TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar10/18)
29 March 2010
Third World Network

WTO Goods Council agrees on chairs
Published in SUNS #6890 dated 24 March 2010

Geneva, 23 Mar (Kanaga Raja) -- The WTO Council for Trade in Goods on Tuesday agreed on a slate of Chairs of its subsidiary bodies for this year.

The Council also elected by acclamation Ambassador Anthony Mothae Maruping  of Lesotho as its new Chairperson. He replaces Ambassador Elin Johansen of  Norway.

The Chairpersons of the subsidiary bodies of the Goods Council for 2010  are:

1. Committee on Market Access: Dan Owoko (Kenya)

2. Committee on Agriculture: Valeria Csukasi (Uruguay)

3. Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures: Flavio Soares Damico (Brazil)

4. Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade: Amit Yadav (India)

5. Committee on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs): Zhao Hong  (China)

6. Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices: Adrian Serra (Argentina)

7. Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures: Robert Fang  (Chinese Taipei)

8. Committee on Safeguards: Tobias Lorentzsen (Sweden)

9. Committee on Import Licensing: Anna Ashikali (Cyprus)

10. Committee on Rules of Origin: Jasmin Quah-Zubair (Singapore)

11. Committee on Customs Valuation: Tamas Vattai (Hungary)

12. Working Party on State Trading Enterprises: Doris Jurado (Colombia)

13. ITA Committee: Tomohiro Kaneko (Japan)

According to trade officials, the Chair also reported the recent  notification of the following regional trade agreements: ASEAN-Japan Free  Trade Agreement; Panama-Honduras Free-Trade Agreement; Customs Union of  the European Union and San Marino; Peru-China Free Trade Agreement; and  Turkey-Montenegro Free Trade Agreement.

The Chair further reported that the Secretariat had updated the listing of  notification obligations and compliance by Members.

According to trade officials, while the US welcomed the updated listing,  it expressed concern about what it said are numerous notifications that  remain outstanding, particularly in the area of state-trading enterprises.

The Chair announced that the next meeting of the Goods Council is  scheduled for 20 May. +