Members of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) have agreed to organize three thematic sessions from autumn 2025 to the end of 2026. The first session, titled "The Opportunities of ITA Participation: Participants' and Stakeholders' Experiences," aims to expand participation in the ITA and ITA Expansion Agreement. The second will focus on the ITA's role in promoting artificial intelligence and other new technologies. The third session will address the ITA's support for e-commerce and tackling the digital divide. Mr. Ta-Lin (Peter) Shih, Chair of the ITA Committee, stated that "the WTO Secretariat and interested members will work together to follow up on the details of these sessions and keep the Committee informed of further developments."
During a recent meeting, members discussed non-tariff measures (NTMs) imposed by governments to regulate trade. Suggestions included focusing on NTMs related to highly traded ITA products like mobile phones and computers, as well as those concerning remanufacturing electronic products. Members also proposed organizing joint sessions with the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), conducting a survey to identify NTMs for discussion, and revitalizing the NTMs working group. The Chair encouraged members to elaborate on their suggestions at future meetings.
In response to member requests, a working document was provided by the Secretariat offering guidance on updating classifications for 22 IT products according to the 2022 Harmonized System (HS). However, agreement has yet been reached on common HS codes for these products. The European Union; Japan; Hong Kong, China; and the United Kingdom expressed appreciation for this initiative, noting it is a positive step towards resolving classification divergences.
Concerns about import duties imposed by Indonesia and Egypt on certain IT products covered by the ITA were raised again during this meeting.
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 4th, with additional meetings possible if necessary.