./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/RO/N/25
13 April 1999
(99-1464)
Committee on Rules of Origin
NOTIFICATIONS UNDER ARTICLE 5 AND PARAGRAPH 4 OF ANNEX II OF
THE AGREEMENT ON RULES OF ORIGIN
A. NON-PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN
1. Article 5.1 of the Agreement on Rules of Origin  envisages that each Member shall provide to
the Secretariat, within 90 days after the date entry in to force of the WTO Ag reement for it, its rules of
origin, judicial decisions and administrative rulings of  general application relating to rules of origin in
effect on that date.  If by inadvertence a rule of origin has not been provided, the Member concerned
shall provide it immediately after this fact becomes known.  Lists of information received and available
within the Secretariat shall be circulat ed to the Members by the Secretariat.
2. Article 5.2 of the Agreement on Rules of Origin provides that during the period referred to in
Article 2, Members introducing modifications, other than  de minimis  modifications, to their rules of
origin or introducing new rules of origin, which, for the purpose of the Article, shall include any rule of
origin referred to in paragraph 1 and not provided to  the Secretariat, shall publish a notice to that effect
at least 60 days before the entry into force of the modified or new rule in such a manner as to enable
interested parties to become acquain ted with the intention to modify a rule of origin or to introduce a
new rule of origin, unless exceptional circumstances ar ise or threaten to arise for a Member.  In these
exceptional cases, the Member shall publish the modified or new rule as soon as possible.
3. Previous notifications received are listed in the G/RO/N/- series.  Further notifications have
been received as follows:1
LATVIA
(Notification in English)
Article 162 of Customs Law.
QATAR
(Notification in English)
- Customs Code No. 5 of 1998;  and
- Decision of the acting Minister of Finance and Oil No. 2 of 1991.
B. PREFERENTIAL RULES OF ORIGIN
1. Paragraph 4 on Annex II of the Agreement on Rules of Origin envisages that Members shall
provide to the Secretariat promptly their preferential rules of origin, including a listing of the preferential
arrangements to which they apply, judicial decisions, and administrative rulings of general application
relating to their preferential rules of origin in  effect on the date of entry into force of the
                                                     
     1The notifications are available for consultation in the Secretariat (Market Access Division).G/RO/N/25
Page 2
WTO Agreement for the Member concerned.  Members shall provide any modifications to their
preferential rules of origin or new preferential rules of  origin as soon as possible to the Secretariat.  Lists
of information received and available within the Se cretariat shall be circulated to Members by the
Secretariat.
2. Previous notifications received are listed in the G/RO/N/- series.  Further notifications have
been received as follows:2
LATVIA
(Notification in English)
- Article 163 of Customs Law.- Latvia is a member of the European cumulation of origin notified by the EC in the
document G/RO/N/23. The following free trade agreements are covered by the European
cumulation:
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Latvia and EC;
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Latvia and EFTA;
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Latvia and the Czech Republic;
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Slovenia;
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Slovakia;  and
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Poland.
- Latvia is notifying the Committee on Rules of Origin of the following rules of origin
contained in:
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Latvia and Ukraine.  Protocol A “Concerning
the definition of originating products and methods of administrative cooperation” issued on
16 May 1996 – Official publication (“Latvijas Vestnesis” 04.051996);  and
Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the
Republic of Lithuania.  Protocol A “Concern ing the definition of originating products and
methods of administrative cooperation” issu ed on 17 October 1996 – Official publication
(“Latvijas Vestnesis” 05.11.1996) and Amendments Resolution 1/98 issued on 22 December1998 – Official publication (“Latvijas Vestnesis” 30.12.1998).
QATAR
(Notification in English)
- Customs Code No. 5 of 1998;  and
- Decision of the acting Minister of Finance and Oil No. 2 of 1991.
__________
                                                     
     2The notifications are available for consultation in the Secretariat (Market Access Division).