ITA II Covering Consumer Goods on the Boil, Korea Claims 17 in First
List
According to WTO, at the meeting of the Information
Technology Agreement (ITA) Committee on 1 November 2012, Korea reported some
progress on technical discussions it hosted early in the week on expanding the
current product coverage of the ITA. It said that the 17 participating members
are moving towards more substantial discussions, and that a revised
consolidated list of products proposed for inclusion in ITA expansion would be
circulated in mid-December.
The United States urged for next version in January 2013.
Japan noted that the number of participants has risen from six to the current
17 (counting the EU as one), and urged other members to participate. Costa Rica
expressed its full support for these discussions.
India
placed on record its serious reservations on the initiative to expand the ITA
product coverage. It said that in recent consultations, its stakeholders have
pointed to problems regarding relevance of the proposed products, their
multiple uses, and possible difficulties in processing at customs. India recalled
that at the ITA Symposium earlier this year, it noted that its manufacturing
activity dipped because of the ITA.
Norway
reported on discussions by a group of 15 members on how to reduce non-tariff
measures (NTMs) on IT products. It said that substantial work remains before
they could produce a text. The EU said that with tariffs at zero, only NTMs
remain as obstacles to IT trade. It stressed that its focus is not on creating
obligations but rather on achieving self-commitments in this area based on past
work of the Committee. Switzerland, the United States and Japan expressed
support for this initiative.
The
United States said that many members regarded Russia’s commitment to join the
ITA as an important part of the country’s accession package. It had made
comments on Russia’s schedule regarding the need to make technical changes that
would ensure full coverage of ITA products. The European Union and Japan echoed
the US view.
On Tajikistan, the Chair recalled that its ITA schedule was
circulated last September and that one delegation had made a technical comment.
He said that once this is resolved, Tajikistan would become an ITA participant
when it accedes to the WTO.
On
another issue, the Chair, Mr Aaron Fowler (Canada), asked the Committee to make
a final attempt at the next meeting to adopt a draft decision resolving a
number of divergences in classifying IT products, as proposed by a group of
customs classification experts and delegates in 2000.