RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANISATION  S/WPGR/M/70 
17 November 2010 
 (10-6143) 
Working Party on GATS Rules  
  
 
REPORT OF THE MEETING HELD ON 28 SEPTEMBER 2010 
 
Note by the Secretariat
1 
  
1. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Gabriela Kules za from Poland.  The agenda for the meeting 
was contained in WTO/AIR/3611.
2  The agenda was adopted. 
I. NEGOTIATIONS ON EMERGENCY SAFEGUARD MEASURES UNDER 
ARTICLE X OF THE GATS   
2. On emergency safeguard measures (ESM), the Chairperson  recalled that, at the informal 
meeting of the Working Party on 14 Septembe r 2010, Members had agreed to postpone the 
presentation focused on ESM-relevant data until after the discussion of the updated Secretariat Note 
on international trade statistics in services in the Services Council.3  The updated Secretariat Note, it 
was felt, would provide a good basis for a more focused  treatment of this subject within the context of 
ESM negotiations.  The updated Secretariat Note on international trade statistics in services would be 
available towards the end of 2010.  Its discussion in the Council was foreseen to take place in the 
February 2011 cluster. 
3. With respect to a dedicated discussion on statistics in the context of emergency safeguards, 
the representative of the Philippines , on behalf of the delegations  of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, 
Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam  agreed with the way forward 
proposed by the Chair.   
4. The Chairperson  proposed to revert back to this item at the Working Party's next meeting in 
November 2010.  
II. NEGOTIATIONS ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT UNDER ARTICLE XIII 
OF THE GATS 
5. Turning to government procurement, the Chairperson  recalled that the delegation of the 
European Union had circulated a proposal for de dicated discussions, over the coming months, on the 
wider aspects of government procurement.4  The EU's submission included more detailed indications 
regarding possible topics, timing and the organisa tion of such dedicated discussions.  The first 
proposed session, foreseen for the November 2010 clus ter, would be devoted to the economic and 
development aspects of government procurement in services.   
                                                      
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to 
the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  
2 An annotated agenda for the meeting was circ ulated in the document JOB/SERV/24 dated 22 
September 2010. 
3 Update of the 2006 Note of the Secretariat en titled "A Review of Sta tistics on Trade Flows in 
Services", contained in the document S/C/W/27/Add.2. 
4 Contained in RD/SERV/23 dated 24 September 2010. S/WPGR/M/70 
Page 2  
 
  6. The delegate of the European Union
 presented its proposal for future work on government 
procurement in services.  Building upon contributio ns received from Members, the plan aimed at 
injecting new impetus into the discussions by analysing the economic importance of government 
procurement in services and sharing national e xperiences.  It proposed topics for dedicated 
discussions over the next three sessions of the Worki ng Party.  The first dedicated session, tentatively 
scheduled for November 2010, would focus on the economic importance of procurement in services 
in developed and developing countries, as we ll as on the importance of procurement markets 
internationally: in particular how  domestic procurement systems, as well as international rules and 
commitments affected the ability to trade in procurement.  On these more general themes, input could 
be sought from external experts, from academia and/ or international organisations including the WTO 
Secretariat.  At the second dedicated session, planned for early 2011, it was proposed that Members 
share experiences regarding their national procurement systems as well as access to foreign procurement markets.  Ideally, this session – which would rely on presentations by Members – should 
take place back-to-back with a meeting of the Committee on Government Procurement to benefit 
from the presence of GPA experts.  A third  session would draw conclusions from the previous 
discussions and review the possible way forward. 
7. The delegate of the United States
 expressed its appreciation to the EU for helping to re-
energize and rebalance the discussions in the Wo rking Party by making concrete proposals with 
respect to the way forward.  Having received this  proposal very recently, his delegation needed more 
time to consider it further, specifically with regard  to the timing.  On the latter, he hoped that the 
Chair could conduct informal consultations.  He  reiterated the importance that the work on 
government procurement in the WPGR be c onducted in coordination with GPA experts. 
8. The representative of Pakistan  welcomed the EU's proposal for a dedicated discussion on 
government procurement as being very timely.  He  suggested adding the following items for the first 
session:  an outline of existing services-related comm itments under the GPA and how they operated; a 
description of the scope of possible future disciplines and/or commitments on government 
procurement under the GATS; and what w ould be entailed for non-GPA Parties. 
9. The delegate of Japan  supported the EU's proposal for dedicated sessions on the wider 
economic and developmental aspects of governme nt procurement.  In order to address 
comprehensively the developmental dimension of government procurement, it would be useful to 
present concrete developing country examples. 
10. The representative of Switzerland  thanked the EU for proposing dedicated discussions on 
government procurement in services, an initiative which his delegation supported.  He associated 
himself with the remark made by the United Stat es on the time constraints faced by the Working Party 
faced at its forthcoming meeting in November 2010.   
11. The delegate of Switzerland speaking in hi s capacity as Chairman of the GPA Committee  
confirmed that he stood ready to contribute to th e dedicated discussions proposed by the European 
Union, as did the GPA experts of the WTO Secretaria t.  Apart from time and logistical constraints 
faced by GPA experts, they would be happy to participate in the discussions.          
12. The representative of Chile  welcomed the EU's proposal to carry out dedicated sessions on 
the economic and developmental asp ects of government procurement in services.  In relation to the 
sharing of national experiences (item 2), he suggested that the Working Party addressed recent reforms and market openings undertaken by a number of countries in this regard.  Various countries 
had undertaken commitments on government procur ement under their regional and/or free trade 
agreements.  Analysing the market openings resulti ng from these agreements would help inform the 
discussions of the Working Party.  Secondly, he s upported the comment made by Pakistan on the need 
to analyse possible consequences of a modificati on in the area of government procurement under the  S/WPGR/M/70 
 Page 3 
 
 
  GATS, notably its impact on the GPA.  Finally, with respect to timing, his only concern with 
commencing the dedicated discussions on government  procurement in November 2010 was that the 
latter should not impinge negatively on the information exchange on subsidies scheduled to take place 
at that meeting.   
13. The delegate of Canada  commended the EU's proposal as a good way forward.  Noting a 
certain duplication between the second bullet under  the first session and the second session, he 
advocated focusing the first session on its first bullet point, i.e., on the "[e]conomic importance of 
government procurement in services in developed and developing countries".  In session 2, a good 
balance between developed and de veloping countries' experiences w as of the essence.  Regarding 
session 3, he considered that the term "Conclusions " could be replaced by something along the lines 
of "Exploration for further WPGR work on government procurement in services". 
14. The representative of Norway  supported the scope and objectiv es of, as well as the activities 
suggested in the EU proposal.  She echoed other sp eakers regarding possible time constraints at the 
November cluster, both with regard to the overall programme of services negotiations and with regard 
to the GPA negotiations, as alluded to also by the GPA Chair. 
15. In reply to comments on the timing, the delegate of the European Union  suggested that the 
November cluster session could concentrate on the very first topic only, namely: the "Economic 
importance of government procurement in services in  developed and developing countries", provided 
a suitable academic expert could be identified.  Th e overlap between the sessions was deliberate.  It 
would allow discussing the topics from a general/acade mic, a GPA as well as a GATS point of view.  
The questions raised by the delegate of Pakistan we re important and ought to be addressed.          
16. The Chairperson  concluded that she would consult further in order to finalise the 
arrangements for the dedicated discussion in November. 
III. NEGOTIATIONS ON SUBSIDIES UNDER ARTICLE XV OF THE GATS 
17. Turning to subsidies and to the work progra mme on information exchange, the Chairperson  
reported that 15 submissions had been received so  far (counting the EU as one).  These had been 
circulated in documents JOB/SERV/Add.1 to 9.  Counting individual Member States of the EU, the 
submissions covered 41 WTO Members which, t ogether, represented over 75 per cent of world 
services exports.  The submissions on the table provid ed a significantly greater coverage of Members 
as compared to the five submissions previously received from 1997 to 2005.5  This constituted a good 
start.  The Chair encouraged delegations that ha d not yet done so to submit their responses as soon as 
possible. 
18. At its informal meeting of 14 September 2010,  the Working Party had held a preliminary 
exchange of views on the timing and substance of the dedicated discussion on subsidies.  The main 
elements discussed at the informal meeting and th e Chairperson's thoughts on the way forward were 
contained in the annotated agenda for that mee ting (JOB/SERV/24).  Based on these, the Chairperson 
opened the floor for comments.  
19. The representative of Chile  expressed his satisfaction with the way the Work Programme had 
developed.  The fifteen new submissions represente d a positive signal and important step forward.  
The Work Programme was a useful process for the Wo rking Party and provided an incentive for those 
delegations who had not yet done so to present info rmation on their subsidy schemes.  His delegation 
                                                      
5 The five submissions concerned: Norway; New Zealand; Hong Kong, China; Poland; and 
Switzerland.  They are contai ned in S/WPGR/W/16/Add.1-5. 
 S/WPGR/M/70 
Page 4  
 
  had submitted such information, as contained in th e document SERV/1/Add.2.  His delegation was in 
favour of a dedicated session.  The latter would provi de the opportunity to analyse in more detail the 
information contained in the submissions, and to  exchange questions and answers for further 
clarification.  This should serve as a basis for future work under Article XV of the GATS.  The 
November cluster was the appropriate time for such  a dedicated session.  He had already informed his 
authorities so that they could prepare for that meeti ng in the best possible way.  He was interested in 
hearing other delegations' views on how the dedicated session should best be organized. 
20. The delegate of Pakistan
 informed that his delegation inte nded to submit a response covering 
at least two services sectors, and was looking forward to the dedicated discussion in November 2010. 
21. The representative of Hong Kong, China  welcomed the fact that other delegations had 
announced their intention to provide submissions.  He  concurred with the approach suggested for the 
November meeting, as outlined in paragraphs 8 and 9 of the Chairperson's annotated agenda.6  His 
delegation had already provided responses to the Questionnaire on Subsidies during the previous 
round of information exchange.7  In this new round, they had submitted updated information 
regarding their subsidy measures, a number of whic h pertained to the financial services sector.  They 
hoped that their contribution would help Members to  explore the various aspects of subsidies, in 
fulfilment of the GATS Article XV mandate.  His delegation supported having a dedicated discussion 
in November 2010 so that Members can exchange  views and comments, and pose questions on the 
information provided.  Questions should be distri buted sufficiently in advance to the meeting for 
recipient Members to prepare themselves.  Hong  Kong, China was looking forward to receiving 
questions on its submission.  While the information exchange was a step in the right direction, he 
hoped that the dedicated session would facilitate th e Working Party's subsequent discussions on 
possible disciplines in fulfilment of the mandate in GATS Article XV.    
22. The delegate of Mexico  informed that they had contributed to the information exchange with 
a communication on subsidies in the audiovisual sector.8  The latter did not follow the format 
suggested in the Work Programme.  Instead, it made  use of the flexibility offered therein.  Her 
delegation was open to any question that Members might have on Mexico's  communication, and was 
flexible as to the format of the dedicated sessi on in November.  Their capital would analyse the 
submissions received and raise questions. 
23. The representative of the United States  informed that his capital was reviewing the various 
submissions, both on their own merit and in cross- reference with other goods -related information.  
Certain linkages had been noted in some of thes e programmes and were being studied carefully.  
Whilst fifteen submissions represented a fair amount, they still reflected only a small minority of 
WTO Members.  Some of the largest participants in the services sector had not made submissions yet.  
The productivity of a dedicated session in November depended on achieving a sufficient number of submissions covering a broad spectrum of Members.  It appeared that some demandeurs had in mind 
subsidy disciplines, which would restrict some of  the policies and programmes that had been put 
forward.  The simple coverage of trade seemed not a particularly relevant statistic in this regard.  To 
gain a more accurate view of the subsidy pr ogrammes and the policies involved throughout WTO 
Members, broader participation of a cross-secti on of Members in the information exchange was 
needed. 
                                                     
 
6 Annotated Agenda by the Chairperson dated 22 September 2010 contained in document 
JOB/SERV/24. 
7 Communication of Hong Kong, China dated 23 July 1999 contained in document 
S/WPGR/W/16/Add.3. 
8 Communication from Mexico dated 17 August 2010 contained in JOB/SERV/1/Add.4.  S/WPGR/M/70 
 Page 5 
 
 
  24. The delegate of India  thanked all the Members who had made a submission.  These 
submissions contributed to the fulfilment of a 15-y ear-old mandate, albeit only partially.  At least, 
with some Members having submitted information to  the best of their understanding, the Working 
Party had been able to move forward.  More ti me should be given to Members who were in the 
process of submitting information.  Similarly, more  time was needed for Members to go through the 
submissions and analyse them.  India welcomed th e idea of a dedicated discussion in the November 
cluster.  His delegation was open with respect to the format, and supported the approach suggested by 
the Chairperson in her annotated agenda.  As echoe d by various Members, India looked forward to the 
fulfilment of the other part of the GATS Article XV mandate, namely to enter into negotiations with a 
view to developing the necessary multilateral disciplin es to avoid trade-distortive effects of subsidies 
in certain circumstances.  Regarding its submissi on, India had provided information on some of the 
subsidies provided by the central government.  I ndia did not have a centralised database for all 
subsidies, and information on subsidies granted by mi nistries was not readily available.  To participate 
in the information exchange, the Ministry of  Commerce had requested information from all 
Ministries.  The subsidies in the sectors of science and technology, tourism, and rural development 
were selected for the information exchange.  The subsidies schemes detailed in the submission were 
in consonance with the development needs of a developing country like India.  They had been designed to increase growth in sectors, which ha d not received attention from private commercial 
enterprises.  These schemes were part of India's polic y to promote equitable and sustainable growth.  
Moreover, the schemes were non-di scriminatory and available to all enterprises who were working 
towards fulfilling the schemes' objectives.  
25. The representative of Brazil
 informed that his delegation intended to send its submission 
shortly, and hoped that it would contribute to the discussion on subsidy disciplines. 
26. The delegate of Japan  encouraged those Members who had not yet done so, to submit 
information on their subsidy schemes as soon as possibl e.  He suggested that the WTO Secretariat 
examine and classify the responses received, for exampl e according to the form of the subsidy or the 
CPC code involved.  Further consideration was needed on how to best process and categorise the 
submissions.  Given the specificity and complexity of subsidies in services, disciplines that had been 
devised for the trade in goods could not readily be  applied to services.  The relationship between 
service subsidies and any trade-distortive effects need ed to be analysed on a sector-by-sector basis.  
Also, concrete examples of possible trade-distortiv e effects faced by business should be taken into 
account when developing possible disciplines. 
27. In reply to the delegate of Japan, a representative of the Secretariat  explained that the 
Secretariat would need to reflect further on how to best present the submissions received so far.  A categorization by CPC code may not be the most appr opriate approach.  A classification by the nature 
or form of the measure at hand – or some other, more analytical presentation – may yield a more useful picture.  The Secretariat would come back  to Members with a better considered response. 
28. The delegate of Norway
 expressed her delegation's commitment to the information exchange 
on subsidies and hoped to circulate its submission shortly. 
29. The representative of Korea  referred to its submission as contained in JOB/SERV/Add.8.  The 
information provided related to government support programmes and incentives to attract foreign 
direct investment for road passenger transportatio n services.  He hoped that all Members concerned 
would participate in the information exchange exercise as mandated by Article XV of the GATS.  
Korea was supportive of a dedicated session in Nove mber and was open and flexible on its format. 
30. The delegate of New Zealand  thanked the Members that had already submitted their response, 
as well as those like Pakistan, Brazil and Norway, whic h were finalising theirs.  Like the Chairperson 
and other Members, New Zealand felt encouraged by the improved level of responses, as compared S/WPGR/M/70 
Page 6  
 
  with the handful of submissions received between  1997 and 2005.  Nonetheless, New Zealand shared 
the view of the United States and others that  the responses received represented only a small 
proportion of the membership.  There was still scope  for improvement, and she encouraged additional 
Members to circulate their submission ahead of the dedicated discussion.  New Zealand was still analysing the details of the responses received.  Th ere seemed to be a great variety in the quantity, 
clarity and quality of the information provided.  Members varied significantly in their approaches, 
regarding the definition of subsidies as well as the su bsidies included in the submissions.  A dedicated 
discussion would be a useful step in making greater sen se of the data submitted.  It would also allow 
the opportunity to seek clarifications and to begin identifying potential systemic issues, which may be 
addressed within the scope of the GATS Article XV mandate.    
31. New Zealand's submission included information on grants and loans available in the areas of 
education, broadcasting including M āori broadcasting, film produc tion and business development.  
These were available, variously, on a sectoral or cross- sectoral basis.  All of the subsidies and grants 
cited were open to any company operating in New Zealand regardless of ownership, and were non-
contingent on export performance. The informati on in the submission was hopefully clear and self-
explanatory, however, her delegation was happy to  take questions from interested Members, 
preferably in writing in advance of any dedicated discussion. 
32. The representative of China
 informed that they intended to provide a submission shortly.  In 
this regard, the lack of a clear definition of subs idies and the broad coverage of the questionnaire had 
posed difficulties, especially for developing Members.   China wished to emphasise, as stated in the 
Chairperson's work programme, that Members had th e flexibility to submit information, which they 
considered relevant and which coul d be limited in scope as a start.  His delegation looked forward to 
further focussed discussions on the basis of this information, keeping in mind that the ultimate 
objective of the exercise was to identify particul ar problems associated with services subsidies. 
33. The delegate of Switzerland  thanked the delegations that had contributed to the Work 
Programme.  The submissions currently on the table,  including the ones made in the past, and the ones 
foreshadowed at this meeting constituted a good star t.  However, the result remained incomplete on at 
least two accounts: firstly, with regard to the content of the submissions and the sectors covered 
therein; and secondly, because not all the Members had contributed.  He re minded delegations that, 
beyond the Work Programme, there was a mandat e which called on all Members to "exchange 
information concerning all subsidies related to trade in services that they provide[d] to their domestic 
suppliers".  He noted that the absence of a clear, common definition of what constituted a subsidy had 
not prevented delegations who wished to do so to provide information.  It would be interesting if 
delegations that had provided res ponses could report on the problems, if any, they had encountered 
when collecting the information. 
34. The representative of Canada  informed that his delegation had circulated replies to the 
questionnaire and stood ready to discuss the submissions  received.  In this connection, it looked as if 
there was a good consensus for November.  Canada's  responses had been submitted without prejudice 
to its present and future position at the WTO.  Fina lly, once the Secretariat had looked into a possible 
format to present the submissions, Members should be apprised of the suggestion. 
35. A representative of the Secretariat  suggested that an initial discussion of the responses that 
had been submitted might help in refining further po ssible analytical work to  be carried out by the 
Secretariat.  Such a discussion could help identif y some crosscutting themes that may deserve a more 
detailed analysis.  Further thought was needed be fore coming forward with more concrete ideas. 
36. Echoing the sentiment expressed by Canada, the delegate of the United States  believed that, 
once the Secretariat had informed the Chairperson of the kind of work it thought was feasible, the 
Chairperson should conduct consultations with Member s.  Concurring with the Secretariat's view, the  S/WPGR/M/70 
 Page 7 
 
 
  U.S. delegate noted that the more responses were rece ived, the better the Secretariat analysis could be.  
He saw no particular hurry for the Secretariat to  begin compiling data before a critical mass of 
responses was achieved.  A more fulsome discussion in November would provide a sounder basis in 
this regard. 
37. The Chairperson  took note and expressed her readiness to conduct consultations on possible 
analytical work to be carried out by the Secretariat following the dedicated discussion. 
38. Echoing previous speakers, the repr esentative of the European Union  encouraged those 
Members who had not yet done so to submit informat ion on their subsidy regimes.  Achieving a wide 
range of responses and an extensive coverage of Members would facilitate the Working Group's 
discussions: notably regarding how Members had appro ached the definition of a subsidy; and whether 
concrete cases of services subsidisation, or potential similarities with subsidies in the goods sector had 
been identified.  She noted that the submissions rece ived so far did not shed much light on any trade-
distortive effects encountered in relation to subsidies. 
39. The European Union had a quite unique system of state-aid control whereby subsidies that 
distorted or threatened to distort intra-EU compe tition were prohibited.  The EU Treaty allowed some 
exemptions from this general ban: e.g., for aid promoting the economic development in areas with 
abnormally low standard of living or serious unemp loyment; or for aid facilitating the development of 
certain economic activities where such aid did not adve rsely affect trading conditions contrary to the 
common interest.  The EU's submission was an update of an earlier one made in 2000.  Starting with a 
general presentation of the EU regime for state ai d in the services area, the communication went on to 
provide concrete examples of state aid measures, both at the EU and at the EU Member-State level.  
Her delegation stood ready to share its state-aid-c ontrol experience with other interested Members. 
40. Presenting his delegation's submission9, the delegate of Chinese Taipei  noted that difficulties 
had been encountered due to the lack of a commonl y agreed definition of what constituted a subsidy, 
as had been alluded to by other delegations.  For the purpose of this information exchange, Chinese 
Taipei had used the definition as set out in Article 1 of the Agreement on Subsidies and 
Countervailing Measures (ASCM).  Nonetheless, this approach did not reflect its position regarding 
the definition of services subsidies in future ne gotiations.  The submission had no legal value and 
could not be used against Chinese Taipei in the c ontext of any WTO dispute settlement proceedings.  
His delegation also reserved its right to add to or amend these responses in light of future discussions by the WPGR on issues that may further clarify the scope and nature of potential disciplines of 
subsidy measures related to services.  Chinese Ta ipei's response included two subsidy programmes 
granted by the government.  One was the Pref erential Loans to Promote Service Industry 
Development, which applied to multiple service sectors and was thus denoted as a "horizontal 
measure".  The other was the Private Universiti es Development Promotion Programme, which applied 
only to the higher education service sector.  
41. Chinese Taipei was looking forward to a lively de bate in the November cluster.  His capital 
was still reviewing the submissions.  As far as the organisation of the dedicated discussion was 
concerned, his delegation was open to the Chairper son's proposed way forward.  He especially liked 
the idea of having written questions in advance of the meeting, for the better preparation of 
responding Members.  Setting an indicative timefram e for the written questions could help in this 
regard.  His delegation was also interested in Japan's preliminary suggestion regarding possible 
assistance from the Secretariat so as to achieve a better outcome from the dedicated discussion, and 
was looking forward to consultations in this regard. 
                                                     
 
9 Contained in JOB/SERV/1/Add.9, dated 27 September 2010. S/WPGR/M/70 
Page 8  
 
  42. The representative of Turkey
 stressed that its response ha d been submitted within the 
deadline, and thanked all the delegations who ha d done likewise.  The purpose of its subsidy 
programme, which provided state encouragements to investments, was to orient savings to higher 
value-added investments; to increase production and employment; ensure continuity of investment 
propensity and the sustainable development; encourag e large investments contributing to international 
competitiveness and employing high  technologies; stimulate direct foreign investment; reduce 
regional development disparities; and support inv estments for environmental protection and R&D 
activities.  The subsidies generally took the form  of customs duties exemptions, value-added tax 
exemptions, tax reductions, social security premiu m support or land allocati on.  Her delegation was 
looking forward to the dedicated discussion in Nove mber, and was open to any questions regarding its 
submission.  Based on the content of the responses received so far, however, it seemed very difficult 
to draw conclusions on the trade distortive effects of subsidies. 
43. The Chairperson  took note that nearly all delegations agreed to have a dedicated discussion in 
November.  She thanked delegations for their produc tive and useful comments.  She recalled that, at 
the next cluster, the dedicated discussion would be conducted as a separate item under the Working 
Party.  The purpose of the discussion would be to allow Members to exchange views and comments 
on the information provided, and to consider any systemic issues that could be relevant for the 
negotiations. In this regard, dele gations were encouraged to prov ide written inputs, which may take 
any form deemed appropriate – e.g., formal or informal documents – in advance of the meeting for 
circulation by the Secretariat.  No particular outcome was envisaged for the dedicated discussion.  
Though in keeping with the Article XV mandate, it w ould be up to each delegation to decide whether 
there were any issues that should be taken up in the negotiations on necessary multilateral disciplines.  
The Chairperson also mentioned that she would hol d consultations on the point made by Japan with 
respect to a possible note by the Secretariat.   
44. Turning to the Swiss proposal on disciplines fo r export subsidies, the Chairperson recalled 
that, at the Working Party's last meeting, the idea of a paragraph-by-paragraph discussion had been 
floated.  So far, only limited feedback had been prov ided on this approach.  She thus opened the floor 
for Members' views. 
45. The delegate of Switzerland  recalled that its proposal, in the form of a room document, was 
first introduced at the Working Party's meeting of 1 February 2010.10  Following that presentation, a 
number of delegates had posed questions and made co mments.  The answers to the latter were to be 
found in the report of the WPGR meeting of April 2010.11  Switzerland further explained the 
reasoning behind its proposal at the WPGR's July 2010 meeting.12  He invited Members to review 
these elements.  His delegation stood ready to answ er any additional questions or reactions that 
Members may have. 
46. Since there were no further comments at this stage, the Chairperson  proposed to revert back 
to this item at the next meeting.  In the meantime , she would continue her informal consultations with 
Members on this issue. 
IV. OTHER BUSINESS 
47. No topics were raised under this agenda item. 
__________ 
                                                      
10 See paragraphs 38-43 of the report of the WPGR meeting held on 1 February 2010 (S/WPGR/M/67). 
11 See paragraphs 24-27 of the report of the WPGR meeting held on 27 April 2010 (S/WPGR/M/68). 
12 See paragraphs 51-56 of the report of the WPGR meeting held on 1 July 2010 (S/WPGR/M/69).