Schedules and their changes

Uruguay Round:  when the Uruguay Round concluded in 1994, the Goods Schedules of most original WTO Members were annexed to the WTO Agreement through the Marrakesh Protocol to the GATT 1994.

Protocol of Accession: Goods and Services Schedules form part of the “accession package” that embodies the results of negotiations of an acceding government country with WTO Members. 

Schedules needs to be frequently updated in order to reflect changes in the tariff classification under the Harmonized System, which periodically undergoes amendments.  This so-called "transposition" of the goods schedules is required in order to be able to compare Members' obligations with the tariffs that are actually applied by a national customs administration.

Sector specific negotiations have taken place both under the GATT and the WTO, which in some cases led to an Agreement.

This is the case, for instance, of the "Pharma Agreement", concessions concerning "Spirits" or the "Information Technology Agreement" (ITA), amongst others.

Article XXVIII of the GATT allows Members to modify concessions recorded in their Goods Schedules through negotiation and agreement with Members primarily concerned by the proposed modifications.

Members can undertake changes to their Goods Schedules due to rectifications and modifications of a technical nature and concessions, for example, in the context of the Agreement of Agriculture. 

In some cases Members can present a completely new Full Schedule.  

The Schedules of some Members incorporate by reference concessions pre-dating the Uruguay Round or indicated that the concessions are "without prejudice" to their GATT Schedule.  As a result, many of these concessions remain valid under the WTO.