WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/L/562
13 September 2002
(02-4867)
Original:  English
INTRODUCTION OF HARMONIZED SYSTEM 1996 CHANGES
INTO WTO SCHEDULES OF TARIFF CONCESSIONS
NORWAY – SCHEDULE XIV
Request for a Waiver
The following communication, dated 9 September 2002, has been received from the
Permanent Mission of Norway.
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Norway has the honour to refer to the Decisions1 made by the General Council on
13 December 1995, 18 July 1996, 24 April 1997, 24 April 1998, 14 October 1998, 15 June 1999,
4 November 1999, 3 May 2000, 8 December 2000, 8 May 2001 and 13 May 2002, by which the time
limits for Norway, and other Members, were extended for the introduction of Harmonized System
1996 changes into WTO Schedules of Concession. The Norwegian waiver expires on31 October 2002.
Norwegian documentation concerning HS96 changes to its Schedule XIV has been submitted
on 27 December 1995, 31 January 2001 and 2 July 2002
2. The documentation submitted on
2 July 2002 contained rectifications made as a result of concluded consultations with four Members
having previously made reservations to Schedule XIV. All reservations have now been lifted.
The 90 day time limit by which Members will have to notify objections to the rectifications
mentioned above (G/SECRET/HS96/11/Add.1, circulated on 5 August 2002), will expire by
3 November 2002.  Due to the possibility of objections, Norway hereby requests a waiver of the
obligations of Article II of GATT 1994, until 30 Ap ril 2003, for the purpose of enabling Norway to
implement the 1996 amendments to the Harmonized System to Schedule XIV – Norway.
Without precluding any future requests for further extensions regarding this matter, it is the
view of Norway that the changes to Schedule XIV  will be approved and formally certified within the
next six months.
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1 WT/L/124+Corr.1, WT/L/173, WT/L/216, WT/L/243, WT/L/268, WT/L/281, WT/L/303, WT/L/338,
WT/L/351, WT/L/379, WT/L/400 and WT/L/459.
2 G/SECRET/HS96/11+Corr.1+Add.1