Agriculture Committee Adopts Report on
Implementation of Bali Decision on Tariff Quotas
At a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture on 30-31
October, WTO members adopted a report on the operation of the 2013 Bali
Ministerial Decision on Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs). It also adopted the
accompanying recommendations on improving the use of TRQs. The report follows a
two-year review of how WTO members are making use of the Bali decision.
The
aim of the 2013 Bali Decision was
to improve how the quota system is used for agricultural products. It clarified
the procedure for administering TRQs, which allow import quantities inside a
quota to be charged lower duty rates than those outside. The TRQ mechanism was
originally agreed in the 1986-94 Uruguay Round negotiations as a means of
allowing exporters some access to other countries’ markets when the normal
(out-of-quota) tariffs on imports are high.
Starting
in October 2017, the review involved more than two years of intense discussion
among members, resulting in agreement on a number of measures and processes
towards enhancing transparency and improving TRQ notification practices.
WTO
members also agreed on the recommendation to conduct a triennial review of the
operation of the Bali TRQ Decision. On the future operation of paragraph 4
(Annex A) of the TRQ Decision, regarding underfill,
members could not agree on definitive recommendations. Instead, they agreed to
extend the deadline for a decision on Paragraph 4 by two years. TRQ underfill is when parts or all of the quotas are not used.
Paragraph 4 specifies certain actions to be taken by WTO members to address underfill.
The
report and recommendations (G/AG/29) will be considered by the
General Council at its December 2019 meeting.
The
Committee also examined agricultural policies of a number of members in the
areas of market access, domestic support and export competition as well as
broader policies relevant to the implementation of the Agreement on
Agriculture. New Zealand and Canada expressed their readiness to withdraw their
reservations on the 2017 proposal of the European Union on its consolidated schedule
of commitments for the EU-28.
In
addition, WTO members held their annual discussion on the growth of world trade
in agricultural products, as mandated under Article 18.5 of the Agreement on
Agriculture, and their annual monitoring of the follow-up to the Marrakesh
Ministerial Decision regarding net food-importing developing countries, which
sets out objectives on the provision of food aid.
The
Secretariat launched the online
agriculture notification system (agims.wto.org) for use by members.
The database, which already provides access to discussions in the Agriculture
Committee, will now also allow WTO members to make online submissions of
notifications regarding implementation of the Agriculture Agreement.
Ms
Christiane Daleiden Distefano
of Luxembourg presided over the two-day meeting. The next meeting of the
Committee on Agriculture is scheduled for 24-25 March 2020.