WTO Workshop Promotes Understanding of Quantitative Restrictions, Notification Requirements

Geneva and capital-based officials attended on 24 April the Capacity Building Workshop on the Notification of Quantitative Restrictions, organized by the Committee on Market Access and the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC). The activity aimed at improving members’ understanding of quantitative restrictions (QRs) and their notification requirements.

Quantitative restrictions are, generally speaking, prohibitions or restrictions other than tariffs and other taxes that are imposed on imports or exports, which can be implemented through several policy measures. While QRs are generally prohibited, they are allowed by the WTO in exceptional circumstances and many WTO members use them to fulfil certain legitimate objectives, such as the protection of the environment or human, plant and animal health.

The chair of the Committee, Kenya Uehara of Japan, highlighted that 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the Council for Trade in Goods decision on notification procedures for quantitative restrictions, establishing an obligation for members to inform the WTO of their trade prohibitions and restrictions on a biennial basis.

The QR notification seeks to provide transparency on members' implementation of such measures, including on their WTO justification. Paragraph 4 of the QR decision mandates the WTO Secretariat to maintain a public database of these notifications.

Staff from various divisions of the WTO contributed to the workshop, covering a wide range of topics, such as the underlying rationale for the QR notification, the evolution of QR notifications and the QR Database, and the links between QRs and import licensing.

Participants also heard about sources of information on QRs (namely Trade Policy Reviews) and heard from five members (Canada, Colombia, Mali, Thailand and the United States) on their experiences with QR notifications.

Delegates and officials had the opportunity to exchange views throughout the workshop and to share experiences on how to improve national coordination in the preparation of QR notifications.

The 29 capital-based officials attending the workshop in Geneva benefited from technical working sessions with the Secretariat for the preparation or review of their QR notifications. The training continued on 25 April, with participants also attending the formal meeting of the Committee on 26 April.