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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  | *                 |
|                                                  | *G/SPS/N/CHE/35** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 5 February 2004   |
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|                                                  | (04-0409)         |
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|                                                  |                   |
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| **Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary        | Original:         |
| Measures**                                       | English/\         |
|                                                  | French            |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

**NOTIFICATION**

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| ** | **Member to Agreement notifying:** [SWITZERLAND]{.underline}    |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** | If applicable, name of local government involved:               |
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| ** | **Agency responsible:** Federal Office for Agriculture, CH-3003 |
| 2. | Berne                                                           |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| ** | **Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified  |
| 3. | in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers       |
| ** | should be provided in addition, where applicable):** Wood and   |
|    | wood packaging material circulating under Chapter 44 (Headings  |
|    | HS 4401, 4402, 4403, 4404, 4406, 4407, 4415, 4416) and Heading  |
|    | 9406                                                            |
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| ** | **Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent     |
| 4. | relevant or practicable:** Countries exporting the products     |
| ** | concerned to Switzerland                                        |
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| ** | **Title, language and number of pages of the notified           |
| 5. | document:** Ordinance on the Protection of Plants -- Draft      |
| ** | Modification of the Federal Department for Economic Affairs     |
|    | (Available in French, 26 pages)                                 |
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of content:** The current provisions governing    |
| 6. | the import into Switzerland of woods and wood products are      |
| ** | proposed to be amended. In particular, the relevant provisions  |
|    | of the Ordinance on Plant Protection for wood packaging         |
|    | material would be aligned with the provisions of the FAO        |
|    | International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No 15 on      |
|    | *Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in           |
|    | international trade*.                                           |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | Other amendments are proposed as regards:                       |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | -   wood originating in countries where *Bursaphelenchus        |
|    |     xylophilus* (Steiner et Bührer) Nickle *et al*. is known to |
|    |     occur;                                                      |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | -   wood originating in Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey and other |
|    |     countries, excepted member States of the European           |
|    |     Communities;                                                |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | -   isolated bark of conifers;                                  |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | -   the provisions against *Cryphonectria parasitica*           |
|    |     (Murrill.) Barr; and                                        |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | -   changes in the tariff and statistical nomenclature and the  |
|    |     Customs Tariff.                                             |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | These amended provisions are of interest for countries          |
|    | exporting the relevant wood or wood products to Switzerland.    |
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| ** | **Objective and rationale: \[   \] food safety, \[   \] animal  |
| 7. | health, \[ X \] plant protection, \[  \] protect humans from    |
| ** | animal/plant pest or disease, \[   \] protect territory from    |
|    | other damage from pests**                                       |
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| ** | **International standard, guideline or recommendation:**        |
| 8. |                                                                 |
| ** | **\[**   **\] Codex Alimentarius Commission, \[   \] World      |
|    | Organization for Animal Health, \[ X \] International Plant     |
|    | Protection Convention, \[   \] None**                           |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | **If an international standard, guideline or recommendation     |
|    | exists, give the appropriate reference and briefly identify     |
|    | deviations:** This regulatory amendment is consistent with the  |
|    | standards, guidelines and recommendations of the International  |
|    | Plant Protection Convention of the Food and Agricultural        |
|    | Organization of the United Nations, and in particular, the      |
|    | International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No 15 on      |
|    | *Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in           |
|    | international trade*.                                           |
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| ** | **Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are         |
| 9. | available:** Ordinance of 28 February 2001 on the Protection of |
| ** | Plants (available in French/German/Italian, current version):   |
|    | <http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/c916_20.html>                      |
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| *  | **Proposed date of adoption:** 10 March 2004                    |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 0. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| *  | **Proposed date of entry into force:** 1 July 2004              |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| *  | **Final date for comments:** 1 March 2004                       |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 2. | **Agency or authority designated to handle comments:            |
| ** | \[ X \] National notification authority, \[   \] National       |
|    | enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if    |
|    | available) of other body:**                                     |
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| *  | **Texts available from: \[   \] National notification           |
| *1 | authority, \[ X \] National enquiry point, or address, fax      |
| 3. | number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:**       |
| ** | switec@snv.ch                                                   |
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