General Council Meeting of 1-2-6 December 2005

Proposed agenda

1.   China — Transitional Review Under Section 18.2 of the Protocol of Accession to the WTO Agreement (WT/GC/99, G/L/764, S/C/25, IP/C/39, WT/BOP/R/80)

2.   Implementation of paragraph 11 of the decision on the implementation of paragraph 6 of the Doha declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (WT/L/540) — Statement by the Chairman of the TRIPS Council

3.   Non-recognition of rights under Article XXIV:6 and Article XXVIII of GATT 1994 — Communications from Honduras and Guatemala (WT/GC/85, WT/GC/90 and corr.1) — Statement by the Chairman

4.   Enlargement of the European Union — Communication from the European Communities (WT/GC/98)

5.   Review of the exemption provided under Paragraph 3 of GATT 1994

6.   Waivers under Article IX of the WTO Agreement ¹

A.   Introduction of harmonized system 2002 changes into WTO schedules of tariff concessions — Draft Decision (G/C/W/533)
B.   Introduction of harmonized system 1996 changes into WTO schedules of tariff concessions — Request for waiver by Israel (G/L/744, G/C/W/528)
C.   Review of Waivers Pursuant to Article IX:4 of the WTO Agreement

(i) United States — Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, granted on 15 November 1995 until 31 December 2005 (WT/L/104, WT/L/633
(ii) Canada — Caribcan, granted on 14 October 1996 until 31 December 2006 (WT/L/185, WT/L/634
(iii) United States — Former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, granted on 14 October 1996 until 31 December 2006 (WT/L/183, WT/L/632)
(iv) EC — Autonomous preferential treatment to the countries of the Western Balkans, granted on 8 December 2000 until 31 December 2006 (WT/L/380, WT/L/635)
(v) EC — Transitional regime for the EC autonomous tariff rate quotas on imports of bananas, granted on 14 November 2001 until 31 December 2005 (WT/L/437)
(vi) EC — The ACP-EC Partnership Agreement, granted on 14 November 2001 until 31 December 2007 (WT/L/436, WT/L/636)
(vii) Cuba — Article XV:6 of GATT 1994, Granted on 20 December 2001 until 31 December 2006 (WT/L/440, WT/L/630 )

7.   Review under paragraph 8 of the decision on the implementation of paragraph 6 of the Doha declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and public health (WT/L/540) — Report of the Council for TRIPS (IP/C/37)

8.   Committee on budget, finance and administration

A.   Report of the Committee on its meeting of 29 September (WT/BFA/80)
B.   Recommendations of the Committee following its meetings of October and November 2005

9.   WTO Pension Plan

A.   Annual Report of the management board for 2004 (WT/L/628)
B.   Amendments to the regulations and administrative Rules of the Pension Plan (WT/GC/W/552)

10.   Appointment of officers to WTO Bodies — Announcement by the Chairman pursuant to paragraph 7.1(a) of the guidelines (WT/L/510)

11.   Review of WTO activities

Reports of:

(i)  General Council (WT/GC/W/554), Dispute Settlement Body (WT/DSB/39 and Add.1), Trade Policy Review Body (WT/TPR/173)
(ii)  Sectoral Councils (G/L/763, S/C/24 and IP/C/38)
(iii)  Committees on Trade and Development (WT/COMTD/55), Trade and Environment (WT/CTE/12), Balance-of-Payments Restrictions (WT/BOP/R/81), Budget, Finance and Administration (WT/BFA/81), and Regional Trade Agreements (WT/REG/15)
(iv)  Working Groups on Trade, Debt and Finance (WT/WGTDF/4), and Trade and Transfer of Technology (WT/WGTTT/7)
(v)  Committees under the Plurilateral Trade Agreements (GPA/85, WT/L/629)

12.   Preparations for the Sixth session of the Ministerial Conference

A.   Request for Observer status by the PLO on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (WT/L/631)
B.   Requests for observer status by international intergovernmental organizations:

• Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EC (CTA)

• Basel Convention

• Council of Europe Development Bank

• African Development Bank

• Andean Development Corporation (CAF)

 

C.   Administrative arrangements — Statement by the Chairman
D.   Reports:

(i)  Work Programme on Small Economies — Report by the Chairman of the Dedicated Session of the Committee on Trade and Development (WT/COMTD/SE/4)
(ii)  Work Programme on Special and Differential treatment

• Report by the chairman of the special session of the Committee on Trade and Development

• Oral Reports by chairpersons of other WTO bodies to whom Special and Differential treatment proposals have been referred

(iii)  Work Programme on Electronic Commerce — State of play and Reports by the Chairpersons of the Committee on Trade and Development and the Dedicated discussions on cross-cutting issues under the auspices of the General Council (WT/GC/W/555)
(iv)  Follow-up to the July 2004 General Council Decision on the Doha Work Programme — Report by the Director-General on the Development Assistance Aspects of Cotton (WT/GC/97 and add.1)
(v)  Report by the Chairman of the Trade Negotiations Committee
(vi)  Draft ministerial text — Statement by the Chairman