WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/121/Add.8 
20 May 2010 
 (10-2839) 
Committee in Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures  
  
 
APPLICANTS FOR OBSERVER STATUS 
 
Note by the Secretariat
1 
 
Addendum  
 
 1. An application for observer status in the SPS Committee was receive d on 29 April 2010 from 
the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).  Information regarding WAEMU is 
summarized below. 
1. Membership (8) 
Benin 
Burkina Faso Côte d'Ivoire Guinea Bissau Mali 
Niger 
Senegal  Togo      
2. Mandate, scope and area of work 
2. The Treaty establishing the WAEMU was signed on 10 January 1994 in Dakar, Senegal, and 
it was the first measure of support for the change in  parity of the CFA franc, the common currency of 
member States of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU).  The WAEMU Treaty supplements the Treaty on Monetary Union by dealing with se veral aspects related to economic integration, in 
order to provide the common currency with the pr oper elements needed for its consolidation and 
stability. 
3. The main aim of WAEMU is to "strengthen the competitiveness of economic and financial 
activities in member States, within an open and competitive market with a rationalized and harmonized legal structure".   
4. WAEMU objectives are to: 
• Ensure convergence in the economic performa nce and policies of member States through 
the establishment of a multilateral supervisory system; 
• Create a common market between the member States based on the free movement of 
persons, goods, services, and capital.  This will also ensure the right of establishment of 
                                                     
 
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights or obligations under the WTO. G/SPS/GEN/121/Add.8 
Page 2  
 
  self-employed persons or of employees, a common external tariff, and a common trade 
policy; 
• Coordinate national sectoral policies through the implementation of common actions, in 
particular in the areas of:  human resources,  urban and regional planning, transport and 
telecommunications, the environment, agri culture, energy, industry, and mines; 
• Harmonize the legislation of its member States,  particularly those related to tax regimes, 
to the extent necessary to  ensure the proper functioning of the common market. 
5. Since the launching of its operational activities in January 1995, the WAEMU Commission, 
on the instructions of the Conference of Heads of State and the Council of Ministers, has defined and 
implemented various projects, all of which are c onvergent and designed to accelerate the process of 
economic integration within the WAEMU area, comprising: 
• Establishment of a customs union; 
 
• Multilateral supervision of nati onal macroeconomic policies; 
 
• Harmonization of legislation:  domestic i ndirect tax regimes, legal, accounting and 
statistical framework of public finance, community investment code, and regional 
financial markets; 
 
• Formulation and implementation of common sectoral policies. 
 
6. The WAEMU customs union entered into force on 1 January 2000, with a common external 
tariff (CET) and total exemption from customs duties a nd other duties and charges of equivalent effect 
for products originating in the Union. 
7. WAEMU has observer status in the WTO Committee on Trade and Development and in the 
World Organisation for Animal Health. 
3. Contribution to the work of the SPS Committee 
8. In its effort to facilitate intra-regional co mmerce, WAEMU has adopted, through the support 
of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)  and the Regional Programmes for Food Security 
(RPFS), "Regulation n°07/2007/CM/UEMOA regarding sanitary protection of plants, animals, and 
food in WAEMU".  This regulation aims at: 
• Ensuring a high level of protection of human, animal, and plant health, as well as a good 
functioning of the domestic markets of its member States; 
• Ensuring the competitiveness of the agricultural products from the region through the 
achievement of food safety standards; 
• Ensuring a common sanitary situation with in WAEMU's common market through the 
implementation of control and inspection services in accordance with international 
requirements; 
• Ensuring a coordinated participation of  WAEMU member States in the WTO SPS 
Committee.  G/SPS/GEN/121/Add.8 
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  4. Reciprocity  
9. The WTO Secretariat has not requested observer status in WAEMU. 
10. As a regional political entity, the WAEMU cannot put certain high level documents of a 
sensitive nature in the public domain, but will read ily share information concerning all technical and 
SPS-related matters with the WTO SPS Committee Secret ariat and other stakeholders according to its 
international commitments. 
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