. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CHE/61 
11 January 2006 
 (06-0129) 
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:   SWITZERLAND
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Federal Office for the Environment 
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:    
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs,  
Non Tariff Measures Division, 
Effingerstrasse 1, 3003 Berne 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   X  ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 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):   Products containing 
living transgenic (genetically engineered), pat hogenic or invasive alien organisms, such as 
food, feed, pesticides, biocides, fertilizers, seeds, live vaccines. 
5. Title, number of pages and lang uage(s) of the notified document:    
Amendment of the Ordinance concerning the Release and Use of Organisms in the 
Environment (55 pages, in French and German). 
6. Description of content:   Requirements for notification of experimental releases of 
transgenic, pathogenic and/or invasive alien organisms and requirements for notification of 
commercialization of products containing such  living organisms:  With respect to the 
existing regulation the scope has remained unc hanged.  The objectives have been extended 
according to new requirements of the Gene T echnology Law that entered into force on 
1 January 2004. 
Transgenic organisms:  Requirements are upda ted in order to implement the new Gene 
Technology Law and to harmonize with relevant EU directives and regulations.  The Swiss 
population has adopted in a public voting in November 2005 a five year moratorium on the 
cultivation of GMOs in Switzerland.  The main implication of the moratorium on the notified Ordinance is that no authorization of cultivation of GMOs can be granted before the 
end of the moratorium in November 2010. 
Pathogenic organisms:  Requirements underwent minor changes. 
Invasive alien organisms:  New requirements for notification of arthropodes and nematodes 
to be released into the environment for research and/or biocontrol.  They include bans of the 
environmental use of certain alien organism s impairing biological diversity, endangering 
environmental, human and/or animal health or causing economical damage. G/TBT/N/CHE/61 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
The amendment implements existing federal legislation (Swiss Gene Technology Law, 
Swiss Environmental Protection Law) and aims at harmonization of notification 
requirements with new directives and regulations of the European Community  in particular 
directive 2001/18/EC, EC regulations Nos. 1829/ 2003 and 1830/2003.  It also covers new 
safety requirements on the use of invasive aliens. 
8. Relevant documents:    
Federal Law relating to Non-hum an Gene Technology (RS 814.91) 
Federal Law relating to the Protecti on of the Environment (RS 814.01) 
Federal Law relating to the control of contagious diseases of man (RS 818.101) 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   Autumn 2006  
Proposed date of entry into force:  December  2006   
10. Final date for comments:    1 April 2006 
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: