Since the GATT was not strictly speaking an international organization, it did not have Members but “contracting parties”, that is, nations that adhered to the General Agreement. To become a contracting party, a State had to submit its candidature and negotiate concessions relating to customs duties and access to markets with the signatories of the General Agreement. If successful, these negotiations were concluded with a vote by the contracting parties granting this status. The GATT was thus a group of States that had different obligations and rights depending on the degree to which they had adhered to the General Agreement.