. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/622 
23 January 2006 
 (06-0294) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
REGIONALIZATION 
 
Communication from Mexico
 
  
 The following communication, received on 19 January 2006, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of Mexico.  
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1. Mexico welcomes the exchange of ideas and experiences on regionalization that has taken 
place in the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phyt osanitary Measures (SPS Committee).  As it has 
done on previous occasions, Mexico wishes to continue taking an active part in this exercise and has 
therefore revised document G/SPS/GEN/440, circul ated to the SPS Committee on 28 October 2003, in 
order to update the information it contains. 
2. Mexico also reiterates the comments and proposals it put forward in communications 
G/SPS/GEN/388 of 1 May 2003 and G/SPS/W/166 of  27 October 2004, both relating to the 
implementation of Article 6 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures (SPS Agreement). 
3. Mexico considers it most important that the regionalization issue should be analysed and 
discussed in the SPS Committee, and especially the role played by the relevant international 
organizations and their subsidiary bodies, in pa rticular the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the 
World Organization for Animal Health and the in ternational and regional organizations operating 
within the framework of the International Plant Pr otection Convention.  Mexico believes that this 
discussion should be foremost on the agenda of the SPS Committee and that its key objective should 
be to avoid duplication of functions and effo rts between these organizations and the SPS Committee 
and to improve the application and implemen tation of Article 6 of the SPS Agreement. 
4. With the broadening and deepening of interna tional trade, recognition of disease-free or low-
prevalence areas is becoming increasingly important in  ensuring the free flow of goods.  Nevertheless, 
there are still marked differences between Member s regarding the interpretation and implementation 
of the standards and guidelines of the relevant in ternational organizations, which derives from the 
right to determine the level of sanitary or phyto sanitary protection guaranteed under Article 3 of the 
SPS Agreement. 
5. Although as a general rule countries apply most of the standards, guidelines and 
recommendations of the relevant international organizations, this has not always led to a 
harmonization of standards among Members or imme diate recognition of compliance with standards 
in the case of imports.  In other words, even though Members recognize and apply the instruments 
developed by the international organizations compet ent in the field of regionalization, this does not 
necessarily imply immediate acceptance of an ar ea's status as disease-free or of low disease 
prevalence;  the reason is that Members usually a pply their own internal procedures for the purpose, G/SPS/GEN/622 
Page 2  
 
  which is consistent with the provisions of Artic les 3 and 6 of the SPS Agreement, despite the undue 
delays and the absence of legal certainty this entails. 
Proposals
: 
6. Mexico believes that the SPS Committee should discuss the question of how to improve the 
application and implementation of Article 6 of the SPS Agreement, the role played by the relevant 
international organizations with re gard to this provision and the way in which they can contribute to 
raising the levels of trust, transparency and certa inty in the process of applying the regionalization 
principle. 
7. Irrespective of the above, Mexico considers that the SPS Committee should remind Members 
of how important it is for them to harmonize, wit hout prejudice to the provisions of Article 3 of the 
SPS Agreement, their sanitary and p hytosanitary measures with respect to the standards, guidelines 
and recommendations set by the relevant internati onal organizations for the recognition of pest- or 
disease-free areas or areas of low pest or disease prevalence. 
8. The Committee therefore needs to invite the rele vant international organizations to step up 
their efforts to prepare or update standards, gui delines or recommendations on regionalization and to 
inform the SPS Committee of developments in this regard. 
9. Lastly, it is necessary to define what role the SPS Committee should play in regionalization 
matters, considering that, on the basis of Articles 3 and 6 of the SPS Agreement, Members are entitled 
to depart from the standards, guidelines and re commendations of the relevant international 
organizations and apply their own requirements fo r recognizing an area's free or low prevalence 
status. 
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