WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/18 
17 February 2006 
 (06-0674) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  
 
 
ELEVENTH ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND 
OPERATION OF THE TBT AGREEMENT 
 
 
Note by the Secretariat  
   
 
    
1. The Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
1 (the Committee) will conduct its eleventh 
annual review under Article 15.3 of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trad e (the Agreement) at 
its next meeting on 15 and 17 March 2006.  This doc ument contains informa tion on developments in 
the Committee relating to the implementation and operation of the TBT Agreement from 1 January 
to 31 December 2005.  
 
I. MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE ....................................................................................2  
II. TRANSPARENCY PROCEDURES.......................................................................................4  
III. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL 
TREATMENT...................................................................................................................... .....7 
IV. DISPUTES INVOLVING PROVISIONS OF THE TBT AGREEMENT...........................9  
V. ANNEXES ........................................................................................................................ .......13  
A. LIST OF WTO  MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS ...............................................................................13  
B. LIST OF TBT  DOCUMENTS ISSUED DURING THE YEAR 2005 ...................................................15  
C. SPECIFIC TRADE CONCERNS RAISED IN 2005 ...........................................................................19  
D. NOTIFICATIONS MADE BY MEMBERS AND BY RELEVANT ARTICLES OF THE 
AGREEMENT IN 2005  AND SINCE THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE AGREEMENT .....................23  
E. OBJECTIVES AND RATIONALES STATED IN NOTIFICATIONS IN 2005 ........................................26  
F. OBSERVATION OF THE RECOMMENDED COMMENT PERIOD BY MEMBERS IN 2005 .................27  
G. TBT  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UNDERTAKEN BY THE WTO  SECRETARIAT IN 2005 ................29  
 
                                                      
1 For general information on membership and documenta tion in the TBT Committee during the period of review, 
see Annexes A and B. This document has been prepa red under the Secretariat's own 
responsibility and without prejudice to the positions of Members 
and to their rights and obligations under the WTO G/TBT/18 
Page 2  
 
 
I. MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE 
2. The Committee, pursuant to Article 13.1 of  the TBT Agreement and to the Rules of 
Procedure, elected Mr. Margers Krams (Latvia) as its Chairperson for the year 2005-2006. 
3. Three meetings were held in 2005 (22-23 March, 16-17 June and 2 November 2005).2  At 
these meetings, the Committee's attention was drawn to new or revised statements on implementation and administration of the Agreem ent, submitted under Article 15.2.
3  Twenty-five specific trade 
concerns, fourteen of which were new concerns, we re brought to the attention of the Committee with 
regard to the potential adverse trade effects of th e measures, or inconsistency with the Agreement.4 
4. During the review period, the Committee con tinued its discussions on issues arising from the 
Third Triennial Review of the Operation and Im plementation of the Agreement under Article 15.4 
(G/TBT/13), namely: good regulatory practice, conformity assessment procedures, transparency, technical assistance, as well as other elements. 
5. In particular, at the Third Triennial Review the Committee agreed on a Work Programme on 
conformity assessment to improve Members' implementation of Articles 5 to 9 of the Agreement and 
to promote a better understanding of conformity assessment systems.
5  In this context, the Committee 
held, back-to-back with its regular March m eeting, a workshop on Supplier's Declaration of 
Conformity (SDoC).  The workshop, which focu sed on SDoC as one approach to facilitate the 
acceptance of conformity assessment results, was divided into two main sessions, focusing on 
governments' and manufacturers' perspectives, respectively.  In th ese sessions, speakers from 
individual Members presented case studies on the use of SDoC based on their experiences.6  T h e  
Committee also initiated the preparation of a workshop on Different Approaches to Conformity Assessment, to be held on 16-17 March 2006.
7   
6. On technical assistance, in order to incr ease transparency in th e identification and 
prioritization of technical assistance needs, the Co mmittee adopted, on a trial basis for two years, a 
format for the voluntary notification of sp ecific technical assistance needs and responses.8   
7. The TBT Committee began preparation of the F ourth Triennial Review based on the Work 
Programme endorsed by the Committee in November 2004.9  At its March meeting, the Committee 
started the review work with the preliminary identification of possible topics by Members.  At its 
following meetings, in June and November, the Co mmittee continued its work with a discussion of 
several topics, based on a number of submissions by Members and on background notes prepared by 
the Secretariat.10 
                                                      
2 G/TBT/M/35, G/TBT/M/36 and G/TBT/M/37. 
3 The full list of Members having submitted a statement on implementation and administration of the Agreement  
under Article 15.2 (since January 1995) is contained in doc ument G/TBT/GEN/1/Rev.3.  In 2005, three Members submitted 
new statements under Article 15.2, while tw o issued revisions to exis ting statements.  Th e three new statements were from:  
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (G/TBT/2/Add. 84), Rwanda (G/TBT/2/Add.85), and Kenya (G/TBT/2/Add.86 
and Suppl.1).  Colombia (G/TBT/2/Add.18/Rev.1), and the European Communities (G/TBT/2/Add.12/Rev.3) issued 
revisions to existing statements. 
4 A list of the specific trade concerns rais ed in 2005 is contained in Annex C.   
5 G/TBT/13, paragraph 40. 
6 The report of the Workshop on SDoC is  contained in G/TBT/M/35, Annex 1. 
7 The draft programme of the workshop on Different Appr oaches to Conformity Assessment is contained in 
Job(05)/108/Rev.1. 
8 G/TBT/16. 
9 The Work Programme is contai ned in G/TBT/M/37, Annex 1. 
10 The discussions that took place in the context of the preparation of the Fourth Triennial Review were based on 
the following documents:  G/TBT/W/234 (Enhancing Transparen cy for New or Changed Regulations/CA Procedures which 
Arise as a Result of Implementation of a Recommendation of the DSB – Comm unication from Canada );  G/TBT/W/250  G/TBT/18 
 Page 3 
 
 
8. At its March meeting, the Committee carried out its Tenth Annual Review of the 
Implementation and Operation of the Agreemen t under Article 15.3 as well as the Tenth Annual 
Review of the Code of Good Practice for the Prep aration, Adoption and Application of Standards 
(Annex 3 of the Agreement).11   
9. At its November meeting, the Committee carried out the Annual Transitional Review 
mandated in Paragraph 18 of the Protocol of  Accession of the People's Republic of China.12   
10. During the review period, the Committee hear d statements from various observers on the 
activities relevant to the work of the TBT Co mmittee, including on their technical assistance 
activities.13    
                                                                                                                                                                     
(Transparency Requirements and Procedur es - Background note by the Secretaria t);  G/TBT/W/251 (Intellectual Property 
Rights Issues in Standardization - Co mmunication from the People's Republic of China);  G/TBT/W/252 (Fourth Triennial 
Review of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade - Communication fro m the People's Republic of China);  
G/TBT/W/253 (Fourth Triennial Review of the TBT Agreement - Communication from the European Communities);  
G/TBT/W/254 (Good Regulatory Practice - Communication from  the European Communities);  G/TBT/W/258 (Good 
Regulatory Practice - Communication from the United States);  Job (05)/107 (Preparati on of the Fourth Triennial Review:  
Good Regulatory Practice - Background Note by  the Secretariat);  Job(05)/261 (Prepara tion of the Fourth Triennial Review:  
Conformity Assessment Procedures - Background Note by the Se cretariat);  Job(05)/269 (Prepara tion of the Fourth Triennial 
Review:  Special and Differential Treatm ent - Background Note by the Secretariat).  The Secretariat also prepared a 
Background Note on Supplier's Declaration of C onformity (SDoC), contained in Job(05)/30. 
11 The Tenth Annual Review is contai ned in document G/TBT/15.  Other re levant background documents to this 
review are:  the list of standardizing bodies that had ac cepted the Code in 2004 and since 1995 (G/TBT/CS/1/Add.9 and 
G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.11) and the WTO TBT Standards Code Directory (tenth edition). 
12 Fourth Annual Transitional Review ma ndated in paragraph 18 of the Prot ocol of Accession of the People's 
Republic of China, Report (2005), contained in G/TBT/17. 
13 Statements were heard from the Codex, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International 
Organization for Standardization (ISO), th e International Trade Centre (ITC), th e Organization for Economic Co-operation 
and Development (OECD), the Internationa l Organization for Legal Metrology (OIM L), the United Nations Conference on 
Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Na tions Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). G/TBT/18 
Page 4  
 
II. TRANSPARENCY PROCEDURES14 
11. In 2005, Members submitted 771 new notifications  of technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures.  Since the entry into fo rce of the Agreement on 1 January 1995, up to 
31 December 2005, 6869 such notifications have been made by 94 Members.  
Figure 1:  Total Number of TBT Notifications since 1995 
365460794
648 669
611
538581794
638771
0100200300400500600700800
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
 
 
Figure 2:  Notifications in 2005 by Article15 
718
14 2169
0 01
0100200300400500600700800
Art. 2.9.2 Art. 2.10.1 Art. 3.2 Art. 5.6.2 Art. 5.7.1 Art. 7.2 No article
mentioned
 
12. Amongst the 771 notifications received in 20 05, the following objectives have been 
mentioned by Members:  protection of human health or safety (in 473 notifications);  protection of the 
environment (in 195 notifications);  prevention of  deceptive practices (in 142 notifications);  adoption 
of new domestic law (in 66  notifica tions);  consumer information a nd labelling (in 41 notifications);  
harmonization (in 35 notifications);  quality requireme nts (in 27 notifications);  protection of animal 
or plant life or health (in 9 notifications);  lowe ring or removal of trade barriers and trade facilitation 
(in 12 notifications);  cost saving and increasing pr oductivity (in 3 notificati ons) and national security 
                                                      
14 The data for the graphs in this section are drawn from the tables in  Annexes D, E and F. 
15 133 notifications indicated more than one article.  G/TBT/18 
 Page 5 
 
 
requirements (in 1 notification).  234 notifica tions referred to more than one objective, 
31 notifications referred to other objectives, a nd six did not specify any legitimate objective. 
 
Figure 3:  Percentage of Notifications by Stated Objective in 2005 
Others 4%
Not specified 0.70%
Protection of human health 
or safety  61%Cost saving 0.30%
Harmonization  4%Quality requirements 3%Protection of animal or 
plant life or health  1%National security 
requirements 0.10%Lowering of trade barriers 
or trade facilitation  1%
Adoption of new domestic 
law  8%Consumer information, 
labelling 5%
Prevention of deceptive 
practices and consumer 
protection  18% Protection of environment 
25%
 
13. The Committee has recommended that the normal time-limit for presentation of comments on 
notified technical regulations and conformity assessme nt procedures should be 60 days.  Moreover, it 
was recommended that any Member able to provide  a time limit beyond 60 days, such as 90 days, was 
encouraged to do so.16  In 2005, Members allowed an average of 60.5 days for comments.  
63 notifications either did not specify a comment period, or stated it as non applicable or had a 
comment period which had lapsed.  Figure 4 shows the average time allowed for comments since 1995.   
Figure 4: Average Number of Days Allowed for Comments since 1995 
52.346.946.347.2 46.549.653.349.254.8 57.860.5
010203040506070
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
 
                                                      
16 "Decisions and Recommendations adopted by the Committ ee since 1 January 1995", Note by the Secretariat, 
23 May 2002, G/TBT/1/Rev.8,  page 17. G/TBT/18 
Page 6  
 
14. In 2005, no notification was made under Artic le 10.7 of agreements on issues related to 
technical regulations, standards or  conformity assessment procedures. 
15. In 2005, three standardizing bodies from thr ee Members accepted the Code of Good Practice 
(Annex 3 of the Agreement, hereafter "the Code") and one standardizing body revised its notification 
of acceptance.17  A list of standardizing bodies that adhere d to the Code in the period under review is 
contained in document G/TBT/CS/1/Add.10.  Since th e entry into force of the Agreement and up until 
31 January 2006, 151 standardizing bodies from 110 Members have adhered to the Code.18   
Document G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.12 contains the complete  list, by Member, of standardizing bodies that 
have accepted the Code since 1 January 1995.  Th e ISO/IEC Information Centre has prepared the 
Eleventh Edition of the WTO TBT Standards Code Di rectory which lists all standardizing bodies that 
have notified their acceptance of the Code together with the addresses of these standardizing bodies 
and information related to the availability of their work programmes.19 
16. In addition, the following information relevant to transparency is noted: 
(a) Information on publications used to annou nce that work is proceeding on draft 
technical regulations and conformity asse ssment procedures under Articles 2.9.1 and 
5.6.1 of the Agreement, and publications in which the final texts are published under 
Articles 2.11 and 5.8 is contained in document G/TBT/2 and addenda. 
(b) The list of WTO TBT Enquiry Points under Articles 10.1 and 10.3 is contained in 
document G/TBT/ENQ/27.  The addresses of Enquiry Points are also available on the 
TBT Website.20  
(c) In addition to the usual means of distributio n, TBT notifications are also circulated 
through an automatic mailing list, once a week in the original language.21 
(d) Monthly summaries of notifications for 2005 are contained in documents 
G/TBT/GEN/N/49-60. 
                                                      
17 Rwanda, Antigua and Barbuda and Nigeria submitted a no tification of acceptance of the Code of Good Practice 
(G/TBT/CS/N/159, G/TBT/CS/N /160 and G/TBT/CS/N/162).  Guyana (G/TBT/C S/N/74/Rev.1) issued a revision to its 
notification of acceptance. 
18 Niger accepted the Code of Good Practice on 13 January 2006 (G/TBT/CS/N/161).  Notifications of acceptance 
of the Code by standardizing bodies of Members are c ontained in documents G/TBT/ CS/N/1-162.  Notifications 
G/TBT/CS/N/118 and 138 have been cancelled. 
19 To be issued shortly. 
20 See http://www.wto.org/english/tr atop_e/tbt_e/tbt_enquiry_points_e.htm. 
21Interested persons can subscr ibe to the mailing list at:  
http://www.wto.org/english/trato p_e/tbt_e/tbt_mailing_list_e.htm.  G/TBT/18 
 Page 7 
 
 
 
III. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT22  
17. In 2005, the Secretariat organized three regional workshops in:   
(a) Chinese Taipei for the Asia - Pacific region;23   
(b) Namibia for the SADC region;24 and  
(c) Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean region.25  
18. The basic objectives of these regional workshops we re to assist participants to consolidate 
their knowledge of the TBT Agreement and to upda te them on the discussions in the TBT Committee, 
with a view to improving participation in the Committee's work.  Moreover, these workshops 
provided a forum for participants to exchange views and experiences on TBT issues.  This year, 
emphasis was put on ensuring interaction from work shop participants;  in this respect, the 
programmes of the events required participants to  prepare substantive interventions on selected TBT 
topics.  The workshops included sessions devoted to experience-sharing and discussion of specific cases.  Special focus was given in 2005 to conf ormity assessment, in view of the TBT Committee's 
Work Programme in this area (referred to in pa ragraph 5, above).  Codex, the International 
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Internationa l Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the 
United Nations Industrial Devel opment Organization (UNIDO) participated in various of the 
workshops.
26   Moreover, co-operation was received from regional partners:  for instance, in the 
Caribbean region, inputs were provided by the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM) and 
the Caribbean Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ).   
19. In response to requests received from individua l Members, two workshops were organized in 
Chinese Taipei and Peru.27  These workshops aimed at promoti ng a better understanding of the rights 
and obligations under the TBT Agr eement and at addressing issues of specific interest to these 
Members, including their specific trade concerns.   
20. The WTO Secretariat participated in two sub -regional workshops, under the Joint Integrated 
Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP), organized  by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and 
conducted in cooperation with the United Na tions Conference on Trade and Development 
(UNCTAD).  They were held in Malawi for selected English-speaki ng African countries and in Mali 
for selected French-speaking African countries.28  At these workshops, the WTO Secretariat's role was 
to explain the TBT Agreement's rules and disciplin es; UNCTAD's role was to help participating 
countries translate such rules into national policies and strategies; while the ITC analysed the impact 
of technical regulations, standa rds and conformity assessment procedures on the business community. 
                                                      
22 A complete list of 2005 TBT-related technical assistance ac tivities undertaken by the Secretariat is contained in 
Annex G. 
23 Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, China, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Macao, Ch ina, Malaysia, Pakistan, 
Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Th ailand, Tonga and Vanuatu were invited. 
24 Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi , Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, 
Zambia and Zimbabwe were invited. 
25 Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barb ados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Gu yana, Haiti, Jamaica, Monserrat, 
St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago were invited. 
26 Codex participated in the Namibia workshop.  IEC and ISO participated  in the Namibia and Trinidad and 
Tobago workshops. UNIDO pa rticipated in the Chinese Taipei workshop. 
27 The Chinese Taipei workshop was held ba ck-to-back with the regional workshop. 
28 Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzan ia, Uganda and Zambia were invited to the Malawi 
Workshop;  Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,  Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Tunisia were invited to the Mali 
Workshop. G/TBT/18 
Page 8  
 
21. Furthermore, the WTO Secretariat participat ed in a training course for Arab countries 
organized by the Swedish International Developm ent Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and in a regional 
seminar on the TBT and SPS Agreements, organized  by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), 
which took place in Azerbaijan.  In these events, the role of the WTO Secretariat was to raise 
awareness of the importance of the implementation and administration of the TBT Agreement and highlight and clarify its main principles and provisi ons.  The WTO Secretariat also took part in a 
Geneva-based workshop on "Influencing and meeti ng international standards", organized by the 
Commonwealth Secretariat and the ITC. 
22. The trade policy courses organized by the WTO S ecretariat, both Geneva-based and regional, 
included sessions on the TBT Agreement.  TBT tr aining was provided in the regional trade policy 
courses held in Jamaica for the Caribbean, in Ho ng Kong for the Asian region, in Namibia for 
English-speaking African countries, in Morocco fo r French-speaking African countries and in Chile 
for Latin America.  Other technical assistance activities included a Geneva-based workshop on 
Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC)  (referred to in paragraph 5, above),
29 as well as advice, 
on an ad hoc basis, to capital-based officials on various issues related to the operation of the 
Agreement and the Committee. 
                                                      
29 Capital-based participants from 93 developing country Members attended the workshop with resources from the 
Global Trust Fund.  G/TBT/18 
 Page 9 
 
 
IV. DISPUTES INVOLVING PROVISIO NS OF THE TBT AGREEMENT 
23. The state of play during the year 2005 with regard to disputes that have involved provisions 
of the TBT Agreement is summarized below.   
Case 
# Case  
Name Complaint 
By State of Play TBT 
Articles 
Invoked 
1.    Pending Consultations 
DS279 India – Import 
Restrictions 
Maintained 
under the 
Export and 
Import Policy 
2002-2007 European 
Communities On 23 December 2002, the European Communities requested 
consultations with India concerning import restrictions 
maintained by India under its Export and Import Policy 2002-
2007 with respect to particular products of concern to the 
European Communities (WT/DS279/1). 
On 17 January 2003, the United States requested to join the 
consultations (WT/DS279/2) and on 31 January 2003, India 
accepted this requ est (WT/DS279/3). 2 
DS263 European 
Communities – 
Measures 
Affecting 
Imports of Wine Argentina On 4 September 2002, Ar gentina requested consultations 
with the European Communities regarding several EC 
regulations and other mandato ry provisions on oenological 
practices and on trade in wine (WT/DS263/1). 2 and 12 
DS233 Argentina – 
Measures 
Affecting the 
Import of 
Pharmaceutical 
Products India On 25 May 2001, India re quested consultations with 
Argentina concerning Argentina's Law No. 24.766 and 
Decree No. 150/92 (WT/DS233/1). 2 
(especial-
ly 2.2), 
5 
(especial-
ly 5.1 and 
5.2) and 
12 
DS203 Mexico – 
Measures 
Affecting Trade 
in Live Swine United States On 10 July 2000, the Un ited States requested consultations 
with Mexico in respect of Mexico's 20 October 1999 
definitive anti-dumping measure on live swine for slaughter 
(merchandise classified unde r tariff classification 0103.92.99 
of the General Import Law) exported from the United States, 
independently from the country  of origin, and actions by 
Mexico in the conduct of th e anti-dumping investigation 
resulting in that measure (WT/DS203/1). 2 and 5 
DS144 United States – 
Certain 
Measures 
Affecting the 
Import of 
Cattle, Swine 
and Grain from 
Canada Canada On 25 September 1998, Canada  requested consultations with 
the United States in respect of certain measures, imposed by 
the US state of South Dakota and other states, prohibiting 
entry or transit to Canadian trucks carrying cattle, swine, and 
grain (WT/DS144/1).  2, 3, 5 
and 7 
DS137 European 
Communities – 
Measures 
Affecting 
Imports of 
Wood of 
Conifers from 
Canada Canada On 17 June 1998, Canada requested consultations with the 
European Communities in respect of certain measures 
concerning the importation into the EC market of wood of 
conifers from Canada. The meas ures include, but are not 
limited to, Council Directive 77/93, of 21 December 1976, as 
amended by Commission Directive 92/103/EEC, of 
1 December 1992, and any relevant measures adopted by EC 
Member states affecting impor ts of wood of conifers from 
Canada into the European  Communities (WT/DS137/1). 2 
DS134 European 
Communities – 
Measures India On 28 May 1998, India requested consultations with the 
European Communities in respect of the restrictions allegedly 
introduced by an EC Regulation establishing a so-called 2, in 
particular 
2.1  and G/TBT/18 
Page 10  
 
Case 
# Case  
Name Complaint 
By State of Play TBT 
Articles 
Invoked 
Affecting 
Import Duties 
on Rice cumulative recovery system (C RS), for determining certain 
import duties on rice, with effect from 1 July 1997 
(WT/DS134/1). 2.2 
DS100 United States – 
Measures 
Affecting 
Imports of 
Poultry 
Products European 
Communities On 18 August 1997, the European Communities requested 
consultations with the United States in respect of a ban on 
imports of poultry and poultry products from the European 
Communities by the US Departme nt of Agriculture's Food 
Safety Inspection Service, and any related measures 
(WT/DS100/1). 2 and 5 
DS61 United States – 
Import 
Prohibition of 
Certain Shrimp 
and Shrimp 
Products Philippines On 25 October 1996, the Philippines requested consultations 
with the United States in respect of a complaint by the 
Philippines regarding a ban on the importation of certain 
shrimp and shrimp products from the Philippines imposed by 
the United States under Section 609 of US Public Law 101-62 
(WT/DS61/1). 2 
DS41 Korea – 
Measures 
Concerning 
Inspection of 
Agricultural 
Products United States On 24 May 1996, the Unit ed States requested consultations 
with Korea concerning testing, inspection and other measures 
required for the importation of agricultural products into 
Korea (WT/DS41/1). 2, 5 and 6 
DS3 Korea – 
Measures 
Concerning the 
Testing and 
Inspection of 
Agricultural 
Products United States On 6 April 1995, the United States requested consultations 
with Korea involving testing an d inspection requirements with 
respect to imports of agricultural products into Korea 
(WT/DS3/1).  (See WT/DS41). 5 and 6 
2.   Active panels 
DS291 
DS292 
DS293 European 
Communities – 
Measures 
Affecting the 
Approval and 
Marketing of 
Biotech 
Products United States, 
(DS291), 
Canada 
(DS292)  and 
Argentina 
(DS293) On 13 May 2003, the United States and Canada requested 
consultations with the European Communities concerning 
certain measures taken by the European Communities and its 
member States affecting imports of agricultural and food 
imports from the United States  and Canada (WT/DS291/1, 
WT/DS292/1).  On 14 May 2003, Argentina requested 
consultations with the European Communities on the same 
matter (WT/DS293/1). United 
States: 
2 and 5 
Canada: 
2.1, 2.2, 
2.8, 5.1 
and 5.2 
   On 7 August 2003, the United States, Canada and Argentina 
each requested the establishm ent of a panel (WT/DS291/23, 
WT/DS292/17, WT/DS293/17).   At its meeting on 
29 August 2003, the DSB decided to  establish a single panel. 
On 23 February 2004, the United States, Canada and 
Argentina requested the Director-General to compose the 
panel.  On 4 March 2004, the Director-General composed the 
panel.  Argentina
2, 5 and 
12 
   On 12 July 2004, the Chairman of the Panel informed the 
DSB that it would not be able to complete its work in six 
months.  On 18 August 2004, the Chairman of the Panel 
informed the DSB that the Panel estimated that it would issue 
its final report to the parties by the end of March 2005, and 
that the delay was due to th e parties' common request for 
additional time to prepare their re buttals as well as the Panel's 
decision to seek scientific and technical expert advice   G/TBT/18 
 Page 11 
 
 
Case 
# Case  
Name Complaint 
By State of Play TBT 
Articles 
Invoked 
DS291 
DS292 
DS293 
(cont'd) European 
Communities – 
Measures 
Affecting the 
Approval and 
Marketing of 
Biotech 
Products 
(cont'd)  On 2 November 2004, the Chai rman of the Panel informed 
the DSB that as a result of the time taken to identify and 
select experts and, more importantly, in view of a joint 
request by all four parties that they be granted additional time 
to prepare their further submissions to the Panel, the Panel 
estimated that it would issue its final report to the parties by 
the end of June 2005.  On 13 June 2005, the Panel estimated 
that it would issue its final report to the parties by the end of 
October 2005.  On 11 August 2005, the Panel estimated that 
it would issue its final report to the parties by the end of 
December 2005.  On 21 December 2005, the Panel informed 
the DSB that the Panel estimated that it would issue its final 
report to the parties by the end of March 2006, due mainly to 
the large number of issues to be addressed.  
   Argentina (in respect of the United States' and Canada's 
complaints), Australia, Brazil, Canada (in respect of the 
United States' and Argentina's complaints), Chile, China, 
Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, 
Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Chin ese Taipei, Thailand, Uruguay 
and the United States (in respect of Canada's and Argentina's 
complaints) reserved their third-party rights.  
3.   Adopted Panel Reports 
DS174 
DS290 European 
Communities – 
Protection of 
Trademarks and 
Geographical 
Indications for 
Agricultural 
Products and 
Foodstuffs United States 
(DS174)  
and  
Australia 
(DS290) On 1 June 1999, the United St ates requested consultations 
with the European Communities in respect of the alleged lack 
of protection of trademarks and geographical indications 
(GIs) for agricultural products and foodstuffs in the 
European Communities (WT/DS174/1).  
On 4 April 2003, the United States sent an additional request 
for consultations concerning the protection of trademarks and 
GIs for agricultural products an d foodstuffs in the European 
Communities (WT/DS174/1/Add.1). 
On 17 April 2003, Australia requested consultations with the 
European Communities concerning the protection of 
trademarks and to the regi stration and protection of 
geographical indications for foodstuffs and agricultural 
products in the European Communities (WT/DS290/1). 
On 18 August 2003, the United States and Australia 
requested separately the es tablishment of a panel  
(WT/DS174/20, WT/DS290/18).  
On 2 October 2003, the DSB decided to establish a single 
panel.  
On 13 February 2004, the United States and Australia 
requested the Director-General to determine the composition 
of the Panel.  On 23 February 2004, the Director-General 
composed the Panel. 
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, 
Guatemala, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Chinese 
Taipei and Turkey reserved their third-party rights. 
On 17 August 2004, the Chairman of the Panel informed the 
DSB that it would not be able to complete its work in six 
months due to the complexity of  the case and that the Panel 
expected to issue its final report to the parties before the end 
of year 2004. 
On 15 March 2005, the Panel re ports were circulated to United 
States: 
(none) 
Australia: 
2 G/TBT/18 
Page 12  
 
Case 
# Case  
Name Complaint 
By State of Play TBT 
Articles 
Invoked 
Members.  The DSB adopted the Panel reports on 20 April 
2005 (WT/DS174//R and WT/DS290/R). 
At the DSB meeting of 19 May 2005, the 
European Communities stated its intention to implement the 
DSB's recommendations and indicated that it would need a 
reasonable period of time to do so.  On 9 June 2005, the 
European Communities, Australia and the United States 
informed the DSB that they had agreed pursuant to 
Article 21.3(b) of the DSU that  the reasonable period of time 
for implementation shall be 11 m onths and 2 weeks, expiring 
on 3 April 2006.  
  G/TBT/18 
 Page 13 
 
 
 
V. ANNEXES 
A. LIST OF WTO  MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS  
Members30 
 
Albania Gambia Nepal 
Angola Gabon Netherlands 
Antigua and Barbuda Georgia New Zealand 
Argentina Germany Nicaragua Armenia Ghana Niger Australia Greece Nigeria Austria Grenada Norway 
Bahrain Guatemala Oman 
Bangladesh Guinea Pakistan Barbados Guinea Bissau Panama Belgium Guyana Papua New Guinea Belize Haiti Paraguay Benin Honduras Peru 
Bolivia  Hong Kong, China Philippines 
Botswana Hungary Poland Brazil Iceland Portugal Brunei Darussalam India Qatar Bulgaria Indonesia Romania 
Burkina Faso Ireland Rwanda 
Burundi Israel Saint Kitts and Nevis Cambodia Italy  Saint Lucia Cameroon Jamaica Saint Vi ncent and the Grenadines 
Canada Japan Saudi Arabia Central African Republic Jordan Senegal 
Chad Kenya Sierra Leone 
Chile Korea, Rep. of Singapore China, People's Republic of Kuwait Slovak Republic Colombia Kyrgyz Republic Slovenia Congo Latvia Solomon Islands 
Congo, Democratic Rep. of the Lesotho South Africa 
Costa Rica Liechtenstein  Spain Côte d'Ivoire Lithuania Sri Lanka Croatia Luxembourg Suriname Cuba Macau, China Swaziland 
Cyprus Madagascar Sweden 
Czech Republic Malawi Switzerland Denmark Malaysia Separate Customs Territory of  Djibouti Maldives Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and  
Dominica Mali Matsu (Chinese Taipei)  
Dominican Republic Malta Tanzania 
Ecuador Mauritania Thailand 
Egypt Mauritius Togo El Salvador Moldova Trinidad and Tobago Estonia Mexico Tunisia European Communities Mongolia Turkey 
                                                     
 
30 Members on 31 January 2006. G/TBT/18 
Page 14  
 
Fiji Morocco Uganda 
Finland Mozambique United Arab Emirates Former Yugoslav Rep. of Myanmar  United Kingdom 
Macedonia (FYROM) Namibia United States 
France  Uruguay   Venezuela   Zambia   Zimbabwe 
 
 
Observer Governments31 
 
Afghanistan Holy See (Vatican) Seychelles 
Algeria Iraq Sudan Andorra Kazakhstan Tajikistan 
Azerbaijan Laos, P.D.R. of Tonga 
Bahamas Lebanon Ukraine Belarus Libya Uzbekistan Bhutan Montenegro Vanuatu Bosnia and Herzegovina Russian Federation Viet Nam 
Cape Verde Samoa Yemen 
Equatorial Guinea  Sao Tomé and Principe  Ethiopia Serbia   
 
 
Observer Organizations  
 
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)32  
Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI)32  
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)32 
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)    International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)  International Monetary Fund (IMF)  
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)  
International Trade Centre (ITC)  Organization for Economic Co-opera tion and Development (OECD)  
Office International des Epizooties (OIE)  International Organization for Legal Metrology (OIML)
32 
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development  (UNCTAD)   
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)  United Nations Industrial Deve lopment Organization (UNIDO)
32 
World Health Organization (WHO)  
WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission  
The World Bank  
 
                                                      
31 Observers on 31 January 2006. 
32 Observer status on an ad hoc  basis  G/TBT/18 
 Page 15 
 
 
 B. L
IST OF TBT  DOCUMENTS ISSUED DURING THE YEAR 2005 
Document Reference Date of Issue Title  
1. Working Documents (G/TBT/W/ - ) 
G/TBT/W/250 16 February 2005 Transparency Requirements and Procedures  
(Background Note by  the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/W/251 25 May 2005 Intellectual Property Right (IPR) Issues in 
Standardization (Communication from the People's 
Republic of China) 
G/TBT/W/252 8 June 2005 Fourth Triennial Review of the Agreement on 
Technical Barriers to Trade (Communication from the People's Republic of China)  
G/TBT/W/253 13 June 2005 Fourth Triennial Review of the Agreement on 
Technical Barriers to Trade (Communication from the 
European Communities) 
G/TBT/W/254 14 June 2005 Good Regulatory Practice (Communication from the 
European Communities)  
G/TBT/W/255 6 October 2005 China's Transitional Review Mechanism (Questions 
and Comments from Japan to China) 
G/TBT/W/256 12 October 2005 China's Transitional Review Mechanism 
(Communication from the European Communities) 
G/TBT/W/257 18 October 2005 Transitional Review Mechanism Pursuant to Section 
18 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's 
Republic of China (Questions and Comments from the United States to China) 
G/TBT/W/258 26 October 2005 Good Regulatory Practice (Communication from the 
United States) 
G/TBT/W/259 31 October 2005 EC and EC Member State Technical Assistance 
Projects/Programmes in the TBT field 
G/TBT/W/260 1 November 2005 Annual Transitional Review Mandated in Paragraph 18 
of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China: Information Required in Annex 1/A of 
WT/L/432 (Submission by the People's Republic of 
China) 
2. Minutes of the Meetings (G/TBT/M/ - ) 
G/TBT/M/35 24 May 2005 Minutes of the Meeting of 22-23 March 2005 
(Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/M/36 4 August 2005 Minutes of the Meeting of 16-17 June 2005 
(Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/M/37 22 December 2005 Minutes of the Meeting of 2 November 2005 
(Note by the Secretariat) G/TBT/18 
Page 16  
 
 
3. General Documents (G/TBT/GEN/ - ) 
G/TBT/GEN/N/47-59 January 2005 – 
December 2005 Notifications issued during the Months of November 
2004 until November 2005 (Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/GEN/1/Rev.2 4 March 2005 Statements on Implementation and Administration of the 
Agreement under Article 15.2 (Note by the Secretariat - 
Revision) 
G/SPS/GEN/491/Add.2 and Add.3 
G/TBT/GEN/7Add.2 and Add.3 24 May 2005 and 
28 November 2005 
 Communication from Mexico  
 
G/TBT/GEN/15 14 March 2005 TBT Workshop on Supplier's Declaration of Conformity 
(Programme) 
G/TBT/GEN/16 24 May 2005 Report provided by the IEC at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 22-23 March 2005 (Agenda Item 4: 
Technical Co-operation) 
G/TBT/GEN/17 24 May 2005 Report provided by the OIML at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 22-23 March 2005 (Agenda Item 6(b): 
Updating by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/18 24 May 2005 Report provided by the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
at the TBT Committee Meeting of 22-23 March 2005 (Agenda Item 6(b): Updating by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/19 3 August 2005 Re port provided by the OECD  on Recent Work Relevant 
to Good Regulatory Pract ice at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 16-17 June 2005 (Agenda Item 3(b): 
Preparation of the Fourth Triennial Review) 
G/TBT/GEN/20 3 August 2005 Report provided by the IEC at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 16-17 June 2005 (Agenda Item 4: Technical 
Co-operation) 
G/TBT/GEN/21 3 August 2005 TBT Technical Assistance Activities in 2005 
(Information from the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/GEN/22 3 August 2005 Report Provided by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission at the TBT Committee Meeting of 16-17 June 2005 (Agenda Item 5(b): Updating by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/23 3 August 2005 Report provided by the OIML at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 16-17 June 2005 (Agenda Item 5(b): 
Updating by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/24 22 December 2005  Information Provide d by the ISO and the IEC at the TBT 
Committee Meeting of 2 November 2005 (Agenda Item 
4(b): Triennial Review) 
G/TBT/GEN/25 22 December 20 05 Report Provided by No rway at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 2 November 2005 (Agenda Item 5: Technical 
Cooperation) 
G/TBT/GEN/26 22 December 20 05 TBT Technical Assistan ce Activities in 2005 and 
Planned for 2006 (Information from the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/GEN/27 22 December 2005 Report Provided by  the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission at the TBT Committee Meeting of 2 
November 2005 (Agenda Item 7: Updating by 
Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/28 22 December 20 05 Report Provided by th e OECD at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 2 November 2005 (Agenda Item 7: Updating 
by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/29 22 December 2005 Report Provided by the Food and Agriculture 
Organization and the World Health Organization at the TBT Committee Meeting of 2 November 2005 (Agenda 
Item 7: Updating by Observers)  G/TBT/18 
 Page 17 
 
 
3. General Documents (G/TBT/GEN/ - ) (cont'd) 
G/TBT/GEN/30 22 December 20 05 Report Provided by the OIML at the TBT Committee 
Meeting of 2 November 2005 (Agenda Item 7: Updating by Observers) 
4. Documents Relating to the Code  of Good Practice (G/TBT/CS/ - ) 
G/TBT/CS/1/Add.9 4 March 2005 List of St andardizing Bodies that have Accepted the 
Code of Good Practice for th e Preparation, Adoption and 
Application of Standards in 2004  
(Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.11 4 March 2005  List of Standardizing Bodi es that have Accepted the 
Code of Good Practice for th e Preparation, Adoption and 
Application of Standards since 1 January 1995 
(Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/CS/N/74/Rev.1 21 April 2005 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice  (Guyana) 
G/TBT/CS/N/159 7 March 2005 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice  (Rwanda) 
5. Statements on the Implementation and Ad ministration of the TBT Agreement (G/TBT/2/ - ) 
G/TBT/2/Add.12/Rev.3 18 October 2005 Communication from the European Communities 
G/TBT/2/Add.18/Rev.1 5 July 2005 Communication from Colombia 
G/TBT/2/Add.84 22 Fe bruary 2005 Communication from  the Republic of Macedonia 
G/TBT/2/Add.85 24 February 2005 Communication from the Republic of Rwanda 
G/TBT/2/Add.86 and 
Suppl.1 28 April and 
2 June 2005 Communication from the Republic of Kenya 
6. Other Documents  
G/L/760  
 8 November 2005 Report (2005) of the TBT Committee 
G/TBT/15 4 March 2005 Tenth Annual Review of the Implementation and 
Operation of the TBT Agreement (Note by the 
Secretariat)  
G/TBT/16 8 November 2005 Format for the Voluntary Notification of Specific 
Technical Assistance Needs and Responses (Decision by the Committee) 
G/TBT/17 9 November 2005 Fourth Annual Transitional Review Mandated in 
Paragraph 18 of the Protocol of Accession of the 
People's Republic of China 
G/TBT/ENQ/26 7 March 2005 National Enqu iry Points (Note by the Secretariat) 
7. Job documents (JOB(05)/ - ) 
JOB(05)/29 7 March 2005 22-23 March 2005 TBT Committee Meeting (Annotated 
Draft Agenda) 
JOB(05)/30 7 March 2005 Workshop on Supplier's Declaration of Conformity 
21 March 2005 (Background Note by the Secretariat) 
JOB(05)/33 11 March 2005 On-line Completion of TBT Notification Forms and the 
SPS Information Management  System (Information 
from the Secretariat) 
JOB(05)/93 and Rev.1 (subsequently adopted as 
G/TBT/16) 7 June 2005 and 
5 September 2005 Draft Format for the Voluntary Notification of Specific 
Technical Assistance Needs and Responses (Note by the 
Secretariat) 
JOB(05)/94 8 June 2005 16-17 June 2005 TBT Committee Meeting (Annotated 
Draft Agenda) G/TBT/18 
Page 18  
 
7. Job documents (JOB(05)/ - ) (cont'd) 
JOB(05)/107 14 June 2005 Preparation of the Fourth Triennial Review:  Good 
Regulatory Practice (Bac kground Note by the 
Secretariat) 
JOB(05)/108 and Rev.1 14 June and 
27 October 2005 Workshop on Different Approaches to Conformity 
Assessment – Tentatively Scheduled for March 2005 
(Draft Programme) 
JOB(05)/261 26 October 2005 Preparation of the Fourth Triennial Review:  Conformity 
Assessment Procedures (B ackground Note by the 
Secretariat) 
JOB(05)/265 (adopted as G/TBT/16) 27 October 2005 Draft Format for the Voluntary Notification of Technical 
Assistance Needs and Resp onses (Proposal by the 
Chairman) 
JOB(05)/266 28 October 2005 Fourth Annual Transitional Review Mandated in 
Paragraph 18 of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China (Draft 2005 Report) 
JOB (05)/267 
(issued now as G/L/760) 28 October 2005 Report (2005) of the Committee on Technical Barriers to 
Trade (Draft Report) 
JOB(05)/269 28 October 2005 Preparation of the Fourth Triennial Review:  Special and 
Differential Treatment  (Background Note by the 
Secretariat) 
JOB(05)/270 28 October 2005 2 November 2005 TBT Committee Meeting (Annotated 
Draft Agenda) 
  G/TBT/18 
 Page 19 
 
 
C. SPECIFIC TRADE CONCERNS RAISED IN 2005 
I.    New concerns (14) 
 
1.    Indonesia – Mandatory Standard for Tyre 
Raised by The European Communities 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M35, paras. 4- 5);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 21-22) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/IDN/13  
2.   European Communities – Restriction on the Use of Certain Phthalates in Toys 
Raised by United States;  Japan;  China  
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35, paras. 6-7);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 37-39) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/EEC/82 
3.   China - General Standard for the La belling of Pre-packaged Alcoholic Beverages 
Raised by The European Communities;  United States 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35 paras. 8-9) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/CHN/72  
4.   Malaysia - Hologram Stickers on Pharmaceutical Products 
Raised by United States;  the European Communities 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M /35, paras.10-11);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 30-32) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/MYS/5 
5.   European Communities - Disposable Lighters 
Raised by China 
Dates raised June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 4-6) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/EEC/89 
6.   Korea - Residual Limits and Test Methods for Pe sticide Residues/Heavy Metals in Herbal Medicines 
Raised by China 
Dates raised June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 7-8) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/KOR/84 
7.   China - Administration on the Control of Po llution Caused by Electro nic Information Products 
Raised by Japan;  the European Communities 
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, paras. 3-4) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/CHN/140  
8.   United States - DTV Toner Requirements 
Raised by China  
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, paras. 5-10) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/USA/128 G/TBT/18 
Page 20  
 
 
9.   European Communities – Directive 2005/32 of  the European Parliament and of the Council of 
6 July 2005 establishing a Framewor k for the setting of Ecodesign Re quirements for Energy-using Products 
Raised by China 
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, paras. 11-13) 
Relevant document(s) - 
10.   Japan – Handling of Comments on Notifications 
Raised by China 
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, paras. 14-15) 
Relevant document(s) - 
11.   Colombia - Labelling of Footwear 
Raised by The European Communities 
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, paras. 16-18) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/COL/45 and Addenda 
12.   South Africa - Labelling Requirements for Textiles, Clothing, Shoes and Leather Goods 
Raised by The European Communities;  United States 
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, paras. 19-21) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/ZAF/49 
13.   Peru - Infant Food 
Raised by United States 
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, para. 22) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/PER/11 
14.   China - Health Food 
Raised by United States 
Dates raised November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, para. 23) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/CHN/160 
II.   Previously raised concerns (11)  
 
15.   Korea - Import of Fish Heads  
In 2005, raised by New Zealand;  Iceland;  the European Communities;  Norway 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35 paras. 12 -14);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 33-36) 
First raised in July 2003 (G/TBT/M/30, paras. 37-39) 
Relevant document(s) -  G/TBT/18 
 Page 21 
 
 
16.   European Communities - Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals 
(REACH)  
In 2005, raised by Japan;  United States;  Australia;  Mexico;  Chile;  Cuba;  Korea;  China;  Uruguay 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35, paras. 15-24);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 10-17);  
November 2005 (G/TBT/M/37, paras. 25-32) 
First raised in March 2003 (G/TBT/M/29, paras. 36-44) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/W/208; G/TBT/N/EEC/52 and Add.1  
17.   European Communities - Regulati on on Certain Wine Sector Products  
In 2005, raised by New Zealand;  Australia;  United States; Uruguay;  Mexico 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35, paras. 25-26);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 43-44) 
First raised in October 2001 (G/TBT/M/25, paras. 26-33) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/EEC /15, Corr.1-2; G/TBT/N/EEC/57 
18.   Switzerland - Ordinance on the Emission Level of Passenger Cars with Compression Ignition Engines  
In 2005, raised by Update from Switzerland 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35, para. 27);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, para. 18) 
First raised in July 2004 (G/TBT/M/33, paras. 17-19) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/CHE/39  
19.   United States - Me asure on Refillable Lighters  
In 2005, raised by China 
Dates raised March 2005 (G /TBT/M/35, paras. 28-30) 
First raised in March 2004 (G/TBT/M/32, paras. 5-6) 
Relevant document(s) - 
20.   United States - Co untry of Origin Labelling  
In 2005, raised by Canada;  China 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35, paras. 31-33);  June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, para. 9) 
First raised in June 2002 (G/TBT/M/27, paras. 19-20) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/USA/ 25; G/TBT/N/USA/83 and Corr.1 
21.   Peru - Labelling of Footwear  
In 2005, raised by Update from Peru 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35, paragraph 34) 
First raised in November 2004  (G/TBT/M/34, paras. 8-9) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/PER/1;  G/TBT/N/PER/4 
22.   Mexico - Pre-packaged Products; and  Mexico - Standard for Glazed Pottery Ware, Glazed Ceramic 
Ware and Porcelain Ware  
In 2005, raised by Update from Mexico 
Dates raised March 2005 (G/TBT/M/35, para. 35) 
First raised in November 2004 (G/TBT/M/34, pa ras. 4-5); July 2004 (G/TBT/M/33, paras. 20-21) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/MEX/95;  G/TBT/N/MEX/69 
 G/TBT/18 
Page 22  
 
23.   Brazil - Decree on Beverages and Spirits  
In 2005, raised by Barbados 
Dates raised June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 19-20) 
First raised in November 2003  (G/TBT/M/31, paras. 19-22) 
Relevant document(s) G/TBT/N/BRA/135;  G/TBT/N/BRA/160 
24.   European Communities - Directive 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of the Use of certain Hazardous 
Substances in Electrical and Electro nic Equipment (RoHS) and Directive  2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical 
and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)  
In 2005, raised by United States;  Canada;  China;  Japan;  Mexico 
Dates raised June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 23-29) 
First raised in June 1999 (G/TBT/M/16, paras. 10-11, 16) 
Relevant document(s) - 
25.   New Zealand - Ban on the Importation of Trout  
In 2005, raised by Canada;  Norway 
Dates raised June 2005 (G/TBT/M/36, paras. 40-42) 
First raised in May 2000 (G /TBT/M/19, paras. 14-16) 
Relevant document(s) - 
 
  G/TBT/18 
 Page 23 
 
 
D. NOTIFICATIONS MADE BY MEMBERS AND BY RELEVANT ARTICLES OF THE AGREEMENT IN 
2005  AND SINCE THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE AGREEMENT  
 
Number of notifications made under  
the relevant Articles in 200533 Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2005  2.9 2.10 3.2 5.6 5.7 7.2 Not 
specified Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Albania 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 
Argentina34 27 23 2 0 4 0 0 0 250 
Armenia34 14 14 0 0 9 0 0 0 24 
Australia 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 143 
Austria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
Bahrain 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 
Barbados 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Belgium 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 205 
Benin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
Bolivia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 
Botswana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Brazil34 37 25 0 0 14 0 0 0 313 
Brunei 
Darussalam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Canada34 38 38 0 0 11 0 0 0 287 
Central 
African 
Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Chile 9 7 0 0 2 0 0 0 121 
China34 112 112 0 0 21 0 0 0 175 
Colombia34 11 10 1 0 6 0 0 3 113 
Costa Rica 12 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 48 
Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38 
Cuba 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Cyprus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Czech 
Republic34 15 15 0 0 1 0 0 0 224 
Denmark 8 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 212 
Dominica 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Dominican 
Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 
Ecuador 6 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 
Egypt 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 
El Salvador34 20 20 0 0 17 0 0 0 133 
Estonia 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
European 
Communities34 22 22 0 0 8 0 0 1 281 
                                                      
33 133 notifications were made und er more than one article. 
34 Member notifying under mo re than one article. G/TBT/18 
Page 24  
 
Number of notifications made under  
the relevant Articles in 200533 Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2005  2.9 2.10 3.2 5.6 5.7 7.2 Not 
specified Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Fiji 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Finland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 
France 15 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 115 
Georgia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Ghana35 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 
Grenada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Guatemala35 12 12 0 0 3 0 0 0 43 
Guyana 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 
Honduras 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 
Hong Kong, 
China 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 54 
Hungary35 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 18 
Iceland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
India 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 56 
Indonesia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 
Israel35 52 48 0 0 29 0 0 0 182 
Italy 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 
Jamaica 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 
Japan35 26 23 0 1 3 0 0 0 391 
Jordan 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 
Kenya 12 9 2 0 1 0 0 0 23 
Korea, 
Republic of 19 18 0 0 1 0 0 0 192 
Kuwait 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 
Latvia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 
Lithuania35 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 
Macau, China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Malaysia 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 166 
Mauritius 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 
Mexico35 8 6 0 0 4 0 0 0 293 
Morocco 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
Mongolia 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Netherlands 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 597 
New Zealand 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 53 
Nicaragua 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 62 
Nigeria 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
Norway 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 
Oman35 4 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 
Panama 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 
                                                      
35 Member notifying under mo re than one article.  G/TBT/18 
 Page 25 
 
 
Number of notifications made under  
the relevant Articles in 200533 Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2005  2.9 2.10 3.2 5.6 5.7 7.2 Not 
specified Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Peru 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 
Philippines36 8 8 0 0 4 0 0 0 101 
Poland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Qatar 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 
Romania 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 
Saint Lucia 11 11 0 0 1 0 0 0 42 
Senegal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 
Slovak 
Republic 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 41 
Slovenia36 9 8 0 0 2 0 0 0 49 
South Africa 12 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 101 
Spain 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 67 
Sri Lanka 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 
Sweden 19 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 154 
Switzerland 13 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 130 
Chinese 
Taipei36 12 12 0 0 8 0 0 0 28 
Thailand36 22 19 0 0 10 0 0 0 297 
Trinidad and 
Tobago36 4 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 34 
Tunisia 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 
Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
United 
Kingdom 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 
United States 72 71 0 1 2 0 0 0 365 
Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
Venezuela 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 
Zambia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38 
TOTAL 771 718 14 2 169 0 0 1 6869 
 
                                                      
36 Member notifying under mo re than one article. G/TBT/18 
Page 26  
 
E. OBJECTIVES AND RATIONALES STATED IN NOTIFICATIONS IN 2005 
 
 
 
Objectives and Rationales  
 
First Objective Stated in the 
Notifications Received in 2005  
 
Number of Times that the 
Objective was Mentioned as the 
First, Second or Third Objective 
in the Notifications Received in 
200537 
National security requirements 
 1 1 
Consumer information, labelling 
 22 41 
Prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection  85 142 
Protection of human health or 
safety 431 473 
Protection of animal or plant life 
or health 5 9 
Protection of environment  88 195 
Quality requirements  18 27 
Harmonization  26 35 
Adoption of new domestic law 
and technology 64 66 
Lowering or removal of trade 
barriers - 5 
Trade facilitation  6 7 
Cost saving and increasing productivity 
 - 3 
Others  19 31 
Not specified 
 6 6 
Total  771 - 
 
 
                                                      
37 Among the 771 notifications received, 234 indicate two or more objectives.  G/TBT/18 
 Page 27 
 
 
F. OBSERVATION OF THE RECOMMENDED COMMENT PERIOD BY MEMBERS IN 2005 
 
Number of notifications ma de with comment period 
Members Less than 
45 days 45-59 days 60 days 
or more Not specified, 
lapsed or 
stated as non- 
applicable Of which 
notified under 
Articles 2.10 
and 5.7 Total 
Albania 0 0 3 0 0 3 
Argentina 0 6 1 20 2 27 
Armenia 7 3 4 0 0 14 
Australia 1 5 2 0 0 8 
Bahrain 2 0 0 1 0 3 
Barbados 3 0 0 0 0 3 
Brazil 16 2 10 9 0 37 
Canada 1 6 29 2 0 38 
Chile 0 0 8 1 0 9 
China 0 0 111 1 0 112 
Colombia 0 0 10 1 1 11 
Costa Rica 0 0 12 0 0 12 
Czech Republic 0 11 4 0 0 15 
Denmark 1 4 2 1 1 8 
Dominica 0 0 10 0 0 10 
Ecuador 0 0 4 2 1 6 
Egypt 0 0 3 0 0 3 
El Salvador 0 0 20 0 0 20 
Estonia 0 0 1 0 0 1 
European 
Communities 5 0 17 0 0 22 
France 4 0 4 7 0 15 
Ghana 0 0 2 0 0 2 
Guatemala 0 0 12 0 0 12 
Guyana 0 0 1 0 0 1 
Honduras 0 0 10 0 0 10 
Hong Kong, China 0 0 1 0 0 1 
Hungary 1 0 0 0 0 1 
India 0 0 0 2 0 2 
Israel 0 1 51 0 0 52 
Italy 0 0 1 0 0 1 
Jamaica 3 0 0 0 0 3 
Japan 2 7 17 0 0 26 
Jordan 0 1 0 0 0 1 
Kenya 0 0 12 0 0 12 
Korea, Republic of 4 6 8 1 0 19 
Kuwait 0 1 0 0 0 1 
Lithuania 0 0 1 0 0 1 
Malaysia 0 0 1 1 0 2 
Mauritius 0 0 0 2 2 2 
Mexico 1 7 0 0 0 8 
Mongolia 0 0 0 1 1 1 
Morocco 1 0 1 0 0 2 
Netherlands 0 1 1 0 0 1 
New Zealand 1 0 1 0 0 2 G/TBT/18 
Page 28  
 
Number of notifications ma de with comment period 
Members Less than 
45 days 45-59 days 60 days 
or more Not specified, 
lapsed or 
stated as non- 
applicable Of which 
notified under 
Articles 2.10 
and 5.7 Total 
Nicaragua 0 0 18 0 0 8 
Nigeria 1 0 0 0 0 1 
Norway 0 1 2 1 0 4 
Oman 0 0 3 1 0 4 
Panama 0 1 1 5 0 7 
Peru 0 1 1 1 1 3 
Philippines 2 2 2 2 0 8 
Qatar 0 0 4 0 0 4 
Romania 1 0 8 0 0 9 
Saint Lucia 0 1 10 0 0 11 
Slovak Republic 0 0 2 0 0 2 
Slovenia 1 2 6 0 0 9 
South Africa 6 4 1 1 0 12 
Sweden 0 2 17 0 0 19 
Switzerland 0 4 9 0 0 12 
Chinese Taipei 1 3 8 0 0 12 
Thailand 0 0 22 0 0 22 
Trinidad and 
Tobago 1 3 0 0 0 4 
Tunisia 0 1 2 0 0 3 
United Kingdom 0 0 2 0 0 2 
United States 13 27 32 0 0 72 
Venezuela 0 0 2 0 0 2 
TOTAL 79 112 517 63 9 771 
  G/TBT/18 
 Page 29 
 
 
G. TBT  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UNDERTAKEN BY THE WTO  SECRETARIAT IN 2005 
1. Geneva-Based Events 
 
Date Activity Participants Venue Organized by 
21 March TBT Workshop on 
Supplier's Declaration of 
Conformity (SDoC) Capital-based participants 
from 92 developing 
country Members  Geneva WTO 
 
2. Regional Workshops 
 
Date Region/Participants Venue Organized by Organizations' 
Participation 
18-19 January  Asia and Pacific Taipei, 
Chinese 
Taipei WTO UNIDO 
18-20 October  Africa (Southern) Windhoek, 
Namibia  WTO  Codex, IEC, 
ISO, SADC 
30 November – 
2 December  Caribbean Port of Spain, 
Trinidad and 
Tobago WTO CARICOM, 
CROSQ, IEC, 
ISO 
 
3. Member Workshops  
Date Member/Scope Organized by Organizations' 
Participation 
20 January  Chinese Taipei (Back-to-back with the 
regional workshop)  WTO - 
5-6 December Peru WTO UNIDO 
 
4. Participation in Activities Organized by Other Agencies  
Date Activity Venue Organized by 
6–7 April  Training course for Arab 
Countries Stockholm, Sweden SIDA / SWEDAC 
25-26 May  Regional Seminar on TBT and 
SPS for Azerbaijan, 
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and the 
Kyrgyz Republic Baku, Azerbaijan Islamic Development Bank 
(IsDB) 
30 May – 1 June  Sub-regional workshop for 
English speaking JITAP African 
countries Lilongwe, Malawi ITC (JITAP) 
22-24 June  Workshop on influencing and 
meeting international standards Geneva, 
Switzerland ITC / COMSEC 
8-11 November  Sub-regional workshop for 
French speaking JITAP African 
countries Bamako, Mali ITC (JITAP) G/TBT/18 
Page 30  
 
5. Trade Policy Courses Covering, inter alia , the TBT Agreement 
 
(i) Geneva-Based 
 
Date Name of course (language) Organized by 
Jan. – Apr. 2005 31st and 32nd Trade Policy Course (English) WTO (ITTC) 
May – Jul. 2005 33rd  Trade Policy Course (French) WTO (ITTC) 
Sep. – Dec. 2005 34th Trade Policy Course (English) WTO (ITTC) 
 
(ii) Regional  
 
Date Region Venue Organized by 
15 February 2005 Caribbean Jamaica WTO (ITTC) 
14 June 2005 Asia / Pacific Hong Kong, China WTO (ITTC) 
14-15 July 2005 Africa (English 
speaking) Namibia WTO (ITTC) 
5 August 2005 Africa (French 
speaking) Morocco WTO (ITTC) 
10 October 2005 Latin America Chile WTO (ITTC) 
  
 
__________