Annotated Draft Agenda(1)

1.  Adoption of the Agenda — Airgramme 2901

2.  Activities of Members — Members are invited to provide any relevant information with regard to their implementation of the Agreement, including with respect to the implementation of the provisions related to risk assessment. Members have requested that the following matters be on the agenda:

• United States — actions regarding BSE

• United States — update on pesticide reassessment program

• European Communities — update on the bluetongue situation

• European Communities — updates on the avian influenza situation

• Brazil — information on the FMD situation and on Newcastle disease

3.  Specific Trade Concerns — Members may raise any specific trade concerns related to the implementation of the Agreement, but should advise any other Members concerned and the Secretariat at least eleven days in advance of the meeting of their desire to raise such concerns. Members have informed the Secretariat of their intention to raise the following issues:

(a)  New issues

• Romania's restrictions on US pork and poultry exports — concerns of the United States

• Indonesia's lack of recognition of pest—free areas — concerns of the United States

• Indonesia's legislation on importation of live animals and meat products — concerns of Brazil

• EC restrictions on US poultry exports — concerns of the United States

• India's import restrictions on exports of live horses — concerns of the European Communities

(b)  Issues previously raised — Document G/SPS/GEN/204/REV.6 and Addenda 1 to 3 contain a summary of all specific trade concerns raised in the SPS Committee between 1995 and the end of 2005 (including the continuation in February 2006 of the October 2005 meeting).

• Australia's import restrictions on New Zealand apples — concerns of New Zealand (no. 217)

• Dominican Republic tolerance levels for soil content on potato tubers — concerns of Canada

(c)  Consideration of specific notifications received — Members may raise any questions or concerns with regard to specific notifications. However, they should advise any concerned Member(s) and the Secretariat of their intentions in advance of the meeting.

• No specific items identified in advance of the meeting.

(d)  Information on resolution of issues — Members are requested to inform the Committee of the resolution of specific trade concerns which had been raised in earlier meetings. This allows the Committee to have a better overview on the status of specific trade concerns raised and also facilitates further revisions of Document G/SPS/GEN/204.

• Chile's restrictions on imports of fruits — concerns of the United States (no. 16)

• Import restrictions on live birds, meat, meat products and other derivatives due to avian influenza — concerns of the European Communities (no. 234)

4.  Operation of Transparency Provisions — Members may raise any questions or concerns with regard to the implementation of the transparency provisions of the Agreement.

The most recent list of National Notification Authorities is contained in G/SPS/NNA/10. The most recent list of National Enquiry Points is contained in G/SPS/ENQ/20. Notifications received since the last meeting of the SPS Committee are summarized annually, in G/SPS/GEN/715, GEN/721 and GEN/723 .

  The Secretariat will report on the status of development of the SPS information management system.

5.  Implementation of Special and Differential Treatment

(a)  Chairman's report — the chairman will give an oral report on the informal meeting of 9 October relating to Special and Differential Treatment

(b)  Other matters

6.  Equivalence — Article 4

(a)  Information from Members on their experiences — Members are invited to report on their experiences in seeking or granting recognition of equivalence. No information has been provided in advance by Members.

(b)  Information from relevant observer organizations — the relevant observer organizations will be requested to report on their work related to equivalence.

7.  Pest— and Disease —Free Areas — Article 6 (See G/SPS/GEN/640/REV.1)

(a)  Chairman's s report — the chairman will give an oral report on the informal meeting of 10 October.

(b)  Information from Members on their experiences — Members are invited to report on their experiences with recognition of pest— or disease—free areas or areas of low pest— or disease—prevalence.

(c)  Information from relevant observer organizations — the relevant observer organizations will be requested to report on their work related to regionalization.

8.  Technical Assistance and Cooperation

(a)  Information from the Secretariat — the Secretariat will report on its technical assistance activities since the last meeting of the Committee and on planned future activities. The Secretariat will also report on the STDF.

(b)  Information from Members — Members are invited to report on their technical assistance needs and activities.

• Technical assistance provided by Canada from 2000 to 2004

• Technical assistance provided by the European Communities to Ecuador to improve its system governing exports of fishery and aquaculture products

• Technical assistance provided by the European Communities to developing countries in the phytosanitary field

• EC support to the STDF

(c)  Information from relevant observer organizations — the relevant observer organizations will be requested to provide information on their SPS—related technical assistance.

9.  Issues Arising from the Review of the Operation of the SPS Agreement — the Committee is invited to discuss any issues arising from the review of the operation of the SPS Agreement (G/SPS/GEN/722).

• Chairman's report — the chairman will give an oral report on the informal meeting of 11 October

10.  Monitoring of the Use of International Standards — in accordance with the agreed procedures (G/SPS/11/REV.1), Members are to submit, at least 10 days in advance of each regular meeting, examples of what they consider to be problems with significant trade impact which they believe are related to the use or non—use of relevant international standards, guidelines or recommendations. These are to be compiled into a provisional list to be circulated by the Secretariat.

(a)  New Issues — no information has been provided in advance by Members.

(b)  Issues previously raised — no information has been provided in advance by Members.

11.  Transitional Review under paragraph 18 of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China — in accordance with paragraph 18 of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China, the SPS Committee is to undertake an annual review for eight years of the implementation by China of the SPS Agreement.

• Questions from the United States (G/SPS/W/207)

12.  Matters of Interest Arising from the Work of Observer Organizations — Observer organizations are invited to report on matters of interest arising from their work which are not covered under other items of the Committee's agenda.

    Other observer organizations, including the organizations which have been invited to attend this meeting on an ad hoc basis (ACP, EFTA, IICA, OECD, OIRSA and SELA) may also wish to inform the Committee of matters of interest arising from their work, and have been invited to submit such reports in writing before the meeting.

13.  Observers — Requests for Observer Status — the Committee has regularly agreed to grant observer status for several international intergovernmental organizations on an ad hoc, meeting—by—meeting basis. The Committee will be asked to invite the ACP Group, EFTA, IICA, OECD, OIRSA and SELA to its next regular meeting. In addition, requests for observer status from the OIV, APCC and the CBD are outstanding.

14.  Chairman's Annual Report to the Council of Trade in Goods — the chairman will make a brief, factual annual report on the activities of the SPS Committee in 2006 for consideration by the Council for Trade in Goods.

15.  Other Business — Members wishing to raise any matter under other Business should advise the Secretariat as soon as possible.

16.  Date and Agenda of Next Meeting — the next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for 7—9 March 2007. The Committee should adopt a provisional agenda for that meeting.

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Footnote:

1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members or to their rights or obligations under the WTO.  back to text