The Ministerial Decision on Export Competition

Can anyone enlighten me on how the obligation to eliminate export subsidies on agricultural products in articles 6 and 7 of the Ministerial decision on Export Competition  WT/MIN(15)/45 — WT/L/980  (https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/mc10_e/l980_e.htm  ) fits into the obligations under the Agreement on Agriculture. It does not substitute a new AoA for the old AoA in Annex 1a. It is not an agreement containing an obligation to file new schedules under the AoA. It is not an amendment to the AoA. It is just a decision of the Members under WTO Agreement Art IX:1. I did not think that decisions under Art IX:1 could amend obligations - the Ministerial Conference has power to make decisions under any of the Agreements in annex 1, 2 and 3. There is no power in the AoA giving the Ministerial Conference a power to make decisions to change the content of a Member's schedule. There is no provision in the AoA giving the Ministerial Conference a power to enact an amendment to the AoA.

It seems to me that these obligations to phase out export subsidies will not actually come into force until each of the relevant Members files a new Schedule under GATT so as to amend the content of Section II of Part IV of its Schedule by inserting zero as the budgetary limit and zero as the subsidised volume.

However, there is nothing in the Ministerial Declaration about having to file new Schedules. I do not understand why this is not set up in the same way as the ITA with an obligation to file new schedules.

Please tell me I am missing something!