EXPORT SUBSIDIES, EXPORT CREDITS, EXPORT
CREDIT GUARANTEES
OR INSURANCE PROGRAMMES, INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID AND
AGRICULTURAL EXPORTING STATE TRADING ENTERPRISES
Background document by the Secretariat[1]
Revision
1.
The Ministerial Declaration on
Export Competition (document _WT/MIN(13)/40
- WT/L/915) adopted by Ministers on 7 December 2013 at the 9th WTO
Ministerial Conference in Bali (the "Bali Declaration") states,
inter alia, that:
"10. Accordingly, we commit to
enhance transparency and to improve monitoring in relation to all forms of
export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in order to
support the reform process.
11. We therefore agree to hold
dedicated discussions on an annual basis in the Committee on Agriculture to
examine developments in the field of export competition. This examination
process shall provide an opportunity for Members to raise any matter relevant
to the export competition pillar, in furtherance of the final objective set out
in the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration.
12. This examination process shall be
undertaken on the basis of timely notifications under the relevant provisions
of the Agreement on Agriculture and related decisions, complemented by
information compiled by the WTO Secretariat, consistent with the practice
followed in 2013[2],
on the basis of Members' responses to a questionnaire, as illustrated in the
Annex."
2. Two annual dedicated discussions
took place respectively on 5 June 2014 and 4 June 2015 at
the regular meetings of the Committee on Agriculture.[3]
3. These dedicated discussions were
based on a background document by the Secretariat[4],
which compiled information from Members' relevant notifications along with responses
to an export competition questionnaire circulated by the Chairperson of the
Committee on Agriculture.[5]
4.
The Ministerial Decision on
Export Competition (document _WT/MIN(15)/45
- WT/L/980) adopted by Ministers on 19 December 2015 at the 10th
WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi (the "Nairobi Decision")
states, inter alia, that:
"4. The Committee on
Agriculture shall monitor the implementation of this Decision by Members in
accordance with existing notification requirements under the Agreement on
Agriculture, as complemented by the provisions set out in the Annex to this
Decision."
5. The Annex to the Nairobi Decision
states that, consistent with the Bali Declaration, Members shall continue to
provide information on export subsidies, export credit, export credit
guarantees or insurance programmes, international food aid and agricultural
exporting state trading enterprises, within the context of an annual
examination process based on the
structure of the Annex.
6. In addition, footnote 17 to the
Decision states that "Notwithstanding
paragraph 4 of this Decision, developing country Members, unless they are
in a position to do so at an earlier date, shall implement this Annex no later
than five years following the date of adoption of this Decision".
7. Eight post-Nairobi annual dedicated
discussions took place respectively on 7-8 June 2016, 7 June 2017,
11-12 June 2018, 25-26 June 2019, 22-23 September 2020, 23‑24 September 2021,
27-28 June 2022, and 27-28 June 2023 during the regular meetings of
the Committee on Agriculture.[6]
8. These dedicated discussions were
based on background documents by the Secretariat[7],
which compiled information from Members' relevant notifications along with
responses to the export competition questionnaire (ECQ) circulated by the
Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture.[8]
9. On 13 December 2023, the
Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture circulated the questionnaire, in
accordance with the terms of the Annex of the Nairobi Decision, in preparation for the ninth post-Nairobi annual dedicated
discussion referred to therein and scheduled to take place in September 2024.
10. The present document and its four addenda
update document _G/AG/W/125/Rev.19, with the addition of replies to the
questionnaire, relevant information coming from Table ES:1 and ES:3
notifications, and notifications to the Working Party on State Trading
Enterprises received by the Secretariat and circulated up to 16 August 2024[9].
11. The following Members replied entirely or partially to the
questionnaire circulated on 13 December 2023: Argentina; Australia; Brazil;
Canada; Chile; China; Costa Rica; Dominican Republic; European Union; Honduras;
Hong Kong, China; Israel; Japan; Korea, Republic of; Liechtenstein; Macao,
China; New Zealand; Norway; Philippines; South Africa; Singapore; Switzerland;
Chinese Taipei; Türkiye; Seychelles; Ukraine; United Kingdom; United States;
and Uruguay.
12. On 21 March 2023, the WTO
Secretariat announced the operationalization of the on-line submission tool for
responses to the ECQ, under the ECQ- Information management system (ECQ‑IMS) module
of the agriculture information management system (AG-IMS). While some Members have
followed past practices in providing their response to the ECQ, several Members
have started to use this new functionality, accessible through the "Export
Competition" tab on the AG‑IMS webpage. The ECQ‑IMS on-line reporting
module is also operational, with all previous responses made following the
adoption of the Nairobi Decision now incorporated. Demonstration videos are
available under the "user guide" tab.[10]
[1] This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own
responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members or to their
rights and obligations under the WTO. It has been prepared for information only
and is not intended to provide any authoritative or official legal
interpretation of the provisions of the WTO Agreements in general or in
relation to any specific entity or measure listed in this document.
[2] _TN/AG/S/27
and _TN/AG/S/27/Rev.1.
[3] See summary reports issued as document _G/AG/R/75
and document _G/AG/R/78
as modified by document _G/AG/R/78/Corr.1.
[4] Documents _G/AG/W/125,
_G/AG/W/125/Rev.1,
_G/AG/W/125/Rev.2
and _G/AG/W/125/Rev.3
and their addenda. The documents were updated after the meetings to include
additional information from Members.
[5] The questionnaires circulated respectively on 10 February 2014 and
26 November 2014 reflected the Elements for Enhanced Transparency on Export
Competition contained in the Annex to the Bali Declaration.
[6] See summary reports issued as documents _G/AG/R/81, _G/AG/R/85, _G/AG/R/88, _G/AG/R/92, _G/AG/R/92/Corr.1, _G/AG/R/96,
_G/AG/R/100,
_G/AG/R/102
and _G/AG/R/106
and responses to points raised by Members during the dedicated discussions in
documents _G/AG/W/155,
_G/AG/W/166
and _G/AG/W/182
and on Agriculture Market Information System "Review Process, Search Q&A
Submitted since 1995" section.
[7] Series of documents _G/AG/W/125/Rev.4
to _G/AG/W/125/Rev.19
and their addenda. The documents were updated after the meetings to include
additional information provided by Members.
[8] The questionnaires circulated respectively on 20 January 2016, 31
October 2016, 16 November 2017, 25 October 2018, 17 January 2020,
14 January 2021, 3 December 2021 and 17 January 2023 and reflected the elements
contained in the Annex to the Nairobi Decision.
[9] Three Members
responded after this date.