Would WTO rules allow preferential TRQs ?
21 One of the reasons why developing country exporters benefit from the EU’s TRQs is that a number of these were opened specifically as current access quotas to maintain pre-existing preferential access commitments. Some developing countries have suggested that reserving quota allocation for developing countries could be further extended in the allocation of increased TRQs. Other ways of providing preferential treatment under TRQs could also be envisaged, including offering preferential in-quota tariffs or requiring licensing arrangements to maximise the rent transfer to developing country exporters. This section examines the legal issues surrounding proposals to introduce a preferential element into TRQ administration. 22 TRQs were indirectly introduced by the WTO Agreement on Agriculture through Article 4 which specifies that “market access concessions contained in Schedules relate to bindings and reductions or tariffs, and to other market access commitments as specified therein” (it
