. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/ALB/28 
17 January 2008 
 (08-0232) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of  Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection 
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 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [ X ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Certification and 
Inspection Bodies in the field of vegetation and animal production and products called 
"BIO". 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:   Draft Decision of 
Council of Ministers on approval of the Regula tion "On structure, function, criteria of 
acceptance, assessment of necessary documents and obligations of certification bodies", 
(15 pages, Annexes included, in Albanian). 
6. Description of content:   This draft Decision of Council of Ministers regulates the structure, 
function, criteria of acceptance and assessme nt of necessary documents and obligations of 
certification bodies.  It is based on Ar ticle 4 and 18 of Law No 9199, dated 26 
February.2004 "On produ ction, process, certification and place in the market of products 
called "BIO'".  It defines obligations of the certification bodies, demands and documents 
that a private and state body (domestic and forei gn) have to fulfil in order to register as a 
certification body, tariffs of service.  It sets the provisions related to the prevention of conflict of interest in the activity of certification bodies.  It charges the State Commission for Organic Production (KSHPO) to register the private or state certification bodies, which 
can be domestic or foreign bodies, being expe rt in the field of vegetation and animal 
production, processing of products called “BIO ”.  The State Commission for Organic 
Production registers within 30 days the certification body, registering it in the register according to the model presented in Annex 1/A and  keeps under control the activity of registered certification bodies.  This control includes the audit of the procedures of certification, decisions, structures, administrative systems and units of organic production 
certified from the certification body.  The State Commission for Organic Production give  
the certificate of registration to certification body in which defines  the field/fields of its activity/activities. It defines the demands for registration of inspection bodies, the documents that each physic and legal persons (dom estic or foreign) must fulfil to register as 
an inspection body. G/TBT/N/ALB/28 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
The objective is to regulate the structure and function of certification and inspection bodies. 
8. Relevant documents:   Law No 9199, dated 26 Februa ry 2004 "On production, process, 
certification and place in the market of products called 'BIO'" 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    24 March 2008 
24 September 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days after circulation by WTO Secretariat 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
General Directorate of Standardization 
WTO Enquiry Point - ALBANIA Tel.   +(355) 4 22 62 55 
Fax.  +(355) 4 24 71 77 
E-mail:  info@dps.gov.al
 
http://www.dps.gov.al