WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/11/Rev.1 
15 November 2004 
 (04-4857) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures  
  
 
REVISION OF THE PROCEDURE TO 
MONITOR THE PROCESS OF INTERNATIONAL HARMONIZATION 
 
Decision of the Committee
 
 
Revision  
 
  At its meeting of 27-28 October 2004, the Committee adopted modifications to the 
provisional procedure to monitor the use of internat ional standards, which had initially been adopted 
by the Committee in October 1997. 
 
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Introduction 
 
1. Articles 3.5 and 12.4 of the SPS Agreement requi re the Committee to develop a procedure to 
monitor the process of international harmonization a nd the use of international standards, guidelines 
or recommendations.  With the aim of encouraging Members to use international standards, guidelines 
and recommendations, the underlying purpose of this procedure is to identify where there is a major 
impact on trade resulting from the non-use of t hose international standards, guidelines or 
recommendations and to determine the reasons for the non-use of the standard, guideline or 
recommendation concerned.  Moreover, it should also he lp to identify, for the benefit of the relevant 
international organizations, where a standard, gui deline or recommendation was needed or was not 
appropriate for its purpose and use.  This requires (a) identification of the international standards, 
guidelines or recommendations of concern or an id entification of the cases where an international 
standard, guideline or recommendation was required;  and (b) information from Members on their use 
or non-use of the identified standards, guidelines or  recommendations, and the reasons therefore.  In 
the light of Members' reasons for non-use, the S PS Committee might want to invite the relevant 
international standard-setting body to consider  reviewing the existing standard, guideline or 
recommendation. 
2.  The development of a monitoring procedure was discussed at every formal meeting of the 
SPS Committee from 1995 to October 1997.  Three submissions from Members suggested possible 
approaches:  G/SPS/W/51 from the European Communities (March 1996), G/SPS/W/76 from the 
United States (October 1996) and G/SPS/W/81 from the United States (March 1997).  During the discussion of these various submissions participants ma de it clear that they did not want a burdensome 
procedure, that duplication of the work undertaken by the relevant standard-setting bodies must be 
avoided, and that the monitoring procedure sh ould focus on those st andards, guidelines or 
recommendations that have a major impact on trade.   On the basis of these concerns, and to avoid 
further delays, in July 1997 the Chairperson proposed a provisional procedure (G/SPS/W/82) and 
requested comments on this (reflected in G/SPS/W/82/Rev.1 and G/SPS/W/85). G/SPS/11/Rev.1 
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 3. At its meeting of 15-16 October 1997, the Co mmittee agreed to implement the following 
monitoring procedure on a provisional basis.  The proposal is drawn from the submissions by the Members mentioned above, as well as from the disc ussion in the Committee on these submissions.  
The Committee also agreed to review the ope ration of the provisional monitoring procedure 
18 months after its implementation, with a view to deciding at that time whether to continue with the 
same procedure, amend it or develop another one.
1 
Monitoring Procedure 
 
4. In the initial stages, the scope of the monitori ng system will be limited to the standards, 
guidelines or recommendations developed by the intern ational organizations specifically cited in the 
SPS Agreement.2  The Committee may, at a subsequent st age and if the need arises, consider 
standards, guidelines or recommendations produced by  other relevant international organizations.  
5. The international standards, guidelines or r ecommendations proposed by a Member to be 
monitored (see paragraph 6), on the basis of the lists available to the Committee3, should be limited to 
those which have a major trade impact.  The trade impact of an international standard, guideline or 
recommendation should be determined primarily on the basis of the extent to which Members use the 
standard (apply it to imports) and the frequency or sev erity of problems experienced in the trade of the 
goods covered by the standard. 
6. Members should submit, at least ten days in advance of each regular meeting of the 
Committee, concrete examples of what they consider  to be problems with a significant trade impact 
which they believe are related to the use or non-u se of relevant international standards, guidelines or 
recommendations.4  In their submissions, Members should d escribe the nature of each of these trade 
problems and note whether it is the result of: 
(a) the non-use of an appropriate existing international standard, guideline or 
recommendation;  or 
(b) the non-existence or inappropriateness of an  existing international standard, guideline 
or recommendation, i.e. that it is out-dated, technically flawed, etc. 
7. The standards, guidelines or recommendations  identified by Members as above will be 
identified on the proposed agenda for the Committe e meeting.  The Secretariat should circulate the 
submissions it has received to all Members, as much in advance of the Committee's meeting as possible, in order to provide Members with the opportunity to prepare comments on their use or non-
use of the standards, guidelines or recommendations and the reasons therefore.  Should any Member 
so request, the Secretariat will not include in its  annual report on this monitoring procedure (see 
paragraph 10) any specific issue raised in these s ubmissions until Members have had the opportunity 
to provide further comments and to discuss tho se comments in one additional Committee meeting 
subsequent to the meeting in whic h the issue is first raised.   
8. Based on the information provided by Members, and in the light of discussion in the 
Committee, a list of standards, guidelines or recommendations which have a major impact on 
international trade shall be established by the Committ ee.  This list shall be reviewed at each meeting 
                                                     
 
1 Through Decisions of the Committee in July 1999 (G/SPS/14), July 2001 (G/SPS/17) and July 2003 
(G/SPS/25), the Committee has extended the provisional procedure until July 2006. 
2 Codex, OIE and IPPC 
3 G/SPS/GEN/512 (OIE), G/SPS/GEN/513  (IPPC) and G/SPS/GEN/514 (Codex). 
4 Although no format has been adopted by the Committee, the fo rmat proposed in G/SPS/W/87 
received considerable support from Members and has been widely used.  G/SPS/11/Rev.1 
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 of the Committee.  Members should provide inform ation, for each of the standards, guidelines or 
recommendations identified, of any relevant trade imp act, and on their use or non-use of the standard, 
guideline or recommendation and the reasons therefore.5  The Committee may invite the relevant 
international standard-setting body to consider  reviewing the existing standard, guideline or 
recommendation.  
9. The Committee may invite the relevant standard-se tting body to provide information, either in 
writing or through presentations at the relevant re gular meeting of the Committee, on any standard, 
guideline or recommendation under consideration, incl uding with regard to any changes or on-going 
revisions. 
10. The Secretariat should prepare an annual report to the Committee on the list of standards, 
guidelines or recommendations established under paragr aph 8, the major trade impacts identified by 
Members and their comments regarding the use or non use of the identified international standards, 
guidelines or recommendations and of those cases identified where there was no international 
standard, guideline or recommendation, and any conclusions drawn by the Committee.  The 
Committee will transmit this report to the internatio nal organizations responsib le for developing the 
relevant sanitary and phytosanitary standards, gui delines or recommendations.  It is expected that 
Members will take this information into account, through their participation in these international 
organizations, in establishing those organizations' work priorities. 
Further Action 
 
11. Following the review noted in paragraph 3 of the operation of this provisional monitoring 
procedure, the Committee may want at a later st age to consider the n eed for a more focused 
monitoring procedure.  In particular, the Committ ee may wish to consider developing standard 
formats for the supply of information under paragraphs 6-86, and using those standards, guidelines or 
recommendations which have been identified as havi ng a major impact on international trade and are 
of widespread concern to Members (paragraph 8 re fers) as the basis for a pilot project to obtain 
additional information as to how Members ar e dealing with the standards, guidelines or 
recommendations of concern. 
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5 See G/SPS/W/100. 
6 See footnote 4.