THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE: A CHRONOLOGY:

1946-47 Conference on trade organization and multilateral tariff negotiation. Jan. 1948

GATT entered into force provisionally. 1950s:

Annecy Round. Tariff negotiations.

Torquay Round. Tariff negotiations.

Geneva Round. Tariff negotiations. 1960-61 Dillon Round.

Response to formation of the European Community (EC). Tariff negotiations. 1963-67 Kennedy Round.

Response to continuing high tariffs and prospects of Britain joining the EC. Tariff reductions on a comprehensive basis (rather than product-by-product) adopted. Pacts on antidumping measures, grains. 1973-79 Tokyo Round.

Response to trade and monetary instabilities and problems of nontariff barriers. Resulted in tariff and nontariff measures. Special agreements and arrangements on: subsidies and countervailing measures; civil aircraft; import licensing; customs valuation; revised antidumping code; dairy and bovine meat arrangements; government procurement; technical barriers to trade; improved legal framework for the conduct of world trade. 1986-90 Uruguay Round.

Response to: weakness of GATT rule enforcement; gaps in GATT coverage; growing bilateral and unilateral action; emergence of newly industrialized economies; need to transform trade in agriculture; new trade issue in services and intellectual property.

(Initiation of negotiations: Punta del Este, September 1986. Midterm review: Montreal, December 1988. Concluding meeting: Brussels, December 1990.)

Source: Northeast Midwest Economic Review