WORLD TRADE WT/L/79
7August 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-2311)
RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR MEETINGS OF
THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE INGOODS
Adopted bytheGeneral Council on31July1995
TheRules ofProcedure formeetings oftheGeneral Council shallapply mutatis mutandis for
meetings oftheCouncil forTrade inGoods, except asprovided below:
(i) Rules 12,13and14ofChapter V(Officers) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
Rule12
TheCouncil forTrade inGoods shallelectaChairperson*andmayelectaVice-Chairperson
fromamong therepresentatives ofMembers. Theelection shalltakeplace atthefirstmeeting ofthe
yearandshalltakeeffect attheendofthemeeting. TheChairperson andVice-Chairperson shallhold
office untiltheendofthefirstmeeting ofthefollowing year.
Rule13
IftheChairpersonisabsentfromanymeetingorpartthereof,theVice-Chairpersonshallperform
thefunctions oftheChairperson. IfnoVice-Chairperson waselected oriftheVice-Chairperson is
notpresent theCouncil forTrade inGoods shallelectaninterim Chairperson forthatmeeting orthat
partofthemeeting.
Rule14
IftheChairperson cannolonger perform thefunctions oftheoffice, theCouncil forTrade
inGoods shalldesignate theVice-Chairperson referred toinRule12or,ifnoVice-Chairperson was
elected itshallelectaninterim Chairperson toperform those functions pending theelection ofanew
Chairperson.
(ii) Rule33ofChapter VII(Decision-Making) shallbemodified toreadasfollows:
Rule33
Where adecision cannot bearrived atbyconsensus, thematter atissue shallbereferred to
theGeneral Council fordecision.**
(iii) Rule34ofChapter VII(Decision-Making) isnotapplicable.
*TheCouncil forTrade inGoods shallapply therelevant guidelines contained inthe"Guidelines forAppointment of
Officers toWTO Bodies" (WT/L/31).
**When anAnnex 1AAgreement specifically requires adecision tobetaken byconsensus andthematter isreferred
totheGeneral Council under thisRule, theGeneral Council shall takethedecision onlybyconsensus.