1. Discussion at the 15^th TPT-WG

The Transparency Exercise Questionnaire is aimed at Transparency on member economies’ international shipping policies and activities. Aiming at this objective, Japan proposed that Maritime Initiative members would analyze the responses to TEQ by themselves. The purpose was to enlarge knowledge of the responses and to foster mutual understanding between member economies.

Maritime Initiative discussed this proposal in the last meeting in the 15^th TPT-WG, and agreed that the analysis work would be done in the forthcoming meetings. It was also noted that this work would be linked to the TILF project "Facilitation of International Shipping" which was proposed by Australia and approved by the meeting.

This TILF project is scheduled to be completed by April 2001. The result of this project could be used to supplement the result of our self analysis of TEQ responses.

Therefore, we also agreed that the self analysis of TEQ responses in the MI meeting would be discussed in the next three meetings so that the analysis work could be finished by April 2001 coincidentally with the TILF project.

2. The analysis method agreed at the 15^th TPT-WG

The analysis work would be implemented by economies on their own initiative, shared on sector by sector basis among the economies.

It is sectoral in a sense of selecting some sectors to be analyzed by a analyst economy, but comprehensive in a sense of dealing all responses from member economies within the work of an analyst economy. Basically based on the responses of TEQ, an analyst economy would probably extract policy alternatives from the TEQ responses, and put forward its opinions. But an analysis must not mention a particular name of economy.

For the sectors to be analyzed, the questions in the TEQ were categorized into four sectors;

1. Market Access ( Question item 9 in TEQ )
2. Support Measures( Item 11 )
3. Competition Law ( Item 12 )
4. General Maritime Policy ( Items 3,4,6,7,8 and 10)

Following the methodology above, an analysis will be as a following table. But it is strongly underlined that this analysis work is done by voluntary offers of economies and can accept some extent of flexibility in the format.

Example:

3. Allotment of analysis work

Allotment of an analyst economy depends on voluntary offers. Australia has offered to analyze Competition Law sector, and U.S. has also offered analysis of Market Access sector. Offers for a same sector are welcomed , because plural analysis on one sector are useful for comparison and deeper understanding of the sector.

This page was last updated on 1 Feb, 2008