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The
beneficiary countries are the following: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados,
Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji,
Grenada, Guatemala, Jamaica, Jordan, Mauritius, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and
Uruguay.
Three export subsidy programmes — one each from Belize, Fiji and
Mauritius — have already been phased out.
The Committee approved the extension requests after reviewing reports by
these countries on the status of their subsidy programmes. These programmes
are mainly related to free trade zones or to tax incentives for exporters.
The beneficiary countries presented action plans for phasing out the subsidy
programmes, and answered questions from the United States, Colombia and
Australia.
In 2007, the General Council adopted a decision on procedures for the
extension of the transition period for the elimination of export subsidy
programmes of these developing countries. The decision enables the Subsidies
Committee to continue to grant extensions of the transition period until the
end of 2013, with a final phase out period of two years, which shall end no
later than 31 December 2015.
The United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan commended the
“smooth way” in which the General Council decision was being implemented in
the Committee. In addition, Japan cited the need for more technical
assistance for the beneficiary countries.
El Salvador underlined the importance of the subsidy programmes for its
economy.
Regarding notifications of countervailing-duty (CVD) actions taken during
the first half of 2010, the United States expressed concerns with CVD
measures by China on electrical steel, chicken products and autos from the
US. China, on the other hand, complained about the United States’ action on
oil country tubular goods from China.
On the subject of notifications, China and Mexico reported they are working
hard to submit their subsidy notifications to the Committee.
The United States expressed concern over lack of or incomplete subsidy
notifications from members, and in particular about what it said were gaps
in the notifications of Malaysia, India and China. Japan, Australia, the
European Union, Canada and New Zealand shared the United States’ concerns.
India and Malaysia said they are working to improve their notifications.
The US said that according to the Secretariat’s calculations it had
requested, India had gained export competitiveness (3.25% or more of world
trade) in textiles and apparel and therefore must phase out its export
subsidies in the sector over an eight-year period as required by the
Subsidies Agreement. It expressed concern about India’s recent extension of
three subsidy programmes for textiles. India said that it was carefully
going through the Secretariat’s calculations, adding that the Committee
needed to have a common understanding on the product coverage of the
Agreement’s provision concerned. It also maintained that the three
programmes cited by the US were not export subsidies.
Under “Other Business,” Japan reported that it had asked for dispute
settlement consultations with Canada on the Province of Ontario’s renewable
energy programme, and that the US and the EU have joined in these
consultations. Canada confirmed that the consultations were underway.
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