WORLD TRADE G/L/150
3March 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-0859)
RULES OFPROCEDURE FOR MEETINGS OF
THE COMMITTEE ONTECHNICAL BARRIERS TOTRADE*
Approved bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods on1December 1995
Chapter I—Meetings
Rule1
TheCommittee onTechnical Barriers toTrade (hereinafter theCommittee) shall meet as
necessary, butnotlessthanonceayear.
Rule2
Meetings oftheCommittee shallbeconvened bytheDirector-General byanotice issued,
preferably three weeks, andinanyevent notlessthantencalendar days, prior tothedatesetforthe
meeting. Intheevent thatthetenth dayfallsonaweekend oraholiday, thenotice shallbeissued
nolaterthanthepreceding WTO working day. Meetings maybeconvened withshorter notice for
matters ofsignificant importance orurgency attherequest ofaMember concurred inbythemajority
oftheMembers.
Chapter II—Agenda
Rule3
Alistoftheitems proposed fortheagenda ofthemeeting shallbecommunicated toMembers
together withtheconvening notice forthemeeting. ItshallbeopentoanyMember tosuggest items
forinclusion intheproposed agenda upto,andnotincluding, thedayonwhich thenotice ofthemeeting
istobeissued.
Rule4
Requests foritems tobeplaced ontheagenda ofaforthcoming meeting shallbecommunicated
totheSecretariat inwriting, together withtheaccompanying documentation tobeissued inconnection
*These rules follow therules adopted bytheGeneral Council, incorporating changes made bytheCouncil forTrade
inGoods initsrules, withrelevant changes tomake therules applicable totheCommittee. Where aparticular provision
isindicated asbeing "notapplicable", itmeans thatthecorrespondingly numbered provision oftheGeneral Council 'srules
isnotapplicable totheCommittee 'sproceedings.G/L/150
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withthatitem. Documentation forconsideration atameeting shallbecirculated notlaterthanthe
dayonwhich thenotice ofthemeeting istobeissued.
Rule5
Notapplicable
Rule6
Thefirstitemofbusiness ateachmeeting shallbetheconsideration andapproval oftheagenda.
Representatives maysuggest amendments totheproposed agenda, oradditions totheagenda under
"Other Business". Representatives shallprovide theChairperson ortheSecretariat, andtheother
Members directly concerned, whenever possible, advance notice ofitems intended toberaised under
"Other Business".
Rule7
TheCommittee mayamend theagenda orgivepriority tocertain items atanytimeinthecourse
ofthemeeting.
Chapter III—Representation
Rule8
Each Member shallberepresented byanaccredited representative.
Rule9
Eachrepresentative maybeaccompanied bysuchalternates andadvisers astherepresentative
mayrequire.
Chapter IV—Observers
Rule10
Representatives ofStates orseparate customs territories mayattend themeetings asobservers
ontheinvitation oftheCommittee inaccordance withtheguidelines inAnnex 1tothese Rules.
Rule11
Representatives ofinternational intergovernmental organizations mayattend themeetings as
observers ontheinvitation oftheCommittee inaccordance withtheguidelines inAnnex 2tothese
Rules.G/L/150
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Chapter V—Officers
Rule12
TheCommittee shallelectaChairperson1andmayelectaVice-Chairperson fromamong the
representatives ofMembers. Theelection shalltakeplace atthefirstmeeting oftheyearandshall
takeeffect attheendofthemeeting. TheChairperson andVice-Chairperson shallholdoffice until
theendofthefirstmeeting ofthefollowing year.
Rule13
IftheChairpersonisabsentfromanymeetingorpartthereof,theVice-Chairpersonshallperform
thefunctions oftheChairperson. IfnoVice-Chairperson waselected oriftheVice-Chairperson is
notpresent, theCommittee shallelectaninterim Chairperson forthatmeeting orthatpartofthemeeting.
Rule14
IftheChairperson cannolonger perform thefunctions oftheoffice, theCommittee shall
designate theVice-Chairperson referred toinRule12or,ifnoVice-Chairperson waselected itshall
electaninterim Chairperson toperform those functions pending theelection ofanewChairperson.
Rule15
TheChairperson shall normally participate intheproceedings assuch andnotasthe
representative ofaMember. TheChairperson may, however, atanytimerequest permission toact
ineither capacity.
Chapter VI—Conduct ofbusiness
Rule16
TheChairperson mayconsider postponing ameeting intheevent thatheorshefeelsthatdoing
somayresult inamore representative levelofparticipation byWTO Members.
Rule17
Inaddition toexercising thepowers conferred elsewhere bythese rules, theChairperson shall
declare theopening andclosing ofeachmeeting, shalldirect thediscussion, accord therighttospeak,
submit questions fordecision, announce decisions, ruleonpoints oforder and,subject tothese rules,
havecomplete control oftheproceedings. TheChairperson mayalsocallaspeaker toorder ifthe
remarks ofthespeaker arenotrelevant.
1TheCommittee shall apply therelevant guidelines contained inthe"Guidelines forAppointment ofOfficers to
WTO Bodies" (WT/L/31 dated 7February 1995).G/L/150
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Rule18
During thediscussion ofanymatter, arepresentative mayraiseapoint oforder. Inthiscase
theChairperson shallimmediately statetheruling. Iftheruling ischallenged, theChairperson shall
immediately submit itfordecision anditshallstand unless overruled.
Rule19
During thediscussion ofanymatter, arepresentative maymove theadjournment ofthedebate.
Anysuchmotion shallhavepriority. Inaddition totheproponent ofthemotion, onerepresentative
maybeallowed tospeak infavour of,andtworepresentatives against, themotion, afterwhich the
motion shallbesubmitted fordecision immediately.
Rule20
Arepresentative mayatanytimemove theclosure ofthedebate. Inaddition totheproponent
ofthemotion, notmore thanonerepresentative maybegranted permission tospeak infavour ofthe
motion andnotmore thantworepresentatives maybegranted permission tospeak against themotion,
afterwhich themotion shallbesubmitted fordecision immediately.
Rule21
During thecourse ofthedebate, theChairperson mayannounce thelistofspeakers and,with
theconsent ofthemeeting, declare thelistclosed. TheChairperson may, however, accord theright
ofreply toanyrepresentative ifaspeech delivered afterthelisthasbeendeclared closed makes this
desirable.
Rule22
TheChairperson, withtheconsent ofthemeeting, maylimitthetimeallowed toeachspeaker.
Rule23
Representatives shall endeavour, totheextent thatasituation permits, tokeep their oral
statements brief. Representatives wishing todevelop theirposition onaparticular matter infuller detail
maycirculate awritten statement fordistribution toMembers, thesummary ofwhich, atthe
representative 'srequest, maybereflected intherecords oftheCommittee.
Rule24
Inorder toexpedite theconduct ofbusiness, theChairperson mayinvite representatives that
wishtoexpress theirsupport foragiven proposal toshow theirhands, inorder tobedulyrecorded
intherecords oftheCommittee assupporting statements; thus, onlyrepresentatives withdissenting
views orwishing tomake explicit points orproposals would actually beinvited tomake astatement.
Thisprocedure shallonlybeapplied inorder toavoid undue repetition ofpoints already made, and
willnotpreclude anyrepresentative whosowishes from taking thefloor.
Rule25
Representatives should avoid unduly longdebates under "Other Business". Discussions on
substantive issues under "Other Business" shallbeavoided, andtheCommittee shalllimititselftotakingG/L/150
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noteoftheannouncement bythesponsoring delegation, aswellasanyreactions tosuchanannouncement
byother delegations directly concerned.
Rule26
While theCommittee isnotexpected totakeaction inrespect ofanitemintroduced as"Other
Business", nothing shallprevent theCommittee, ifitsodecides, totakeaction inrespect ofanysuch
itemataparticular meeting, orinrespect ofanyitemforwhich documentation wasnotcirculated
atleasttencalendar daysinadvance.
Rule27
Representatives should make every effort toavoid therepetition ofafulldebate ateachmeeting
onanyissue thathasalready beenfullydebated inthepastandonwhich there appears tohavebeen
nochange inMembers 'positions already onrecord.
Rule28
Proposals andamendments toproposals shallnormally beintroduced inwriting andcirculated
toallrepresentatives notlaterthantwelve hours before thecommencement ofthemeeting atwhich
theyaretobediscussed.
Rule29
Iftwoormore proposals aremoved relating tothesamequestion, themeeting shallfirstdecide
onthemost far-reaching proposal andthenonthenextmost far-reaching proposal andsoon.
Rule30
When anamendment ismoved toaproposal, theamendment shallbesubmitted fordecision
firstand,ifitisadopted, theamended proposal shallthenbesubmitted fordecision.
Rule31
When twoormore amendments aremoved toaproposal, themeeting shalldecide firston
theamendment farthest removed insubstance from theoriginal proposal, then, ifnecessary, onthe
amendment nextfarthest removed, andsoonuntilalltheamendments havebeensubmitted fordecision.
Rule32
Parts ofaproposal maybedecided onseparately ifarepresentative requests thattheproposal
bedivided.G/L/150
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Chapter VII—Decision-Making
Rule33
Where adecision cannot bearrived atbyconsensus, thematter atissue shallbereferred to
theCouncil forTrade inGoods.
Rule34
Notapplicable.
Chapter VIII—Languages
Rule35
English, French andSpanish shallbetheworking languages.
Chapter IX—Records
Rule36
Records ofthediscussions oftheCommittee shallbeintheform ofminutes.2
Chapter X—Publicity ofmeetings
Rule37
Themeetings oftheCommittee shallordinarily beheldinprivate. Itmaybedecided thata
particular meeting ormeetings should beheldinpublic.
Rule38
After aprivate meeting hasbeenheld, theChairperson mayissueacommuniqué tothePress.
Chapter XI—Revision
Rule39
TheCommittee maydecide atanytimetorevise these rules oranypartofthem.
2Thecustomary practice under theGATT 1947, whereby representatives may, upon theirrequest, verify those portions
ofthedraft records containing their statements, prior totheissuance ofsuch records, shall becontinued.G/L/150
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ANNEX 1
GUIDELINES FOR OBSERVER STATUS FOR GOVERNMENTS INTHE WTO
1. Thepurpose ofobserver status intheGeneral Council anditssubsidiary bodies istoallow
agovernment tobetter acquaint itself withtheWTO anditsactivities, andtoprepare andinitiate
negotiations foraccession totheWTO Agreement.
2. Observer governments shallhaveaccess tothemain WTO document series. They mayalso
request technical assistance from theSecretariat inrelation totheoperation oftheWTO system in
general, aswellastonegotiations onaccession totheWTO Agreement.
3. Representatives ofgovernments accorded observer status maybeinvited tospeak atmeetings
ofthebodies towhich theyareobservers normally afterMembers ofthatbody havespoken. The
righttospeak doesnotinclude therighttomake proposals, unless agovernment isspecifically invited
todoso,nortoparticipate indecision-making.G/L/150
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ANNEX 2
OBSERVER STATUS FOR INTERNATIONAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS INTHE WTO3
1. Thepurpose ofobserver status forinternational intergovernmental organizations (hereinafter
referred toas"organizations") intheWTO istoenable theseorganizations tofollow discussions therein
onmatters ofdirect interest tothem.
2. Requests forobserver status shallaccordingly beconsidered from organizations which have
competence andadirect interest intrade policy matters, orwhich, pursuant toparagraph V:1ofthe
WTO Agreement, haveresponsibilities related tothose oftheWTO.
3. Requests forobserver status shallbemade inwriting totheWTO body inwhich suchstatus
issought, andshallindicate thenature ofthework oftheorganization andthereasons foritsinterest
inbeing accorded suchstatus. Requests forobserver status from organizations shallnot,however,
beconsidered formeetings oftheCommittee onBudget, Finance andAdministration oroftheDispute
Settlement Body.4
4. Requests forobserver status shallbeconsidered onacase-by-case basis byeachWTO body
towhich sucharequest isaddressed, taking intoaccount suchfactors asthenature ofwork ofthe
organization concerned, thenature ofitsmembership, thenumber ofWTO Members inthe
organization, reciprocity with respect toaccess toproceedings, documents andother aspects of
observership, andwhether theorganization hasbeen associated inthepastwiththework ofthe
CONTRACTING PARTIES toGATT 1947.
5. Inaddition toorganizations thatrequest, andaregranted, observer status, other organizations
mayattend meetings oftheMinisterial Conference, theGeneral Council orsubsidiary bodies onthe
specific invitation oftheMinisterial Conference, theGeneral Council orthesubsidiary bodyconcerned,
asthecasemaybe.Invitations mayalsobeextended, asappropriate andonacase-by-case basis, to
specific organizations tofollow particular issues within abody inanobserver capacity.
6. Organizations withwhich theWTO hasentered intoaformal arrangement forcooperation
andconsultation shall beaccorded observer status insuchbodies asmaybedetermined bythat
arrangement.
7. Organizations accorded observer status inaparticular WTO body shallnotautomatically be
accorded suchstatus inother WTO bodies.
8. Representatives oforganizations accorded observer status maybeinvited tospeak atmeetings
ofthebodies towhich theyareobservers normally afterMembers ofthatbody havespoken. The
righttospeak doesnotinclude therighttocirculate papers ortomake proposals, unless anorganization
isspecifically invited todoso,nortoparticipate indecision-making.
9. Observer organizations shallreceive copies ofthemain WTO documents series andofother
documents series relating tothework ofthesubsidiary bodies which theyattend asobservers. They
3These guidelines shall apply alsotoother organizations referred tobyname intheWTO Agreement.
4InthecaseoftheIMFandtheWorld Bank, theirrequests forattendance asobservers totheDSB willbeacted upon
inaccordance withthearrangements tobeconcluded between theWTO andthese twoorganizations.G/L/150
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mayreceive suchadditional documents asmaybespecified bytheterms ofanyformal arrangements
forcooperation between them andtheWTO.
10. Ifforanyone-year period afterthedateofthegrant ofobserver status, there hasbeenno
attendance bytheobserver organization, suchstatus shallcease. Inthecaseofsessions oftheMinisterial
Conference, thisperiod shallbetwoyears.