GATT/AIR/UNNUMBERED 28 APRIL 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 MONDAY, 8 MAY AT 10 A.M. IN ROOM E.

2. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING IS (I) TO RECEIVE PROGRESS REPORTS ON WORK DONE IN NATIONAL CAPITALS FOR THE PREPARATION OF INITIAL SUBMISSIONS TO THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE, (II) TO REVIEW ANY DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY DELEGATIONS IN CODING PARTICULAR ELEMENTS OF THEIR SUBMISSION USING THE AGREED FORMATS (DOCUMENTS IDB/W/1/REV.1 AND IDB/W/2/REV.1), (III) TO GIVE A PROGRESS REPORT ON THE PROGRAMMING WORK DONE BY THE SECRETARIAT FOR PROCESSING THE SUBMISSIONS AND TO RAISE SOME OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS (IV) TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION OF THE NATURE OF THE OUTPUT WHICH DELEGATIONS ARE LIKELY TO REQUEST FROM THE INTEGRATED DATA BASE ONCE IT IS OPERATIONAL.

3. DELEGATIONS MAY WISH TO CONSIDER THE QUESTION OF ORGANIZING A TECHNICAL SEMINAR FOR EXPERTS FROM CAPITALS, ALONG THE LINES OF THE ONE ORGANIZED LAST YEAR, TO EXAMINE IN DETAIL TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF COUNTRIES' SUBMISSIONS, AND TO DISCUSS AND ANSWER TECHNICAL QUESTIONS RELATED TO DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN CAPITALS IN PREPARING THE SUBMISSIONS.

4. THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE TARIFF STUDY, PENDING THE AVAILABILITY OF OUTPUT FROM THE IDB, COULD ALSO BE DISCUSSED.

5. DELEGATIONS ARE REMINDED THAT INITIAL 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 SUBMIT THEIR INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

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

89-0625