WTO NAMA negotiation

General tariff-cutting formula and sectoral tariff agreements

In this position paper on the WTO industrial tariff negotiations, Orgalime demands both a far reaching general tariff-cutting formula as well as sectoral tariff agreements for the engineering industries and its supplier’s industries. Orgalime is disappointed with the latest WTO industrial market access negotiating text that allows excessively high coefficients to emerging countries like China, Brazil and India.

Orgalime fears that so-called flexibilities will be misused by certain emerging countries as an “opt-out” from the tariff cutting formula. With regard to sectoral agreements, Orgalime asks that sectoral agreements of the engineering sector and its supplier industries should be zero-for-zero agreements and comprehensive with regard to both product and country coverage. On Non Tariff Barrier Agreements (NTBs) Orgalime contributed to formulating the EU’s proposal on Non Tariff Barriers in the electronics sector, with the aim of abolishing mandatory certification worldwide and promoting the EU’s system of manufacturers’ self-declaration of conformity for a majority of electronic and electrical goods.

Given that there is already a sectoral agreement - the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) – Orgalime believes that it could be possible to enlarge this agreement with a new section on NTBs within this product range.