Global Trade and Customs Abbreviations

By Dr. Carsten Weerth, BSc (Glasgow), Bremen

1st Edition 2009

AB Appellate Body (WTO)

(/R = Panel Reports; /AB/R = Appellate Body Reports)
ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
AD Anti-Dumping Measures
AEO Authorized Economic Operator (EU)
AER The American Economic Review (Journal)
AES Automated Export System (EU)
AFDI Annuaire Franais de Droit International (Journal)
AFTA ASEAN Free Trade Area
AJICL Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law (Journal)
AJIL The American Journal of International Law (Journal)
AMS Aggregate measure of support (WTO)
APEC Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum
API Advance Passenger Information (WCO)
Art. Article
ASEAN Association of South-East Asian Nations
ATC Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (WTO, expired on 1/1/2005)
ATLAS Automatisiertes Tarif- und Lokales Zoll-Abwicklungssystem (Germany,
IT-System)
AUILR American University International Law Review (Journal)
AWB Air-Way-Bill
AW-Prax Auenwirtschaftliche Praxis (Zeitschrift fr Auenwirtschaft in Recht
und Praxis, Journal)
B2B Business-to-Business
B2C Business-to-Customer
BISD Basic Instruments and Selected Documents (WTO)
BIT bilateral investment treaties
BL Bill of Lading
BOP Balance of Payments
BPM5 Balance of Payments Manual, fifth edition
BTA Border Tax Adjustment
CACM Central American Common Market
CAP Common Agricultural Policy
CARICOM Caribbean Common Market
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity
CBLR Columbia Business Law Review (Journal)
CCC Community Customs Code (EU)
CCC Customs Co-operation Council (now WCO)
CCE Commissioners of Customs and Excise
CCIP Customs Code Implementary Provisions (EU)
CCN Communication Network
CEMA Customs and Excise Management Act 1979
CEMAC Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States
CHIEF Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (UK, IT-System)
CIF cost insurance freight
CIF cost, insurance and freight
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

Global Trade and Customs Journal List of Abbreviations

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
CMLR Common Market Law Review (Journal)
CN Combined Nomenclature
COM European Commission
COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
CSGR Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation
CSI Common System Interface
CSP Community Service Providers
CTD Committee on Trade and Development (WTO)
CTE Committee on Trade and Environment (WTO)
CTG Council for Trade in Goods (WTO)
CTHT Commonwealth Trade Hot Topics (Journal)
CU Customs Union
DDA Doha Development Agenda (WTO)
DDP delivery, duty, paid
DDS Tariff Data Dissemination System
DDU delivery, duty, unpaid
DLJ Duke Law Journal
DO Development Outreach (Journal)
DSB Dispute Settlement Body
DSU Dispute Settlement Understanding
EBTI European Binding Tariff Information
EC European Communities
ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States
ECE Economic Commission for Europe
ECICS European customs inventory of chemical substances
ECJILTP The Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy
ECL European Community Law (Journal)
ECOSOC Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
ECS Export Control System
EDI Electronic Data Interchange
EDIFACT Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and
Transport
EEC European Economic Community
EEP Export Enhancement Programme (US)
EFA European Forum for External Trade, Excise and Customs
EFTA European Free Trade Association
e-Government electronic Government
EJ The Economic Journal
EJIL European Journal of International Law
EJPE European Journal of Political Economy
ELJ European Law Journal
EORI Economic Operator Registration Number (EU)
EPIL Encyclopedia of Public International Law
EST Environmentally-sound technology
EU European Union
EUROATOM European Atomenergetic Community
Europol European Police Authority
EUROSTAT Statistical Office of the European Communities
EuZW Europische Zeitschrift fr Wirtschaftsrecht (Journal)
EXW ex works
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FDI Foreign Direct Investment
FOB free on board

Global Trade and Customs Journal List of Abbreviations

G7 Global 7 (Seven leading Industrial Countries)
G8 Global 8 (G7 plus Russia)
G 20 Global 20
G 77 Global 77 (Developing Countries)
GA General Assembly
GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GCC Gulf Co-operation Council
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GNP Gross National Product
GSP Generalized System of Preferences (EU)
GTCJ Global Trade and Customs Journal
GYIL German Yearbook of International Law
HDI Human Development Index
HILJ Harvard International Law Journal
HLM High-Level Meeting for least-developed countries (WTO)
HLR Harvard Law Review (Journal)
HM Her Majestys
HOD Heads of Deligation (WTO)
HS Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System
IAEA International Atom Energy Agency
IATA International Air Transport Association
ICC International Chamber of Commerce
ICJ International Court of Justice
ICLQ International and Comparative Law Quarterly (Journal)
ICT Information and Communication Technology
IEA International Energy Agency
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
IF Integrated Framework (WTO, Worldbank, IMF, ITC, UNDP,
UNCTAD)
IISD International Institute for Sustainable Development
ILW International Law Workshop (University of California, Berkeley)
IMF International Monetary Fund
INCU International Network of Customs Universities
IP Internationale Politik (Journal)
IPRs Intellectual property rights
ISIC International Standard Industrial Classification
ISO International Organization for Standardization
IT Information Technology
ITA Information Technology Agreement (WTO)
ITC International Trade Centre (WTO / UN)
ITLR International Trade Law & Regulation (Journal)
ITTA International Tropical Timber Agreement
JIE Journal of International Economics
JIEL Journal of International Economic Law
JSEBL The Journal of Small and Emerging Business Law
JWT Journal of World Trade (since 1988)
JWTL Journal of World Trade Law (until 1987)
LCA Life cycle analysis
LDCs Least-developed countries
LIEI Legal Issues of Economic Integration (Journal)
lit littera
LMG Like-Minded-Group
Ltd Limited company
MCC Modernized Customs Code (EU)

Global Trade and Customs Journal List of Abbreviations

MEA Multilateral Environmental Agreements
MERCOSUR Southern Common Market
MFA Multifibre Arrangement (GATT, 1974-94)
MFN Most-Favored-Nation
MIG Message Implementation Guidelines (IT)
MJIL Melbourne Journal of International Law
MJIL Michigan Journal on International Law
MRN Movement Reference Number
MTN Multilateral Trade Negotiations
n.e.s. not elsewhere specified
n.i.e. not included elsewhere
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement
NCTS New Computerized Transit System
NES New Export System
NGO Non-Governmental-Organization
NT National Treatment
NTMs Non-tariff measures
NTR Normal Trade Relations
OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
OJ Official Journal of the EU
OLAF Office europen de lutte antifraude, EU Anti-fraud authority
OMA orderly marketing arrangement
para. Paragraph
PICARD Partnerships in Customs Academic Research and Development (WCO)
PGE Permantent Group of Experts (WTO)
PPM Process and Production Method
PSE Producer Subsidy Equivalents
PSI Preshipment inspection
PTA Preferential Trade Agreement
QRs Quantitative restrictions
R Report
Reg. Regulation
Rev. Revision
RIW Recht der internationalen Wirtschaft (Journal)
RTA Regional Trade Agreement
SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation
SAD Single Administration Document (EU)
SADC South African Development Community
SAPTA South Asian Preferential Trade Arrangement
SCM Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (WTO)
SDR Special Drawing Rights (IMF)
SDT Special and Differential Treatment
SITC Standard International Trade Classification
SELA Latin American Economic System
SPS Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO)
SSG Special Safeguard (WTO)
ST Special Treatment (WTO)
STE State Trading Enterprises
STO Specific Trade Obligation
TARIC Tarif Intgr des Communauts Europennes, Integrated Customs Tariff
of the EC
TAXUD Taxation and Customs Union, EC Commission Directorate
TBT Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO)
TK Traditional Knowledge
TL Tariff Line

Global Trade and Customs Journal List of Abbreviations

TMB Textiles Monitoring Body (ATC, expired)
TNC Trade Negotiations Comit (WTO)
TPR Trade Policy Review (WTO)
TPRB Trade Policy Review Body (WTO)
TPRM Trade Policy Review Mechanism (WTO)
TQ Tariff-Quota (WTO)
TRIMs Trade-related investment measures
TRIPS Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(WTO)
TRQ Tariff-Rate Quota (WTO)
UChiLRev The University of Chicago Law Review (Journal)
UCR Unique Consignment Reference (WCO)
UK United Kingdom
UMRs Usual Market Requirements
UN United Nations
UNCITRAL United Nations Centre for International Trade Law
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDP United Nations Development Program
UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNECLAC United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean
UNFCCC United Nations Convention on Climate Change
UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNO United Nations Organization
UNSD United Nations Statistics Division
UNU United Nations University
UPOV International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants
UPU Universal Postal Union
URL Universal Resource Locator (Internet)
USTR US Trade Representative
VAT value added tax
VER Voluntary Export Restraints
VJIL Virginia Journal of International Law
VRA Voluntary restraint arrangement
vs. versus
WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union
WCJ World Customs Journal
WCO World Customs Organization
WComp. World Competition (Journal)
WE The World Economy (Journal)
WIDER World Institute for Development Economics Research
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
WT/DS WTO World Trade Organization, Dispute settlement documents
WT/MIN/DEC Ministerial Declaration (WTO)
WT/TPR Trade Policy Review (WTO)
WTO World Trade Organization
WTO World Trade Organization
www. world wide web
YBILC Yearbook of the International Law Commission
ZfZ Zeitschrift fr Zlle und Verbrauchsteuern (Journal)

Global Trade and Customs Journal List of Abbreviations

Some abbreviations were obtained from the WTO directly under the URL:
http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2006_e/stat_abbrev_e.htm,
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/agric_e/ag_intro08_abbrev_e.htm,
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/abbr_e.htm,
http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/abbrev_e.htm,
and from the WTO Glossary under the URL:
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/glossary_e/glossary_e.htm.
Other abbreviations were obtained from the WCO directly under the URL:
http://www.wcoomd.org/home_wco_topics_pfoverviewboxes_tools_and_instruments_pftools.ht
m and from the WCO Glossary under the URL:
http://www.wcoomd.org/files/1.%20Public%20files/PDFandDocuments/Procedures%20and%2
0Facilitation/Glossary_GB%5B1%5D.pdf.

Global Trade and Customs Journal List of Abbreviations