G/SPS/N/CHE/75  
6 August 2019  
(19-5101) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member : SWITZERLAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible : Office fédéral de la sécurité alimentaire et des affaires vétérinaires  
(Federal Office for Food Security and Veterinary Affairs)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO ; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable) : Animals and plants that  can be easily confused with specimens 
protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora (CITES Convention, RS 0.453), are protected domestically in another 
country and are shown to be threatened.  
4. Regio ns or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document : Modification de l'article 9, al. 1, de la Loi fédérale  sur 
la circulation des espèces de faune et de flore protégées (RS 453)  (Amendment to Article 
9, paragraph 1, of the Federal Law on circulation of protected species of fauna and flora 
(RS 453)) . Language(s) : French, German and Italian Number of pages : 1 
6. Description of content : The legal basis is created for a prohibition on the importation 
into Switzerland of species of fauna and flora the specimens of which can be easily 
confused with species listed in Appendices I to III to the CITES Convention, and w hich 
are protected domestically in another country and are shown to be threatened . This 
measure aims to keep those species of fauna and flora from entering international trade 
via Switzerland.  
7. Objective and rationale : [ ] food safety, [X] animal health, [X] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests  
8. Is there a relevant international standard ? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) : 
[ ] World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. T errestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) : 
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number) : 
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes [X] No  G/SPS/N/CHE/75  
- 2 - 
  If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard : The international standard (here, the CITES Convention) 
provides that States members may impose import prohibitions on species of fauna and 
flora protected under the CITES Convention . In addition, the Federal Council must also 
be able to prohibit, under certain conditions, the importation into  Switzerland of species 
of fauna and flora the specimens of which can be easily confused with species listed in 
Appendices I to III to the CITES Convention, and which are protected domestically in 
another country and are shown to be threatened.  
9. Relevan t documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : March 2 021 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : May 2 021 
11. Proposed date of entry into force : [ ] Six months from date of publication, and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : October 2 021. Sixty days from the date of notification . 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments : [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 24 September 2 019 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments : [X] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point . Address, fax number and email address (if 
available) of other body:  
Secrétariat d'Etat à l'économie , SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs)  
Services spécialisés économie extérieure  (Foreign Economic Specialised Services Division)  
Secteur des mesures non -tarifaires  (Sector for non -tariff measures)  
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Bern  
Switzerland  
sps@seco.admin.ch  
13. Text(s) available from : [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry 
Point . Address, fax number and email address (if available) of other body:  
Secrétariat d'Etat à l'économie, SECO  
Services spécialisés économie extérieure  
Secteur des mesures non -tarifaires  
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Bern  
Switzerland  
sps@seco.admin.ch