Papua New Guinea Member profile
No notifications submitted by Papua New Guinea
Trade policy review
Latest Trade Policy Review (Report by the WTO Secretariat): WT/TPR/S/387/Rev.1
A. Import prohibitions and restrictions and import licensing
3.22.
PNG has not submitted any notifications to the Committee on Import Licensing since 1998. At that time, it had affirmed the absence of procedures relevant to the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures.[46] Nevertheless, prior authorization and/or licence requirements remain in place for certain imports, mainly for security, public health and environmental reasons. For example, medicines may only be imported by a practitioner certified by the National Department of Health.
3.23.
Prohibited imports include pornographic materials, counterfeit bank notes or coins, recreational drugs, narcotics, certain weapons, matches containing white or yellow phosphorus, non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags, and machines for games of chance.[47]
3.24.
In August 2015, PNG imposed a moratorium on the issuance of import permits for fresh foods, including fruit, vegetables and uncooked poultry, with the stated aim of fostering domestic production and further protecting biosecurity. In November 2015, the moratorium was revised to allow one company to import bulb onions, capsicum and tomatoes. The import ban was lifted, at least partially, in January 2016.[48]
B. Export prohibitions and restrictions
3.31.
PNG maintains export prohibitions on illicit drugs. In addition, a ban on exports of round logs is scheduled to come into effect in 2020. Export controls and restrictions are also in place, largely for the purposes of protecting wildlife, cultural heritage, and the environment. Controlled exports require a prior authorization or a permit issued by the respective competent authority.[51]
WTO's environmental database (EDB)
The EDB contains environment-related measures that may qualify as QRs and therefore should be notified under the QR Decision.