WTO Members
Review Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, Call for Enhanced Transparency
At a meeting of the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing
Measures on 26 October, the Chair of the Committee, Ms. Noriko Teranishi (Japan), stressed that transparency is fundamentally
important for the work of the Committee and emphasized that WTO members’ poor compliance
rate with notification requirements needs to be addressed. She urged members to
make best efforts to bring notifications up to date
The Chair
noted that 109 members have still not submitted their 2021 notifications (due by
30 June 2021), 78 members have still not submitted their 2019 notifications, and
67 members still have not submitted their 2017 subsidy notifications. Reiterating
the fundamental importance of transparency, the Chair urged members to submit notifications
as soon as possible. She also referred to the revised Handbook
on Notification Requirements, which is available in the three
official languages of the WTO.
The Chair
highlighted the 31 December 2015 deadline for the elimination of export subsidies
by members that received extensions under Article
27.4
of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement). She urged
the remaining members to provide their final transparency notifications as soon
as possible.
The Committee
continued to discuss the revised proposal (G/SCM/W/557/Rev.4) submitted
by the United States for ensuring timely responses to questions posed by members
under Article
25.8
of the SCM Agreement.
The Committee
also discussed a proposal from Canada, the European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom
and the United States (G/SCM/W/583) to
amend procedures for the review of new and full subsidy notifications.
The Committee
reviewed new and full subsidy notifications for 2021 submitted by Cambodia, Lao
PDR, Macao China, Montenegro and Chinese Taipei. It continued its review of 2019
subsidy notifications from China, the European Union, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines,
the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The Committee
also continued its review of notifications for 2017 submitted by China and Mexico,
for 2015 submitted by China, and for 2009 submitted by Gabon. Albania's submissions
covering the 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013 and 2011 notification periods were also reviewed.
The Committee
reviewed a new notification of countervailing duty legislation submitted by India
and continued its review of the legislative notifications of Cameroon, Saint Kitts
and Nevis, Peru, Ghana and Kenya.
The Committee
went over the semi-annual reports of countervailing duty actions submitted by Australia,
Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Peru, Turkey, Ukraine, the United
Kingdom, the United States and Viet Nam. Questions were raised in respect of the
semi-annual reports of China, the European Union and the United States.
In addition
to the semi-annual reports, the SCM Agreement requires members to submit notifications
without delay of all preliminary and final countervailing duty actions taken. Reports
received from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, the United
States and Viet Nam were reviewed. Questions were raised in respect of the reports
by the United States.
The European
Union and the United States requested a separate agenda item regarding questions
posed to China under Article 25.8 of the SCM Agreement.
Canada,
the European Union, Japan and the United States placed a separate item on the agenda
regarding subsidies and overcapacity.
Australia,
Canada, the European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States requested
a separate item on the agenda regarding China’s publication and inquiry point obligations
under China's Protocol of WTO Accession.
The Committee
adopted its annual report to the Council for Trade in Goods pursuant to Article
32.7
of the SCM Agreement.