RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/AG/W/3
22March 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0611)
Committee onAgriculture
ORGANIZATION OFWORK AND PROCEDURES
Note bytheSecretariat
Theattached textprepared bytheSecretariat following informal consultations asprovided forin
paragraph 2ofPC/IPL/12 isbeing circulated attherequest oftheChairman forconsideration under
Item2Boftheproposed agenda forthe27-28 March 1995 meeting oftheCommittee onAgriculture
(WTO/AIR/37 refers).G/AG/W/3
Page2
DRAFT
Organization ofWork andProcedures
General
1. Inaccordance with itsterms ofreference (WT/L/43) theCommittee shall oversee the
implementation oftheAgreement onAgriculture ("the Agreement"). TheCommittee shall afford
Members theopportunity ofconsulting onanymatter relating totheimplementation oftheprovisions
oftheAgreement.
2. Pending adecision bytheCommittee onformal rules ofprocedure based onthose adopted
bytheGeneral Council (WT/L/28) andsubject tothese provisions, theproceedings oftheCommittee
shallbeguided bythecustomary procedures andpractices oftheGATT 1947 asappropriate.
Meetings oftheCommittee
3. TheCommittee shallmeetatregular intervals toreview progress intheimplementation ofthe
Uruguay Round reform programme under Article 18:1&2oftheAgreement (the"review process")
andgenerally tocarry outsuchother tasks asareprovided forintheAgreement, orwhich maybe
required tobedealtwith.
4. Theagenda forregular meetings andthework oftheCommittee itself shallbeintwoparts:
PartIshallcomprise items relating tothereview process; PartIIshallcomprise items relating toother
matters within thepurview oftheCommittee, aswellasitems relating toreports tobesubmitted by
theCommittee toother WTO bodies.
5. Notice ofregular meetings oftheCommittee andadraftagenda shallbeissued atleast10days
priortothedateofthemeeting. ItshallbeopentoanyMember torequest, inwriting totheSecretariat,
theinclusion ofitems under PartIorIIoftheproposed agenda upto,butnotincluding, thedayof
which thenotice convening themeeting istobeissued.
6. Inprinciple, regular meetings oftheCommittee shall beheldinMarch, September and
November.Eachregularmeetingshallprovisionallyschedulethedatesforthenextmeeting.Additional
regular meetings oftheCommittee maybescheduled asappropriate.
7. Attherequest ofaMember andwhere thematter involved isoneofsignificant importance
orurgency, theChairperson may, unless itisconsidered thatresort toother procedures would be
more appropriate, convene aspecial meeting oftheCommittee.
PartIofRegular Meetings oftheCommittee -TheReview Process
8. Ingeneral thereview process under PartIofaregular meeting oftheCommittee shallbe
conducted onthebasis ofnotifications which havebeencirculated totheMembers prior tothenotice
convening themeeting andarelisted inthatnotice.
9. AMember which proposes toraiseanymatter relating toaparticular notification inthecourse
ofaregular meeting shallgivenotice ofitsintention tothenotifying Member concerned andtothe
Secretariat, together withanindication ofthespecific points itproposes toraise, asfaraspossibleG/AG/W/3
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inadvance ofthemeeting butnotlaterthanonedayprior tothedayonwhich thenotice convening
themeeting istobeissued. Thepurpose ofthisprocedure istoenable thenotifying Member toprovide
adequate responses tothese points inthecourse ofthereview process.
10. Notifications circulated ormade available afterthedateonwhich thenotice convening the
meeting isissued shallbeconsidered under adistinct itemofPartIoftheAgenda. Inthelightof
theinformation provided atthatmeeting bythenotifying Member concerned, theChairperson may
decide thatsuchnotifications beinscribed ontheagenda ofthenextmeeting oftheCommittee.
11. AMember which proposes toraiseorrevert toanymatter inconnection with anotification
considered ataprevious meeting oftheCommittee shallgivenotice ofitsintention tothenotifying
Member concerned andtotheSecretariat, together withanindication ofthespecific points itproposes
toraiseorrevert to,asfaraspossible inadvance ofthemeeting concerned butnotlaterthan1day
prior tothedayonwhich thenotice convening thatmeeting istobeissued.
12. Counter notifications under Article 18:7oftheAgreement onAgriculture shallbeconsidered
bytheCommittee attheearliest opportunity.
13. AMember raising amatter relevant totheimplementation commitments under Article 18:6,
mayrequest theMember towhich thematter inquestion relates, through theChairperson ofthe
Committee, toprovide inwriting specific information, oranexplanation oftherelevant facts or
circumstances, regarding thematter thathasbeenraised. TheroleoftheChairperson shallbetoensure
thatthematter towhich therequest relates isoneofinterest orconcern toatleastseveral Members
andthatasfaraspossible duplication andunduly burdensome requests areavoided. Theinformation
orexplanation thusrequested should normally beprovided totheCommittee bytheMember towhich
therequest isaddressed within 30days.
14. Withrespect toanymatter which hasbeenraised under theAgreement, theChairperson may,
attherequest oftheMembers directly concerned, assist them indealing withthematter inquestion.
Suchrequests shallbemade inwriting and,where theChairperson hasagreed tomake itsassistance
available, shallbebrought totheattention oftheCommittee soastoenable anyMember having a
substantial interest inthematter toindicate itsinterest inbeing associated asappropriate withthe
Chairperson 'sconsideration ofthematter. Areport shallbemade totheCommittee asappropriate
onthegeneral outcome withrespect tothematter inquestion.
15. AMember which hascommitments inSection IIofPartIVofitsSchedule inrespect of
incorporated products shall, where sorequested byanother Member, provide appropriate information
totheCommittee, normally within 21daysoftherequest, onperunitsubsidies interms ofArticle 11
oftheAgreement onAgriculture inrelation totransactions during aparticular period asspecified in
therequest totheMember concerned.
16. Asregards tariffandother market access quota commitments specified inSchedules, aMember
mayrequest another Member, through theChairman oftheCommittee onAgriculture, toprovide
information totheCommittee onthefunctioning ofaspecific quota, including thequantity ofimports
effected orauthorized under thatquota. Theinformation requested should normally beprovided within
30daysoftherequest. TheroleoftheChairperson shallbetoensure thattherearereasonable grounds
fortherequest andthatasfaraspossible duplication andunduly burdensome requests areavoided.G/AG/W/3
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PartIIofRegular Meetings oftheCommittee
17. Thework oftheCommittee under PartIIshallcomprise items relating toother matters within
thepurview oftheCommittee, aswellasitems relating toreports tobesubmitted bytheCommittee
toother WTO bodies.
18. Theannual consultation pursuant toArticle 18:5oftheAgreement shallbeundertaken atthe
March meetings oftheCommittee.
19. There shallbeanopportunity ateachregular meeting oftheCommittee toraiseanymatter
relating totheDecision onMeasures concerning thePossible Negative Effects oftheReform Programme
onLeast-Developed andNetFood-Importing Developing countries andtomonitor actions taken within
theframework ofthatDecision onthebasis, interalia,ofnotifications submitted totheCommittee.
Areport onthefollow-up tothisDecision shallbeprepared bytheCommittee forthepurposes of
thereview tobeundertaken bytheMinisterial Conference.
Other Matters
20. Representativesofinternationalintergovernmentalorganizationsmaybeinvitedtoattendregular
meetings asobservers inrespect ofitems under PartIIoftheagenda ontheinvitation oftheCommittee
inaccordance withtheguidelines tobeadopted bytheGeneral Council.
21. TheSecretariat shallprepare onitsownresponsibility asummary ofthemain points raised
inthecourse ofeachmeeting.