GATT/AIR/UNNUMBERED 20 OCTOBER 1988

SUBJECT: INTEGRATED DATA BASE

1. THE NEXT MEETING OF THE INFORMAL ADVISORY GROUP, WHICH IS OPEN TO ALL CONTRACTING PARTIES, WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 23 NOVEMBER AT 10 A.M. IN ROOM E.

2. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING IS TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION OF THE SECRETARIAT'S PROPOSALS FOR THE FORMAT OF DELEGATIONS' SUBMISSIONS TO THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE.

3. THE RELEVANT SECRETARIAT DOCUMENT FOR THE MEETING IS IDB/W/2/REV.1, WHICH WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO DELEGATIONS EARLY IN NOVEMBER.

4. IT WOULD ALSO BE POSSIBLE TO DISCUSS THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE TARIFF STUDY PENDING THE AVAILABILITY OF OUTPUT FROM THE IDB.

5. DELEGATIONS ARE REMINDED THAT INITIAL NATIONAL SUBMISSIONS OF TARIFF LINE DATA ON IMPORTS, TARIFFS AND QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS - INTEGRATED AND IN MACHINE READABLE FORM - ARE DUE IN MARCH/APRIL 1989. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INITIAL SUBMISSION, WHICH MAY BE BASED ON PARTIAL IMPORT DATA FOR 1988 OR ON CONSTRUCTED IMPORT DATA, IS TWOFOLD: TO EVALUATE PROCEDURES IN NATIONAL CAPITALS FOR ASSEMBLING THE DATA, AND TO ALLOW THE SECRETARIAT TO EVALUATE ITS WORK TO DATE ON THE COMPUTER PROGRAMME FOR THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE. IN ORDER TO MEET THE GOAL OF HAVING THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE OPERATIONAL IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1989, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT DELEGATIONS RESPECT THIS DEADLINE FOR THE INITIAL SUBMISSIONS.

A. DUNKEL

88-1579