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Countries facing balance-of-payment difficulty may apply import restrictions under provisions in the GATT 1994 agreement and under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

Introduction back to top

> Technical information on balance of payments

 
  
The provisions back to top

Use of the balance of payments provisions in the WTO is governed by the following agreements, which can be downloaded or browsed from the legal texts gateway. 

> Articles XII and XVIII:B of GATT 1994
> The Understanding on the Balance-of-payments Provisions of the GATT 1994
> Article XII of the GATS

  
  
Work on balance of payments in the WTO, and official documents back to top

The Committee on Balance of Payments Restrictions consults with Members who maintain restrictions for balance-of-payments reasons.

> Current chair
  

Search Documents Online Balance of payments documents use the code WT/BOP/* (where * takes additional values) These links open a new window: allow a moment for the results to appear. > help with downloading these documents Annual reports of the Committee to the General Council (Document code WT/BOP/R/*)     > search Background documents of the Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions (Document code WT/BOP/S/* or WT/BOP/G/*)     > search  Notifications (Document code WT/BOP/N/*)      > search Handbook on notification requirements (Document code WT/TC/NOTIF/BOP/*)     > search General documents (Document varies)     > search You can perform more sophisticated searches from the Documents Online search facility (opens in new window) by defining multiple search criteria such as document symbol (i.e. code number), full text search or document date.