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GLOSSARY OF TRADE TERMS
Autonomous Liberalization: Autonomous liberalization refers to the General Agreement on Trade in Services' (GATS) requirement that WTO Members develop modalities for the treatment of liberalization undertaken voluntarily since previous negotiations, in order to allow countries to receive "credit" for this liberalization in the current built-in agenda services negotiations.
Built-in Agenda: Refers to ongoing WTO negotiations in the areas of agriculture and services. No new ministerial mandate is required for these negotiations, because the text of the existing agreements contains "built-in" negotiating mandates.
Compulsory licensing: Government authorization to use a patent without the permission of the patent holder.
Cumulative Recovery System (CRS): A system whereby a tariff would be assessed as the difference between the price ceiling and a reference price for the import.
Implementation debate: Relates to ongoing discussions in the WTO on how to address difficulties that many developing countries have experienced in trying to implement certain Uruguay Round obligations. However, many implementation-related proposals would require the renegotiation of existing Uruguay Round Agreements.
Integrated Framework for Least Developed Countries: Six core organizations are working together with the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to coordinate their trade assistance programs through an integrated framework for trade-related technical assistance to these countries. These agencies are the WTO, the World Bank, the IMF, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the International Trade Center.
Internal/external transparency: Internal transparency generally refers to the internal transparency of WTO and its decision-making process. At the WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle, there was criticism of the "green room" process where discussions took place without the participation of all WTO Members. External transparency refers to the public openness of the WTO and WTO Members, and includes such things as the publication and de-restriction of WTO documents, or the publication of laws and regulations by WTO Member governments.
Multifunctionality: A term primarily used in Europe to describe the notion that farming serves broader social purposes beyond economics, e.g. environmental protection, landscape preservation, rural employment, etc.
Parallel imports: Parallel imports occur when goods produced or sold abroad with the consent of the owner of the applicable intellectual property rights (IPR) - copyright, patent or trademark - are subsequently imported into the domestic market without the consent of the right owner.
Precautionary principle: A term used in Europe (by the EU member states, the Commission, and governments aspiring to join the EU) which has been rejected by virually all other governments. While many governments apply precautionary approaches in a variety of contexts (e.g. food safety, animal and plant health, the environment, etc.), the EU's precautionary principle provides that politicians can over-rule science-based decisions of regulators. One example of a precautionary approach is embodied in Article 5.7 of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement).
"Singapore" issues: Refers to working groups established at the 1996 WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore, and includes trade and competition, trade and investment, and transparency in government procurement.
"Tool-box" approach: Administration's proposal for a "toolbox" of actions the United States could take in combination with trade agreements to promote the protection of children, adherence to core labor standards, and mutually supportive trade and environmental protection.
Tariff peaks: Relatively high tariffs, usually on "sensitive" products, amidst generally low tariff levels.
Trade remedies: Refers to trade agreements that seek to address unfair competition in the domestic market, or provide emergency protection against imported items that are seen to cause a significant injury to a domestic industry. Includes the WTO Agreements on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the Agreement on Safeguards.
TRIMS - "Two Plus up to Two" Approach: A proposed package that would provide for a second extension of up to two years beyond the January 1, 2000 date for full implementation of commitments under the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMS).
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