WORLD TRADE G/L/208
19November 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-5091)
Agreement onPreshipment Inspection
Independent Entity
REPORT (1997) OFTHE INDEPENDENT ENTITY TOTHE
COUNCIL FOR TRADE INGOODS
TheAgreement onPreshipment Inspection provides fortheestablishment ofanIndependent
Entity fortheadministration oftheindependent review procedures assetoutinArticle 4ofthe
Agreement. TheIndependent Entity (IE)wasestablished byDecision oftheGeneral Council of
13December1995(WT/L/125/Rev.1).ParagraphI.CoftheStructuresandFunctionsoftheIndependent
Entity (Annex IIofWT/L/125/Rev.1) provides that,
"theIEwillreport totheCouncil forTrade inGoods atleastonceayearbutmore frequently
ifnecessary."
Thereport below ispresented inaccordance withtheabove requirement.
1. Following theDecision oftheGeneral Council, theadministrative andprocedural requirements
necessary tocommence operations oftheIEwere putinplace inApril 1996. WTO Members were
notified thatasof1May1996, theIEwasprepared toreceive applications requesting independent
reviews (G/PSI/IE/2). According toparagraph 2oftheAgreement between theWTO, theICCand
theIFIA, theICCandIFIAshalljointly "draw up,andupdate annually, theirrespective listsofexperts
asprovided forinparagraph (b)(i) and(ii)ofArticle 4ofthePSIAgreement, andassist theIEin
drawing upandupdating thelistofindependent trade experts asprovided forinparagraph b(iii) of
thatArticle; ...".
2. During thereporting period, theListofExperts wasupdated andcirculated asdocument
G/PSI/IE/1/Rev.1. During thisperiod, theIEreceived norequests foranindependent review.