G/TBT/1/Rev.12  
 
21 January 2015  
(15-0421)  Page: 1/74  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
 
   DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED BY THE  
WTO COMMITTEE ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE  
SINCE 1 JANUARY 1995 
 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
Revision 
 
 The present document contains the twelfth revi sion of the compilation of the TBT Committee's 
Decisions and Recommendations. This revision, which supersedes all previous G/TBT/1 documents, 
is in two parts. Part 1 contains the Committee's decisions and recommendations adopted since 1 January 1995. Part 2 contains the Committee's Rules of Procedure including Guidelines for 
Observer Status for Governments and International Intergovernmental Organizations. 
 
_______________ 
                                               
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretar iat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to thei r rights and obligations under the WTO.  G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  Contents 
1   PART 1: DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED BY THE COMMITTEE 
ON TECHNICAL BARRI ERS TO TRADE ............................................................................... 5  
1   GOOD REGULATORY PRACTICE .................................................................................... 5  
1.1   General .................................................................................................................... 5  
1.2   Informatio n Exchange ................................................................................................ 6  
2   CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................... 8  
2.1   General .................................................................................................................... 8  
2.2   Informat ion Exchange ............................................................................................... 10 
3   STAN DARDS .............................................................................................................. 12  
3.1   General ................................................................................................................... 13 
4   TRANSP ARENCY ........................................................................................................ 17  
4.1   General ................................................................................................................... 17 
4.2   Statement on Implementation an d Administration of the TBT Agreement 
(Article 15.2) ................................................................................................................ .. 17 
4.3   Noti fications ........................................................................................................... . 19 
4.3.1   Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures ...................................... 19 
4.3.1.1   "Significant effect on trade of other Members" ......................................................... 20 
4.3.1.2   Timing of Notifications ......................................................................................... 21 
4.3.1.3   Submission of Notifi cation (Format an d Guidelines) .................................................. 21 
4.3.1.4   Notification of Labelling requirements ..................................................................... 22 
4.3.1.5   Notifications of Proposed Tech nical Regulations and Conformity Assessment 
Procedures of Local Governments at the Level Directly Below that of the Central 
Government .................................................................................................................... 23 
4.3.1.6   Length of time allowed for comments ..................................................................... 23 
4.3.1.7   Handling of comments ......................................................................................... 24 
4.3.1.8   Timing of Entry into Force of Technical Regulations and Understanding of 
"Reasonable Interval" under Article 2.12 ............................................................................. 25 
4.3.1.9   Follow-up ........................................................................................................... 26 
4.3.1.10   Monthly Listing of Notifica tions Issued by th e WTO Secr etariat ................................. 27 
4.3.2   Standards ............................................................................................................. 27 
4.3.2.1   Notification of the Acceptance of, or  Withdrawal from, the Code of Good Practice 
(Paragraph  C) .................................................................................................................  27 
4.3.2.2   Notification of the Existence of a Work Programme (Paragraph J) ............................... 28 
4.3.2.3   Publishing of a Notice (Par agraph L) ...................................................................... 29 
4.3.2.4   Events ............................................................................................................... 29 
4.3.3   Notification under Arti cle 10.7 of the TBT Agreement .................................................. 29 
4.4   Dissemination  of Info rmation ..................................................................................... 30 
4.4.1   Publication ........................................................................................................... . 30 
4.4.2   Texts of Notified Technical Regula tions and Conformity As sessment Procedures .............. 30 
4.4.3   Provision of Transl ations ......................................................................................... 31 G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  4.4.4   Online Tools .......................................................................................................... 33 
4.4.4.1   Events ............................................................................................................... 34 
4.5   Enquiry Points .......................................................................................................... 34 
4.5.1   Establishment of Enquiry Points ............................................................................... 34 
4.5.2   Functioning of Enquiry Points ................................................................................... 34 
4.5.2.1   Handling and Pr ocessing of Requests ..................................................................... 34 
4.5.2.2   Enquiries which the Enquiry Po ints should be prepared to Answer .............................. 35 
4.5.3   Booklets on  Enquiry Points ...................................................................................... 36 
4.5.4   Events ................................................................................................................ . 36 
4.6   Special Meetings on Proced ures for Informat ion Exchange .............................................. 36 
5   TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ........................................................................................... 37  
5.1   General ................................................................................................................... 37 
5.2   Informat ion Exchange ............................................................................................... 39 
6   SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT ................................................................. 41  
6.1   General ................................................................................................................... 41 
6.2   Informat ion Exchange ............................................................................................... 42 
7   OPERATION OF  THE COMMI TTEE ............................................................................... 43  
7.1   General ................................................................................................................... 43 
7.1.1   Review of Specific Trade Concerns ............................................................................ 43 
7.2   Informat ion Exchange ............................................................................................... 44 
7.2.1   Thematic Sessions ................................................................................................. 44 
ANNEXES TO PART 1 ...................................................................................................... 45  
1   INDICATIVE LIST OF APPROACHES TO FACILITATE ACCEPTANCE OF THE 
RESULTS OF CONFORMI TY ASSESSMENT ....................................................................... 45  
2   DECISION OF THE COMMITTEE ON PRINCIPLES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF 
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, GUID ES AND RECOMMENDATIONS WITH 
RELATION TO ARTICLES 2, 5 AN D ANNEX 3 OF TH E AGREEMENT ................................... 47  
3   FORMAT AND GUIDELINES FOR NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES FOR 
TECHNICAL REGULATIONS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSM ENT PROCEDURES ................... 50  
3.1   Recommendation of the Committee on Coherent Use of Notification Formats ..................... 50 
3.2   Format and Guidelines for New Notification (of draft technical regulations and 
conformity assessment procedures) .................................................................................... 51 
3.3   Format for Addenda .................................................................................................. 55 
3.4   Format fo r Corrigenda ............................................................................................... 56 
3.5   Format for Revision .................................................................................................. 57 
3.6   Format for Supplements  (Unofficial Tr anslatio ns) .......................................................... 58 
4   NOTIFICATION FORMAT UNDER ARTICLE 10.7 .......................................................... 60  
5   BOOKLETS ON ENQUIRY POINTS ............................................................................... 61  
5.1   Objective, name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail and Internet 
addresses, if available, of  WTO TBT enquir y point(s) ............................................................. 61 
5.2   Who can use th e enquiry point(s) ............................................................................... 61 
5.3   Information available from enquiry point(s) .................................................................. 61 G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  5.4   Facilities offered (inc luding charges,  if any). ................................................................. 61 
6   FORMAT FOR THE VOLUNTARY NOTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE NEEDS OR RESPON SES .............................................................................. 62  
7   FORMAT FOR NOTIFICATIONS RELATE D TO THE CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE 
FOR THE PREPARATION, ADOPTION AND APPLICATION OF STANDARDS 
CONTAINED IN ANNEX 3 OF THE WTO TBT AGREEMENT ................................................ 64  
7.1   Notification of acceptance of the WTO TBT Code of Good Practice (Paragraph C) to 
the WTO Secretariat ......................................................................................................... 64 
7.2   Notification of acceptance and of ex istence of work programme under the WTO TBT 
Code of Good Practice (Paragraph C an d J) to the ISO/IEC Information Centre .......................... 65 
PART 2: RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE MEETINGS OF THE WTO COMMITTEE ON 
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE AND GUIDELINES FOR OBSERVER STATUS FOR 
GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL IN TERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ........... 68  
Annex A ....................................................................................................................... .. 73 
Annex B ....................................................................................................................... .. 74 
 G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  PART 1: DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDAT IONS ADOPTED BY THE COMMITTEE ON 
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE 
1  GOOD REGULATORY PRACTICE 
1.1.  Good Regulatory Practice (GRP) can contribu te to the improved and effective implementation 
of the substantive obligations under the TBT Agre ement. Effective implementation through best 
practices is seen as an important means of avoiding unnecessary obstacles to trade. 
Institutionalizing the various mechanisms, processes and procedures of GRP through laws, regulations and guidance, as well as through the creation and designation of institutions within 
Member governments to oversee regulatory processes,  is seen as a means of giving effect to GRP. 
Effective internal policy coordination, including among regulators, standardizing bodies and trade 
officials implementing the TBT Agreement, is stressed. Additionally, regulatory cooperation 
between Members is an effective means of disseminating GRP.
2 
1.1  General 
Recommendation 
a. In 1997, in order to assist the implementa tion of the relevant provisions of the 
Agreement, the Committee agreed to the following3: 
i. when considering the preparation of a technical regulation, it is important for 
Members first to identify the related problem, including its magnitude and the 
legitimate objective; and then consider all options available consistent with the 
Agreement, bearing in mind that in accordance with Articles 2.2 and 2.3 a technical regulation shall not be more trade restrictive than necessary to fulfil a legitimate objective, and shall not be maintained if the circumstances or objectives giving rise 
to its adoption no long exist or if the changed circumstances or objectives can be 
addressed in a less trade-restrictive manner. If a technical regulation is required, it shall comply with the relevant provisions of the Agreement, including Articles 12.3 
and 12.7; 
ii. to avoid duplication of work and to ensure effective implementation of the 
Agreement, coordination between governmental  regulatory authorities, trade officials 
and national standardizing bodies is essential. 
b. In 2009, with the purpose of enabling Member s to ensure improved compliance with the 
obligations set out in the TBT Agreement in the preparation of technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, the Committee agreed
4: 
i. to compile a list of guidelines for GRP taking into account Members' experiences and 
existing relevant work of other organizations; 
ii. to prepare an illustrative list of mechanisms used for the implementation of GRP 
based on contributions from Members including, for instance, mechanisms used for: 
public consultation; use of RIA tools; use of performance-based regulations; use of relevant international standards, guides or recommendations as a basis for technical 
regulations and conformity assessment procedures; and methods of referencing 
standards in regulations; and 
iii. to continue to share views and experiences on aspects of regulatory coordination and 
administrative mechanisms to facilitate internal coordination between competent 
authorities, including between trade policy and regulatory authorities, and interested 
parties. 
                                               
2 G/TBT/26, 13 November 2009, paras. 8-9, and 14. 
3 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 24 (a)-(c).  At the subsequent Triennial Review (the Second), the 
Committee agreed to continue this exchange of information (G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 37). 
4 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 11. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  c. In 2012, with a view of furthering its work in the area of GRP, the Committee agreed5:  
i. to identify a non-exhaustive list of voluntary mechanisms and related principles of 
GRP and to guide Members in the efficient and effective implementation of the TBT 
Agreement across the regulatory lifecycle, including, but not limited to, the following areas: 
- transparency and public consultation mechanisms; 
- mechanisms for assessing policy options, including the need to regulate (e.g. 
how to evaluate the impact of alternatives through an evidence-based 
process, including through the use of regulatory impact assessment (RIA) 
tools); 
- internal (domestic) coordination mechanisms; 
- approaches to minimizing burdens on economic operators (e.g. how to 
implement mechanisms that ensure reflection of the TBT Agreement's 
substantive obligations in the design and development of regulations); 
- implementation and enforcement mechanisms (e.g. how to provide practical, 
timely and informative guidan ce needed for compliance);  
- mechanisms for review of existing technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures (e.g. how to evaluate the effectiveness and continued 
adequacy of existing measures, includin g with a view to assessing the need 
for amendment, simplification or possible repeal); and, 
- mechanisms for taking account of the special development, financial and 
trade needs of developing Members in  the preparation and application of 
measures, with a view to ensuring that they do not create unnecessary 
obstacles to exports from developing Members. 
1.2  Information Exchange 
Recommendations 
a. Since the entry into force of the Agreement, the Committee has engaged in an in-depth 
exchange of experiences on various aspects of GRP in order to foster a common 
understanding of the issues involved.6 In 1997 and in 2000, in order to assist the 
implementation of the relevant provisions of the Agreement, the Committee agreed7: 
i. to invite Members, on a voluntary basis, to submit descriptions of their approach to 
technical regulations; and  
ii. to examine the various approaches to the preparation, adoption and application of 
technical regulations and their consequences for market access, with a view to assisting regulatory authorities through promoting awareness of their rights and 
obligations under the Agreement.  
b. In 2003, noting that the issue of GRP is im portant, evolving, and worthy of further 
discussion in the TBT Committee, to furthe r its work on GRP, the Committee agreed
8: 
                                               
5 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 4.  
6 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, paras. 23-24; G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 37; G/TBT/13, 
11 November 2003, para. 14; G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 19; G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, paras. 11 and 16; G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, paras. 3-4.  
7 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 24(c); G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 37. 
8 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 14. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  i. to invite Members to exchange experiences related to the identification of elements 
of GRP at the domestic level; 
ii. to continue its exchanges on Members' experiences and focus its discussion on, inter 
alia, choice of policy instruments, mandatory versus voluntary measures, and the 
use of regulatory impact assessments to facilitate GRP; and 
iii. to initiate a process of sharing experiences on equivalency in the Committee 
particularly with regard to how the concept is implemented in practice. 
c. In 2006, with a view to deepening understanding of the contribution GRP can make to 
the implementation of the TBT Agreement, the Committee agreed to share experiences 
on9:  
i. factors used by regulators to determine whether there is a need to regulate in a 
given situation or whether other instruments are better suited to fulfil the legitimate 
objective sought; 
ii. the use of tools, such as regulatory impact assessment, to assist regulatory decision-
making (including with respect to (i) above);  
iii. the use of performance-based regulations by Members;  
iv. how GRP have been integrated into Members' regulatory structures, including the 
use of mechanisms to ensure openness, transparency and accountability of the 
regulatory processes;  
v. the establishment of domestic administrative mechanisms to facilitate cooperation 
and coordination between competent authorities and co-ordination with other stakeholders;  
vi. how regulatory cooperation
10 between Members has contributed to the avoidance of 
unnecessary regulatory differences; and 
vii. steps taken and criteria used to arrive at an equivalency decision between Members 
(Article 2.7), or harmonization on the basis of international standards (Article 2.6). 
d. In 2009, in order to further enhance information on regulatory cooperation between 
Members, the Committee agreed11: 
i. to exchange information  on the different approaches to regulatory cooperation 
between Members that aim at, inter alia , enhancing mutual understanding of 
regulatory systems and identifying, where possible, avenues for greater regulatory 
convergence; and 
ii. to hold a workshop on regulatory cooperation. 
                                               
9 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 19. 
10 The Committee has noted that re gulatory cooperation between Members is an effective means of 
disseminating GRP and that it can build confidence between trading pa rtners through enhancing mutual 
understanding of regulatory systems, thereby supporting efforts that aim at  removing unnecessa ry barriers to 
trade. A fundamental component to regulatory cooperat ion is the promotion of dialogue between Members, 
including at senior level.  A wide variety of approaches can be employed by regulators to collaborate with each 
other – from information sharing to negotiating spec ific agreements. See G/TBT/26, 13 November 2009,  
paras. 14-15. 
11 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 16. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  Events 
a. On 18-19 March 2008, with a view to advancing its work on GRP, the Committee held a 
Workshop on GRP, which addressed, among other topics, regulatory impact 
assessment.12 
b. On 8-9 November 2011, recognizing the benefits of regulatory co-operation for the 
dissemination of GRP, the Committee held a Workshop on regulatory co-operation 
between Members.13  
c. On 5 March 2013, the Committee held a Thematic Session on GRP.14  
d.  On 17 June 2013 the Committee held a second Thematic Session on GRP.15 
e. On 18 March 2014, the Committee held a third Thematic Session on GRP.16 
2  CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT 2.1.  Five articles of the TBT Agreement addre ss conformity assessment procedures, and establish 
obligations of a substantive and procedural nature. Articles 5 and 6 contain disciplines applying to 
central government bodies. Articles 7, 8 and 9 relate to conformity assessment procedures of local government bodies, non-governmental bodies and international and regional systems. The 
definition of a conformity assessment procedure is contained in Annex 1, Paragraph 3 of the 
Agreement.  
2.1  General 
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, in order to further the objectives of Articles 5 and 6, including in particular the 
need to avoid the creation of unnecessary obstacles to international trade due to conformity assessment procedures, and with a view to making recommendations to 
remove any unnecessary duplication of confor mity assessment, the Committee agreed to 
the following
17: 
i. the Committee will pursue further discussions on ISO/IEC Guides. Members are 
invited, on a voluntary basis, to continue providing information on their experience in 
using relevant international guides and recommendations on conformity assessment, and the extent to which these guides and recommendations have served as a basis 
for the recognition of conformity assessment procedures adopted by bodies in their 
territories and in regional and international conformity assessment systems, or as a harmonized approach to conformity assessment. In the light of this exercise, the Committee will consider ways and means for better implementation of Articles 5  
and 6; 
ii. for transparency purposes and to support the work of the Committee, a list of 
relevant international guides and recommendations related to conformity assessment 
procedures will be consolidated, circulated and updated regularly by the Secretariat 
for the information of Members;  
                                               
12 The Summary Report of the Workshop is contained in G/TBT/W/287, 6 June 2008. The Chairman's 
Report of the Workshop to the TBT Committee is contained in G/TBT/M/44, 10 June 2008, Annex 1. The 
Workshop was held in response to the recommendati on contained in G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 20. 
13 The Summary Report of the Workshop is contained in G/TBT/W/348, 14 February 2012. A background 
note by the Secretariat, circulated before the Workshop, is contained in document G/TBT/W/340, 1 September 2011.  
14 The Moderator's summary and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/143, 11 March 2013.  
15 The Chairman's report is contained in G/TBT/GEN/143/Add.1, 25 June 2013.  
16 The Chairman's report and the final progra mme are contained in G/TBT/GEN/143/Add.2,  
26 March 2014.  
17 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 29. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  iii. the Committee will review the role of regional and international systems for 
conformity assessment as covered by Article 9 and how these systems could 
contribute to solving the problems of multiple testing and certification/registration for 
traders and industries, including in particular small and medium size enterprises. This exercise will also address the extent to which international guides and 
recommendations contribute to the establis hment of these systems, and the possible 
technical assistance needed for developing countries to develop operational conformity assessment procedures within the context of Articles 11.6, 11.7 and 
12.5; and 
iv. the Committee will review the operation of Articles 6, 10.7 and other relevant 
provisions which contain disciplines with respect to recognition of the results of conformity assessment procedures. In this regard, Members are invited, on a 
voluntary basis, to exchange information. The review will also address the possible 
difficulties and problems associated with MRAs. In the light of this exercise, the Committee may consider the usefulness of drafting guidelines, inter alia  for MRAs. 
b. In 2000, the Committee developed an indicative list describing different approaches to 
facilitate acceptance of results of conformity assessment. This list is contained in Annex 1   (on page 45 of this document). The Committee noted the following in respect 
of this list
18: 
i. the list was not intended to prescribe particular approaches that Members might 
choose to adopt as it was recognized that the application of different approaches would depend on the situation of Members and the specific sectors involved; and 
ii. governments and non-governmental bodies might choose to apply different 
approaches across different sectors, or apply more than one procedure within individual sectors, taking into account variations in procedures in different Members 
and perceived levels of risk in the acce ptance of results in different sectors. 
c. In 2009 the Committee agreed
19: 
i. to continue to exchange information on different approaches to facilitating 
acceptance of conformity assessment results; 
ii. to exchange information on the criteria, methods of analysis and concepts used by 
Members to inform their evaluation of the range of choices in conformity assessment procedures, including in the context of a risk management framework; 
iii. based on these exchanges, and those referred to on page 6 of this document 
(I.B.(e), above), to initiate work  on developing practical guidelines on how to choose 
and design efficient and effective mechanisms aimed at strengthening the 
implementation of the TBT Agreement, including the facilitation of acceptance of 
conformity assessment results ( inter alia  MRAs, equivalence agreements and 
Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC)); and 
iv. to consider, in light of the above work, the need to build on the current "Indicative 
List of Approaches to Facilitate the A cceptance of the Results of Conformity 
Assessment". 
d. In 2012, in order to initiate work on developing practical guidance on the choice and 
design of mechanisms aimed at streng thening the implementation of the TBT 
Agreement, including the facilitation of acce ptance of conformity assessment results, the 
Committee agreed to organize its work in three thematic areas
20:  
                                               
18 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 27 and Annex 5. 
19 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 19. 
20 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 5.  G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  i. Approaches to conformity assessment. With  respect to the choice and design of 
conformity assessment procedures, Members will exchange information on criteria 
and methods of analysis used to inform their evaluation of the range of choices in 
conformity assessment procedures. This exchange may include, for instance, how the assessment and management of risk affects the choice of conformity assessment 
procedure, and how Members' approach to market surveillance may affect this 
choice. A possible output of this work could be the development of an illustrative list of principles to guide the selection of conformity assessment procedures; 
ii. Use of relevant international standards, guides or recommendations. Members will 
exchange information on how they use relevant existing international standards, guides or recommendations, or the relevant parts of them, as a basis for their conformity assessment procedures. To this end, relevant bodies involved in the 
development of such instruments may be invited to inform the Committee of the 
current status of their work; and, 
iii. Facilitating the recognition of conformity assessment results. Building on the 
"Indicative List" (Second Triennial Review), Members will continue their exchange of 
information on approaches that may facilitate the acceptance of conformity assessment results. For instance, Members may explore how international and 
regional systems for conformity assessment (e.g. regional and intergovernmental 
initiatives, voluntary cooperation arrangements between accreditation bodies, and voluntary cooperation arrangements between conformity assessment bodies) can contribute to building globally robust and trade facilitative schemes (as envisaged 
under Article 9 of the TBT Agreement). To th is end, relevant bodies involved in the 
development of such instruments may be invited to inform the Committee of the current status of their work. 
2.2  Information Exchange 
Recommendations 
a. The Committee has regularly engaged in information exchange on the use of conformity 
assessment procedures with a view to improving Members' implementation and 
understanding of Articles 5-9.21  
b. In 1997, in order to further the objectives of Articles 5 and 6, including in particular the 
need to avoid the creation of unnecessary obstacles to international trade due to 
conformity assessment procedures, and with a view to making recommendations to 
remove any unnecessary duplication of confor mity assessment, the Committee agreed to 
invite Members, on a voluntary basis: 
i. to exchange information on their experien ce in the various types of conformity 
assessment procedures and their conditions of application. In the light of this exercise, the Committee will consider making recommendations aimed at ensuring 
that procedures for the assessment of conformity avoid the creation of unnecessary 
obstacles to international trade
22; and  
ii. to exchange information on the operation of Articles 6, 10.7 (II.A.(a)(iv), above) and 
other relevant provisions which contain disciplines with respect to recognition of the 
results of conformity assessment procedures.23 
                                               
21 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 29(c); G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, paras. 28 and 33; 
G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 40;  G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 46;  G/TBT/26, 13 November 2009, para. 19, G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 5. In 1996, the Committee established a Technical Working Group to examine certain ISO/IEC Guides on  conformity assessment procedures (G/TBT/M/6, 6 
December 1996, para. 14). The Working Group met three times and the Reports are contained in G/TBT/M/7-8 
and 10 (1997). 
22 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 29. 
23 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 29. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  c. In 2000, the Committee agreed to invite Members, on a voluntary basis: 
i. to supply further information on the different mechanisms used in their jurisdiction 
for acceptance of results of conformity assessment and further discuss the different 
approaches with a view to analysing them in the light of Articles 5 and 624;  
ii. to further exchange information on their experience in the use of supplier's 
declaration of conformity (SDoC). Such experience could include the following: an 
indication of the sectors/product categories where supplier's declaration of conformity is used in relation to technical regulations and standards; a further 
definition of the conditions supporting effective use of such an approach and the 
costs of these conditions; considerations that may deem such an approach inappropriate from a regulatory perspective; and an identification of technical infrastructure to support reliance on this approach.
25 
d. In 2003, with a view to improving Members'  implementation of Articles 5-9 of the 
Agreement and promoting a better understanding of Members' conformity assessment systems, the Committee agreed to a work programme
26: 
i. to exchange information and experiences on existing conformity assessment 
procedures and practices, the use of relevant international standards, guides and recommendations, and the participation of Members in national, regional and 
international accreditation schemes; 
ii. to exchange information and experiences and hold a workshop on SDoC covering 
issues such as: the regulatory authorities, sectors and suppliers which use SDoC; the surveillance mechanism, liability law and penalties used to ensure that products 
comply with requirements; the incentives fo r suppliers to comply with requirements; 
and the legislation that underpins the relationship between buyers and sellers; 
iii. to invite representatives from relevant international and regional accreditation fora 
to provide information on their operation and the participation of Members, in 
particular, developing country Members, in their systems. Moreover, users, such as 
certification bodies, should also be invited to share their experiences in this respect; 
iv. to hold a workshop on the different approaches to conformity assessment, including 
on the acceptance of conformity assessment results; and 
v. to take stock of the progress made on this Work Programme and reflect it in its 
Annual Report to the Council for Trade in Goods. 
e. In 2006, with a view to furthering the understanding of the implementation of 
Articles 5-9 of the Agreement, the Committ ee agreed to continue sharing experiences 
on
27: 
i. approaches to conformity assessment, and in particular on: 
- various considerations that are relevant when deciding on the need for a 
conformity assessment procedure and on the type of procedure, including the 
level of risk associated with products; 
- the use of different types of co nformity assessment procedures; 
- the design and implementation of SDoC  and situations for which SDoC may 
be a suitable conformity assessment procedure; and 
                                               
24 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 28. 
25 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 33. 
26 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, paras. 40 and 41. 
27 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 46. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  - the use of accreditation to qualify the technical competence of conformity 
assessment bodies. 
ii. the use of international standards, guides or recommendations in Members' domestic 
conformity assessment procedures; 
iii. recognition of conformity assessment results, and in particular on: 
- unilateral recognition of results of foreign conformity assessment, including 
on existing government designation schemes in relation to Article 6.1.2; 
- the participation of foreign conformity assessment bodies in domestic 
conformity assessment procedures pursuant to Article 6.4; 
- the operation of existing MRAs, including cases where implementation has not 
been deemed satisfactory; and their cost-effectiveness; and 
- voluntary mutual recognition arrangements and on the extent to which 
results of conformity assessment are accepted by regulators. 
Events 
a. A Symposium on Conformity Assessment Procedures was held on 8-9 June 1999.28  
b. A Special Meeting dedicated to Conformity Assessment Procedures was held on  
29 June 2004.29 
c. A Workshop on Supplier's Declaration of  Conformity (SDoC) was held on  
21 March 2005.30 
d. A Workshop on the Different Approaches to Conformity Assessment, including on the 
Acceptance of Conformity Assessment Results, was held on 16-17 March 2006.31 
e. A Thematic Session on Conformity Assessment Procedures took place on  
29 October 2013.32 
f. A Thematic Session on Conformity Assessment Procedures took place on  
4 November 2014.33 
3  STANDARDS 
3.1.  The provisions concerning the preparatio n, adoption and application of standards are 
contained in Article 4 of the TBT Agreement and in the Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, 
Adoption and Application of Standards (the "Code of Good Practice"). In addition, Articles 2.4, 2.5, 
5.4, and Paragraph F of Annex 3 of the Agreement promote the use of relevant international standards, guides and recommendations as a basis for standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Articles 2.6,  5.5 and Paragraph G of Annex 3 emphasize the 
importance of Members' participation in international standardization activities related to products 
for which they have either adopted, or expect to adopt, technical regulations.
34 
3.2.  In 2000, at the Second Triennial Review of the Agreement, the Committee noted that in 
order for international standards to make a maximum contribution to the achievement of the trade 
                                               
28 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, Annex 1. 
29 The Report of the special meeting is contained in G/TBT/M/33/Add.1, 21 October 2004. 
30 The Report of the workshop is contained in Annex 1 of G/TBT/M/35, 24 May 2005. 
31 The Report of the workshop is contained in G/TBT/M/38/Add.1, 6 June 2006. 
32 The Chairman's report and the final programme are contained in G/TBT/GEN/155, 4 November 2013. 
33 The Chairman's report and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/174, 11 November 
2014.  
34 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 20. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  facilitating objectives of the Agreement, it was important that all Members had the opportunity to 
participate in the elaboration and adoption of in ternational standards. Adverse trade effects might 
arise from standards emanating from international bodies as defined in the Agreement which had 
no procedures for soliciting input from a wide range of interests. Bodies operating with open, impartial and transparent procedures, that afforded an opportunity for consensus among all 
interested parties in the territories of at least all Members, were seen as more likely to develop 
standards which were effective and relevant on a global basis and would thereby contribute to the 
goal of the Agreement to prevent unnecessary obstac les to trade. In order to improve the quality 
of international standards and to ensure the effe ctive application of the Agreement, the Committee 
agreed that there was a need to develop principles concerning transparency, openness, impartiality and consensus, relevance and effectiveness, coherence and developing country interests that would clarify and strengthen the concept of international standards under the 
Agreement and contribute to the advancement of  its objectives. In this regard, the Committee 
adopted a Decision containing a set of principles it considered important for international standards development.
35 These principles were seen as equally relevant to the preparation of 
international standards, guides and recommendations for conformity assessment procedures. The 
dissemination of such principles by Members and standardizing bodies in their territories would 
encourage the various international bodies to clar ify and strengthen their rules and procedures on 
standards development, thus further contributing  to the advancement of the objectives of the 
Agreement.36 
3.1  General Decision 
a. In 2000, the Committee adopted a Decision on Principles for the Development of 
International Standards, Guides and Recommendations with Relation to Articles 2, 5 and Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement. This Decision is contained in Annex 2 (on page 47 of this 
document)
37.  
Recommendations 
a. In 1995, the Committee noted that the Agreement contains a number of provisions on 
regional standardizing bodies and systems fo r conformity assessment. In order to keep 
abreast of the activities of such bodies and systems, the Committee agreed38: 
i. that representatives of regional standard izing bodies and systems for conformity 
assessment may be invited to address the Committee on their procedures and how 
they relate to those embodied in the Agr eement, on the basis of agreed lists of 
questions. 
b. In 1997, with a view to developing a better understanding of international standards 
within the Agreement, the Committee agreed39: 
i. to explore ways and means of improving th e implementation of Articles 2.6, 5.5, 
11.2, 12.5 and paragraph G of the Code with a view to enhancing Members' 
awareness of, and participation in, the work of international standardizing bodies. As 
appropriate, the Committee will consider the usefulness of communicating its views to the relevant international standardizing bodies for their consideration; 
c. I n  2 0 0 6 ,  w i t h  r e g a r d  t o  t h e  a c c e p t a n c e  o f  t h e  C o d e  o f  G o o d  P r a c t i c e  b y  r e g i o n a l  
standardizing bodies, the Committee agreed
40: 
                                               
35 This Decision is contained in Annex 2 (on page 47 of this document). 
36 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 20. 
37 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 20 and Annex 4. 
38 G/TBT/M/3, 5 January 1996, para. 15; G/TBT/W/14, 29 September 1995, p. 4. 
39 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 22(a). 
40 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, paras. 66-67 and 68 (g)(i). This recommendation is also reproduced in 
this document on page 26. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 14 - 
 
  i. to encourage regional standardizing bodies to accept the Code of Good Practice and 
to notify their acceptance of the Co de to the ISO/IEC Information Centre. 
d. In 2009, the Committee recognized the need for international standards to be relevant 
and effectively respond to regulatory and market needs, as well as scientific and technological developments, while not creating unnecessary obstacles to international 
trade. In light of the above, the Committee
41:  
i. encouraged Members, Observer organizations and relevant bodies involved in the 
development of standards to exchange expe riences and circulate case studies – or 
other research – on the impacts of standards on economic development and 
international trade;  
ii. stressed the importance of ensuring the effective application of the Code of Good 
Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards (Annex 3 of the 
TBT Agreement); and 
iii. encouraged the full application of the six principles set out in the above-mentioned 
Decision, and the sharing of experiences in respect of their use. 
e. In 2009, the Committee noted that several Members had raised concerns regarding 
"private standards" and trade impacts thereof, including actual or potential unnecessary barriers to trade. The Committee also noted that other Members considered that the 
term lacks clarity and that its relevance to  the implementation of the TBT Agreement 
had not been established. Without prejudice to the different views expressed, the Committee recalled that Article 4.1 of the TBT Agreement requires that Members shall take such reasonable measures as may be available to them to ensure that 
standardizing bodies accept and comply with  the Code of Good Practice. The Committee 
further expressed the need to strengthen implementation of Article 4. In view of this, the Committee
42: 
i. recalled its discussion in the Third Triennial Review43 regarding standards developed 
by bodies that are not commonly considered standardizing bodies;  
ii. reiterated its 1997 invitation to Members to share their experiences with respect to 
steps taken to fulfil their obligations under Article 4, and to exchange information 
regarding the reasons some standardizing bodies have not yet accepted the Code of Good Practice
44; and 
iii. with a view to facilitating an informed discussion on the development and use of 
standards in general, including with regard to standards developed by non-
governmental bodies, Members were invited to share their experiences related to the implementation of the TBT Agreement, including the Code of Good Practice. 
Discussions would neither prejudge the role of the TBT Committee nor the scope of 
the TBT Agreement with respect to any issue that may arise. 
3.2  Information Exchange 
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, the Committee agreed to seek information from international standardizing 
bodies regarding their procedures to ensure cooperation with their national members and regional standardizing bodies and to consider the usefulness of communicating the 
Committee's views to the relevant international standardizing bodies.
45 Also, with a view 
                                               
41 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 25. 
42 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 26. 
43 G/TBT/13, para. 25. 
44 G/TBT/5, paras. 12(a). This re commendation is also reproduced in this document on page 26. 
45 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 13. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  to developing a better understanding of international standards within the Agreement, 
the Committee agreed46: 
i. to invite Members, on a voluntary basis,  to submit specific examples to the 
Committee addressing the difficulties and problems they encounter in relation to international standards, including those mentioned in paragraph 18 above, taking 
into account Article 12.4. This information exchange process, as well as the 
indications obtained through the notifications of draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures, would provide relevant information on the national practices 
of Members, and on the manner in which international standardizing bodies 
developed standards. In the light of this experience sharing exercise, the Committee may consider the usefulness of communicating its views to relevant international standardizing bodies for their consideration; 
ii. to consider the appropriate means for the Committee to express its views to relevant 
international standardizing bodies regarding the preparation of international standards, and to invite international standardizing bodies to follow the relevant 
principles of the Code of Good Practice; and 
iii. in accordance with the rules of procedures of the Committee and on an ad hoc basis 
as agreed, relevant international standardizing bodies will be invited to meetings of 
the Committee to enable them to take into account the on-going discussions in the 
WTO, and to increase Members' awareness of  the activities of these organizations. 
Relevant international standardizing bodi es will be invited to provide prior 
information concerning their activities. 
b. In 2009, the Committee recognized the advances made in increasing meaningful 
participation by developing country Members in standardizing activities in areas of interest to them, but noted that for many developing country Members challenges 
remain, both financially and technically. In view of achieving further progress, the 
Committee
47: 
i. encouraged Members, Observer organizations and relevant bodies involved in the 
development of standards, to exchange information on initiatives implemented, 
successes achieved and obstacles encountered. 
c. In 2012, with a view to furthering its work in the area of standards, the Committee 
agreed to undertake work in the following three thematic areas48: 
i. The Code of Good Practice 
The Committee reiterates the importance of ensuring the effective application of the 
Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards 
(Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement, hereafter the "Code of Good Practice"), and the 
importance of strengthening the implementa tion of Article 4 of the TBT Agreement. 
It is recalled that in the context of the Fifth Triennial Review, several Members raised 
concerns regarding "private standards" an d the trade impact thereof, while other 
Members considered that the term lacked clarity and that its relevance to the implementation of the TBT Agreement had not been established.
49 During the review 
period, the Committee reverted to this discussion. The Committee hereby reiterates 
the recommendations made at the Fifth Triennial Review50 and, in view of the need 
to further strengthen implementation of Article 4, agrees: 
- to exchange information and experiences on reasonable measures taken by 
Members to ensure that local government and non-governmental 
                                               
46 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 22 (b)-(d). 
47 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 27. 
48 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, paras. 6-9.  
49 These concerns are reflected in the Fifth Trie nnial Review Report (G/TBT/26, paragraph 26). 
50 The three recommendations containe d in G/TBT/26, paragraph 26(a)–(c). G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 16 - 
 
  standardizing bodies involved in the development of standards within their 
territories, accept and comply with the Code of Good Practice. 
ii. The "Six Principles" 
The Committee reiterates the importance of ensuring the full application of the six 
principles set out in the Committee's 2000 Decision (the "Six Principles"51) on the 
development of international standards, an d the sharing of experiences in respect 
of their use. In this respect, the Committee agrees:  
- to exchange information on efforts to promote the full application of the Six 
Principles set out in the 2000 Committee Decision. The Committee may also invite relevant bodies involved in the development of international standards, guides or recommendations to share their experiences with the use of these 
same principles; and, 
- in the deliberations on the Six Principles, to give particular attention to how 
the "Development Dimension" is taken into consideration. 
iii. Transparency in standard-setting
52 
During the review period, the Committee emphasized, in particular, the importance 
of transparency in the development of standards.53 It is recalled in this regard that 
several paragraphs of the Code of Good Practice are relevant to transparency in 
standard-setting, including paragraphs J through Q.54 With respect to the 
development of international standards, th e Principle on Transparency contained in 
the 2000 Committee Decision states, inter alia, that transparency procedures should, 
at a minimum, provide an "adequate period of time for interested parties in the 
territory of at least all members of the international standardizing body to make comments in writing and take these written comments into account in the further 
consideration of the standard". In light of this, the Committee agrees: 
- To exchange information on how relevant bodies involved in the development 
of standards – whether at the national, regional or international level – 
provide opportunity for public comment. 
Events 
a. An Information Session of Bodies Involved in the Preparation of International Standards 
was held on 19 November 1998.55 
b. A Workshop on the Role of International Standards in Economic Development was held 
on 16-17 March 2009.56 
c. The Sixth Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange, held on  
22 June 2010, included a session on Transparency in Standard Setting.57  
                                               
51  The full text of this  Decision (hereafter the "2000 Committee Decision") is contained in Annex 2 
(page 47 of this document). 
52 Relevant existing decisions and recommendations are contained in G/TBT/1/Rev.10,  
Section IV.C.2.(iii) on page 29. 
53 The G/TBT/GEN/39/series of documents includes information on Members' publications in relation to 
technical regulations, conformity assessment procedures an d standards.  It is also recalled that Members have 
previously agreed that statements under Article 15.2 of the Agreement should specify the names of 
publications that are used to announce work relevant to Paragraphs J, L and O of Annex 3 of the Agreement 
(G/TBT/1/Rev.10, page 17). 
54 For example, Paragraph L of the Code of Good Practice states, inter alia , that "before adopting a 
standard, the standardizing body shall allow at least 60 days for the submission of comments on the draft 
standard by interested parties within the territory of a Member of the WTO". 
55 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, Annex 1. 
56 G/TBT/M/47, 5 June 2009, pp. 81-83. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  d. A Thematic Session on Standards was held on 5 March 2013.58 
e. A Thematic Session on Standards was held on 18 March 2014.59 
f. A Thematic Session on Transparency, held on 17 June 2014, included a session on 
Transparency in Standard Setting.60 
4  TRANSPARENCY 
4.1.  The TBT Agreement contains transparency  provisions in: Articles 2 and 3 (technical 
regulations); Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9 (conformity assessment procedures); Annex 3, paragraphs J, L, 
M, N, O & P (standards); and Articles 10 (gen eral transparency provision) and 15 (final 
provisions). A number of decisions and recommendations have been made with a view to 
facilitating access to information and further improving the implementation of transparency procedures under the Agreement.  
4.1  General 
Recommendation 
a. In 2009 and 2012, the Committee reiterated the importance of Members fully complying 
with their transparency obligations under the TBT Agreement and in particular those 
related to the notification of technical regulations and conformity assessment 
procedures, as required under Articles 2.9, 2.10, 5.6, 5.7 and 10.7. The Committee stressed that transparency is a fundamental pillar in the implementation of the TBT 
Agreement and a key element of GRP.
61 The Committee noted the significant stock of 
decisions and recommendations that it has developed since 1995, and agreed62: 
i. to stress the importance of full implementati on of this existing body of decisions and 
recommendations by Members. 
4.2  Statement on Implementation and Administration of the TBT Agreement 
(Article 15.2)  
a. Pursuant to Article 15.2, Members have an obligation to submit a statement on the 
measures in existence or taken to ensure the implementation and administration of the 
Agreement, including the provisions on transp arency. Such statements, to be made by a 
Member promptly after the date on which the WTO Agreement enters into force for it, 
give a brief overview of how individual Members implement the TBT Agreement. Since 
the establishment of the Committee, Members have emphasized the importance of fulfilling their obligations under Article 15.2.
63  
Decision 
b. In 1995, with respect to the contents of Article 15.2 statements, the Committee 
agreed64: 
i. the statement should cover the legislative, regulatory and administrative action 
taken as a result of the negotiation of the Agreement or currently in existence to 
ensure that the provisions of the Agreemen t are applied. If the Agreement itself has 
                                                                                                                                               
57 G/TBT/M/51, 1 October 2010, pp. 82-88. 
58 The Moderator's summary and the final programm e are available in G/TBT/GEN/144, 11 March 2013. 
59 The Chairman's report and the final programm e are available in G/TBT/GEN/144/Add.1, 26 March 
2014.  
60 The Moderator's summary and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/167, 24 June 2014. 
61 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 29. 
62 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 32 and G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 11. 
63 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 7; G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 9;  G/TBT/13, 
11 November 2003, para. 7; G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 6. 
64 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5, G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 2. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  been incorporated into domestic law, the statement should indicate how this has 
been done. In other cases, the statement sh ould describe the content of the relevant 
laws, regulations, administrative orders, etc.  All necessary references should also be 
provided. 
ii. in addition, the statement should specify: 
- the names of the publications used to announce that work is proceeding on 
draft technical regulations or standards and procedures for assessment of conformity and those in which the texts of technical regulations and 
standards or procedures for assessment of conformity are published under 
Articles 2.9.1, 2.11; 3.1 (in relation to 2.9.1 and 2.11); 5.6.1, 5.8; 7.1, 8.1 and 9.2 (in relation to 5.6.1 and 5.8); and paragraphs J, L and O of Annex 3 of the Agreement; 
- the expected length of time allowed for presentation of comments in writing 
on technical regulations, standards or procedures for assessment of conformity under Articles 2.9.4 and 2.10.3; 3.1 (in relation to 2.9.4 and 
2.10.3); 5.6.4 and 5.7.3; 7.1, 8.1 and 9.2 (in relation to 5.6.4 and 5.7.3); 
and paragraph L of Annex 3 of the Agreement; 
- the name and address of the enquiry point(s) foreseen in Articles 10.1 and 
10.3 of the Agreement with an indication as to whether it is/they are fully 
operational; if for legal or administrative reasons more than one enquiry point is established, complete and unambiguous information on the scope of responsibilities of each of them;  
- the name and address of any other agencies that have specific functions 
under the Agreement, including those foreseen in Articles 10.10 and 10.11 of the Agreement; and 
- measures and arrangements to ensure that national and sub-national 
authorities preparing new technical regulations or procedures for assessment of conformity, or substantial amendments to existing ones, provide early 
information on their proposals in order to enable the Member in question to 
fulfil its obligations on notifications under Articles 2.9, 2.10, 3.2, 5.6, 5.7 and 7.2 of the Agreement. 
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, in order to ensure the submission of statements under Article 15.2 and to 
improve the implementation and administ ration of the Agreement, the Committee 
agreed65: 
i. with due consideration to the obligations under Article 15.2 to inform the Committee 
of measures in existence or taken to ensure the implementation and administration of the Agreement, Members who have not submitted such information are expected 
to do so without further delay. They are invited to indicate any difficulties and needs 
in this respect, so that technical assistance may be provided as appropriate; 
ii. for the purpose of information exchange, Me mbers are invited, on a voluntary basis, 
to make oral presentations to further elaborate on the arrangements they have in 
place to achieve an effective implementation  and administration of the provisions of 
the Agreement, including those under Article 12. This exercise would be a useful means of sharing information with respect to good practices and in meeting the 
needs of those Members that may be seeking assistance. 
b. In 2000, the Committee agreed
66: 
                                               
65 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 7. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 19 - 
 
  i. to encourage Members to continue sharing their experiences on the arrangements 
they had in place to achieve an effective implementation and administration of the 
provisions of the Agreement.  
c. In 2003, in order to assist Members in meeting their obligations under Articles 15.2 and 
10.1, the Committee67: 
i. invited Members to seek assistance from other Members that had met their 15.2 
obligations to share their knowledge and experience in this regard. 
Documents 
a. Members' Statements on Implementation and Administration of the Agreement are 
contained in the G/TBT/2/Add - series.68 
b. A list of Members having submitted their 15.2 Statements is maintained in the 
G/TBT/GEN/1/ - series. 
Event 
a. On 8 November 2007, the WTO Secretariat organized a Workshop on the Statement on 
Implementation and Administration of the TBT Agreement under Article 15.2.69 
4.3  Notifications 
4.3.1  Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures 
4.2.  Articles 2, 3, 5, and 7 of the TBT Agreement contain the notification obligations related to 
technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. In addition, the TBT Committee has 
put in place detailed procedures for the implementa tion of these provisions (set out below), which 
have been refined over the years. The importance of fulfilling notification provisions has been regularly reiterated by the TBT Committee, as notifications can make an important contribution 
towards avoiding unnecessary obstacles to trade and provide Members with the opportunity to 
influence the development of technical requirements of other Members. 
4.3.  Article 2.9 of the TBT Agreement provides that Members have an obligation to notify a 
proposed technical regulation whenever a relevant international standard does not exist or when 
the technical content of the proposed technical regulation is not in accordance with the technical content of relevant international standards and if the technical regulation may have a significant 
effect on trade of other Members. Similarly, Article 5.6 of the TBT Agreement provides that 
Members have an obligation to notify a propos ed conformity assessment procedure whenever a 
relevant international guide or recommendation issued by international standardizing bodies does not exist or the technical content of the proposed conformity assessment procedure is not in 
accordance with relevant international guides or recommendations issued by international 
standardizing bodies and if the conformity assessment procedure may have a significant effect on trade of other Members. 
Recommendation 
a. In 2009, based on experience shared betw een Members on the implementation of 
notification obligations, the Committee agreed70: 
                                                                                                                                               
66 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 9. 
67 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 7. 
68 This information can be downloaded from the TBT IMS, at: 
http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pages/search/other/Search.aspx . See Section 4.4.4 "Online Tools" for further 
details.  
69 G/TBT/M/43, 21 January 2008, para. 3-5. 
70 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 34. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  i. to reiterate the importance of ensuring  that Members comply fully with the 
notification requirements in Articl es 2.9 and 5.6 of the TBT Agreement 
ii. to encourage Members to endeavour to submit those notifications at an early stage, 
when measures are still in draft form, to ensure time and adequate opportunity for comments, for comments to be taken into account and for proposed measures to be 
modified; and 
iii. to reaffirm the importance of establishing mechanisms to facilitate internal 
coordination for the effective implementation of the TBT Agreement's notifications 
obligations. 
4.3.1.1  "Significant effect on trade of other Members"  Recommendation 
a. In 1995, with a view to ensuring a consistent approach to the selection of proposed 
technical regulations and procedures for assessment of conformity to be notified, the 
Committee established the following criteria71:  
i. for the purposes of Articles 2.9 and 5.6, the concept of "significant effect on trade of 
other Members" may refer to the effect on trade: 
- of one technical regulation or procedure for assessment of conformity only, or 
of various technical regulations or procedures for assessment of conformity in 
combination; 
- in a specific product, group of products or products in general; and 
- between two or more Members. 
ii. when assessing the significance of the effect on trade of technical regulations, the 
Member concerned should take into consideration such elements as: 
- the value or other importance of imports in respect of the importing and/or 
exporting Members concerned, whether from other Members individually or 
collectively;  
- the potential growth of such imports; and 
- difficulties for producers in other Members to comply with the proposed 
technical regulations.  
iii. the concept of a significant effect on trade of other Members should include both 
import-enhancing and import-reducing effects on the trade of other Members, as long as such effects are significant. 
b. In 2012, with a view to enhancing the practical application of the concept of "significant 
effect on trade of other Members", the Committee agreed
72: 
i. to encourage Members, for the purpose of enhancing predictability and transparency 
in situations where it is difficult to establish or foresee whether a draft technical 
regulation or conformity assessment procedure may have a "significant effect on trade of other Members", to notify such measures.  
                                               
71 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 8. 
72 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 12. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 21 - 
 
  4.3.1.2  Timing of Notifications 
Recommendation 
a. In 1995, the Committee agreed that when implem enting the provisions of Articles 2.9.2, 
3.2 (in relation to Article 2.9.2), 5.6.2 and 7.2 (in relation to Article 5.6.2), a notification should be made when a draft with the complete text of a proposed technical regulation 
or procedures for assessment of conformity is available and when amendments can still 
be introduced and taken into account.
 73 
4.3.1.3  Submission of Notifi cation (Format and Guidelines) 
Decisions 
a. The agreed version of the Guidelines and Format is contained in Annex 3.2 (on page 51 
of this document).74 
b. In 2000, the Committee noted that enhancemen t of Internet usage can facilitate access 
to and exchange of information by Members. This would also facilitate and provide the 
maximum time possible for receiving notifications, obtaining and translating of relevant documents, and the presentation of comments.  With a view to facilitating access to 
information by Members, as well as to strengthen the notification process, including the 
time needed for the publication and circulatio n of notification by the Secretariat, the 
Committee agreed
75: 
i. whenever possible Members should file noti fications by downloading, filling out and 
returning the complete form by e-mail to the Secretariat. The Committee will continue to explore ways to shorten the time for the submission, publication and circulation of notifications, as well as to  examine the steps that would be needed to 
facilitate the electronic transmission of information among Members to complement 
the hard copy information exchange.
76 
Recommendations 
a. In 1995, the Committee recommended that information contained in the notification 
form should be as complete as possible and no section should be left blank. Where necessary, "not known" or "not stated" should be indicated.
77  
b. In 2000, the Committee requested that Member s transmit their notifications to the 
Secretariat electronically via the Central Registry of Notifications (CRN) at crn@wto.org in order to accelerate their processing.
78 
c. In 2003, with regard to the electronic transmission of information on proposed 
standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, the Committee 
agreed79:  
i. to examine the feasibility of creating a ce ntral depository for notifications on the 
WTO website, which would enable Members to complete notification forms on line. 
This would complement, not replace, the submission of notifications to the CRN. 
                                               
73 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 8. 
74 G/TBT/1/Rev.8, 23 May 2002, p. 11. 
75 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, paras. 13, 15 and Annex 3. 
76 The TBT NSS was launched in October 2013, and prov ides Members with an alternative (voluntary) 
online method for submitting TBT no tifications. See Section 4.4.4 "On line Tools" for further details.  
77 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 3. 
78 G/TBT/M/15, paras. 43 and 45; G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, paras. 13, 15 and Annex 3; G/TBT/13, 
11 November 2003, para. 26.  
79 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 27. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 22 - 
 
  d. In 2009, the Committee noted that, in practice, for the sake of greater transparency, 
some Members choose to notify draft measures when they are in accordance with 
relevant international standards, guides or recommendations. With a view to increasing 
transparency on the use of international standards, the Committee agreed80: 
i. to encourage Members, whenever possible and on a voluntary basis to indicate in 
Box 8 of the notification format whether or not they consider that a relevant 
international standard exists and, if appropriate, to provide information about deviations; and  
ii. to note the provisions contained in Arti cles 2.9.3 and 5.6.3 of the TBT Agreement 
stating that Members, upon request, provide other Members with particulars or copies of a proposed technical regulation  or conformity assessment procedure and, 
whenever possible, identify the parts which, in substance, deviate from relevant 
international standards or from relevant guides and recommendations issued by 
international standardizing bodies. 
e. In 2012, with respect to the online submi ssion of notifications, the Committee agreed
81: 
i. to request the rapid development of a TBT on-line Notification Submission System 
(TBT NSS) to foster more expedient processi ng and circulation of notifications by the 
Secretariat.82 
f. In 2014, with a view to facili tating the trac eability of information pertaining to a given 
notification (e.g. amendments, availability of the adopted text, entry into force), and avoiding confusion between new notifications and previously notified measures, the Committee agreed
83: 
i. to a recommendation on the coherent use of notification formats (new notification, 
addenda, corrigenda, revision and supplement). 
Documents 
a. Notifications under Article 2, 3, 5, and 7 are circulated in the document series 
G/TBT/N/[Member]/[Number].  
4.3.1.4  Notification of Labelling requirements 
Decision 
a. In 1995, with the purpose of clarifying the coverage of the Agreement with respect to 
labelling requirements, the Committee took the following decision84: 
i. In conformity with Article 2.9 of the Agr eement, Members are obliged to notify all 
mandatory labelling requirements that are not based substantially on a relevant 
international standard and that may have a significant effect on the trade of other Members. That obligation is not dependent upon the kind of information which is 
provided on the label, whether it is in the nature of a technical specification or not. 
                                               
80 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 36. 
81 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 18. 
82 The TBT NSS was launched in October 2013, and is available at: https://nss.wto.org/tbtmembers. 
Members may request access to the system throug h the WTO Secretariat, by sending an email to: 
tbtnss@wto.org . See Section 4.4.4 "Online Tools" for further details. 
83 G/TBT/35, 24 June 2014. The recommendation also appears under Section 4.3.1.9 (d) "Follow-up", 
page 25, and is reproduced in full in Annex 3.1 (on pa ge 50 of this document). 
84 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 11. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  Event 
a. On 21-22 October 2003, with the objective of improving Members' understanding of the 
preparation, adoption and application of labelling requirements in the context of the 
implementation of the Agreement, as well as  of the impact of such requirements on 
market access, the Committee held a Learning Event on Labelling, which focused on 
developing country Members' concerns.85 
4.3.1.5  Notifications of Proposed Techni cal Regulations and Conformity Assessment 
Procedures of Local Governments at the Le vel Directly Below that of the Central 
Government 
Recommendations 
a. In 2006, with regard to the notification of proposed technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures of local governments at the level directly below that of the 
central government, the Committee agreed86: 
i. to invite Members to indicate the local government bodies in their jurisdiction that 
are subject to the notification obligations contained in Articles 3.2 and 7.2. 
b. In 2009, the Committee noted, despite an increase in the number of measures notified 
under Articles 3.2 and 7.2, that this level remained generally low. In light of this, the Committee agreed
87: 
i. to recommend that Members continue to discuss possible ways to improve 
coordination between relevant authorities at the central level and the local level directly below the central level with respect to notifications under Articles 3.2 and 7.2, including through dissemination of good practices; and 
ii. to request the Secretariat to remain engaged in providing statistical information with 
respect to Articles 3.2 and 7.2. 
c. In 2012, the Committee agreed
88: 
i. to reaffirm the importance of establishing mechanisms to facilitate internal 
coordination for the effective implementation of the TBT Agreement's notification obligations, including with respect to the notification of measures in line with Articles 
3.2 and 7.2.
89 
4.3.1.6  Length of time allowed for comments  Recommendations 
a. In 2000 and 2003, with respect to time limits for presentation of comments on notified 
technical regulations and procedures for assessment of conformity, the Committee 
agreed: 
i. the normal time limit for comments on notifications should be 60 days. Any Member 
which is able to provide a time limit beyond 60 days, such as 90 days, is encouraged 
to do so and should indicate this in the notification.90  
                                               
85 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 3. 
86 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, paras. 52 and 68(b)(i). 
87 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 38. 
88 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 14.  
89 It was noted that the establishmen t of internal coordination mechanis ms is also an important element 
of GRP. See G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 14, footnote 28. It is also repeated under Section 4.4.1.9 "Follow-up", para. (d), page 25. 
90 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 13 and Annex 3, p. 22. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  ii. in order to improve the ability of developing country Members to comment on 
notifications, and consistent with the principle of special and differential treatment, 
developed country Members are encouraged to provide more than a 60-day 
comment period.91 
b. In 2009, the Committee agreed92: 
i. to recall its earlier recommendation that the normal time limit for the presentation of 
comments should be at least 60 days, and its encouragement to Members to provide, whenever possible, a time limit beyond 60 days, such as 90 days;  
ii. to recall that developed country Members are encouraged to provide more than a  
60-day comment period, to improve the ability of developing country Members to make comments on notifications consistent with the principle of special and differential treatment; and  
iii. to reiterate that an insufficient period of time for presentation of comments on 
proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment may prevent Members from adequately exercising their right to submit comments. 
4.3.1.7  Handling of comments 
Recommendations 
a. In 1995, in order to improve the handling of comments on proposed technical 
regulations and procedures for assessment of conformity submitted under Articles 2.9.4, 
2.10.3, 3.1 (in relation to 2.9.4 and 2.10.3), 5.6.4, 5.7.3 and 7.1 (in relation to 5.6.4 and 5.7.3) of the Agreement, the Commi ttee agreed on the following procedures
93: 
i. each Member should notify the WTO Secretariat of the authority or agency (e.g. its 
enquiry point) which it has designated to be in charge of handling of comments 
received; and 
ii. a Member receiving comments through the designated body should without further 
request: 
- acknowledge the receipt of such comments; 
- explain within a reasonable time to any Member from which it has received 
comments, how it will proceed in order to take these comments into account 
and, where appropriate, provide additional relevant information on the proposed technical regulations or procedures for assessment of conformity concerned; and 
- provide to any Member from which it has received comments, a copy of the 
corresponding technical regulations or procedures for assessment of conformity as adopted or information that no corresponding technical 
regulations or procedures for assessment of conformity will be adopted for 
the time being. 
b. In 2003, the Committee agreed
94: 
i. to invite Members to formulate their requests to enquiry points, on comment periods 
or on any other matter, in one of the three official languages of the WTO; 
                                               
91 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 26. 
92 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, paras. 39-40. 
93 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 10. 
94 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 26. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  ii. to encourage Members to voluntarily respond to comments in writing if so requested, 
and to share their responses with the TBT Committee. Members are also encouraged 
to draft their responses in one of the three official languages of the WTO; 
iii. to invite Members, on a voluntary basis, to disseminate their comments and 
responses by means of national websites and to draw the Committee's attention to 
these. 
c. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implem entation of transparency procedures under 
the Agreement, the Committee agreed95: 
i. to encourage Members to provide sufficient time between the end of the comment 
period and the adoption of the notified technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures for the consideration of comments made and the preparation of subsequent responses;
  
ii. to encourage Members to exchange co mments and to provide information on 
websites on which comments received from Members and replies thereto are posted, taking into account the fact that some bilateral communications between Members 
could be of a confidential nature; and 
iii. to request the Secretariat to prepare a list of these websites, based on the 
information provided by Members. 
d. In 2009, the Committee agreed
96: 
i. to stress the importance of an efficient and effective handling of comments on 
notified measures and, in this respect, to reiterate its previous recommendations on the handling of comments, including the recommendation to voluntarily respond to 
comments in writing, if so requested, and to share these replies with the TBT 
Committee and to encourage Members to draf t their responses in one of the three 
official languages of the WTO;  
ii. to note the importance of domestic coordination to ensure that comments received 
are followed up and taken into account in finalizing the draft measure; 
iii. to recall its earlier recommendations about the sharing, on a voluntary basis, of 
comments on notified draft measures and replies thereto, including through the use 
of websites; and  
iv. to recommend that the Committee continues to discuss ways to improve the 
effective implementation of the provisions of the TBT Agreement on handling of 
comments, including assessing the feasibility of utilizing the TBT Information 
Management System (TBT IMS) as a platform where comments on notified measures, and replies thereto, could be posted on a voluntary basis. 
4.3.1.8  Timing of Entry into Force of Technical Regulations and Understanding of 
"Reasonable Interval" under Article 2.12 
4.4.  In the 2001 Ministerial Decision on Implem entation-related Issues and Concerns, Ministers 
stated that "Subject to the conditions specified in paragraph 12 of Article 2 of the Agreement on 
Technical Barriers to Trade, the phrase 'reasonabl e interval' shall be understood to mean normally 
a period of not less than 6 months, except when this would be ineffective in fulfilling the legitimate objectives pursued."
97  
                                               
95 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, paras. 58 and 68(d)(i)-(iii). 
96 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 42. 
97 WT/MIN(01)/17, 20 November 2001, para. 5.2. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  Decision 
a. In 2002, the Committee took note of the abov e-mentioned Ministerial Decision regarding 
the implementation of Article 2.12 of the Agreement, and decided as follows98: 
i. Subject to the conditions specified in para graph 12 of Article 2 of the Agreement on 
Technical Barriers to Trade, the phrase "reasonable interval" shall be understood to 
mean normally a period of not less than six months, except when this would be 
ineffective in fulfilling the legitimate objectives pursued. 
Recommendation 
a. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implem entation of transparency procedures under 
the Agreement, the Committee agreed99: 
i. to encourage Members to provide an interval of more than six months, when 
possible, between the publication of technica l regulations and their entry into force. 
4.3.1.9  Follow-up 
Recommendations 
a. In 2003, in order to facilitate the follow-up on Members' technical regulations and 
conformity assessment procedures brought to the attention of the Committee, the 
Committee agreed100:  
i. to have amendments to notifications carry the same document symbol as that of the 
original notification to allow them to be adequately traced; 
ii. to encourage Members to share, on a voluntary basis, with the Committee any 
follow-up information on issues that have been previously brought to its attention. 
b. In 2009, the Committee agreed101: 
i. to recall its earlier recommendation encouraging Members to notify the availability of 
the adopted final text as an addendum to the original notification and to provide information on where the final text can be obtained, including website address;  
ii. to stress the importance of making such addenda when a proposed regulation is 
either adopted, published or enters into force and especially in cases where the relevant dates have not been provided in the original notification or have been 
changed; and 
iii. to recommend that the Committee establish common procedures on how and under 
which format (addendum, corrigendum, revision) to notify modifications or any other information relevant to previously notified measures. 
c. In 2012, with a view to advancing the work of establishing common procedures for the 
use of notification formats
102, the Committee agreed103: 
i. To exchange experiences on Members' us e of notification formats (addendum, 
corrigendum, revision, new notification).104 
                                               
98 G/TBT/M/26, 6 May 2002, para. 15; WT/MIN(01)/17, 20 November 2001, para. 5.2. 
99 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, paras. 61-63 and 68(e)(i). 
100 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 28. 
101 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 43(c). 
102 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 43.  
103 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 15. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  d. In 2014, with a view to facili tating the trac eability of information pertaining to a given 
notification (e.g. amendments, availability of the adopted text, entry into force), and 
avoiding confusion between new notifications and previously notified measures, the 
Committee agreed105: 
i. to a recommendation on the coherent use of notification formats (new notification, 
addenda, corrigenda, revision and supplement). 
4.3.1.10  Monthly Listing of Notifications Issued by the WTO Secretariat  
Decision 
a. In 2000, the Committee agreed on the following with a view to providing a brief 
indication of the notifications issued106: 
i. the Secretariat is requested to prepare a monthly table of notifications issued, 
indicating the notification numbers, notifying Members, Articles notified under, 
products covered, objectives and final dates for comments.107  
4.3.2  Standards 4.5.  Article 4 of the Agreement establishes a "Cod e of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption 
and Application of Standards" (the "Code"). The te xt of the Code is contained in Annex 3 of the 
TBT Agreement. The Code provides that, inter alia , Members shall ensure that their central 
government standardizing bodies accept and comply with the Code, and to take such reasonable 
measures as may be available to them to ensure that local government and non-governmental 
standardizing bodies within their territories, as we ll as regional standardizing bodies of which they 
or one or more bodies within their territories are members, accept and comply with the Code. The Code is open for acceptance to any such bodies (Paragraph B). Standardizing bodies that have 
accepted or withdrawn from the Code shall notify this fact (Paragraph C), as well as the existence 
of a work programme (Paragraph J).  
4.3.2.1  Notification of the Acceptance of, or  Withdrawal from, the Code of Good Practice 
(Paragraph C) 
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, in order to improve the transparen cy, acceptance of, and compliance with the 
Code, the Committee agreed108: 
i. to invite Members to share their experience with respect to the steps taken to fulfil 
their obligations under Article 4 and to exchange information on the reasons why 
certain standardizing bodies as identified in Article 4.1 have not yet accepted the 
Code;  
ii. that Members should take appropriate action  to inform standardizing bodies of the 
provisions of the Code and the benefits they would gain from accepting it; and 
iii. that the Secretariat will draw up a list of standardizing bodies on the basis of 
information provided by Members for this purpose. 
                                                                                                                                               
104 It was noted that one possible starting point could be the recommendati ons developed by the SPS 
Committee and contained in Sectio n F on "Addenda, Revisions and Co rrigenda" of G/SP S/7/Rev.3. See 
G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 15, footnote 30. 
105 G/TBT/35, 24 June 2014 and is reproduced in full in Annex 3.1 (on page 50 of this document). 
106 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 13 and Annex 3, p. 22. 
107 These reports can be downloaded from the TBT IMS: 
http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pages/repo rt/report13/Report13.aspx. See Sectio n 4.4.4 "Online Tools" for further 
details. 
108 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, sub-paras. 12(a), (b) and (d). G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  b. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implem entation of transparency procedures under 
the Agreement, and with regard to the acce ptance of the Code of Good Practice by 
regional standardizing bodies, the Committee agreed109: 
i. to encourage regional standardizing bodies to accept the Code of Good Practice and 
to notify their acceptance of the Co de to the ISO/IEC Information Centre. 
Documents 
a. Notifications under the Code of Good Practice are circulated by the WTO Secretariat in 
the document series G/TBT/CS/N/[Number].110 The agreed format is contained in 
Annex 7 (on page 64 of this document).  
4.3.2.2  Notification of the Existenc e of a Work Programme (Paragraph J) 
Decision 
a. In 1999, the Committee agreed111:  
i. that the communication of the work prog rammes of standardizing bodies via the 
Internet would be another possibility to fulfil paragraph J obligations on transparency. Hard copies of such work programmes would, nevertheless, always be 
made available on request in accordance wi th paragraph P of the Code of Code of 
Good Practice.
  
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, in order to improve the transparen cy, acceptance of, and compliance with the 
Code, the Committee agreed112: 
i. to examine any problems faced by Members in the implementation of the provisions 
of the Code, for example, problems encount ered in publishing work programs every 
six months as required under paragraph J, so that appropriate technical assistance 
can be provided, if necessary;  
b. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implem entation of transparency procedures under 
the Agreement, the Committee agreed113: 
i. to invite the ISO/IEC Information Centre to provide information to the Committee on 
the status of notifications of the exis tence of a work programme made under 
Paragraph J when the WTO TBT Standards Code Directory is published, and 
ii. to encourage standardizing bodies that communicate their work programmes via the 
internet to specify the exact web pages where the information on work programmes is located under the item "Publication" of the notification form. 
                                               
109 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, paras. 66-67 and 68(g)(i). This recommendation is also reproduced 
in Section 4 on p. 16. 
110 This information can be downloaded from the TBT IMS: 
http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pages/search/notification/emergency/Search.aspx. See Section 4.4.4 "Online Tools" for further details. See Annex 7 (on page 64 of this document) for further information on the notification 
template. Pursuant to the Ministerial Decision taken in Marrakesh on 15 April 1994 on "Proposed Understanding on WTO-ISO Standards Information System", a "Mem orandum of Understanding (MoU) on WTO Standards 
Information Service Operated by ISO" was reached between the Secretary-General of the ISO Central 
Secretariat and the Director-General of the WTO.  This MoU established a WTO-ISO Information System regarding standardizing bodies under Paragraphs C an d J of the Code of Good Practice. Pursuant to 
Paragraph 2 of the MoU and in order to ensure a un iform and efficient operatio n of the procedures for 
notifications, the ISO and the WTO Secretariats develo ped notification formats an d related guidelines, which 
were to be used by standardizing bodies accepting the Code of Good Practice (contained in G/TBT/W/4). 
111 G/TBT/M/15, 3 May 1999, paras. 67 and 69.   
112 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 12(c).   
113 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, paras. 64-65 and 68(f)(i)-(ii).   G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  Documents 
a. The agreed format for notification to the ISO/IEC Information Centre is contained in 
Annex 7 (on page 65 of this document). 
4.3.2.3  Publishing of a Notice (Paragraph L) Recommendations 
a. In 1997, in order to improve the transparen cy, acceptance of, and compliance with the 
Code, the Committee agreed114: 
i. without prejudice to the views of Members concerning the coverage and application 
of the Agreement, the obligation to publish notices of draft standards containing 
voluntary labelling requirements under paragraph L of the Code is not dependent upon the kind of information provided on the label. 
b. In 2003, with regard to the electronic transmission of information on proposed 
standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, the Committee 
took note of Paragraph L of the Code of Good Practice which states that: "No later than at the start of the comment period, the st andardizing body shall publish a notice 
announcing the period for commenting in the publication referred to in paragraph J," and 
agreed
115:  
i. that the electronic publication of notices announcing the periods for comments can 
constitute another possibility for the fulfilment of this transparency obligation. 
4.3.2.4  Events 
a. A Thematic Session on Transparency was held on 17 June 2014, which included 
discussion of transparency in standard-setting.116 
4.3.3  Notification under Arti cle 10.7 of the TBT Agreement 
4.6.  The TBT Agreement contains an obligation to notify agreements between Members on issues 
related to technical regulations, standards or co nformity assessment procedures which may have a 
significant effect on trade (Article 10.7).  
Decision 
a. In 1996, the Committee agreed to adopt the format for notifications under Article 10.7 of 
the Agreement contained in Annex 4 (on page 60 of this document).117 
Documents 
b. Notifications under Article 10.7 are circulated under document symbol 
G/TBT/10.7/N/[Number].118 
                                               
114 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 12(e).   
115 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 27. 
116 The Moderator's summary and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/167, 24 June 2014. 
117 G/TBT/M/5, 19 September 1996, para. 15; G/TBT/W/25, 3 May 1996. 
118 This information can be downloaded from the TBT IMS: 
http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pages/search/notification/agreement/Search.aspx. See Section 4.4.4 "Online Tools" for further details. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  4.4  Dissemination of Information 
4.4.1  Publication 
4.7.  Members are required to publish a notice of  a proposed technical regulation or conformity 
assessment procedure if it may have a significant effect on trade of other Members, and whenever a relevant international standard (or, in the case  of a conformity assessment procedure, a relevant 
guide or recommendation issued by an international standardizing body) does not exist or the 
proposed measure is not in accordance with the technical content of relevant international standards (or, in the case of a conformity assessment procedure, relevant guides or 
recommendations issued by international standardizing bodies) (Articles 2.9.1 and 5.6.1).  
Recommendation 
a. In 2006 and 2009, with regard to the publication of a notice of proposed technical 
regulations and conformity assessment proc edures (pursuant to Articles 2.9.1 and 
5.6.1), the Committee agreed119:  
i. to examine ways in which the publications for such notices – and their content – are 
made available, so as to enable all interested parties to become acquainted with 
them. 
Documents 
a. Information on official publications related to technical regulations, standards and 
conformity assessment in the form of a list, including website references, is contained in 
the document G/TBT/GEN/39/-series.120 
4.4.2  Texts of Notified Technical Regula tions and Conformity Assessment Procedures 
4.8.  Articles 2.9.3 and 5.6.3 of the TBT Agr eement state that Members shall, upon request, 
provide to other Members particulars or copies of the proposed technical regulation or conformity 
assessment procedures, and wherever possible identi fy the parts which in substance deviate from 
relevant international standards, or relevant guides or recommendations issued by international 
standardizing bodies. 
Decision 
a. In 2007, with the purpose of facilitating access to notified draft texts, the Committee 
decided121: 
i. to establish a facility whereby Members may, on a voluntary basis, provide the WTO 
Secretariat with an electronic version of the notified draft text (attachment) together with the notification format. (Texts will be stored on a WTO server and accessed 
through a hyperlink in the notification format.) 
Recommendations 
a. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implem entation of transparency procedures under 
the Agreement, and with regard to texts of notified technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures, the Committee agreed122: 
i. to encourage Members to provide:  
                                               
119 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, paras. 51 and 68(a)(i); G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 46. 
120 This information can be downloaded from the TBT IMS, by selecting the predefined report 
"Publications": http://tbtims.wto.or g/web/pages/report /PreDefined.aspx. 
121 G/TBT/M/43, 21 January 2008, para. 129.  Guidelines for the use of this facility are contained in 
document G/TBT/GEN/65, 14 December 2007. 
122 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, sub-paras. 68(c)(i)-(iii).   G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  - more detailed information on proposed technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures in Section 6 "Description of content" of the 
notification form; and 
- the website address where Members can download the full text of the notified 
measure in Section 11 "Text available from" of the notification form or any 
other means to quickly and easily access the text. 
ii. to explore ways to attach to the notification  form a copy of the text of the notified 
measure; and 
iii. to encourage Members to notify the availability of the adopted final text as an 
addendum to the original notification and to provide information on where the final text can be obtained, including website address. 
b. In 2009, with a view to improving access to texts of notified measures, the Committee 
agreed
123: 
i. to reiterate its earlier recommendation to indicate a website address in Box 11 "Text 
available from" of the notification format; and 
ii. to encourage Members to use the facility provided by the WTO Secretariat and to 
send electronic versions of notified texts to gether with the notification format to be 
hyperlinked in the notification itself. 
c. In 2012, with a view to increasing transpar ency across the regulatory lifecycle, and on 
methods Members use to assess the potential impact on trade of draft measures, the Committee agreed
124: 
i. to encourage Members when notifying draf t measures to provide access – on a 
voluntary basis and depending on their individual situations – to assessments, such 
as regulatory impact assessment (RIA), th at they have undertaken on the potential 
effects of the draft measure, including likely impacts on consumers, industry and 
trade (e.g. a cost-benefit analysis, analysis of alternative measures). This can be 
achieved, for instance, through a hyperlink to the assessment in Box 8 of the notification template or by including the assessment in the draft measure itself. 
4.4.3  Provision of Translations 
4.9.  Article 10.5 of the TBT Agreement states th at developed country Members shall, if requested 
by other Members, provide in English, French or Spanish, translations of the documents covered by a specific notification, or in case of volumi nous documents, of summaries of such documents. 
Decisions 
a. In 1995, in order to avoid difficulties that ca n arise from the fact that the documentation 
relevant to technical regulations, standards and procedures for assessment of conformity 
is not available in one of the WTO working languages and that a body other than the 
enquiry point may be responsible for such documentation, the Committee agreed125: 
i. when a translation of a relevant document exists or is planned, this fact shall be 
indicated on the WTO TBT notification form next to the title of the document. If only 
a translated summary exists, the fact that such a summary is available shall be similarly indicated;  
                                               
123 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 49. 
124 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 13. 
125 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, pp. 8-9. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  ii. upon receipt of a request for documents, any translated summaries that exist in the 
language of the requester or, as the case may be, in a WTO working language, shall 
be automatically sent with the original of the documents requested; and 
iii. Members shall indicate under point 11 of the WTO TBT notification form the exact 
address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers of the body responsible for 
supplying the relevant documents if that body is not the enquiry point. 
b. In 2007, with a view to enhancing the sharin g of translation of documents referred to in 
notifications and facilitating information-sharing by Members on the availability of 
unofficial translations on the Internet, the Committee agreed126: 
i. to set up a mechanism whereby Members are invited, on a voluntary basis, to 
provide information about the availability of unofficial translations of notified measures;  
ii. that this will be done through the circulation by the Secretariat of a supplement to 
the original notification submitted by a Member; and 
iii. that such information should be provided to the Central Registry for Notifications 
(crn@wto.org ) in the format contained in Annex 3.6 (in this document on  
page 58).127 
Recommendations 
a. In 1995, in order to avoid difficulties that ca n arise from the fact that the documentation 
relevant to technical regulations, standards and procedures for assessment of conformity is not available in one of the WTO working languages and that a body other than the 
enquiry point may be responsible for such documentation, the Committee agreed
128: 
i. when a Member seeks a copy of a document relating to a notification which does not 
exist in that Member's WTO working language, it will be advised, on request, by the notifying Member of other Members that have requested, as of that date, a copy of 
the document. The Member seeking a copy of  a document relating to a notification 
may then contact such other Members in order to determine whether the latter are prepared to share, on mutually agreed term s, any translation that they have or will 
be making into relevant WTO working language(s).  
b. In 2003, in the context of the handling of comments, the Committee agreed
129: 
i. to encourage Members under Article 10.5, to provide translations of the documents 
covered by specific notifications, in any WTO official language of their choosing 
without being requested to do so. 
c. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implem entation of transparency procedures under 
the Agreement, and with regard to texts of notified technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures, the Committee agreed130: 
i. to explore ways to enhance the sharing of translation of documents referred to in 
notifications, such as posting on Members' websites or developing a format to inform 
other Members of the existence of translations of notified measures. 
                                               
126 G/TBT/M/43, 21 January 2008, para. 131.  Guidelines for the use of the facility are contained in 
document G/TBT/GEN/66, 14 December 2007.   
127 The TBT NSS was launched in October 2013, and prov ides Members with an alternative (voluntary) 
online method for submitting supplement notifications.  See Section 4.4.4 "Online T ools" for further details. 
128 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, pp. 7-8. 
129 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, para. 26 (fifth tiret). 
130 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, sub-para. 68(c)(iv).   G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  d. In 2009, the Committee noted that, in the absence of a translation, Section 6 of the 
notification format "Description of the cont ent", as well as prompt replies to specific 
questions on the content, are important sources of information for understanding the 
proposed measure and the main basis for comments from interested parties. In light of the above, the TBT Committee agreed
131: 
i. to reaffirm its recommendation that Member s share, on a voluntary basis, unofficial 
translations of documents referred to in no tifications, for example by posting them 
on Members' websites or by providing these unofficial translations to the WTO 
Secretariat for further dissemination through the agreed mechanism; and 
ii. to encourage Members, in cases when a noti fied document is not in one of the WTO 
official languages, to provide a comprehensive description of the measure in Section 6 "Description of the content" of the notification format.  
4.4.4  Online Tools  
4.10.  At the request of Members, the Secretar iat launched the web-based application, the TBT 
Information Management System (TBT IMS)
132 in July 2009. The TBT IMS is a comprehensive 
source of information on TBT notifications and ot her transparency-related documents. The system 
contains information on all types of notifications under the TBT Agreement, such as notifications of 
technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, notifications of agreements under 
Article 10.7 and notifications made under Paragr aph C the Code of Good Practice of the TBT 
Agreement. The system also contains Members' St atements on Implementation and Administration 
of the TBT Agreement made under Article 15.2, the list of TBT National Enquiry Points and 
information on specific trade concerns discussed in the TBT Committee. The TBT IMS allows for 
advanced searching and reporting on notifications based on a variety of criteria, such as, inter alia, 
geographic grouping, product codes, notification ke ywords, objectives of the notified measures and 
dates for comments. 
4.11.  Members are of the view that an efficient and well-functioning WTO-based IT system that 
provides a common platform for available information will contribute significantly to an improved implementation of the TBT Agreemen t's transparency provisions, and in particular those relating to 
notification.
133  
4.12.  In 2012, in order to develop the existing TBT IMS so that it becomes a more effective tool to 
assist Members in the implementation of the TBT Agreement's transparency provisions, the 
Committee agreed134: 
a. to request the rapid development of a TBT on -line Notification Submission System (TBT 
NSS)135 to foster more expedient processing and circulation of notifications by the 
Secretariat;  
b. to note that the TBT NSS and TBT IMS should be developed in a flexible manner, to 
accommodate the particularities of the TBT Agreement. There should, for example, be 
scope for: the use of a standardized PDF template for uploading notification forms; the 
development of criteria (e.g. common produc t categories encompassing different HS 
codes) to facilitate the indication of the products covered by notification; the development of "standardized" alert system s (dates, products of interest); and the 
development of systems that allow for improved links with Members' own websites and 
databases (e.g. web services); and 
c. to discuss further enhancement of the TBT IMS. 
                                               
131 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 52. 
132 http://tbtims.wto.org   
133 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 17.  
134 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 18. 
135 The TBT NSS was launched in October 2013, and is available at: https://nss.wto.org/tbtmembers. 
Members may request access to the system throug h the WTO Secretariat, by sending an email to: 
tbtnss@wto.org .  G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  4.4.4.1  Events 
a. A Thematic Session on Transparency was held on 17 June 2014, which included 
discussion of online tools.136 
4.5  Enquiry Points 4.5.1  Establishment of Enquiry Points 
4.13.  Under the TBT Agreement, two provisions mandate Members to create enquiry points. 
Article 10.1 concerns enquiries regarding, inter alia , technical regulations, conformity assessment 
procedures and standards issued by central or local government bodies, non-governmental bodies 
which have the legal power to enforce a technical regulation, or regional standardization bodies of 
which such bodies are members or participants. Article 10.3 relates, inter alia , to enquiries on 
standards and conformity assessment procedures i ssued by non-governmental bodies and regional 
bodies of which they are members or participants. 
Recommendations 
a. In 1999, the Committee agreed that e-mail addresses of enquiry points should be 
provided, where available, in order to be included in document G/TBT/ENQ/- series.137 
b. In 2009, in order to improve implementation of provisions related to the work of Enquiry 
Points, the Committee agreed138: 
i. to stress the importance of operational capacity of Enquiry Points, especially with 
respect to the provision of answers to enquiries and the promotion of a dialogue; and 
ii. to recommend that developing country Members identify challenges which they face 
with respect to the establishment and operations of their enquiry points and indicate the nature of the technical assistance needed to overcome these difficulties. 
Documents 
a. A list of national enquiry points is contained in the document G/TBT/ENQ/ - series.139 
4.5.2  Functioning of Enquiry Points 
4.5.2.1  Handling and Processing of Requests 
Recommendations 
a. In 1995, with the purpose of improving th e handling of requests from other Members 
received under Article 10.1 and 10.3, the Committee agreed140: 
i. an enquiry point should, without further request, acknowledge the receipt of the 
enquiry. 
b. In 1995, with respect to problems of supplying and obtaining requested documentation 
on notified technical regulations and procedures for assessment of conformity, the 
Committee agreed141: 
                                               
136 The Moderator's summary and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/167, 24 June 2014. 
137 G/TBT/M/15, 3 May 1999, paras. 41 and 45 and Annex 1. 
138 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 54. 
139 This information can be downloaded from the TBT IMS: 
http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pages/settings/country/Selection.aspx . In addition, a predefined report "Enquiry 
Point List" is available through the TBT IMS: http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pa ges/report/PreDefined.aspx . 
140 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 13.   G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  i. requests for documentation should contain all the elements permitting the 
identification of the documents and in particular, the WTO TBT notification number 
symbol to which the requests refer. The same information should appear on the 
documents supplied in response to such requests; 
ii. any request for documentation should be processed if possible within five working 
days. If a delay in supplying the documentat ion requested is foreseen, this should be 
acknowledged to the requester, along with an estimate of when the documents can 
be provided;  
iii. E-mail requests for documentation should include name, organization, address, 
telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address in the request; and 
iv. electronic delivery of documentation is encouraged and requests should indicate 
whether an electronic version or hard copy is desired. 
c. In 2012, noting that enquiry points in some contexts faced challenges in responding to 
comments and requests, the Committee agreed142: 
i. to recommend that Members share experiences with regard to challenges faced by 
enquiry points in responding to comments and requests, with a view to improving 
their functioning; and 
ii. to discuss the functioning of enquiry points, including with respect to building 
support among interested stakeholders in the private sector for the services of the 
enquiry points. 
4.5.2.2  Enquiries which the Enquiry Po ints should be prepared to Answer 
Recommendation 
a. In 1995, with a view to encouraging a uniform application of Articles 10.1 and 10.3 of 
the Agreement, the Committee agreed143: 
i. an enquiry should be considered "reasonable" when it is limited to a specific product, 
or group of products, but not when it goes beyond that and refers to an entire 
business branch or field of regulations, or procedures for assessment of conformity;  
ii. when an enquiry refers to a composite product, it is desirable that the parts or 
components, for which information is sought, are defined to the extent possible. 
When a request is made concerning the use of a product it is desirable that the use is related to a specific field; and 
iii. the Enquiry Point(s) of a Member should be prepared to answer enquiries regarding 
the membership and participation of that Member, or of relevant bodies within its 
territory, in international and regional standardizing bodies and conformity assessment systems as well as in bilateral arrangements, with respect to a specific 
product or group of products. They should likewise be prepared to provide 
reasonable information on the provisions of such systems and arrangement. 
                                                                                                                                               
141 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 8; G/TBT/M/15, 
3 May 1999, para. 45 and Annex 1. 
142 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 16. 
143 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 14.   G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  4.5.3  Booklets on Enquiry Points 
Recommendation 
a. In 1995, in order to improve publicity concerning the role of enquiry points in answering 
queries from Members as provided in Arti cles 10.1 and 10.3 of the Agreement, the 
Committee agreed144: 
i. the issuing of brochures on enquiry points would be of value; and 
ii. all booklets issued by Members should contain the elements and, as far as possible, 
follow the layout set out in Annex 5 (on page 61 of this document). 
4.5.4  Events 
a. A Thematic Session on Transparency was held on 17 June 2014, which included 
discussion of functioning of enquiry points.145 
4.6  Special Meetings on Procedures for Information Exchange 
Decision 
a. In 1995, in order to give Members the opport unity to discuss the activities and problems 
relating to information exchange and to review periodically how well notification 
procedures work, the Committee agreed that146: 
i. Regular meetings of persons responsible for information exchange, including persons 
responsible for enquiry points and notifications, will be held on a biennial basis. 
Representatives of interested observers will be invited to participate in such 
meetings. The meetings will deal only with technical issues, leaving any policy matters for consideration by the Committee itself.  
Events 
a. A Special Joint Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange of the Committees on 
Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures was held on  6-7 November 1995.
147 
b. A Workshop and the Second Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange 
was held on 14 September 1998.148 
c. The Third Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange was held on  
28 June 2001.149 
d. The Fourth Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchanges was held on  
2-3 November 2004.150 
e. The Fifth Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange was held on 
7-8 November 2007.151 
                                               
144 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, pp. 12-13. 
145 The Moderator's summary and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/167, 24 June 2014. 
146 G/TBT/M/2, 4 October 1995, para. 5; G/TBT/W/2/Rev.1, 21 June 1995, p. 12; G/TBT/9, 
13 November 2000, para. 13 and Annex 3. 
147 The Chairman's Report is contained in document G/TBT/W/16, dated 22 November 1995. 
148 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, Annex 1. 
149 The Chairman's Report is contained in An nex 1 of G/TBT/M/24, dated 14 August 2001. 
150 The Summary Report of the meeting is containe d in Annex 2 of G/TBT/M/34, dated 5 January 2005. 
151 The Summary Report as well as the Chairman's Report is containe d in Annex 1 and 2, respectively, 
of G/TBT/M/43, dated 21 January 2008. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  f. The Sixth Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange was held on  
22 June 2010.152 
g. The Seventh Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange was held on  
18 June 2013.153 
5  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
5.1.  Provisions on technical assistance are contained in Article 11 of the TBT Agreement. Technical 
assistance has been considered an area of priority work for the Committee since its establishment; it figures on the agenda of the Committee on a permanent basis. Members have regularly, on a 
voluntary basis, exchanged experiences and information on technical assistance in order to 
enhance the implementation of Ar ticle 11 of the TBT Agreement.  
5.1  General Decisions 
a. In 1995, in considering the ways in which th e provisions of Article 11 could be given 
operational significance, the Committee agreed154: 
i. technical assistance would remain as an item of the agenda of the Committee on a 
permanent basis and would be included on the agenda of a regular meeting of the 
Committee when so requested by a Member in accordance with the agreed procedures. 
b. In 2005, with a view to increasing transparency  in the identification and prioritization of 
technical assistance needs, the Committee agreed
155: 
i. to adopt, for use on a trial basis for two years, a Format for the Voluntary 
Notification of Specific Technical Assist ance Needs or Responses. The Format is 
contained in Annex 6 (on page 62 of this document).  
Recommendations 
a. In 2000, in considering technical assistance , the Committee agreed to develop a demand 
driven technical cooperation programme related to the Agreement, taking into account 
existing and proposed technical assistance activities, as well as seeking ways to achieve more effective cooperation and coordination among donors to better target the needs 
identified by developing country Members. The Committee agreed that the programme 
would need to evolve on the basis of the following elements
156:  
i. design of a survey with the assistance of re levant international, regional and bilateral 
organisations to assist developing countries in needs identification;  
ii. identification and prioritization by deve loping and least developed country Members 
of their specific needs in the TBT field;  
iii. consideration of existing technical assistance activities by multilateral, regional and 
bilateral organizations with a view to th e effective and efficient development of 
technical assistance programmes;  
                                               
152 The Summary Report as well as the Chairman's Report is containe d in Annex 1 and 2, respectively, 
of G/TBT/M/51, dated 1 October 2010. 
153 The Summary Report is contained in the An nex of G/TBT/M/60, 23 September 2013. The final 
programme is contained in G/TBT/GEN/150, 17 June 2013. 
154 G/TBT/W/14, 29 September 1995, p. 3; G/TBT/M/3, 5 January 1996, paras. 14-15.   
155 G/TBT/16, 8 November 2005; G/TBT/M/37, 22 December 2005, para. 82; G/TBT/19, 14 November 
2006, para. 71. 
156 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, paras. 45 and 46. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  iv. enhancement of co-operation between donors; and 
v. reassessment of needs in light of agreed priorities, identification of technical 
assistance partners and financial considerations.  
The Committee also agreed that the progress made in implementing the programme should 
be assessed by the Committee in the contex t of the Third Triennial Review and the 
Committee should also reflect its work on the programme in its Annual Report to the 
General Council.157 
b. In 2003, in light of the work programme158 on TBT-related technical assistance and in 
order to assist Members in implementing and operationalizing Article 11, the Committee 
agreed as follows.159  
i. noting the importance of transparency in the provision of technical assistance and 
the need for coordination at the national, regional and international levels. 
Recognizing that improvements are needed to facilitate the meeting of demand and 
supply of technical assistance, and with a view to building on the information received, the Committee agrees:  
- to consider the creation of an information coordination mechanism including 
through the possible development of voluntary notification procedures for donors, and recipient Members to communicate information on current and 
future activities. To this end, and co nsidering proposals made by Members, 
the Chair is requested to hold consultations with interested Members to:  
1  examine what extent an Internet facility could serve this purpose;  
2  examine what an appropriate management approach might be; 
and  
3  report to the Committee by mid-2004;  
 
- that the survey questionnaire could be a dynamic tool to maintain information 
on developing country Members' ne eds and encourages Members, on a 
voluntary basis, to update responses to the survey questionnaire; and  
- to invite Members to communicate to the Committee pertinent information 
regarding technical assistance activities of relevant regional and international bodies. 
ii. with regard to technical assistance provided by the Secretariat, the Committee 
agreed:
  
- to explore how the results of the Committee's discussions (e.g., on needs 
identified, lessons learned, gaps in technical assistance activities) could be 
reflected in the WTO's Technical Assistance and Training Plan; and  
- to request the Secretariat, as part of the Committee's standing agenda item 
on technical assistance, to regularly deliver information on its recently 
concluded programmes and future plans on TBT-related technical assistance, 
and reflect this in the Committee's annual reviews. This should include information on modality, content, participation and any feedback from recipient Members. 
iii. with regard to the appropriate role of the Committee in relation to technical 
assistance, the Committee: 
                                               
157 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 46. 
158 With respect to the "work programme", it is noted that in 2001, Ministers confirmed the approach to 
technical assistance being developed by  the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, reflecting the results of 
the Triennial Review work in this area, and mandated this work to continue (WT/MIN(01)/17, 20 November 2001, para. 5.1). 
159 G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003, paras. 54-56. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  - agreed on the need for Members and th e Secretariat to raise the profile of 
TBT issues at the international and national levels;  
- reaffirmed the need for its future work to contribute to enhanced cooperation 
and coordination between those involved in technical assistance; 
- reaffirmed the need to continue facilitating the exchange of national 
experiences;  
- should provide a forum for feedback and assessment of the outcomes and 
effectiveness of technical assistance; and 
- considered, based on Members' experience of technical assistance received 
and provided, developing further elements of good practice in technical assistance in the TBT field. 
c. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implementation of the TBT Agreement's provisions 
on technical assistance, the Committee agreed
160:  
i. to encourage Members to make use of the Format for the Voluntary Notification of 
Specific Technical Assistance Needs or Responses, contained in Annex 6 (on page 62 
of this document)161;  
ii. to review, in 2007, the use of the Format fo r the Voluntary Notification of Specific 
Technical Assistance Needs or Responses, including the possible further development 
of the demand-driven technical cooperation mechanism. 
d. In 2009, the Committee agreed162: 
i. to encourage Members to make use of the Format for the Voluntary Notification of 
Specific Technical Assistance Needs or Responses as a complement to other bilateral 
and/or regional means of requesting technical assistance. 
e. In 2012, the Committee reiterated the importance of enhancing the effectiveness of the 
delivery and receipt of TBT technical assistance and capacity, and agreed163:  
i. to request that Members review the effectiveness of TBT technical assistance and 
capacity building activities among Members, with a view to exploring ways and means to focus such activities on relevant capacity building needs and priorities 
thereby enhancing their usefulness, particularly in beneficiary developing Members. 
Documents 
a. Notifications of Specific Technical Assistance Needs or Responses are contained in the 
following document series: G/TBT/TA-[number]/[Member]. 
5.2  Information Exchange 
Decision 
a. In 1995, in considering the ways in which th e provisions of Article 11 could be given 
operational significance, the Committee agreed to exchange information on technical 
assistance as follows164: 
                                               
160 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, sub-paras. 78(a)-(b). 
161 G/TBT/16, 8 November 2005. 
162 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 63. 
163 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 21. 
164 G/TBT/W/14, 29 September 1995, p. 3; G/TBT/M/3, 5 January 1996, paras. 14-15.   G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  i. specific needs for technical assistance, as well as information that may be provided 
by potential donor Members on their technical assistance programmes, may be 
communicated to Members through the Secretariat. Members will take into account 
the provisions of Article 11.8 of the TB T Agreement when considering requests for 
technical assistance from the least-developed country Members. In agreement with 
requesting Members or potential donor Members, as the case may be, the 
information concerning specific needs and technical assistance programmes would be circulated by the Secretariat to all Members on an informal basis. Whilst information 
would be multilateralized in this manner, technical assistance would continue to be 
provided on a bilateral basis. The Secretariat would reflect the information circulated under this procedure in the documentation prepared for annual reviews of the implementation and operation of the Agreem ent if the Members concerned so agree. 
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, in order to enhance the implementation of Article 11, the Committee agreed165: 
i. to invite Members, on a voluntary basis, to exchange information regarding the 
implementation of Article 11, including to communicate to the Committee annually 
any information concerning their national and regional technical assistance programmes; and 
ii. to invite Members that require technical assistance to inform the Committee of any 
difficulties they encounter in the implem entation and operation of the Agreement, 
and the kind of technical assistance they may need. Other Members are invited to contribute to the technical assistance process by sharing their experience in the 
implementation and operation of the Agreement. 
b. In 2000, the Committee invited Members on a voluntary basis to further communicate 
information on technical assistance progra mmes they proposed, provided or received.
166 
c. In 2006, with a view to facilitating the implementation of the TBT Agreement's provisions 
on technical assistance, the Committee agreed:  
i. to exchange experiences in respect of the delivery and receipt of technical assistance 
with a view to identifying good practices in this regard167, and 
ii. to invite observer international standardizing bodies and other international 
standardizing bodies to provide information on steps taken to ensure effective participation of developing country Members in their work.
168 
d. In 2009, building on the previous recommendation that Members exchange experiences 
in respect of the delivery and receipt of technical assistance with a view to identifying good practices in this regard , the Committee agreed
169: 
i. to encourage Members and relevant bodies involved in the provision of technical 
assistance to exchange information to identify such practices. 
e. In 2009, consistent with the Committee's agreement on a demand-driven approach to 
technical assistance, the Committee encouraged Members to review their capacity 
building needs and priorities in the following areas in particular170: 
i. GRP: The Committee considers that experience gained in the area of GRP for the 
effective implementation of the TBT Ag reement should be shared. Technical 
                                               
165 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 31. 
166 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 45. 
167 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 78(c). 
168 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 77. 
169 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 57. 
170 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 59. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  assistance in the area of GRP should be co nsidered an integral element of capacity 
building activities to strengthen implemen tation of the TBT Agreement and draw on 
the expertise of both Members and other relevant organizations; 
ii. Conformity assessment: Members are encouraged to participate in technical 
cooperation activities in the area of conformity assessment consistent with sector-
specific national priorities. Capacity building  activities – at the national or regional 
level as appropriate – aimed at improving technical infrastructure (e.g. metrology, testing, certification, and accreditation) as well as capacity to enforce (including with 
respect to market surveillance and product liability) should be consistent with 
national priorities and take into account the existing level of technical infrastructure development; 
iii. Standards development: Members should undertake efforts to build understanding of 
the strategic importance of standardization activities through increased outreach in 
sectors of priority interest. It may be beneficial to explore incentives to increase support and promotion of such activities, particularly in developing country 
Members; and 
iv. Transparency: Members stress the importance of reinforcing the operation of enquiry 
points. 
Events 
a. On 19-20 July 2000, the Committee held a Workshop on Technical Assistance and 
Differential Treatment in the context of the TBT Agreement.171 
b. On 18 March 2003, with the objectives of further developing the technical cooperation 
programme and providing an opportunity for further information exchange on technical 
assistance, on both the demand and supply sides, a special workshop on TBT-related technical assistance was held.
172  
c. On 29 October 2013, the Committee held a Thematic Session on Technical Assistance 
and Special and Differential Treatment.173 
d. On 4 November 2014, the Committee held a Thematic Session on Technical Assistance 
and Special and Differential Treatment.174  
6  SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT 6.1.  Article 12 of the TBT Agreement addresses Special and Differential Treatment of Developing 
Country Members. Members have, on various occa sions, exchanged information and views on the 
operation and implementation of this Article, in cluding in the context of other items on the TBT 
Committee's agenda. 
6.1  General 
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, with a view to operationalize and implement the provisions of Article 12, the 
Committee agreed to the following175: 
                                               
171 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, Annex 1. 
172 The Summary Report by the Chairperson is contained in Annex A of G/TBT/M/29, 19 May 2003. 
173 The Chairman's report and the final programme are contained in G/TBT/GEN/156, 4 November 2013. 
174 The Chairman's report and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/174, 11 November 
2014. 
175 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 33. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  i. the Committee will consider including the following matters in its future programme 
of work, which could be taken up during the next three years and reviewed during 
the Second Triennial Review of the Agreement: 
- the use of measures to engender capacity building in developing country 
Members, including the consideration of measures relevant to transfer of 
technology to these countries, for the purpose of preparation and adoption of 
technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures, taking into account their special development, financial and trade needs;  
- the preparation of a study by the Secretariat to establish the state of 
knowledge concerning the technical barriers to the market access of developing country suppliers, especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), as a result of standards, technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures;  
- inviting representatives of relevant international standardizing bodies and 
international systems for conformity assessment procedures to make written 
and oral presentations to the Committee with a view to assessing whether 
and how account is taken of the special problems of developing countries in such bodies and systems. The Secretaria t will circulate a compendium of the 
written contributions by the relevant organisations; and  
- the encouragement of the organization of  international meetings relevant to 
the provisions of the Agreement in the territories of developing country Members to give greater representative participation by such Members to the 
deliberations and recommendations of such international meetings, and the 
electronic dissemination of information. 
6.2  Information Exchange 
Recommendations 
a. In 1997, with a view to operationalize and implement the provisions of Article 12, the 
Committee agreed176: 
i. to invite Members, on a voluntary basis, to exchange information on the 
implementation of Article 12, including information related to Articles 12.2, 12.3, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7 and 12.9; and 
ii. to invite Members, on a voluntary basis, to exchange information on any specific 
problems they face in relation to the operation of Article 12.  
b. In 2006, in order to have a more focused exchange of information, the Committee 
agreed
177: 
i. to encourage Members to inform the Committee of special and differential treatment 
provided to developing country Members, including information on how they have taken into account special and differential treatment provisions in the preparation of 
technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures; and 
ii. to encourage developing country Members to undertake their own assessments of 
the utility and benefits of such special and differential treatment. 
c. In 2012, with a view to furthering discussion in the area of special and differential 
treatment, the Committee agreed
178:  
                                               
176 G/TBT/5, 19 November 1997, para. 33. 
177 G/TBT/19, 14 November 2006, para. 82. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  i. to exchange views and explore ideas on th e implementation of Article 12 of the TBT 
Agreement with respect to the preparation of technical regulations, standards and 
conformity assessment procedures, and the enhancement of the effective operation 
of Article 12, in coordination with the WTO Committee on Trade and Development. 
Events 
a. On 19-20 July 2000, the Committee held a Workshop on Technical Assistance and 
Differential Treatment in the context of the TBT Agreement.179 
b. On 29 October 2013, the Committee held a Thematic Session on Technical Assistance 
and Special and Differential Treatment.180 
c. On 4 November 2014, the Committee held a Thematic Session on Technical Assistance 
and Special and Differential Treatment.181 
7  OPERATION OF THE COMMITTEE 
7.1  General 
7.1.1  Review of Specific Trade Concerns 7.1.  Pursuant to Article 13 of the TBT Agreem ent, the TBT Committee was established with the 
purpose of: "affording Members the opportunity of consulting on any matters relating to the 
operation of this Agreement or the furtherance of its objectives, and shall carry out such responsibilities as assigned to it under this Agr eement or by the Members". Since its first meeting, 
Members have used the TBT Committee as a forum to discuss issues related to specific measures 
(technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures) maintained by other Members. These are referred to as "specific trade concerns" (STCs) and relate normally to proposed draft measures notified to the TBT Committee or to the implementation of existing 
measures. 
Decisions 
a. In 2009, noting the accelerated growth in the number of specific trade concerns raised 
at Committee meetings, as well as in the number of WTO Members raising concerns or 
substantively supporting those of other Members, the Committee emphasized the importance of making the discussion more efficient in order to secure a more prompt 
response to concerns raised. In order to streamline the consideration of STCs, the TBT 
Committee agreed to apply the following procedures, to the extent practicable
182: 
i. Members wishing to propose the inclusion of a specific trade concern in the 
annotated draft agenda should directly inform both the Secretariat and the 
Member(s) involved of their intention to do so no less than fourteen calendar days 
prior to the convening of the TBT Committee meeting; 
ii. the annotated draft agenda issued by the Secretariat in advance of each Committee 
meeting will include all specific trade concerns communicated by Members to the 
Secretariat; it will indicate which concerns are being raised for the first time and which have been previously raised. It should be circulated as early as possible but no 
less than ten calendar days before the meeting;  
iii. requests to include specific trade concerns on the agenda should be accompanied by 
a reference to the symbol of the notification. In cases where the measure has not 
                                                                                                                                               
178 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 22. 
179 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, Annex 1. 
180 The Chairman's report and the final programme are contained in G/TBT/GEN/156, 4 November 2013. 
181 The Chairman's report and the final programm e are contained in G/TBT/GEN/174, 11 November 
2014. 
182 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, paras. 67-68. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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  been notified, the request should provide a brief description of the measure, 
including relevant references; and 
iv. there may be instances where a Member wishes to bring a concern to the 
Committee's attention after the deadline has passed. In this case, additional specific trade concerns can still be included in the agenda of the TBT Committee meeting 
under "Specific Trade Concerns", provided that Members wishing to raise the 
relevant concerns have previously informed the Member(s) involved of their intention to do so. However such concerns will only be addressed after all specific trade 
concerns contained in the annotated draft agenda have been discussed. 
b. In 2012, in order to respond to the substantive body of recommendations and decisions 
before the Committee and in order to press for greater progress on these issues, the Committee agreed to hold thematic discussions on specific topics in conjunction with 
upcoming meetings
183: 
Recommendation 
a. In 2012, in order to ensure the efficiency of the discussion of STCs, the Committee 
agreed184: 
i. to further reflect on ways to streamline the work of the Committee in the 
consideration of STCs.  
Documents 
a. In 2009, the Committee encouraged the Secretariat to continue to compile information 
about the status of specific trade concerns and to make this available to Members regularly with a view to providing a useful database for Members to track concerns of 
importance to them.
185 The G/TBT/GEN/74/-series of docu ments contain an overview of 
specific trade concerns raised in the TBT Committee.186 It provides statistical information 
on the concerns raised since the first meeting of the TBT Committee in 1995 and lists 
the specific trade concerns sorted by date , frequency and the number of Members that 
have expressed concern. 
7.2  Information Exchange 
7.2.1  Thematic Sessions 
7.2.  In 2012, considering the substantive body  of recommendations and decisions before the 
Committee, Members agreed on the need to focus and deepen their work.  Noting that follow-up was a long-term endeavour, Members saw benefit to dedicating time to thematic topics in 
response to the specific decisions and recommendations of the Committee, in order to press for 
greater progress on these issues. To this end, the Committee agreed to hold thematic sessions in conjunction with its regular meetings during 2013-2015.
187   
_______________ 
  
 
                                               
183 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 26.  
184 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 24.  
185 G/TBT/26, 12 November 2009, para. 69. 
186 The information is now available on the TBT IMS ( http://tbtims.wto.org ). 
187 G/TBT/32, 29 November 2012, para. 26. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 45 - 
 
 ANNEXES TO PART 1 
1  INDICATIVE LIST OF APPROACHES TO FACILITATE ACCEPTANCE OF THE RESULTS OF 
CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT 
1. Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs)  For Conformity Assessment to Specific 
Regulations 
Governments may enter into agreements which will result in the acceptance of the results of 
conformity assessment originating in the territory of either party. 
2. Cooperative (Voluntary) Arrangements Between Domestic And Foreign Conformity 
Assessment Bodies  
This includes arrangements among accreditation bodies as well as arrangements between 
individual laboratories, between certification bodies, and between inspection bodies. Such 
arrangements have been common for many years and have been developed for the commercial 
advantage of the participants. Some of these agreements have been recognized by governments from time to time as the basis for acceptance of test results and certification activities in the 
mandatory sector.  
3. The Use Of Accreditation To Qua lify Conformity Assessment Bodies  
Accreditation bodies have been working towards harmonization of international practices for 
accreditation of conformity assessment bodies. This has resulted in the development of global 
networks to facilitate recognition and acceptan ce of results of conformity assessment. These 
networks take the form of multilateral recognit ion agreements or arrangements (MLAs) whereby 
each participant undertakes to recognize the accreditation granted or certificates issued by any 
other party to the agreement or arrangement as being equivalent to that granted by itself and to 
promote that equivalence throughout its territory of operation. There are international standards and guides for such arrangements. 
4. Government Designation  
Governments may designate specific conformity assessment bodies, including bodies located 
outside their territories, to undertake conformity assessment. 
5. Unilateral Recognition Of Result s Of Foreign Conformity Assessment 
A government may unilaterally recognize the results of foreign conformity assessment procedures. 
In this it may be guided by Article 6.1 of th e TBT Agreement. The conformity assessment body 
may be accredited abroad under recognized regional or international accreditation systems. In the 
absence of accreditation, the conformity asse ssment body may prove its competence by other 
means. On the basis of equivalent competence of the conformity assessment body, foreign test 
reports and certificates are recognized unilaterally.  
6. Manufacturer's / Supplier's Declarations (SDoC) 
Manufacturer's/supplier's declaration of conformity is a procedure by which a supplier (as defined 
in ISO/IEC Guide 22:1996, a supplier is the party that supplies the product, process or service and 
may be a manufacturer, distributor, importer, a ssembler, service organization, etc.) provides 
written assurance of conformity to the specified requirements. The declaration identifies the party 
responsible for making the declaration of conformity and for the conformity of the product/process/service itself. Under this approach, the manufacturer/supplier, rather than the 
regulatory authority, takes on the responsibility  for ensuring that products entering a market 
comply with the mandatory technical regulations. Assessment may be undertaken either by the suppliers own internal test facility or by an independent test facility.  
This system is often predicated on: 
(a) adequate market surveillance; G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 46 - 
 
  (b) substantial penalties for false or misleading declarations; 
(c) an appropriate regulatory environment; and 
(d) an appropriate product liability regime. 
 
 
_______________ 
 
 G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 47 - 
 
 2  DECISION OF THE COMMITTEE ON PR INCIPLES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF 
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, GUIDES AND RECOMMENDATIONS WITH RELATION TO 
ARTICLES 2, 5 AND ANNEX 3 OF THE AGREEMENT  
Decision1 
 
The following principles and procedures should be  observed, when international standards, guides 
and recommendations (as mentioned under Articles 2, 5 and Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement for 
the preparation of mandatory technical regulations, conformity assessment procedures and 
voluntary standards) are elaborated, to ensure transparency, openness, impartiality and consensus, effectiveness and relevance, coherence, and to address the concerns of developing countries. 
The same principles should also be observed when technical work or a part of the international 
standard development is delegated under agreements or contracts by international standardizing bodies to other relevant organizations, including regional bodies. 
1. Transparency 
All essential information regarding current work programmes, as well as on proposals for 
standards, guides and recommendations under consideration and on the final results should be 
made easily accessible to at least all interested parties in the territories of at least all WTO 
Members. Procedures should be established so that adequate time and opportunities are provided for written comments. The information on these procedures should be effectively disseminated.  
In providing the essential information, the transparency procedures should, at a minimum, 
include: 
a. the publication of a notice at an early appropriate stage, in such a manner as to enable 
interested parties to become acquainted with it, that the international standardizing body 
proposes to develop a particular standard; 
b. the notification or other communication through established mechanisms to members of 
the international standardizing body, providin g a brief description of the scope of the 
draft standard, including its objective and rationale. Such communications shall take 
place at an early appropriate stage, when amendments can still be introduced and comments taken into account; 
c. upon request, the prompt provision to members of the international standardizing body 
of the text of the draft standard;  
d. the provision of an adequate period of time for interested parties in the territory of at 
least all members of the international standardizing body to make comments in writing 
and take these written comments into account in the further consideration of the 
standard;  
e. the prompt publication of a standard upon adoption; and 
f. to publish periodically a work programme containing information on the standards 
currently being prepared and adopted.  
It is recognized that the publication and communica tion of notices, notifications, draft standards, 
comments, adopted standards or work programmes electronically, via the Internet, where feasible, 
can provide a useful means of ensuring the timely provision of information. At the same time, it is 
also recognized that the requisite technical means may not be available in some cases, particularly with regard to developing countries. Accordingly, it is important that procedures are in place to 
enable hard copies of such documents to be made available upon request.  
                                               
1 G/TBT/9, 13 November 2000, para. 20 and Annex 4. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 48 - 
 
  2. Openness 
Membership of an international standardizing body should be open on a non-discriminatory basis 
to relevant bodies of at least all WTO Members. This would include openness without discrimination with respect to the participation at the policy development level and at every stage 
of standards development, such as the: 
a. proposal and acceptance of new work items; 
b. technical discussion on proposals; 
c. submission of comments on drafts in order that they can be taken into account;  
d. reviewing existing standards; 
e. voting and adoption of standards; and 
f. dissemination of the adopted standards.  
Any interested member of the international standardizing body, including especially developing 
country Members, with an interest in a specific standardization activity should be provided with meaningful opportunities to participate at all stages of standard development. It is noted that with 
respect to standardizing bodies within the territory  of a WTO Member that have accepted the Code 
of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption  and Application of Standards by Standardizing 
Bodies (Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement) participation in a particular international standardization 
activity takes place, wherever possible, throug h one delegation representing all standardizing 
bodies in the territory that have adopted, or ex pected to adopt, standards for the subject-matter 
to which the international standardization activity relates. This is illustrative of the importance of participation in the international standardizing process accommodating all relevant interests.  
3. Impartiality and Consensus 
All relevant bodies of WTO Members should be provided with meaningful opportunities to 
contribute to the elaboration of an international standard so that the standard development 
process will not give privilege to, or favour the interests of, a particular supplier/s, country/ies or 
region/s. Consensus procedures should be established that seek to take into account the views of all parties concerned and to reconcile any conflicting arguments.  
Impartiality should be accorded throughout all the standards development process with respect to, 
among other things: 
a. access to participation in work;  
b. submission of comments on drafts;  
c. consideration of views expressed and comments made;  
d. decision-making through consensus; 
e. obtaining of information and documents;  
f. dissemination of the international standard;  
g. fees charged for documents;  
h. right to transpose the international standard into a regional or national standard; and  
i. revision of the international standard. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 49 - 
 
  4. Effectiveness and Relevance 
In order to serve the interests of the WTO membership in facilitating international trade and 
preventing unnecessary trade barriers, internat ional standards need to be relevant and to 
effectively respond to regulatory and market needs, as well as scientific and technological 
developments in various countries. They should not distort the global market, have adverse effects 
on fair competition, or stifle innovation and technological development. In addition, they should not give preference to the characteristics or requ irements of specific countries or regions when 
different needs or interests exist in other countries or regions. Whenever possible, international 
standards should be performance based rather than based on design or descriptive characteristics. 
Accordingly, it is important that international standardizing bodies: 
a. take account of relevant regulatory or market needs, as feasible and appropriate, as well 
as scientific and technological developments in the elaboration of standards;  
b. put in place procedures aimed at identifying and reviewing standards that have become 
obsolete, inappropriate or ineffective for various reasons; and 
c. put in place procedures aimed at improv ing communication with the World Trade 
Organization.  
5. Coherence 
In order to avoid the development of conflicting international standards, it is important that 
international standardizing bodies avoid duplic ation of, or overlap with, the work of other 
international standardizing bodies. In this resp ect, cooperation and coordination with other 
relevant international bodies is essential. 
6. Development Dimension 
Constraints on developing countries, in particular, to effectively participate in standards 
development, should be taken into consideration in the standards development process. Tangible 
ways of facilitating developing countries' participation in international standards development 
should be sought. The impartiality and openness of any international standardization process requires that developing countries are not excluded de facto from the process. With respect to 
improving participation by developing countries, it may be appropriate to use technical assistance, 
in line with Article 11 of the TBT Agreement. Provisions for capacity building and technical 
assistance within international standardizing bodies are important in this context. 
 
_______________ 
 G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 50 - 
 
  3  FORMAT AND GUIDELINES FOR NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES FOR TECHNICAL 
REGULATIONS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES 
3.1  Recommendation of the Committee on Coherent Use of Notification Formats2  
The Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade makes the following recommendation to enhance 
the coherent use of the notification formats: 
 
Type Description 
New Notification Members should use a new notification
3 to notify the draft text of a proposed 
technical regulation or conformity assessment procedure (hereafter referred to as 
the "notified measure"). If the notified measure is associated with a previously 
notified measure (e.g. amending or supplementing an adopted measure, or replacing a withdrawn or revoked measure)
4, the symbol(s) of the associated 
notified measure(s) should be indicated in Box 8 of the new notification. 
Addenda5 Members should use an addendum to notify additional information related to a 
notification or the text of a notified measure, including if: 
The comment period has been changed (e.g. extended or re-opened); 
The notified measure is adopted, published, or enters into force, especially in cases 
where relevant dates have not been provided  in the original notification or have 
been changed. Members are encouraged to indicate how the final text of the 
measure can be obtained, including website address; 
The notified measure is withdrawn or revoked. If replaced with a new measure, 
where possible, the symbol of the corresponding new notification should be indicated; 
The content or scope of a notified measure is partially changed or amended. In this 
case, Members should consider opening a new comment period; 
Interpretive guidance is issued; and 
Any other useful and relevant additional information directly related to a 
notification or notified measure has been made available that does not qualify as a 
corrigenda, revision or supplement. 
Corrigenda Members should use a corrigendum to correct minor administrative or clerical 
errors (which do not entail any changes to the meaning of the content) in: 
a notification or subsequent related addendum or revision; and 
the text of the notified measure. 
Revision Members should use a revision to indicate that the notified measure has been 
substantially re-drafted prior to adoption or entry into force. A revision replaces 
the original notification. A revision should normally open a new comment period. 
Supplement Members should use a supplement to  notify the availability of unofficial 
translations of notified measures.6 
                                               
2 G/TBT/35, 18 June 2014.  
3 A "notification" refers to th e official WTO document which is  part of document series  
"G/TBT/N/[three digit country code]/#". 
4 Note: The WTO Secretariat is exploring the feasibilit y of an IT solution whereby searches on relevant 
WTO databases (e.g. TBT IMS, I-TIP) would automatically retrieve associated notifications (so as not to lose the thread through the life-cycle of the measure). 
5 Note: The option of a new addenda format with a list of tick boxes could be annexed to this 
recommendation. 
6 In 2007 the TBT Committee agreed (G/TBT/M/43, Section II.C.3, 21 January 2008) that Members 
should use the formats for unofficial translations contained in G/TBT/1/Rev. 11, Annex 5 – Unofficial 
Translations. Further information is contained in G/TBT/GEN/66. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 51 - 
 
  3.2  Format and Guidelines for New Notifi cation (of draft technical regulations and 
conformity assessment procedures) 
3.2.1 Format 
  
  
G/TBT/N/XXX/XXX  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page:  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
NOTIFICATION7 
 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
 
1. 
 N o t i f y i n g  M e m b e r :        
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):       
2. 
 Agency responsible:       
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding 
the notification shall be indicated if different from above:       
3. 
 Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [  ], other:       
4. 
  Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicab le, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):        
5.  Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:       
6. 
 Description of content:       
7. 
 Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:       
8. 
 Relevant documents:       
9. 
 Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force:      
  
10.  Final date for comments:       
11. 
 Texts available from: National enquiry point [   ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:       
 
 
                                               
7 Where boxes appear under Items 3 and 11 of the form at, notifiers are requested to check the relevant 
box or indicate relevant information under "other". G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 52 - 
 
  3.2.2  Guidelines   
 
Item Description 
1. Notifying Member: Government, including the competent 
authorities of the European Union, which has acceded to the Agreement and which is making 
the notification; if applicable, name of local 
government involved Articles 3.2 and 7.2). 
2. Agency responsible Body elaborating a proposal for or promulgating 
a technical regulation or procedures for assessment of conformity. The authority or 
agency designated to handle comments 
regarding the specific notification shall be indicated if different from above. 
3. Notified under8 Relevant provision of the Agreement:  
Article 2.9.2: proposed technical regulation by 
central government body; 
Article 2.10.1: technical regulation adopted for 
urgent problems by central government body; 
Article 3.2: proposed technical regulation or 
technical regulation adopted for urgent problems by local government (on the level directly below that of the central government); 
Article 5.6.2: proposed procedures for 
assessment of conformity by central government body; 
Article 5.7.1: conformity assessment procedure 
adopted for urgent problems by central government body; 
Article 7.2: proposed procedure for assessment 
of conformity or conformity assessment procedure adopted for urgent problems by local government (on the level directly below that of 
the central government) 
Other Articles under which notification can arise 
in cases of urgency set out in those Articles are: 
 
Article 8.1: adopted procedures for assessment of conformity by non-governmental body, 
Article 9.2: adopted procedures for assessment 
of conformity by international or regional 
organization. 
4. Products covered HS or CCCN (chapter or  heading and number) 
where applicable. National tariff heading if different from HS or CCCN. ICS numbers may be 
provided in addition, where applicable. A clear 
description is important for an understanding of the notification by delegations and translators. 
Abbreviations should be avoided. 
                                               
8 Notifiers are requested to check the relevant box or indicate relevant information under "other". G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 53 - 
 
  Item Description 
5. Title and number of pages Title of the proposed or adopted technical 
regulation or procedure for the assessment of 
conformity that is notified. Number of pages in 
the notified document. The language(s) in which notified documents are available. If a translation 
of the document is planned, this should be 
indicated. If a translated summary is available, this too should be indicated. 
6. Description of content  An abstract of the proposed or adopted technical 
regulation or procedures for assessment of 
conformity clearly indicating its content. A clear 
comprehensible description stating the main features of the proposed or adopted technical 
regulation or procedures for assessment of 
conformity is important for an understanding of the notification by delegations and translators. Abbreviations should be avoided. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the  
nature of urgent problems where  
applicable For instance: health, safety, national security, ... 
etc. 
8. Relevant documents  (1) Publication where notice appears, including 
date and reference number; (2) Proposal and 
basic document (with specific reference number or other identification) to which proposal refers; (3) Publication in which proposal will appear 
when adopted; (4) Whenever practicable, give 
reference to relevant international standard. If it is necessary to charge for documents supplied, 
this fact should be indicated. 
9. Proposed dates of adoption and entry  
into force The date when the technical regulation or 
procedures for assessment of conformity is 
expected to be adopted, and the date from 
which the requirements in the technical regulation or procedures for assessment of conformity are proposed or decided to enter into 
force, taking into consideration the provisions of 
Article 2.12. 
10. Final date for comments The date by which Members may submit 
comments in accordance with Articles 2.9.4, 2.10.3, 3.1 (in relation to 2.9.4 and 2.10.3), 
5.6.4, 5.7.3 and 7.1 (in relation to 5.6.4 and 
5.7.3) of the Agreement. A specific date should be indicated. The Committee has recommended 
a normal time limit for comments on 
notifications of 60 days. Any Member which is able to provide a time limit beyond 60 days is 
encouraged to do so. Members are encouraged 
to advise of any extension to the final date for comments. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 54 - 
 
  Item Description 
11. Texts available from9 If available from national enquiry point, put a 
cross in the box provided. If available from 
another body, give its address, e-mail, telex and 
telefax number. If available in a web-site, provide the web-site address. Such indications
 
should not in any way discharge the relevant enquiry point of its responsibilities under the provisions of Article 10 of the Agreement. 
 
 
 
  
 
_______________ 
 
                                               
9 Notifiers are requested to check the relevant box or indicate relevant information under "other". G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 55 - 
 
  3.3  Format for Addenda  
  
G/TBT/N/XXX/#/Add.#  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page: 55/74  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  
NOTIFICATION  
Addendum 
 The following communication, dated      , is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of      . 
 
_______________ 
  
      
       
 
__________ G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 56 - 
 
  3.4  Format for Corrigenda 
  
G/TBT/N/XXX/#/Corr.#  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page: 56/74  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  
NOTIFICATION  
Corrigendum 
 The following communication, dated      , is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of      . 
 
_______________ 
  
      
       
 
__________ G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 57 - 
 
  3.5  Format for Revision 
  
G/TBT/N/XXX/#/Rev.#  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page:  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
NOTIFICATION10 
Revision 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
 
1. 
 N o t i f y i n g  M e m b e r :        
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):       
2. 
 Agency responsible:       
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:       
3. 
 Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [  ], other:       
4. 
 
 Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicab le, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):       
 
5.  Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:       
6. 
 Description of content:       
7. 
 Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:       
8. 
 Relevant documents:       
9. 
 Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force:      
  
10.  Final date for comments:       
11. 
 Texts available from: National enquiry point [   ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:       
 
                                               
10 Where boxes appear under Items 3 and 11 of th e format, notifiers are requested to check the 
relevant box or indicate releva nt information under "other". G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 58 - 
 
  3.6  Format for Supplements (Unofficial Translations) 
  
G/TBT/N/COUNTRY/#/Suppl.#  
Date 
(00-0000)  Page:  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
AVAILABILITY OF TRANSLATIONS 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT11 
Supplement 
 
 The Secretariat has been informed that an unofficial translation into [language] of the 
document referenced in this notification is available for consultation at: 
   http://www. ........................................... 
 or can be requested from: ………………………………………….. 
_____________________________________________________________________________  
Comité des obstacles techniques au commerce 
 
TRADUCTIONS DISPONIBLES 
NOTE DU SECRÉTARIAT
11 
Supplément 
 
 Le Secrétariat a été informé qu'une traduction non officielle en [langue] du document auquel renvoie la présente notification pouvait être consultée à l'adresse suivante: 
 
  http://www. ....................................  ou peut être obtenue à l' adresse suivante:  …………………………………… 
______________________________________________________________________________  
Comité de Obstáculos Técnicos al Comercio  
ACCESO A TRADUCCIONES 
NOTA DE LA SECRETARÍA
11 
Suplemento 
 
 Se ha comunicado a la Secretaría que en la dirección: 
 
  http://www. ........................................... se puede consultar una traducción no oficial al [idioma] del documento a que se hace referencia en 
la presente notificación. 
 o puede solicitarse a:  ........................................................... 
_______________ 
                                               
11 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to 
the positions of Members or to their rights or obligatio ns under the WTO./Le présent document a été établi par 
le Secrétariat sous sa propre responsabilité et est sans  préjudice des positions des Membres ni de leurs droits 
ou obligations dans le cadre de l'OMC./El presente docu mento ha sido elaborado bajo  la responsabilidad de la 
Secretaría y se entiende sin perjuicio de las posiciones de los Miembros ni de sus derechos y obligaciones en el 
marco de la OMC. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 59 - 
 
   
  
  
G/TBT/N/COUNTRY/#/Suppl.#  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page:  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  
AVAILABILITY OF TRANSLATIONS 
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT12 
Supplement 
 The delegation of       has provided the Secretariat with an unofficial translation into 
      of the document referenced in this notification. The document is available for consultation 
at: 
 
     .  
______________________________________________________________________________ 
Comité des obstacles techniques au commerce 
TRADUCTIONS DISPONIBLES 
NOTE DU SECRÉTARIAT12 
Supplément 
 La délégation de       a communiqué au Secrétariat une traduction non officielle en langue 
      du document auquel renvoie la présente no tification. Cette traduction peut être consultée à: 
 
      
______________________________________________________________________________ 
Comité de Obstáculos Técnicos al Comercio 
ACCESO A TRADUCCIONES 
NOTA DE LA SECRETARÍA12 
Suplemento 
 La delegación de       ha remitido a la Secretaría una traducción no oficial al       del 
documento a que se hace referencia en la presente notificación. La traducción se puede consultar en: 
 
_______________ 
                                               
12 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to 
the positions of Members or to their rights or obligatio ns under the WTO./Le présent document a été établi par 
le Secrétariat sous sa propre responsabilité et est sans  préjudice des positions des Membres ni de leurs droits 
ou obligations dans le cadre de l'OMC./El presente docu mento ha sido elaborado bajo  la responsabilidad de la 
Secretaría y se entiende sin perjuicio de las posiciones de los Miembros ni de sus derechos y obligaciones en el 
marco de la OMC. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 60 - 
 
  4  NOTIFICATION FORMAT UNDER ARTICLE 10.7 
   
  
G/TBT/10.7/N/XX  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page:  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 
AGREEMENT REACHED BY A MEMBER WI TH ANOTHER COUNTRY OR COUNTRIES 
ON ISSUES RELATED TO TECHNICAL REGULATIONS, STANDARDS 
OR CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
 Under Article 10.7 of the Agreement "Whenever a Member has reached an 
agreement with any other country or countries on issues related to technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures which may have a significant effect on trade, at 
least one Member party to the agreement shall notify other Members through the Secretariat of 
the products to be covered by the agreement an d include a brief description of the agreement." 
The following notification under Article 10.7 has been received.  
1. Notifying Member :  
2. Title of the bilateral or plurilateral Agreement:  
3. Parties to the Agreement:  
4. Date of entry into force of Agreement:  
5. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading):  
6. Subject matter covered by the Agreement (technical regulations, standards or 
conformity assessment procedures):  
7. Brief description of the Agreement:  
8. Further information available from:  
 
 
 
 
_______________ 
 G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 61 - 
 
   
5  BOOKLETS ON ENQUIRY POINTS 
5.1.  All booklets issued by Members should cont ain the elements and, as far as possible, follow 
the layout set out below: 
5.1  Objective, name, addre ss, telephone number, fax numbe r, and e-mail and Internet 
addresses, if available, of  WTO TBT enquiry point(s) 
(a) Refer to the provisions of Articles 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 of the Agreement on 
Technical Barriers to Trade. 
(b) Date established, and name of responsible officer. 
5.2  Who can use the enquiry point(s) 
(a) Refer to the provisions of Articles 2.9.3 and 2.10.2; 3.1 (in relation to 2.9.3 and 
2.10.2); 5.6.3 and 5.7.2; 7.1, 8.1 and 9.2 (in relation to 5.6.3 and 5.7.2); 10.1 
and 10.3; paragraphs M and P of Annex 3 of the Agreement. 
5.3  Information available from enquiry point(s) 
a. Documentation 
i. Refer to the provisions of Articles 2.9.3 and 2.10.2; 3.1 (in relation to 2.9.3 and 
2.10.2); 5.6.3 and 5.7.2; 7.1, 8.1 and 9.2 (in relation to 5.6.3 and 5.7.2); 10.4, 
10.8.1 and 10.8.2; paragraphs M and P of Annex 3 of the Agreement. 
Documentation that can be obtained from the enquiry point(s): Procedures for handling documentation on proposed or adopted domestic regulations and standards and procedures for assessment of conformity 
b. Notifications: content, format, comment period  
i. Refer to the provisions of Articles 2.9.2, 2.10.1, 3.2, 5.6.2, 5.7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 9.2 and 
paragraphs C and J of Annex 3 of the Agreement, and to the decisions of the 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade regarding format and comment period).  
ii. Procedures for handling notifications issued by other Members of the Agreement, for 
issuing notifications from domestic sources, and for handling comments on 
notifications received or issued. 
c. Publication:  
i. Refer to the provisions of Articles 2.9.1 and 2.11; 3.1(in relation to 2.9.1 and 2.11); 
5.6.1 and 5.8; 7.1, 8.1 and 9.2 (in relation to 5.6.1 and 5.8); 10.1.5; and 
paragraphs J, L and O of Annex 3 of the Agreement.  
ii. Procedures for ensuring compliance with these provisions of the Agreement, 
including any publications by the enquiry point(s). 
5.4  Facilities offered (inc luding charges, if any). 
a. Data bank (content and form of documents, e.g. paper, microfilm, computer, etc.). 
b. Access to data (retrieval system: manual, tape, on-line; software used). 
c. Languages used. 
d. Translation, if any. 
e. Brief description of the Agreement: objectives, date of entry into force, date joined, 
status in domestic law. 
f. List of Members of the Agreement. 
g. List of enquiry points of other Members. 
 
_______________ G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
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6  FORMAT FOR THE VOLUNTARY NOTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDS OR RESPONSES 
  
  
G/TBT/TA  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page:  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
VOLUNTARY NOTIFICATION  
OF SPECIFIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
NEEDS OR RESPONSES 
 
1. 
 Notifying Member (including, if applicable , an indication of relevant bodies)  
...............................................................................................................................
. 
2. The technical assistance activity need ed or provided may be relevant to the 
following Article(s) of the TBT Agreement13: 
[ ... ] Articles 2 and 3 on technical regulations 
[ ... ] Article 4 and Annex 3 on standards and the Code of Good Practice 
[ ... ] Articles 5, 7 and 8 on development of conformity assessment procedures 
[ ... ] Article 6 on recognition of conformity assessment 
[ ... ] Article 9 on international and regional systems for conformity assessment 
[ ... ] Articles 2, 5 and 10 on information exch ange (e.g. notifications, enquiry point) 
[ ... ] Article 11 on technical assistance to other Members  
[ ... ] Article 12 on special and differential treatment of developing country Members 
[ ... ] Article 13 on the TBT Committee (participation in work of TBT Committee) 
[ ... ] Other: ............................................................................................................  
 
3. Brief description of objective and ration ale of the technical assistance activity, 
including, if possible, an estimation of  the resources needed or on offer (e.g., 
financial or man-hours)14: 
...............................................................................................................................  
                                               
13 For needs: if there is difficulty in establishing which Articles of the TBT Agreement are relevant, it is 
recommended that the "Needs assessment " and/or "Awareness raising" box be crossed under Point 4.  Under 
Point 2 it may then be sufficient to cross the "Other" box and indicate "General". 
14 This description should explain how this activity is intended to enhance implementation of specific 
provision(s) of the TBT Agreement listed in Point 2. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 63 - 
 
  4. 
  
 Nature and timing of technical assistance activity needed or on offer (key words):
 
Type of assistance 
[ ... ]  Awareness raising  
[ ... ]  Needs assessment 
[ ... ]  Skills training 
[ ... ]  Infrastructure development 
[ ... ]  Other: 
................................................................................................................  
Policy area covered 
[ ... ]  Technical regulations  
[ ... ]  Conformity assessment procedures  
[ ... ]  Standardization 
[ ... ]  Information exchange 
[ ... ]  Other: 
................................................................................................................  
Mode of delivery  
[ ... ]  Workshop, seminar or other event 
[ ... ]  Project-based activity 
[ ... ]  Other: 
............................................................................................................... 
Dates  [ ... ]  Envisaged start date for activity: ...................................................................... 
[ ... ]  Estimated duration: ..........................................................................................
 
 
5.
 
  
 
 Further information available from: 
[ ... ]  National enquiry point. 
[ ... ]  Other contact point 15:...................................................................................... 
[ ... ]  Other reference16:...........................................................................................  
 
 
_______________ 
 
 
                                               
15 Name of a contact person with  telephone and e- mail address. 
16 For example an Internet address, or the address of a body other than that of  the Enquiry Point.  For 
response notifications, this space could be used to make reference to previous  relevant submissions or 
statements made in the TBT Committee (or other body). G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 64 - 
 
  7  FORMAT FOR NOTIFICATIONS RELATED TO  THE CODE OF GOOD  PRACTICE FOR THE 
PREPARATION, ADOPTION AND APPLICATION OF STANDARDS CONTAINED IN ANNEX 3 OF THE WTO TBT AGREEMENT  
7.1  Notification of acceptance of the WTO TB T Code of Good Practice (Paragraph C) to 
the WTO Secretariat 
  
  
G/TBT/CS/N/  
 
Date 
(00-0000)  Page:  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
 
 
  
Under paragraph C of the Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and 
Application of Standards contained in Annex 3 to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, "Standardizing bodies that have accepted or  withdrawn from this Code shall notify this fact 
to the ISO/IEC Information Centre in Geneva." The following notification conveyed to the 
Secretariat from the ISO/IEC Information Centre  is being circulated for the information of 
Members. 
NOTIFICATION 
UNDER PARAGRAPH C OF THE WTO TBT CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE 
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE 
Country/Customs Territory/Regional Arrangement:       
Name of standardizing body:        
Address of standardizing body:       
Telephone:       Fax:        
E-mail:       Internet:       
Type of standardizing body: 
[   ] central governmental  [   ] local governmental  [   ] non-governmental  
Scope of current and expected standardization activities:        
Date:       
 
 
_______________ G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 65 - 
 
   
7.2  Notification of acceptance and of ex istence of work programme under the WTO TBT 
Code of Good Practice (Paragraph C and J) to the ISO/IEC Information Centre  
Form A 
       ISO/IEC Information Centre 
       International Organization for Standardization        Case postale 56        CH-1211 GENEVA 20        S w i t z e r l a n d    NOTIFICATION  UNDER PARAGRAPH C OF THE WTO TBT* CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE  (Notification of acceptance of the WTO TBT Code of Good Practice)  Country (or regional arrangement): ........................................................................... 
 Name of standardizing body:  
........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................  Address of standardizing body:  ........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................  Telephone : .......................... Telefax: ........................... Telex: ..........................  
 E-mail:  ............................................................................................................... 
 Type of standardizing body:   
........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................  Scope of current and expected standardization activities: ............................................................................................................................... ..............................................................................
............................................................................................................................... ..............................................................................
..................................................................................  The above indicated standardizing body hereby notifies its acceptance of the 
Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, 
Adoption and Application of Standards  presented in Annex 3 to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. 
 
 
................................................................................................................. 
(Name)(Signature)(Date)  .............................................. (Title)  *WTO - World Trade Organization, TBT - Ag reement on Technical Barriers to Trade G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 66 - 
 
   
Form B 
 
         ISO/IEC Information Centre        International Organization for Standardization        Case postale 56        CH-1211 GENEVA 20        S w i t z e r l a n d     NOTIFICATION  UNDER PARAGRAPH C OF THE WTO TBT* CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE  (Notification of withdrawal from the WTO TBT Code of Good Practice) 
  Country (or regional arrangement): ........................................................................... 
 Name of standardizing body:  
........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................  The above indicated standardizing body her eby notifies its withdrawal from the 
Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, 
Adoption and Application of Standards  presented in Annex 3 to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. 
 
 
................................................................................................................. 
(Name)(Signature)(Date)  .............................................. (Title)  *WTO - World Trade Organization TBT - Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade   G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 67 - 
 
  Form C 
       ISO/IEC Information Centre 
       International Organization for Standardization        Case postale 56        CH-1211 GENEVA 20        S w i t z e r l a n d      NOTIFICATION  UNDER PARAGRAPH J OF THE WTO TBT* CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE  (Notification of existence of work programme)  Country (or regional arrangement): ........................................................................... 
 Name of standardizing body:  
........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................  Address of standardizing body:  ........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................  Telephone : .......................... Telefax: ........................... Telex: ..........................  
 E-mail:  ............................................................................................................... 
 
1.  Name and issue of the publication in wh ich the work programme is published: ............ 
...................................................................................................................... 
...................................................................................................................... 
2.  The period to which the work programme applies: ............................................... 
3.  The price of the work programme (if any): ......................................................... 
4.  How and where the work programme can be obtained: .......................................... 
...................................................................................................................... 
...................................................................................................................... 
...................................................................................................................... 
,..................................................................................................................... 
 
................................................................................................................. 
(Name)(Signature)(Date)  .............................................. (Title) *WTO - World Trade Organization TBT - Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 68 - 
 
  PART 2: RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE MEETINGS OF THE WTO COMMITTEE ON 
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE AND GUIDELINES FOR OBSERVER STATUS FOR GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL IN TERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 
Decision 
a. In 1995, the Committee adopted the following Rules of Procedure, including Guidelines 
for Observer Status for Governments (Annex A, below) and International Intergovernmental Organizations in the WTO (Annex B, below)
1:  
 
CHAPTER I - Meetings 
 Rule 1 
  The Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (hereinafter the Committee) shall meet as necessary, but not less than once a year. 
 
Rule 2 
 
 Meetings of the Committee shall be convened by the Director-General by a notice issued, 
preferably three weeks, and in any event not less than ten calendar days, prior to the date set for the meeting. In the event that the tenth day falls  on a weekend or a holiday, the notice shall be 
issued no later than the preceding WTO working day. Meetings may be convened with shorter 
notice for matters of significant importance or urgency at the request of a Member concurred in by 
the majority of the Members.  
CHAPTER II - Agenda 
 
Rule 3 
  A list of the items proposed for the agen da of the meeting shall be communicated to 
Members together with the convening notice for the meeting. It shall be open to any Member to suggest items for inclusion in the proposed agenda  up to, and not including, the day on which the 
notice of the meeting is to be issued. 
 Rule 4 
  Requests for items to be placed on the agenda of a forthcoming meeting shall be communicated to the Secretariat in writing, together with the accompanying documentation to be 
issued in connection with that item. Documentation for consideration at a meeting shall be 
circulated not later than the day on which the notice of the meeting is to be issued.  Rule 5 
  (Will not apply)  
Rule 6 
 
 The first item of business at each meeting sh all be the consideration and approval of the 
agenda. Representatives may suggest amendments to the proposed agenda, or additions to the 
agenda under "Other Business". Representatives sh all provide the Chairperson or the Secretariat, 
and the other Members directly concerned, whenever  possible, advance notice of items intended to 
be raised under "Other Business". 
 
Rule 7 
 
 The Committee may amend the agenda or give priority to certain items at any time in the 
course of the meeting.  
                                               
1 G/TBT/M/1, 28 June 1995, para. 13. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 69 - 
 
  CHAPTER III - Representation 
 
Rule 8 
 
 Each Member shall be represented by an accredited representative. 
 Rule 9 
  Each representative may be accompanied by such alternates and advisers as the representative may require.  
CHAPTER IV - Observers 
 
Rule 10 
  Representatives of States or separate customs territories may attend the meetings as observers on the invitation of the Committee in accordance with the guidelines in Annex 1 to these 
Rules. 
 Rule 11 
 
 Representatives of international intergovernm ental organizations may attend the meetings 
as observers on the invitation of the Committee in accordance with the guidelines in Annex 2 to these Rules. 
 
CHAPTER V - Officers 
 
Rule 12 
 
 The Committee shall elect a Chairperson2 and may elect a Vice-Chairperson from among the 
representatives of Members. The election shall take  place at the first meeting of the year and shall 
take effect at the end of the meeting. The Chairp erson and Vice-Chairperson shall hold office until 
the end of the first meeting of the following year.  
Rule 13 
 
 If the Chairperson is absent from any meeting or part thereof, the Vice-Chairperson shall 
perform the functions of the Chairperson. If no Vice-Chairperson was elected or if the 
Vice-Chairperson is not present, the Committee shal l elect an interim Chairperson for that meeting 
or that part of the meeting.  
Rule 14 
 
 If the Chairperson can no longer perform th e functions of the office, the Committee shall 
designate the Vice-Chairperson referred to in Rule 12 or, if no Vice-Chairperson was elected it shall 
elect an interim Chairperson to perform those func tions pending the election of a new Chairperson. 
 
Rule 15 
 
 The Chairperson shall normally participate in the proceedings as such and not as the representative of a Member. The Chairperson may, however, at any time request permission to act 
in either capacity. 
                                               
2 The Committee shall apply the relevant guidelines contained in the "Guidelines for Appointment of 
Officers to WTO Bodies" (WT/L/31 dated 7 February 1995). G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 70 - 
 
   
CHAPTER VI - Conduct of Business 
 Rule 16 
  The Chairperson may consider postponing a meet ing in the event that he or she feels that 
doing so may result in a more representative level of participation by WTO Members. 
 
Rule 17 
  In addition to exercising the powers confe rred elsewhere by these rules, the Chairperson 
shall declare the opening and closing of each meetin g, shall direct the discussion, accord the right 
to speak, submit questions for decision, announce decisions, rule on points of order and, subject to these rules, have complete control of the proceedings. The Chairperson may also call a speaker to 
order if the remarks of the speaker are not relevant. 
 Rule 18 
  During the discussion of any matter, a representative may raise a point of order. In this case the Chairperson shall immediately state the ruling. If the ruling is challenged, the Chairperson shall immediately submit it for decision and it shall stand unless overruled. 
 
Rule 19 
 
 During the discussion of any matter, a representative may move the adjournment of the 
debate. Any such motion shall have priority. In addition to the proponent of the motion, one representative may be allowed to speak in favour of, and two representatives against, the motion, 
after which the motion shall be su bmitted for decision immediately. 
 Rule 20 
 
 A representative may at any time move the closure of the debate. In addition to the 
proponent of the motion, not more than one representative may be granted permission to speak in favour of the motion and not more than two representatives may be granted permission to speak 
against the motion, after which the motion shall be submitted for decision immediately. 
 Rule 21 
  During the course of the debate, the Chairp erson may announce the list of speakers and, 
with the consent of the meeting, declare the list closed. The Chairperson may, however, accord the right of reply to any representative if a speec h delivered after the list has been declared closed 
makes this desirable. 
 Rule 22 
  The Chairperson, with the consent of the meeting, may limit the time allowed to each speaker. 
 
Rule 23 
  Representatives shall endeavour, to the extent that a situation permits, to keep their oral 
statements brief. Representatives wishing to develop their position on a particular matter in fuller 
detail may circulate a written statement for distribution to Members, the summary of which, at the representative's request, may be reflected in the records of the Committee. 
 
Rule 24 
 
 In order to expedite the conduct of busine ss, the Chairperson may invite representatives 
that wish to express their support for a given proposal to show their hands, in order to be duly recorded in the records of the Committee as supporting statements; thus, only representatives with dissenting views or wishing to make explicit points or proposals would actually be invited to G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 71 - 
 
  make a statement. This procedure shall only be appl ied in order to avoid undue repetition of points 
already made, and will not preclude any represen tative who so wishes from taking the floor. 
 Rule 25 
  Representatives should avoid unduly long debates under "Other Business". Discussions on substantive issues under "Other Business" shall be avoided, and the Committee shall limit itself to 
taking note of the announcement by the sponsoring delegation, as well as any reactions to such an 
announcement by other delegations directly concerned.   Rule 26 
  While the Committee is not expected to take action in respect of an item introduced as "Other Business", nothing shall prevent the Committee, if  it so decides, to take action in respect of 
any such item at a particular meeting, or in respect of any item for which documentation was not 
circulated at least ten calendar days in advance.  
Rule 27 
 
 Representatives should make every effort to avoid the repetition of a full debate at each meeting on any issue that has already been fully debated in the past and on which there appears 
to have been no change in Memb ers' positions already on record. 
 Rule 28 
  Proposals and amendments to proposals shall normally be introduced in writing and circulated to all representatives not later than twelve hours before the commencement of the 
meeting at which they are to be discussed. 
 Rule 29 
 
 If two or more proposals are moved relating to the same question, the meeting shall first 
decide on the most far-reaching proposal and then on the next most far-reaching proposal and so on. 
 
 Rule 30 
  When an amendment is moved to a proposal, the amendment shall be submitted for decision first and, if it is adopted, the amende d proposal shall then be submitted for decision. 
 
Rule 31 
 
 When two or more amendments are moved to a proposal, the meeting shall decide first on 
the amendment farthest removed in substance from  the original proposal, then, if necessary, on 
the amendment next farthest removed, and so on  until all the amendments have been submitted 
for decision. 
 
Rule 32 
  Parts of a proposal may be decided on separately if a representative requests that the 
proposal be divided. 
 
CHAPTER VII - Decision-Making 
 Rule 33 
 
 Where a decision cannot be arrived at by consensus, the matter at issue shall be referred to 
the Council for Trade in Goods. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 72 - 
 
   
Rule 34  
  (Will not apply) 
 
CHAPTER VIII - Languages 
 
Rule 35 
 
 English, French and Spanish shall be the working languages.  
CHAPTER IX - Records 
 
Rule 36 
  Records of the discussions of the Committee shall be in the form of minutes.
3 
 
CHAPTER X - Publicity of Meetings 
 
Rule 37 
 
 The meetings of the Committee shall ordinarily be  held in private. It may be decided that a 
particular meeting or meetings should be held in public.  
 
Rule 38 
 
 After a private meeting has been held, the Chairperson may issue a communiqué to the 
Press.  
CHAPTER XI - Revision 
 Rule 39 
 
 The Committee may decide at any time to revise these rules or any part of them. 
 
                                               
3 The customary practice under the GATT 1947, whereby representatives may, upon their request, 
verify those portions of the draft re cords containing their statements, prior to the issuance of such records, 
shall be continued. G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 73 - 
 
   
 
Annex A 
 
Guidelines for Observer Status for Governments in the WTO 
 
 The purpose of observer status in the General Council and its subsidiary bodies is to allow a 
government to better acquaint itself with the WTO and its activities, and to prepare and initiate 
negotiations for accession to the WTO Agreement.   Observer governments shall have access to the main WTO document series. They may also 
request technical assistance from the Secretariat in relation to the operation of the WTO system in 
general, as well as to negotiations on accession to the WTO Agreement.   
 Representatives of governments accorded ob server status may be invited to speak at 
meetings of the bodies to which they are observ ers normally after Members of that body have 
spoken. The right to speak does not include the right to make proposals, unless a government is 
specifically invited to do so, nor to participate in decision-making.  
  
_______________ 
 
 G/TBT/1/Rev.12 
 
- 74 - 
 
   
Annex B 
 
Guidelines for Observer Status for International 
Intergovernmental Organizations in the WTO1 
  The purpose of observer status for international intergovernmental organizations 
(hereinafter referred to as "organizations") in the WTO is to enable these organizations to follow 
discussions therein on matters of direct interest to them.    Requests for observer status shall accordingly be considered from organizations which have 
competence and a direct interest in trade policy matters, or which, pursuant to paragraph V:1 of 
the WTO Agreement, have responsibilities related to those of the WTO.  
 Requests for observer status shall be made in writing to the WTO body in which such status 
is sought, and shall indicate the nature of the work of the organization and the reasons for its interest in being accorded such status.  
 
 Requests for observer status shall be considered on a case-by-case basis by each WTO body to which such a request is addressed, taking into account such factors as the nature of work of the organization concerned, the nature of its membership, the number of WTO Members in the 
organization, reciprocity with respect to access to proceedings, documents and other aspects of 
observership, and whether the organization has been  associated in the past with the work of the 
CONTRACTING PARTIE S to GATT 1947. 
 
 In addition to organizations that request, and are granted, observer status, other organizations may attend meetings of the Ministerial Conference, the General Council or subsidiary 
bodies on the specific invitation of the Ministerial Conference, the General Council or the subsidiary 
body concerned, as the case may be. Invitations may also be extended, as appropriate and on a case-by-case basis, to specific organizations to follow particular issues within a body in an observer capacity.  
 
 Organizations with which the WTO has entered into a formal arrangement for cooperation and consultation shall be accorded observer status  in such bodies as may be determined by that 
arrangement.  
  Organizations accorded observer status in a particular WTO body shall not automatically be 
accorded such status in other WTO bodies.  
  Representatives of organizations accorded observer status may be invited to speak at meetings of the bodies to which they are observ ers normally after Members of that body have 
spoken. The right to speak does not include the right to circulate papers or to make proposals, 
unless an organization is specifically invited to do so, nor to participate in decision-making.  
 Observer organizations shall receive copies of the main WTO documents series and of other 
documents series relating to the work of the subs idiary bodies which they attend as observers. 
They may receive such additional documents as may be specified by the terms of any formal 
arrangements for cooperation between them and the WTO. 
  If for any one-year period after the date of the grant of observer status, there has been no attendance by the observer organization, such status shall cease. 
 
 
__________  
 
  
                                               
1 These guidelines shall apply also to other organi zations referred to by name in the WTO Agreement.