Having decided to establish a basis for initiating a process of reform of trade in agriculture in line with the objectives of the negotiations as set out in the Punta del Este Declaration;
Recalling that the long-term objective as agreed at the Mid-Term Review "is to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system and that a reform process should be initiated through the negotiation of commitments on support and protection and through the establishment of strengthened and more operationally effective GATT rules and disciplines";
Recalling further that "the above-mentioned long-term objective is to provide for substantial progressive reductions in agricultural support and protection sustained over an agreed period of time, resulting in correcting and preventing restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets";
Committed to achieving specific binding commitments in each of the following areas: market access; domestic support; export competition; and to reaching an agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary issues;
Having agreed that in implementing their commitments on market access, developed country Members would take fully into account the particular needs and conditions of developing country Members by providing for a greater improvement of opportunities and terms of access for agricultural products of particular interest to these Members, including the fullest liberalization of trade in tropical agricultural products as agreed at the Mid-Term Review, and products of particular importance to the diversification of production from the growing of illicit narcotic crops;
Noting that commitments under the reform programme should be made in an equitable way among all Members, having regard to non-trade concerns, including food security and the need to protect the environment; having regard to the agreement that special and differential treatment to developing countries is an integral element of the negotiations, and taking into account the possible negative effects of the implementation of the reform programme on least- developed and net food-importing developing countries;
Hereby agree, as follows:
Part I
Article 1 - Definition of Terms
Article 2 - Product Coverage
This Agreement applies to the products listed in Annex 1 to this Agreement, hereinafter referred to as agricultural products.
Part II
Article 3 - Incorporation of Concessions and Commitments
1. The domestic support and export subsidy commitments in Part IV of each Member's Schedule constitute commitments limiting subsidization and are hereby made an integral part of the GATT 1994.
2. Subject to the provisions of Article 6 of this Agreement, a Member shall not provide support in favour of domestic producers in excess of the commitment levels specified in Section I of Part IV of its Schedule.
3. Subject to the provisions of paragraphs 2(b) and 4 of Article 9 of this Agreement, a Member shall not provide export subsidies listed in paragraph 1 of Article 9 in respect of the agricultural products or groups of products specified in Section II of Part IV of its Schedule in excess of the budgetary outlay and quantity commitment levels specified therein and shall not provide such subsidies in respect of any agricultural product not specified in that Section of its Schedule.
Part III
Article 4 - Market Access
1. Market access concessions contained in Schedules relate to bindings and reductions of tariffs, and to other market access commitments as specified therein.
2. Members shall not maintain, resort to, or revert to any measures of the kind which have been required to be converted into ordinary customs duties1, except as otherwise provided for in Article 5 and Annex 5 hereof.
Article 5 - Special Safeguard Provisions
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article II:1(b) of the GATT 1994, any Member may take recourse to the provisions of paragraphs 4 and 5 below in connection with the importation of an agricultural product, in respect of which measures referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 4 have been converted into an ordinary customs duty and which is designated in its Schedule with the symbol "SSG" as being the subject of a concession in respect of which the provisions of this Article may be invoked, if:
(ii) the price at which imports of that product may enter the customs territory of the Member granting the concession, as determined on the basis of the c.i.f. import price of the shipment concerned expressed in terms of its domestic currency, falls below a trigger price equal to the average 1986 to 1988 reference price2 for the product concerned.
2. Imports under current and minimum access commitments established as part of a concession referred to in paragraph 1 above shall be counted for the purpose of determining the volume of imports required for invoking the provisions of sub-paragraph 1(i) and paragraph 4, but imports under such commitments shall not be affected by any additional duty imposed under either paragraph 4 or paragraph 5 below.
3. Any supplies of the product in question which were en route on the basis of a contract settled before the additional duty is imposed under sub-paragraph 1(i) above and paragraph 4 below shall be exempted from any such additional duty provided that they may be counted in the volume of imports of the product in question during the following year for the purposes of triggering the provisions of sub-paragraph 1(i) in that year.
4. Any additional duty imposed under sub-paragraph 1(i) above shall only be maintained until the end of the year in which it has been imposed, and may only be levied at a level which shall not exceed one-third of the level of the ordinary customs duty in effect in the year in which the action is taken. The trigger level shall be set according to the following schedule based on market access opportunities defined as imports as a percentage of the corresponding domestic consumption3 during the three preceding years for which data are available:
In all cases the additional duty may be imposed in any year where the absolute volume of imports of the product concerned entering the customs territory of the Member granting the concession exceeds the sum of (x) the base trigger level set out above multiplied by the average quantity of imports during the three preceding years for which data are available and (y) the absolute volume change in domestic consumption of the product concerned in the most recent year for which data are available compared to the preceding year, provided that the trigger level shall not be less than 105 per cent of the average quantity of imports in (x) above.
5. The additional duty imposed under sub-paragraph 1(ii) above shall be set according to the following schedule:
6. For perishable and seasonal products, the conditions set out above shall be applied in such a manner as to take account of the specific characteristics of such products. In particular, shorter time periods under paragraph 1(i) and paragraph 4 may be used in reference to the corresponding periods in the base period and different reference prices for different periods may be used under paragraph 1(ii).
7. The operation of the special safeguard shall be carried out in a transparent manner. Any Member taking action under paragraph 1(i) above shall give notice in writing, including relevant data, to the Committee on Agriculture as far in advance as may be practicable and in any event within 10 days of the implementation of such action. In cases where changes in consumption volumes must be allocated to individual tariff lines subject to action under paragraph 4, relevant data shall include the information and methods used to allocate these changes. A Member taking action under paragraph 4 shall afford any interested Members the opportunity to consult with it in respect of the conditions of application of such action. Any Member taking action under paragraph 1(ii) above shall give notice in writing, including relevant data, to the Committee on Agriculture within 10 days of the implementation of the first such action or, for perishable and seasonal products, the first action in any period. Members undertake, as far as practicable, not to take recourse to the provisions of paragraph 1(ii) where the volume of imports of the products concerned are declining. In either case a Member taking such action shall afford any interested Members the opportunity to consult with it in respect of the conditions of application of such action.
8. Where measures are taken in conformity with paragraphs 1 through 7 above, Members undertake not to have recourse, in respect of such measures, to the provisions of Article XIX:1(a) and XIX:3 of the GATT 1994 or paragraph 17 of the Agreement on Safeguards.
9. The provisions of this Article shall remain in force for the duration of the reform process as determined under Article 20.
Part IV
Article 6 - Domestic Support Commitments
1. The domestic support reduction commitments of each Member contained in Part IV of its Schedule shall apply to all of its domestic support measures in favour of agricultural producers with the exception of domestic measures which are not subject to reduction in terms of the criteria set out in this Article and in Annex 2 to this Agreement. The commitments are expressed in terms of Total Aggregate Measurement of Support and "Annual and Final Bound Commitment Levels".
2. In accordance with the Mid-Term Review Agreement that government measures of assistance, whether direct or indirect, to encourage agricultural and rural development are an integral part of the development programmes of developing countries, investment subsidies which are generally available to agriculture in developing country Members and agricultural input subsidies generally available to low-income or resource poor producers in developing country Members shall be exempt from domestic support reduction commitments that would otherwise be applicable to such measures, as shall domestic support to producers in developing country Members to encourage diversification from growing illicit narcotic crops. Domestic support meeting the criteria of this paragraph shall not be required to be included in a Member's calculation of its Current Total AMS.
3. A Member shall be considered to be in compliance with its domestic support reduction commitments in any year in which its domestic support in favour of agricultural producers expressed in terms of Current Total AMS does not exceed the corresponding annual or final bound commitment level specified in Part IV of the Member's Schedule.
4.
Article 7 - General Disciplines on Domestic Support
1. Each Member shall ensure that any domestic support measures in favour of agricultural producers which are not subject to reduction commitments because they qualify under the criteria set out in Annex 2 to this Agreement are maintained in conformity therewith.
2.
Part V
Article 8 - Export Competition Commitments
Each Member undertakes not to provide export subsidies otherwise than in conformity with this Agreement and with the commitments as specified in that Member's Schedule.
Article 9 - Export Subsidy Commitments
1. The following export subsidies are subject to reduction commitments under this Agreement:
2.
3. Commitments relating to limitations on the extension of the scope of export subsidization are as specified in Schedules.
4. During the implementation period developing country Members shall not be required to undertake commitments in respect of the export subsidies listed in sub-paragraphs (d) and (e) of paragraph 1 above provided that these are not applied in a manner that would circumvent reduction commitments.
Article 10 - Prevention of Circumvention of Export Subsidy Commitments
1. Export subsidies not listed in Article 9(1) of this Agreement shall not be applied in a manner which results in, or which threatens to lead to, circumvention of export subsidy commitments; nor shall non-commercial transactions be used to circumvent such commitments.
2. Members undertake to work toward the development of internationally agreed disciplines to govern the provision of export credits, export credit guarantees or insurance programmes and, after agreement on such disciplines, to provide export credits, export credit guarantees or insurance programmes only in conformity therewith.
3. Any Member which claims that any quantity exported in excess of a reduction commitment level is not subsidized must establish that no export subsidy, whether listed in Article 9 or not, has been granted in respect of the quantity of exports in question.
4. Members donors of international food aid shall ensure:
Article 11 - Incorporated Products
In no case may the per unit subsidy paid on an incorporated agricultural primary product exceed the per unit export subsidy that would be payable on exports of the primary product as such.
Part VI
Article 12 - Disciplines on Export Prohibitions and Restrictions
1.Where any Member institutes any new export prohibition or restriction on foodstuffs in accordance with paragraph 2(a) of Article XI of the GATT 1994, the Member shall observe the following provisions:
2. The provisions of this Article shall not apply to any developing country Member, unless the measure is taken by a developing country Member which is a net-food exporter of the specific foodstuff concerned.
Part VII
Article 13 - Due Restraint
During the implementation period, notwithstanding the provisions of the GATT 1994 and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures ("Subsidies Agreement"):
1. Domestic support measures that conform fully to the provisions of Annex 2 to this Agreement shall be:
2. Domestic support measures that conform fully to the provisions of Article 6 of this Agreement including direct payments that conform to the requirements of paragraph 5 thereof, as reflected in each Member's Schedule, as well as domestic support within de minimis levels and in conformity with paragraph 2 of Article 6, shall be:
3. Export subsidies that conform fully to the provisions of Part V of this Agreement, as reflected in each Member's Schedule of Commitments, shall be:
Part VIII
Article 14 - Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
Members agree to give effect to the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
Part IX
Article 15 - Special and Differential Treatment
1. In keeping with the recognition that differential and more favourable treatment for developing country Members is an integral part of the negotiation, special and differential treatment in respect of commitments shall be provided as set out in the relevant provisions of this Agreement and embodied in the Schedules of concessions and commitments.
2. Developing countries shall have the flexibility to implement reduction commitments over a period of up to 10 years. Least developed country Members shall not be required to undertake reduction commitments.
Part X
Article 16 - Least-developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries
1. Developed country Members shall take such action as is provided for within the framework of the Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries.
2. The Committee on Agriculture shall monitor, as appropriate, the follow-up to this Decision.
Part XI
Article 17 - Committee on Agriculture
A Committee on Agriculture shall be established.
Article 18 - Review of the Implementation of Commitments
1. Progress in the implementation of commitments negotiated under the Uruguay Round reform programme shall be reviewed by the Committee on Agriculture.
2. The review process shall be undertaken on the basis of notifications submitted by Members in relation to such matters and at such intervals as shall be determined, as well as on the basis of such documentation as the WTO Secretariat may be requested to prepare in order to facilitate the review process.
3. In addition to the notifications to be submitted under paragraph 2, any new domestic support measure, or modification of an existing measure, for which exemption from reduction is claimed shall be notified promptly. This notification shall contain details of the new or modified measure and its conformity with the agreed criteria as set out either in Article 6 or in Annex 2 to this Agreement.
4. In the review process Members shall give due consideration to the influence of excessive rates of inflation on the ability of any Member to abide by its domestic support commitments.
5. Members agree to consult annually in the Committee on Agriculture with respect to their participation in the normal growth of world trade in agricultural products within the framework of the commitments on export subsidies under this Agreement.
6. The review process shall provide an opportunity for Members to raise any matter relevant to the implementation of commitments under the reform programme as set out in this Agreement.
7. Any Member may bring to the attention of the Committee on Agriculture any measure which it considers ought to have been notified by another Member.
Article 19 - Consultation and Dispute Settlement
The provisions of Articles XXII and XXIII of the GATT 1994, as elaborated and applied by the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes, shall apply to consultations and the settlement of disputes under this Agreement.
Part XII
Article 20 - Continuation of the Reform Process
Recognizing that the long-term objective of substantial progressive reductions in support and protection resulting in fundamental reform is an ongoing process, Members agree that negotiations for continuing the process will be initiated one year before the end of the implementation period, taking into account:
-the experience to that date from implementing the reduction commitments;
-the effects of the reduction commitments on world trade in agriculture;
-non-trade concerns, special and differential treatment to developing country Members, and the objective to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system, and the other objectives and concerns mentioned in the preamble to this Agreement; and
-what further commitments are necessary to achieve the above mentioned long-term objectives.
Part XIII
Article 21 - Final Provisions
1. The provisions of the GATT 1994 and of other Multilateral Trade Agreements in Annex 1A to the WTO shall apply subject to the provisions of this Agreement.
2. The Annexes to this Agreement are hereby made an integral part of this Agreement.
(i) HS Chapters 1 to 24 less fish and fish products, plus (ii) HS Code 29.05.43 (mannitol) HS Code 29.05.44 (sorbitol) HS Heading 33.01 (essential oils) HS Headings 35.01 to 35.05 (albuminoidal substances, modified starches, glues) HS Code 38.09.10 (finishing agents) HS Code 38.23.60 (sorbitol n.e.p.) HS Headings 41.01 to 41.03 (hides and skins) HS Heading 43.01 (raw furskins) HS Headings 50.01 to 50.03 (raw silk and silk waste) HS Headings 51.01 to 51.03 (wool and animal hair) HS Headings 52.01 to 52.03 (raw cotton, waste and cotton carded or combed) HS Heading 53.01 (raw flax) HS Heading 53.02 (raw hemp)2. The foregoing shall not limit the product coverage of the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
plus policy-specific criteria and conditions as set out below.
Government Service Programmes
2. General services
Policies in this category involve expenditures (or revenue foregone) in relation to programmes which provide services or benefits to agriculture or the rural community. They shall not involve direct payments to producers or processors. Such programmes, which include but are not restricted to the following list, shall meet the general criteria in paragraph 1 above and policy-specific conditions where set out below:
3. Public stockholding for food security purposes5
4. Domestic food aid6
5. Direct payments to producers
Support provided through direct payments (or revenue foregone, including payments in kind) to producers for which exemption from reduction commitments is claimed shall meet the basic criteria set out in paragraph 1 above, plus specific criteria applying to individual types of direct payment as set out in paragraphs 6 to 13 below. Where exemption from reduction is claimed for any existing or new type of direct payment other than those specified in paragraphs 6 to 13, it shall conform to criteria (ii) to (v) of paragraph 6 in addition to the general criteria set out in paragraph 1.
6. Decoupled income support
7. Government financial participation in income insurance and income safety-net programmes
8. Payments (made either directly or by way of government financial participation in crop insurance schemes) for relief from natural disasters
9. Structural adjustment assistance provided through producer retirement programmes
10. Structural adjustment assistance provided through resource retirement programmes
11. Structural adjustment assistance provided through investment aids
12. Payments under environmental programmes
13. Payments under regional assistance programmes
3. Support at both the national and sub-national level shall be included.
4. Specific agricultural levies or fees paid by producers shall be deducted from the AMS.
5. The AMS calculated as outlined below for the base period shall constitute the base level for the implementation of the reduction commitment on domestic support.
6. For each basic product, a specific AMS shall be established, expressed in total monetary value terms.
7. The AMS shall be calculated as close as practicable to the point of first sale of the product concerned. Policies directed at agricultural processors shall be included to the extent that such policies benefit the producers of the basic products.
8. Market price support: market price support shall be calculated using the gap between a fixed external reference price and the applied administered price multiplied by the quantity of production eligible to receive the applied administered price. Budgetary payments made to maintain this gap, such as buying-in or storage costs, shall not be included in the AMS.
9. The fixed external reference price shall be based on the years 1986 to 1988 and shall generally be the average f.o.b. unit value for the product concerned in a net exporting country and the average c.i.f. unit value for the product concerned in a net importing country in the base period. The fixed reference price may be adjusted for quality differences as necessary.
10. Non-exempt direct payments: non-exempt direct payments which are dependent on a price gap shall be calculated either using the gap between the fixed reference price and the applied administered price multiplied by the quantity of production eligible to receive the administered price, or using budgetary outlays.
11. The fixed reference price shall be based on the years 1986 to 1988 and shall generally be the actual price used for determining payment rates.
12.Non-exempt direct payments which are based on factors other than price shall be measured using budgetary outlays.
13. Other non-exempt policies, including input subsidies and other policies such as marketing cost reduction measures: the value of such policies shall be measured using government budgetary outlays or, where the use of budgetary outlays does not reflect the full extent of the subsidy concerned, the basis for calculating the subsidy shall be the gap between the price of the subsidised good or service and a representative market price for a similar good or service multiplied by the quantity of the good or service.
2. The equivalent measurements of support provided for in paragraph 1 shall be calculated on a product-specific basis for all products as close as practicable to the point of first sale ("basic products") receiving market price support and for which the calculation of the market price support component of the AMS is not practicable. For those basic products, equivalent measurements of market price support shall be made using the applied administered price and the quantity of production eligible to receive that price or, where this is not practicable, on budgetary outlays used to maintain the producer price.
3. Where products falling under paragraph 1 above are the subject of non-exempt direct payments or any other product-specific subsidy not exempted from the reduction commitment, the basis for equivalent measurements of support concerning these measures shall be calculations as for the corresponding AMS components (specified in paragraphs 10 to 13 of Annex 3).
4. Equivalent measurements of support shall be calculated on the amount of subsidy as close as practicable to the point of first sale of the product concerned. Policies directed at agricultural processors shall be included to the extent that such policies benefit the producers of the basic products. Specific agricultural levies or fees paid by producers shall reduce the equivalent measurements of support by a corresponding amount.
1. The provisions of Article 4:2 of this Agreement shall not apply with effect from the entry into force of this Agreement to any primary agricultural product and its worked and/or prepared products ("designated products") in respect of which the following conditions are complied with (hereinafter referred to as "special treatment"):
(b) no export subsidies have been provided since the beginning of the base period for the designated products;
(c) effective production restricting measures are applied to the primary agricultural product;
(d) such products are designated with the symbol "ST-Annex 5" in Section IB of Part I of a Member's Schedule annexed to the Uruguay Round (1994) Protocol as being subject to special treatment reflecting factors of non-trade concerns, such as food security and environmental protection; and
(e) minimum access opportunities in respect of the designated products correspond, as specified in Section IB of Part I of the Schedule of the Member concerned, to 4 per cent of base period domestic consumption of the designated products from the beginning of the first year of the implementation period and, thereafter, are increased by 0.8 per cent of corresponding domestic consumption in the base period per year for the remainder of the implementation period.
2. At the beginning of any year of the implementation period a Member may cease to apply special treatment in respect of the designated products by complying with the provisions of paragraph 6 below. In such a case, the Member concerned shall maintain the minimum access opportunities already in effect at such time and increase the minimum access opportunities by 0.4 per cent of corresponding domestic consumption in the base period per year for the remainder of the implementation period. Thereafter, the level of minimum access opportunities resulting from this formula in the final year of the implementation period shall be maintained in the Schedule of the Member concerned.
3. Any negotiation on the question of whether there can be a continuation of the special treatment as set out in paragraph 1 above after the end of the implementation period shall be completed within the time-frame of the implementation period itself as a part of the negotiations set out in Article 20 of this Agreement, taking into account the factors of non-trade concerns.
4. If it is agreed as a result of the negotiation referred to in paragraph 3 above that a Member may continue to apply the special treatment, such Member shall confer additional and acceptable concessions as determined in that negotiation.
5. Where the special treatment is not to be continued at the end of the implementation period, the Member concerned shall implement the provisions of paragraph 6 below. In such a case, after the end of the implementation period the minimum access opportunities for the designated products shall be maintained at the level of 8 per cent of corresponding domestic consumption in the base period in the Schedule of the Member concerned.
6. Border measures other than ordinary customs duties maintained in respect of the designated products shall become subject to the provisions of Article 4:2 of this Agreement with effect from the beginning of the year in which the special treatment ceases to apply. Such products shall be subject to ordinary customs duties, which shall be bound in the Schedule of the Member concerned and applied, from the beginning of the year in which special treatment ceases and thereafter, at such rates as would have been applicable had a reduction of at least 15 per cent been implemented over the implementation period in equal annual instalments. These duties shall be established on the basis of tariff equivalents to be calculated in accordance with the guidelines prescribed in the attachment hereto.
Section B
7. The provisions of Article 4:2 of this Agreement shall also not apply with effect from the entry into force of this Agreement to a primary agricultural product that is the predominant staple in the traditional diet of a developing country Member and in respect of which the following conditions, in addition to those specified in paragraph 1(a) through 1(d) above, as they apply to the products concerned, are complied with:
9. If it is agreed as a result of the negotiation referred to in paragraph 8 above that a Member may continue to apply the special treatment, such Member shall confer additional and acceptable concessions as determined in that negotiation.
10. In the event that special treatment under paragraph 7 above is not to be continued beyond the tenth year following the beginning of the implementation period, the products concerned shall be subject to ordinary customs duties, established on the basis of a tariff equivalent to be calculated in accordance with the guidelines prescribed in the attachment hereto, which shall be bound in the Schedule of the Member concerned. In other respects, the provisions of paragraph 6 above shall apply as modified by the relevant special and differential treatment accorded to developing country Members under this Agreement.
2. External prices shall be, in general, actual average c.i.f. unit values for the importing country. Where average c.i.f. unit values are not available or appropriate, external prices shall be either:
3. The external prices shall generally be converted to domestic currencies using the annual average market exchange rate for the same period as the price data.
4. The internal price shall generally be a representative wholesale price ruling in the domestic market or an estimate of that price where adequate data is not available.
5. The initial tariff equivalents may be adjusted, where necessary, to take account of differences in quality or variety using an appropriate coefficient.
6. Where a tariff equivalent resulting from these guidelines is negative or lower than the current bound rate, the initial tariff equivalent may be established at the current bound rate or on the basis of national offers for that product.
7. Where an adjustment is made to the level of a tariff equivalent which would have resulted from the above guidelines, the Member concerned shall afford, on request, full opportunities for consultation with a view to negotiating appropriate solutions.
1. These measures include quantitative import restrictions, variable import levies, minimum import prices, discretionary import licensing, non-tariff measures maintained through state trading enterprises, voluntary export restraints and similar border measures other than ordinary customs duties, whether or not the measures are maintained under country-specific derogations from the provisions of the GATT 1947, but not measures maintained under balance-of-payments provisions or under other general, non-agriculture-specific provisions of the GATT 1994 or of the other Multilateral Trade Agreements in Annex 1A to the WTO.
2. The reference price used to invoke the provisions of this sub-paragraph shall, in general, be the average c.i.f. unit value of the product concerned, or otherwise shall be an appropriate price in terms of the quality of the product and its stage of processing. It shall, following its initial use, be publicly specified and available to the extent necessary to allow other Members to assess the additional duty that may be levied.
3. Where domestic consumption is not taken into account, the base trigger level under (a) below shall apply.
4. "Countervailing duties" where referred to in this Article are those covered by Article VI of the GATT 1994 and Part V of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Duties.
5. For the purposes of paragraph 3 of this Annex, Governmental stockholding programmes for food security purposes in developing countries whose operation is transparent and conducted in accordance with officially published objective criteria or guidelines shall be considered to be in conformity with the provisions of this paragraph, including programmes under which stocks of foodstuffs for food security purposes are acquired and released at administered prices, provided that the difference between the acquisition price and the external reference price is accounted for in the AMS.
6. For the purposes of paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Annex, the provision of foodstuffs at subsidized prices with the objective of meeting food requirements of urban and rural poor in developing countries on a regular basis at reasonable prices shall be considered to be in conformity with the provisions of this paragraph.
W3 since October 3 1993.