for
re-election. Themandate ofaChairman orVice-Chairman whonolonger represents a
member oftheTechnical Committee shallterminate automatically (Agreement on
Implementation ofArticle VII,Annex II,para. 14).
Committee onRules ofOrigin
TheCommittee shallelectitsownChairman (Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Art.4:1).
Technical Committee
TheTechnical Committee shallelectitsownChairman (Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,
Annex I,para. 9).
Committee onImport Licensing
TheCommittee shallelectitsownChairman andVice-Chairman (Agreement onImport
Licensing ,Art.4).
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
TheCommittee shallelectitsownChairman (Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing
Measures ,Art.24:1).
Council forTrade inServices
TheChairman oftheCouncil shallbeelected bytheMembers (GATS ,Art.XXIV:3).
Other Bodies
TheUruguay Round Final Acttextsdonotcontain anyprovisions relating tochairmanship
forthefollowing bodies established thereunder:
- Ministerial Conference
- General Council
- Expert Review Groups (under theDSB)
- Standing Appellate Body
- Committee onTrade andDevelopment
- Committee onBalance-of-Payments Restrictions
- Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration
- Council forTrade inGoods
- Committee onAgriculture
- Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
- Permanent Group ofExperts (onsubsidies)
- Committee onSafeguardsPC/IPL/W/1
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- Working Group onNotification Obligations andProcedures
- Working Party onState Trading Notifications andCounter-Notifications
- Working Party onNotifications under Article XXIV:7(a)
- Sectoral Committees onServices
- Negotiating Group onMovement ofNatural Persons
- Committee onTrade inFinancial Services
- Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
- Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
- Working Party onProfessional Services
- Council forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights
IV.Provisions Relating toMembership
Ministerial Conference
There shallbeaMinisterial Conference composed ofrepresentatives ofalltheMembers
(WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:1).
General Council
There shallbeaGeneral Council composed ofrepresentatives ofallMembers (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:2).
Committee onTrade andEnvironment
Ministers direct thefirstmeeting oftheGeneral Council toestablish aCommittee onTrade
andEnvironment opentoallMembers oftheWTO (Decision onTrade andEnvironment) .
Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)
TheGeneral Council ,composed ofrepresentatives ofallMembers, "shall convene as
appropriate todischarge theresponsibilities oftheDSB" (WTO Agreement ,Art.IV:2).
(Allreferences inthesub-paragraphs (i),(ii)and(iii)below aretoArticles inthe
Understanding onDispute Settlement )
(i) Panels: Composition
(1) Panels shallbecomposed ofwell-qualified governmental and/or non-governmental
individuals, including persons whohaveserved onorpresented acasetoapanel, served as
arepresentative ofaMember orofacontracting party toGATT 1947 orasarepresentative
totheCouncil orCommittee ofanycovered agreement oritspredecessor agreement, orin
theSecretariat, taught orpublished oninternational trade laworpolicy, orserved asa
senior trade policy official ofaMember. (Art.8.1)
(2) Panel members should beselected withaviewtoensuring theindependence ofthe
members, asufficiently diverse background andawidespectrum ofexperience (Art.8.2)PC/IPL/W/1
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(3) Citizens ofMembers whose governments14areparties tothedispute orthirdparties as
defined inparagraph 2ofArticle 10shallnotserve onapanel concerned withthatdispute,
unless theparties tothedispute agree otherwise (Art. 8.3)
(4) Toassist intheselection ofpanellists, theSecretariat shallmaintain anindicative listof
governmental andnon-governmental individuals possessing thequalifications outlined in
paragraph 1,from which panellists maybedrawn asappropriate. Thatlistshall include
theroster ofnon-governmental panellists established on30November 1984 (BISD 31S/9),
andother rosters andindicative listsestablished under anyofthecovered agreements, and
shallretain thenames ofpersons onthose rosters andindicative listsatthetimeofentry
intoforce oftheWTO Agreement. Members mayperiodically suggest names of
governmental andnon-governmental individuals forinclusion ontheindicative list,
providing relevant information ontheirknowledge ofinternational trade andofthesectors
orsubject matter ofthecovered agreements, andthose names shallbeadded tothelist
upon approval bytheDSB. Foreachoftheindividuals onthelist,thelistshallindicate
specific areas ofexperience orexpertise oftheindividuals inthesectors orsubject matter
ofthecovered agreements (Art.8.4)
(5) Panels shallbecomposed ofthree panellists unless theparties tothedispute agree, within
10daysfrom theestablishment ofthepanel, toapanel composed offivepanellists.
Members shallbeinformed promptly ofthecomposition ofthepanel (Art.8.5)
(6) TheSecretariat shallpropose nominations forthepanel totheparties tothedispute. The
parties tothedispute shallnotoppose nominations except forcompelling reasons (Art.8.6)
(7) Ifthere isnoagreement onthepanellists within 20daysafterthedateoftheestablishment
ofapanel, attherequest ofeither party, theDirector-General, inconsultation withthe
Chairman oftheDSBandtheChairman oftherelevant Council orCommittee, shall
determine thecomposition ofthepanel byappointing thepanellists whom theDirector-
General considers most appropriate inaccordance withanyrelevant special oradditional
rules orprocedures ofthecovered agreement orcovered agreements which areatissue in
thedispute, afterconsulting withtheparties tothedispute. TheChairman oftheDSBshall
inform theMembers ofthecomposition ofthepanel thusformed nolaterthan10daysafter
thedatetheChairman receives sucharequest (Art.8.7)
(8) Members shallundertake, asageneral rule,topermit theirofficials toserve aspanellists
(Art.8.8)
(9) Panellists shallserve intheirindividual capacities andnotasgovernment representatives,
norasrepresentatives ofanyorganization. Members shalltherefore notgivethem
instructions norseektoinfluence them asindividuals withregard tomatters before apanel
(Art.8.9)
(10) When adispute isbetween adeveloping country Member andadeveloped country Member
thepanel shall, ifthedeveloping country Member sorequests, include atleastonepanellist
from adeveloping country Member (Art.8.10)
(11) Panellists 'expenses, including travel andsubsistence allowance, shallbemetfrom the
WTO budget inaccordance withcriteria tobeadopted bytheGeneral Council, based on
recommendations oftheCommittee onBudget, Finance andAdministration (Art.8.11)
(ii) Expert Review Groups
(1) Participation inexpert review groups shallberestricted topersons ofprofessional standing
andexperience inthefieldinquestion (Appendix 4,para. 2).
(2) Citizens ofparties tothedispute shallnotserve onanexpert review group without thejoint
agreement oftheparties tothedispute, except inexceptional circumstances when thepanel
considers thattheneedforspecialized scientific expertise cannot befulfilled otherwise.
Government officials ofparties tothedispute shallnotserve onanexpert review group.
14Inthecasewhere customs unions orcommon markets areparties toadispute, thisprovision applies tocitizens of
allmember countries ofthecustoms unions orcommon markets.PC/IPL/W/1
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Members ofexpert review groups shallserve intheirindividual capacities andnotas
government representatives, norasrepresentatives ofanyorganization (Appendix 4,
para. 3).
(iii) Standing Appellate Body
(1) TheAppellate Body shallbecomposed ofseven persons, three ofwhom shallserve onany
onecase. Persons serving ontheAppellate Body shallserve inrotation. Such rotation
shallbedetermined intheworking procedures oftheAppellate Body (Art. 17:1).
(2) TheDSBshallappoint persons toserve ontheAppellate Body forafour-year term, and
eachperson maybereappointed once. However, theterms ofthree oftheseven persons
appointed immediately aftertheentry intoforce oftheWTO Agreement shallexpire atthe
endoftwoyears, tobedetermined bylot.Vacancies shallbefilled astheyarise. A
person appointed toreplace aperson whose termofoffice hasnotexpired shallholdoffice
fortheremainder ofthepredecessor 'sterm(Art. 17:2).
(3) TheAppellate Body shallcomprise persons ofrecognized authority, withdemonstrated
expertise inlaw,international trade andthesubject matter ofthecovered agreements
generally. They shallbeunaffiliated withanygovernment. TheAppellate Body
membership shallbebroadly representative ofmembership intheWTO (Art. 17:3).
Trade Policy Review Body
TheGeneral Council ,composed ofrepresentatives ofallMembers, "shall convene as
appropriate todischarge theresponsibilities oftheTrade Policy Review Body"(WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:2).
Committee onTrade andDevelopment
Membership inthisCommittee shallbeopentorepresentatives ofallMembers (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:7).
Committee onBalance-of-Payments Restrictions
Membership inthisCommittee shallbeopentorepresentatives ofallMembers (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:7). Membership oftheCommittee isopentoallMembers indicating
theirwishtoserve onit(Understanding ontheBOPProvisions ofGATT 1994,para. 5).
Committee onBudget, Finance andAdministration
Membership inthisCommittee shallbeopentorepresentatives ofallMembers (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:7).
Council forTrade inGoods
Membership inthisCouncil shallbeopentorepresentatives ofallMembers (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
Textiles Monitoring Body (TMB)
TheTMB shallconsist of10members. Itsmembership shallbebalanced andbroadly
representative oftheMembers andshallprovide forrotation ofitsmembers atappropriate
intervals. Themembers shallbeappointed byMembers designated bytheCouncil forPC/IPL/W/1
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Trade inGoods toserve ontheTMB, discharging theirfunction onanadpersonam basis
(Agreement onTextiles andClothing ,Art.8.1).
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
TheCommittee shallbecomposed ofrepresentatives from eachoftheMembers (Agreement
onTechnical Barriers ,Art.13.1).
Committee onTrade-Related Investment Measures
TheCommittee shallbeopentoallMembers (Agreement onTRIMS ,Art.7:1).
Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
TheCommittee shallbecomposed ofrepresentatives from eachoftheMembers (Agreement
onImplementation ofArticle VI,Art.16:1).
Committee onCustoms Valuation
TheCommittee shallbecomposed ofrepresentatives from eachoftheMembers (Agreement
onCustoms Valuation ,Art.18:1).
Technical Committee onCustoms Valuation
1. Each Member shallhavetherighttoberepresented ontheTechnical Committee .Each
Member maynominate onedelegate andoneormore alternates tobeitsrepresentatives on
theTechnical Committee .Such aMember sorepresented ontheTechnical Committee is
referred tointhisAnnex asa"member oftheTechnical Committee". Representatives of
member sotheTechnical Committee maybeassisted byadvisers. TheWTO Secretariat
mayalsoattend suchmeetings withobserver status (Agreement onCustoms Valuation ,
Annex II,para. 5).
2. Members oftheCCC which arenotMembers oftheWTO mayberepresented atmeetings
oftheTechnical Committee byonedelegate andoneormore alternates. Such
representatives shallattend meetings oftheTechnical Committee asobservers (Agreement
onCustoms Valuation ,Annex II,para. 6).
3. Subject totheapproval oftheChairman oftheTechnical Committee ,theSecretary-General
oftheCCC mayinvite representatives ofgovernments which areneither Members ofthe
WTO normembers oftheCCC andrepresentatives ofinternational governmental andtrade
organizations toattend meetings oftheTechnical Committee asobservers (Agreement on
Customs Valuation ,Annex II,para. 7).
Committee onRules ofOrigin
TheCommittee shallbecomposed oftherepresentatives from eachoftheMembers
(Agreement onRules ofOrigin ,Art.4:1).
Technical Committee onRules ofOrigin
Each Member shallhavetherighttoberepresented ontheTechnical Committee (Agreement
onRules ofOrigin ,Annex I,para. 4).PC/IPL/W/1
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Committee onImport Licensing
TheCommittee shallbecomposed ofrepresentatives from eachoftheMembers (Agreement
onImport Licensing ,Art.4).
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
TheCommittee shallbecomposed ofrepresentatives from eachoftheMembers (Agreement
onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures ,Art.24:1).
Permanent Group ofExperts (onsubsidies)
ThePermanent Group ofExperts (PGE) shallbecomposed offiveindependent persons,
highly qualified inthefields ofsubsidies andtrade relations. Theexperts willbeelected by
theCommittee andoneofthem willbereplaced every year. ThePGEmayberequested to
assist apanel, asprovided forinparagraph 5ofArticle 4(Agreement onSubsidies and
Countervailing Measures ,Art.24:3).
Committee onSafeguards
TheCommittee shallbeopentotheparticipation ofanyMember indicating itswishtoserve
onit(Agreement onSafeguards ,Art.13:1)
Working Party onState Trading Notifications andCounter-Notifications
Membership shallbeopentoallMembers indicating theirwishtoserve onit
(Understanding ontheInterpretation ofArt.XVII,para. 5).
Council forTrade inServices
1. Membership inthisCouncil shallbeopentorepresentatives ofallMembers (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
2. Unless theCouncil decides otherwise, itssubsidiary bodies shallbeopentoparticipation by
representatives ofallMembers (GATS ,Art.XXIV:2).
Council forTrade-Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights
Membership inthisCouncil shallbeopentorepresentatives ofallMembers (WTO
Agreement ,Art.IV:5).
Other Bodies
TheUruguay Round Final Acttextsdonotcontain anyprovisions relating tomembership
forthefollowing bodies established thereunder:
- Committee onAgriculture
- Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
- Technical Expert Group (onTechnical Barriers)
- Working Group onNotification Obligations andProcedures
- Working Party onNotifications under Article XXIV:7(a)
- Sectoral Committees onServices
- Negotiating Group onMovement ofNatural Persons
- Committee onTrade inFinancial ServicesPC/IPL/W/1
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- Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
- Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
- Working Party onProfessional Services
V.GATT 1947 Bodies ThatHave NoCounterpart intheWTO Agreements
1. Consultative Group ofEighteen
Terms ofreference:
ThetaskoftheGroup istofacilitate thecarrying out,bytheCONTRACTING PARTIES,
oftheirresponsibilities, particularly withrespect to:
(i) following international trade developments withaviewtothepursuit and
maintenance oftrade policies consistent withtheobjectives andprinciples ofthe
General Agreement;
(ii) theforestalling, whenever possible, ofsudden disturbances thatcould represent a
threat tothemultilateral trading system andtointernational trade relations generally;
andaction todealwithsuchdisturbances iftheyinfactoccur;
(iii) theinternational adjustment process andtheco-ordination, inthiscontext, between
theGATT andtheIMF.
Inthepursuit ofitstask,theGroup shalltakeintoaccount thespecial characteristics and
requirements oftheeconomies ofthedeveloping countries andtheirproblems.
TheGroup shallnotimpinge upon thecompetence orauthority oftheCONTRACTING
PARTIES oroftheCouncil andshallnotassume, ordetract from, anyofthedecision-
making responsibilities ofthese twobodies orofthepermanent GATT Committees.
TheGroup 'smembership shallbebalanced andbroadly representative, dueregard being
hadtorotation ofmembership asappropriate.
2. Committee onTariff Concessions
Terms ofreference:
Tosupervise thetaskofkeeping theGATT schedules uptodate; tosupervise thestaging
oftariff reductions; toprovide aforum fordiscussion ofquestions relating totariffs; and
toreport periodically totheCouncil .
3. Technical Group onQuantitative Restrictions andOther Non-Tariff Measures
Terms ofreference:
(i) ATechnical Group ,opentoallcontracting parties, isestablished forthepurpose of
finalizing notlaterthanMarch 1987 theupdating ofthedocumentation previously
prepared bytheGroup onQuantitative Restrictions andOther Non-Tariff Measures .
(ii) Thesame Group willconduct thesubsequent updating andanalysis ofdocumentation
inaccordance withthetimetable andprocedures agreed bytheCONTRACTING
PARTIES in1984 and1985 (BISD 31S/227-228, BISD 32S/92-93).
4.. Joint Advisory Group ontheInternational Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT
Terms ofreference:
Tomeetannually toreview theactivities oftheCentre andformulate recommendations to
thegoverning bodies ofUNCTAD andGATT.PC/IPL/W/1
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APPENDIX I
RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR SESSIONS
OFTHE CONTRACTING PARTIES15
(From BISD 12S/10-16)
Chapter I—Sessions
Rule1
Sessions oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES shallbeheldfromtimetotimeasrequired. The
dateofeachsession shallbefixedbytheCONTRACTING PARTIES ataprevious session. Asession
may,however, heheldatanother dateontheinitiative oftheChairman, orattherequest ofacontracting
party concurred inbythemajority ofthecontracting parties. Notice oftheconvening ofanysuch
session shallbegiven tocontracting parties atleasttwenty-one daysinadvance ofthesession.
Chapter II—Agenda
Rule2
Theprovisional agenda foreachsession shallbedrawn upbytheSecretary inconsultation with
theChairman andshallbecommunicated tothecontracting parties atleastfiveweeks before thedate
ofthemeeting. Itshallbeopentoanycontracting partytopropose items forinclusion inthisprovisional
agenda uptosixweeks from thedateofthemeeting.16
Rule3
Thefirstitemofbusiness ateachsession shallbetheconsideration andapproval ofanagenda.
Rule4
Theagenda maybeamended atanytimeorpriority given tocertain items.
Chapter III—Credentials
Rule5
Each contracting party asdefined intheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade shall be
represented byanaccredited representative.
Rule6
Each representative maybeaccompanied bysuchalternate representatives andadvisers ashe
mayrequire.
Rule7
Thecredentials ofrepresentatives shallbesubmitted totheSecretary atleastoneweek before
theopening ofameeting. Theyshalltaketheformofacommunication fromoronbehalf oftheMinister
forForeign Affairs authorizing therepresentative toperform onbehalf ofthecontracting party the
functions indicated inArticle XXV oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade. TheChairman
afterconsulting withtheSecretary shalldraw attention toanycasewhere arepresentative hasomitted
topresent hiscredentials induetimeandform.
15These rules incorporate theamendments published intheSeventh Supplement totheBasic Instruments andSelected
Documents, aswellasthose adopted atthetwenty-first session.
16Itwasagreed attheeleventh session thattheinclusion ofanyadditional items proposed fortheagenda andsubmitted
under "Other Business" would depend upon theagreement oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES.PC/IPL/W/1
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Chapter IV—Observers
Rule8
Therepresentatives ofcountries signatories oftheFinal Actadopted attheconclusion ofthe
United Nations Conference onTrade andEmployment atHavana which havenotbecome contracting
parties mayattend meetings inthecapacity ofobservers participating inthediscussions without vote.
Rule9
Representatives ofother governments invited totheUnited Nations Conference onTrade and
Employment andofintergovernmental organizations mayattend themeetings asobservers onthe
invitation oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES and,ontheinvitation oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES,
participate without voteinaccordance withtheterms ofsuchinvitation.
Chapter V—Officers
Rule10
During thecourse ofeachregular session aChairman, aFirstVice-Chairman andtwoother
Vice-Chairmen shallbeelected fromamong therepresentatives. They shallhold office fromtheend
ofthatsession untiltheendofthenextregular session.
Rule11
IftheChairman isabsent fromanymeeting orpartthereof, theFirstVice-Chairman shallpreside.
IftheFirstVice-Chairman isalsoabsent, oneoftheother Vice-Chairmen shallpreside, andifnoVice-
Chairman ispresent theCONTRACTING PARTIES shallelectaChairman forthatmeeting orthat
partofthemeeting.
Rule12
IftheChairman ceases torepresent acontracting party, orissoincapacitated thathecanno
longer holdoffice, theCONTRACTING PARTIES shalldesignate oneoftheVice-Chairmen toperform
thefunctions oftheChairman pending election ofanewChairman inaccordance withrule10.
Rule13
TheVice-Chairman acting asChairman shallhavethesamepowers andduties astheChairman.
Rule14
TheChairman ortheVice-Chairman acting asChairman shall normally participate inthe
proceedings assuchandnotastherepresentative ofacontracting party. Hemay, however, atany
timerequest thathebepermitted toactineither capacity.
Rule15
Theusual duties ofasecretariat shall, byagreement withtheInterim Commission forthe
International Trade Organization, beperformed bytheExecutive Secretary oftheInterim Commission
onareimbursable basis.
Chapter VI—Conduct ofbusiness
Rule16
Asimple majority ofthecontracting parties shallconstitute aquorum.
Rule17
Inaddition toexercising thepowers conferred uponhimelsewhere bytheserules, theChairman
shalldeclare theopening andclosing ofeachmeeting, shalldirect thediscussion, accord therightto
speak, putquestions tothevote,announce decisions, ruleonpoints oforder and,subject totheserules,
havecomplete control oftheproceedings. TheChairman mayalsocallaspeaker toorder ifhisremarks
arenotrelevant.PC/IPL/W/1
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Rule18
During thediscussion ofanymatter, arepresentative mayraiseapoint oforder. Inthiscase
theChairman shall immediately statehisruling. Ifhisruling ischallenged, theChairman shall
immediately submit itfordecision anditshallstand unless overruled.
Rule19
During thediscussion ofanymatter arepresentative maymove theadjournment ofthedebate.
Anysuchmotion shallhavepriority. Inaddition totheproposer ofthemotion, onerepresentative
maybeallowed tospeak infavour of,andtworepresentatives against, themotion.
Rule20
Arepresentative mayatanytimemove theclosure ofthedebate. Inaddition tothemover of
themotion, notmorethanonerepresentative maybegranted permission tospeak infavour ofthemotion
andnotmore thantworepresentatives maybegranted permission tospeak against themotion, after
which themotion shallbeputtothevoteimmediately.
Rule21
During thecourse ofthedebate, theChairman mayannounce thelistofspeakers and,withthe
consent ofthemeeting, declare thelistclosed. Hemay, however, accord therightofreply toany
representative ifaspeech delivered afterhehasdeclared thelistclosed makes thisdesirable.
Rule22
TheChairman, withtheconsent oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES, maylimitthetimeallowed
toeachspeaker.
Rule23
Proposals andamendments shall normally beintroduced inwriting andcirculated toall
representatives notlaterthantwelve hours before thecommencement ofthemeeting atwhich they
aretobediscussed.
Rule24
Iftwoormore proposals aremoved relating tothesame question, themeeting shallfirstvote
onthemost far-reaching proposal andthenonthenextmost far-reaching proposal andsoon.
Rule25
When anamendment ismoved toaproposal, theamendment shallbeputtothevotefirstand,
ifitisadopted, theamended proposal shallthenbeputtothevote.
Rule26
When twoormore amendments aremoved toaproposal, themeeting shallvotefirstonthe
amendment farthest removed insubstance from theoriginal proposal, then, ifnecessary, onthe
amendment nextfarthest removed, andsoonuntilalltheamendments havebeenputtothevote.
Rule27
Parts ofaproposal maybevoted onseparately ifarepresentative requests thattheproposal
bedivided.
Chapter VII—Voting
Rule28
Except asotherwise specified intheGeneral Agreements onTariffs andTrade, decisions shall
betaken byamajority oftherepresentatives present andvoting.PC/IPL/W/1
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Rule29
Each contracting party shallbeentitled toonevote.
Chapter VIII—Committees
Rule30
Such committees andsub-committees asmaybenecessary maybeestablished.
Rule31
Asimple majority ofthemembers ofacommittee shallconstitute aquorum.
Rule32
Theprovisions ofrules 16to29shallbeapplied intheproceedings ofcommittees.
Chapter IX—Languages
Rule33
Subject totheprovisions ofrule34,English andFrench shallbetheworking languages.
Rule34
Adecision, byunanimous agreement, maybetaken atanymeeting toadopt aruleofprocedure
regarding interpretations ofamore simple character thanrule33.
Chapter X—Records
Rule35
Summary records ofthemeetings oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES shall bekeptbythe
Secretariat. Theyshallbesentassoonaspossible toallrepresentatives whoshallinform theSecretariat
notlaterthantwenty-four hours afterthecirculation ofthesummary record ofanychanges theywish
tohavemade.
Rule36
Committees maydecide toadopt records ofamore simple formthanthose mentioned inrule35.
Chapter XI—Publicity ofmeetings
Rule37
Themeetings oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES andofcommittees shallordinarily beheld
inprivate. Itmaybedecided thataparticular meeting ormeetings should beheldinpublic.
Rule38
After aprivate meeting hasbeen held, theChairman ofthebody concerned mayissue a
communiqué tothePress.
Chapter XII—Revision
Rule39
TheCONTRACTING PARTIES maydecide atanytimetorevise these rules oranypartof
them.
RULES FOR AIRMAIL AND TELEGRAPHIC BALLOTS
1. Decisions oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES may, intheintervals between thesessions ofthe
CONTRACTING PARTIES, betaken byairmail ortelegraphic ballot.PC/IPL/W/1
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2. TheChairman oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES, uponapplication byacontracting party for
anairmail ortelegraphic ballot orupon hisowninitiative, decides ineachcasewhether thematter
issufficiently urgent towarrant thetaking ofanairmail ortelegraphic ballot andwhether sucha
procedure ispracticable.
3. Inanycasewhere theChairman oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES decides thatanairmail or
telegraphic ballot should betaken, hedespatches aletter ortelegram toeachcontracting party. The
letter ortelegram contains suchinformation astheChairman considers necessary andaclearstatement
ofthequestion towhich eachcontracting party isrequested toanswer "yes" or"no".
4. TheChairman oftheCONTRACTING PARTIES determines thedateandhourbywhich votes
mustbereceived. Inexceptional circumstances, theChairman may,uponrequest andathisdiscretion,
extend thetime-limit forreceipt ofvotes. Anycontracting partyfromwhich avotehasnotbeenreceived
within suchtime-limit isregarded asnotvoting.
5. Thegovernments entitled toparticipate inanairmail ortelegraphic ballot arethose which are
contracting parties atthetimeofthedecision tosubmit thematter inquestion toavote.