Since then, negotiations have resulted in other legal texts such as the Agreement on Information Technology, Services and Accession Protocols. New negotiations were launched at the Doha Ministerial Conference in November 2001. The text of the Declaration on the extension of the ITA, including its Annexes, is attached to this Decision. The Information Technology Agreement is a plurilateral agreement to eliminate tariffs on certain information and communication technology (ICT) products. The ITA covers a wide range of ICT products, including computers and permealing devices, electronic components, including semiconductors, computer software, telecommunications equipment, semiconductor manufacturing facilities and computer analysis tools. To date, 82 WTO members participate in the ITA, accounting for 97% of global trade in ICT products. The agreement therefore does not apply to television channels, including high-definition televisions. (3) 4. Participants will come to a meeting as soon as possible, but no later than 1 April 1997, to verify the status of admissions received and to evaluate the conclusions to be drawn. The participants will implement the measures provided for in the declaration, provided that the participants, representing approximately 90% of world trade (2) in computer products, have notified their adoption by then and that the staging has been agreed to the satisfaction of the participants. In determining whether the measures provided for in the declaration are to be implemented, participants may, if the share of participants in world trade is slightly less than 90% of world trade in information technology products, take into account the importance of the participation of separate States or customs territories which represent for them the bulk of their own trade in such products. At this meeting, participants will determine whether these criteria are met. (a) the concessions proposed by each participant with a view to amending its schedule bind and eliminate all customs duties and other customs duties and taxes of any kind on information technology products as follows: during the negotiations, the Commission maintained close contacts with EU industry associations in the sectors covered, such as.

B Digital Europe. the European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA) and individual companies established in the EU. These associations have provided the Commission with valuable information on priority information technology products and industry-sensitive products in the EU. Member States have also regularly forwarded to the Commission such information from national industry associations and individual undertakings. (1) The trade regime of each Party should evolve in such a way as to improve market access opportunities for information technology products. The objective of the ITA expansion is to eliminate tariffs on computer products that were not included in the original ITA. This is why the enlargement of the ITA covers issues relating to the common commercial policy. The legal basis for this proposal is Article 207(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) in conjunction with Article 218(6)(a)(v) of the Treaty. These timetables include commitments made by individual WTO members, which allow certain foreign products or service providers to access their markets. .

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