RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/L/54
24November 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3753)
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
REPORT (1995) OFTHE COMMITTEE ONTECHNICAL BARRIERS TOTRADE
1. Participation intheCommittee isopentoallWTO Members. Certain non-WTO
Members participated inthework oftheCommittee inaccordance withtheDecision ofthe
General Council of31January 1995 onParticipation inMeetings ofWTO Bodies byCertain
Signatories oftheFinal ActEligible tobecome Original Members oftheWTO (WT/L/27). In
addition, governments withobserver status intheWTO General Council areinvited toattend
meetings oftheCommittee asobservers, except iforwhen itisdecided bytheCommittee tohold
aclose session withparticipation ofMembers only.
2. Representatives oftheIMF, UNCTAD, ITC(UNCTAD/GATT), ISO,IEC, FAO, WHO,
FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarious Commission andtheInternational Office ofEpizootics are
invited toattend meetings oftheCommittee inanobserver capacity, pending theadoption of
guidelines forobserver status forinternational organizations intheWTO.
3. TheCommittee elected Ambassador C.L.Guarda (Chile) asChairperson for1995.
4. TheCommittee helditsfirst, second andthirdmeetings on21April (G/TBT/M/1),
14July(G/TBT/M/2), and20October (G/TBT/M/3) respectively. Atthose meetings, the
Committee heard statements ontheimplementation andadministration oftheAgreement. The
Committee alsohelddiscussions oneco-labelling andagreed thatdiscussions would continue in
jointinformal meetings withtheCommittee onTrade andEnvironment.
5. Atitsmeeting inApril, theCommittee adopted itsrules ofprocedure forthemeetings of
theCommittee, subject toapproval bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods. TheCommittee tooknote
ofthestatements made regarding theprocedures fornotifications under theCode ofGood Practice
forthePreparation, Adoption andApplication ofStandards contained inAnnex 3ofthe
Agreement, andagreed thattheChairperson oftheCommittee would inform theChairman ofthe
Budget Committee regarding thefinancial requirements made known bytheISOrepresentative on
theresources needed bytheISO/IEC Information Centre fortheapplication oftheWTO
Standards Information Service operated byISO.
./.G/L/54
Page2
6. Atitsmeeting ofJuly, theCommittee adopted itsdecisions andrecommendations
regarding:
(i) Statements onimplementation andadministration oftheAgreement under
Article 15.2oftheAgreement;
(ii) Notification procedures; and
(iii) Procedures forinformation exchange.
7. Atitsmeeting ofOctober, theCommittee adopted decisions andrecommendations
regarding: (i)Technical assistance and(ii)Regional standard-related activities. TheCommittee
alsoagreed onthestructure ofitsfirstannual review under Article 15.3oftheAgreement.
8. Aspecial Joint Meeting onProcedures forInformation Exchange oftheCommittee on
Technical Barriers toTrade andtheCommittee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures washeld
on6-7November tofacilitate theimplementation ofthese procedures bysome Members.