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MARKET ACCESS: WORK IN THE WTO
Non-agricultural market access negotiations
At Doha, Ministers agreed to initiate negotiations to further liberalize trade on non-agricultural goods. To this end, the Negotiating Group on Market Access (NGMA) was created at the first meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee, in early 2002.
- Original mandate: GATT Article XXVIII bis (opens in pop-up window)
- The Doha mandate: Paras. 16, 50, and 31 (iii) (opens in pop-up window)
- The Doha mandate explained
- Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration
See also:
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Introduction
The negotiations aim to reduce or eliminate tariffs, including tariff peaks, high tariffs, tariff escalation and non-tariff barriers for non-agricultural goods, in particular on products of export interest to developing countries. The product coverage shall be comprehensive and without a priori exclusions. Special and Differential treatment for developing and least developed Members shall be fully taken into account, including through less than full reciprocity in the reduction commitments and measures to assist LDCs to participate effectively in the negotiations.
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The Negotiating Group’s work
The current chair is .
Tariffs
Work is ongoing to update and complete the information in the Integrated Data Base (IDB).
Non-Tariff Barriers
As first step, Members have agreed to identify difficulties encountered by their exporters when exporting to various markets. Discussions will be pursued on the scope of NTBs to be addressed by this Negotiating Group.
Environmental goods
Paragraph 31 (iii) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration foresees that negotiations be held “on the reduction or, as appropriate, elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to environmental goods …”. At the first meeting of the Committee on Trade and Environment Special Session, held in March 2002, there was broad support for the idea that the negotiations on environmental goods be conducted by the Negotiating Group on Market Access.
Special and Differential treatment
Capacity-building measures
The Secretariat organized a “Market Access Seminar” in May 2002 in order to identify better the issues under negotiations. Three issues in particular were discussed: Tariffs, NTBs and Databases.
Appropriate studies prepared by the Secretariat
As requested by the Members, the Secretariat has prepared different technical studies in order to address the issues under negotiation. Among others, there are studies on Members' tariff profiles, formula approaches to negotiations and data availability and software tools for tariff negotiations. The complete updated list of studies can be retrieved from the search link below.
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Members' submissions
The complete and updated list of the written documents submitted by the Members, which includes proposals, communications and contributions, can be retrieved from the search link below.