GATT/AIR/UNNUMBERED 23 JANUARY 1989

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, 1 FEBRUARY AT 10 A.M. IN ROOM D.

2. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING IS (I) TO COMPLETE THE INITIAL DISCUSSION OF THE SECRETARIAT'S PROPOSALS FOR THE FORMAT OF DELEGATIONS' SUBMISSIONS TO THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE, AND (II) TO BEGIN DISCUSSION OF THE NATURE OF THE OUTPUT WHICH DELEGATIONS ARE LIKELY TO REQUEST FROM THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE ONCE IT IS OPERATIONAL.

3. THE RELEVANT SECRETARIAT DOCUMENTS FOR THE MEETING ARE IDB/W/1/REV.1 AND IDB/W/2/REV.1, WHICH WERE DISTRIBUTED TO DELEGATIONS LAST JULY AND 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 PROGRAMMES 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.

6. DELEGATIONS ARE ALSO REMINDED THAT THOSE CONTRACTING PARTIES WHICH HAVE NOT YET INDICATED THEIR INTENTION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO SO AT AN EARLY DATE.

A. DUNKEL

89-0115