WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/15 
4 March 2005 
 (05-0953) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  
 
 
TENTH ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND 
OPERATION OF THE TBT AGREEMENT 
 
 
Note by the Secretariat  
 
 
 
   
 
 
1. The Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade1 (the Committee) will conduct its tenth annual 
review under Article 15.3 of the Agreement on Technical  Barriers to Trade (the Agreement) at its next 
meeting on 22 March 2005.  This document contai ns information on developments in the Committee 
relating to the implementation and operatio n of the TBT Agreement from 1 January 
to 31 December 2004.  
 
I. MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE ....................................................................................2  
II. TRANSPARENCY PROCEDURES.......................................................................................3  
III. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL 
TREATMENT...................................................................................................................... .....7 
IV. DISPUTES INVOLVING PROVISIONS OF THE TBT AGREEMENT...........................8  
V. ANNEXES ........................................................................................................................ .......12  
A. LIST OF WTO  MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS ..........................................................................12  
B. LIST OF TBT  DOCUMENTS ISSUED DURING THE YEAR 2004...............................................14  
C. NOTIFICATIONS MADE BY MEMBERS AND BY RELEVANT ARTICLES OF THE 
AGREEMENT IN 2004  AND SINCE THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE AGREEMENT ................18  
D. OBJECTIVES AND RATIONALES STATED IN NOTIFICATIONS IN 2004 ...................................21  
E. OBSERVATION OF THE RECOMMENDED COMMENT PERIOD BY MEMBERS IN 2004 ............22  
F. TBT  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UNDERTAKEN BY THE WTO  SECRETARIAT IN 2004 ...........24  
 
                                                      
1 For general information on membership and documentation 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/15 
Page 2  
 
 I. MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE 
2. The Committee, pursuant to Article 13.1 of the Agreement and to the Rules of Procedure, 
elected Mr. Sudhakar Dalela (India) as its Chairperson for the year 2004-2005. 
3. Three meetings were held in 2004 (23 March, 1 July and 4 November 2004).2  A t  t h e s e  
meetings, the Committee heard statements by te n Members informing the Committee of measures 
taken to ensure the implementation and administration of the Agreement.3  Twenty seven specific 
trade concerns were brought to the attention of th e Committee with regard to their potential adverse 
trade effects, or inconsistency with the Agreement. 
4. During the reported period, the Committe e discussed the issues arising from the 
Third Triennial Review of the Operation and Im plementation of the Agreement under Article 15.4, 
concluded in November 2003, namely, (i) good regulatory pr actice, (ii) conformity assessment 
procedures, (iii) transparency, and (iv) technical assistance.4  On good regulatory practice, several 
Members shared their national experience with the Committee.  On conformity assessment, Members exchanged information and experience on existing conformity assessment procedures, including the 
implementation of SDoC programme s in various Member countries.  It was agreed to hold two 
workshops: one on SDoC in March 2005, and one on different approaches to conformity assessment 
in 2006.  Discussions on transparency procedures fo cused on the preparation of the Fourth Special 
Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchange ( see below in paragraph 7).  A Special Meeting 
dedicated to conformity assessment procedur es was held on 29 June 2004 which covered:
5  
(i) information exchange on Members' experiences wi th supplier's declaration of conformity (SDoC);  
(ii) information on the operation of accreditation fo ra;  and (iii) other issues related to conformity 
assessment procedures.6  The Committee also discussed at its November meeting the preparation of 
the Fourth Triennial Review on the basis of a procedural work programme developed by the 
Chairman.7 
5. At its March meeting, the Committee carried out its Ninth Annual Review of the 
Implementation and Operation of the Agreemen t under Article 15.3 as well as the Ninth Annual 
Review of the Code of Good Practice for the Prep aration, Adoption and Application of Standards 
(Annex 3 of the Agreement).8   
                                                      
2 G/TBT/M/32 and Corr.1, G/TBT/M/33, Add.1 and Corr.1, and G/TBT/M/34 and Corr.1. 
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 docum ent G/TBT/GEN/1/Rev.2.  In  2004, seven Members submitted 
new statements under Article 15.2, while thre e issued revisions to existing statements .  The seven new statements are from:  
Papua New Guinea (G/TBT/2/Add.77), El Salvador (G/T BT/2/Add.78), the Democratic Republic of the Congo 
(G/TBT/2/Add.79), the Republic of Madagascar (G /TBT/2/Add.80), Georgia (G/TBT/2/Add.81), Nicaragua 
(G/TBT/2/Add.82) and Sierra Leone (G/TBT/2/Add.83).  The Republic of Armenia (G/TBT/2/Add.75/Rev.1), Indonesia 
(G/TBT/2/Add.3/Rev.1) and Malaysia (G/TBT/2/Add.9/ Rev.1) issued revisions to existing statements. 
4 The Third Triennial Review is containe d in document G/TBT/13, 11 November 2003. 
5 "Report of the Special Meeting of the TBT Committee De dicated to Conformity Assessment Procedures held on 
29 June 2004", G/TBT/M/33/Add.1, 21 October 2004. 
6 The Special Meeting included presentations on accreditation by the International Laboratory Accreditation 
Cooperation (ILAC), the International Accr editation Forum (IAF), the European Co-operation for Accreditation (EA);  on 
conformity assessment procedures, the International Bureau for Precision in Measurement (BIPM), the International 
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Organization for Economic Co-operati on and Development (OECD), and the 
International Organization for Legal Me trology (OIML) reported on relevant ongoing work in their organizations.    
7 G/TBT/M/34 and Corr.1, Annex 1. 
8 The Ninth Annual Review is contai ned in document G/TBT/14.  Other re levant background documents to this 
review are:  the list of standard izing bodies that had accepted the Code in 2003 (G/TBT/CS/1/Add.8 and 
G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.10 and Add.1.) and the WTO TBT Standards Code Directory (ninth edition).  G/TBT/15 
 Page 3 
 
 
 6. At its November meeting, the Committee carried  out the annual transitional review mandated 
in the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China.9   
7. The Committee held its Fourth Special Meeti ng on Procedures for Information Exchange on 
2-3 November, back-to-back with its regular meeting.  Five key issues were addressed at that meeting:  
(i) notification process;  (ii) handling of comments on proposed technical regulations and conformity 
assessment procedures;  (iii) tran sparency obligations set out in the Code of Good Practice (Annex 3 
of the Agreement);  (iv) functioning of enqui ry points established under Article 10;  and 
(v) dissemination of TBT-related information at th e national level based on presentations by national 
experts.10   
8. During the review period, the Committee hear d statements from various observers on the 
activities relevant to the work of the TBT Committee, including on technical assistance.11    
II. TRANSPARENCY PROCEDURES12 
9. In 2004, Members submitted 638 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 2004, 6098 such notifications were made by 84 Members.13  
Figure 1:  Total Number of TBT Notifications since 1995  
365460794
648 669
611
538581794
638
0100200300400500600700800
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
 
 
                                                      
9 Third Annual Transitional Review mandated in paragrap h 18 of the Protocol of Accession of the People's 
Republic of China, Report (2004), contained in G/TBT/W/249. 
10 A summary of the Special Meeting on Procedures for Information Exchan ge is contained in Annex 2 of 
G/TBT/M/34, 5 January 2005. 
11 Statements were heard from the Codex, the Internatio nal Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International 
Organization for Standardization (ISO), th e International Trade Center (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). 
12 The data for the graphs in this section are drawn from the tables in  Annexes C, D and E. 
13  Monthly lists of notifications for 2004 ar e contained in documen ts G/TBT/GEN/N/37-48. G/TBT/15 
Page 4  
 
 Figure 2:  Notifications  in 2004 by Article 
573
20 186
6 04
0100200300400500600700
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
 
 
10. Amongst the 638 notifications received in 20 04, the following objectives have been 
mentioned by Members:14  protection of human health (in 340 notifications);  prevention of deceptive 
practices (in 154 notifications);  protection of the environment (in 88 notifications);  adoption of 
new domestic law (in 65 notifications);  consumer information and labelling (in 43 notifications);  
quality requirements (in 28 notifications);  harmoniza tion (in 27 notifications);  protection of animal 
or plant life or health (in 24 notifications);  na tional security requirements (in 15 notifications);  
lowering or removal of trade barriers and trade fac ilitation (in 10 notifications);  and cost saving and 
increasing productivity (in 2 notifications).  155 notif ications referred to more than one objective, 
37 notifications referred to other objectives, a nd two did not specify any legitimate objective. 
 
Figure 3:  Percentage of Notifications  by Stated Objective in 2004 
Others
4%
Protection of the 
environment
11%Quality requirements
3%Harmonization
3%Adoption of new 
domestic law or 
technology
8%Trade facilitation
1%
Protection of animal or 
plant health
3%Prevention of deceptive 
practices
19%Consumer information, 
labelling
5%National Security 
requirements
2%Protection of human 
health or safety
41%
 
 
 
                                                      
14 155 notifications indicated more than one objective.  G/TBT/15 
 Page 5 
 
 
 11. In 1996, the TBT Committee recommended that the normal time-limit for presentation of 
comments on notified technical regulations and co nformity assessment procedures should be 60 days 
and, if possible, more.15  In 2004, Members allowed an average of 57.8 days for comments.  
131 Notifications did not specify a comment period, stated it as non applicable or had a comment period which had lapsed.  Figure 4 shows the av erage time allowed for comments since 1995.   
 
Figure 4: Average Number of Days Allowed for Comments  since 1995 
52.3
46.9 46.3 47.2 46.549.653.3
49.254.857.8
010203040506070
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
 
 
12. In 2004, three notifications were made under Ar ticle 10.7 of agreements on issues related to 
technical regulations, standards or  conformity assessment procedures:16 
• "Exchange of Letters between the Taipei Ec onomic and Cultural Office in Canada and the 
Canadian Trade Office in Taipei concerning Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Equipment subject to Electro-Magnetic Compatibility Regulations" (revision); 
• "Agreement Between the United States of America and the European Community on the 
Mutual Recognition of Certificates of C onformity for Marine Equipment";  and 
• "Exchange of Letters between the Taipei Ec onomic and Cultural Office in Australia and 
the Australian Commerce and Industry Office concerning Mutual Recognition 
Arrangement for Equipment subject to Elect ro-Magnetic Compatibility Regulations".  
 
                                                      
15 "Decisions and Recommendations adopted by the Committe e since 1 January 1995", Note by the Secretariat, 
23 May 2002, G/TBT/1/Rev.8,  page 17. 
16 G/TBT/10.7/N/38/Rev.1, G/TBT/10.7/N/ 46 and G/TBT/10.7/N/47, respectively. G/TBT/15 
Page 6  
 
 Figure 5:  Number of Notifications Submitted under Article 10.7 since 1995 
0 018
010
16
4 43
02468101214161820
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
 
 
13. During the reported period, five standardizi ng bodies from five Members accepted the Code 
of Good Practice (Annex 3 of the Agreement) and one standardizing body revised its notification of 
acceptance.17  A list of standardizing bodies that adhe red to the Code in 2004 is contained in 
document G/TBT/CS/1/Add.9.  Since the entry into force of the Agreement, 147 standardizing bodies 
from 106 Members have adhered to the Code.18  Document G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.11 contains the 
complete list, by Member, of standardizing bodies th at have accepted the Code since 1 January 1995.  
The ISO/IEC Information Centre has prepared th e Tenth Edition of the WTO TBT Standards Code 
Directory which lists all standardizing bodies that ha ve 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 
14. 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/26.  The addresses of Enquiry Points are also available on the 
TBT Website.20  
(c) In 2004, the Secretariat set up an automatic mailing list for TBT notifications.21  TBT 
notifications are usually circulated on ce a week in the original language. 
                                                      
17 These Members were Mexico (G/TBT/CS/N/154); Arme nia (G/TBT/CS/N/155); Guat emala (G/TBT/CS/N/156);  
Nicaragua (G/TBT/CS/N/157)  and Burkina Faso (G/TBT/CS/N/ 158).  The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, 
Kinmen and Matsu (G/TBT/CS/N/146/ Rev.1) issued a revision to th eir notification of acceptance. 
18 Notifications of acceptance of the Code by standardizing bodies of Members are contained in documents 
G/TBT/CS/N/1-158.  Notifi cations 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. 
21 Interested persons can subscribe to the mailing list at:  http://www.wto.org/english/tr atop_e/tbt_e/tb t_tech_e.htm.  G/TBT/15 
 Page 7 
 
 
 III. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT22  
15. In 2004, the Secretariat organized six regional workshops in:   
(a) Oman for Gulf countries;23   
(b) Zambia for East African countries and other COMESA members;24   
(c) Viet Nam for Asia and Pacific countries;25  
(d) Panama for Latin American countries;26  
(e) Senegal for Western African and other African countries;27 and,  
(f) Turkey for Central and Eastern European countries, Central Asian countries and the 
Caucasus.28  
16. The programmes for all regional workshops were designed to raise awareness of the 
TBT Agreement and to provide capital-based offici als with updated information on the work and 
discussions in the TBT Committee, while at the sa me time addressing individual regional needs, 
including specific trade concerns.  In view of the Special Meeting on Pr ocedures for Information 
Exchange (referred to in paragr aph 7 above), the workshops focused on transparency, including on 
notification procedures and the functioning of enquiry points.  The workshops also provided 
opportunities for experience sharing among participan ts, especially officers from the national enquiry 
points, as well as for practical exercises.  Co-operation was received from regional partners, such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Inter-American Development Bank and the Institute for the Integration of Latin  America and the Caribbean (IDB/INTAL) and the 
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Permanent Intern ational Secretariat (BSEC).  Codex, the 
United Nations Industrial Devel opment Organization (UNIDO), the International Organization for 
Standardization (ISO), the International Electro technical Commission (IEC) and the International 
Organization for Legal Metrology (OIL M) participated in the workshops.
29  
17. In response to requests received from indi vidual Members, national workshops were 
organized in Ukraine, Senegal, Sao To mé and Principe, Turkey and Mauritius.30  These workshops 
aimed at promoting a better understanding of the ri ghts and obligations under the TBT Agreement and 
to facilitate a more effective participation in the work of the TBT Committee.   They addressed issues 
                                                      
22 A complete list of TBT-related technical assistance activities is contained in Annex F.  
23 Oman;  Bahrain;  Kuwait ;  Saudi Arabia;  Qatar and United Arab Emirates. 
24 Angola;  Burundi;  D.R. Congo;  Djibouti;  Egypt;  Ethiopia;  Kenya;  Madagascar;  Malawi;  Mauritius;  
Rwanda;  Seychelles;  Sudan;  Swaziland;  Tanzania;  Uga nda;  Zambia;  and Zimbabwe. 
25 Bangladesh;  Bhutan;  Brunei Darussalam;  Cambodia;  China;  Fiji Islands;  Hong Kong, China;  India;  
Indonesia;  Lao People's Democratic Republic;  Macao, China;  Maldives ; Mongolia; Myanmar; Nepal; Pakistan; 
The Philippines;  Singapore;  Sri La nka;  Chinese Taipei;  Thailand;  Tonga;  Vanuatu;  and Viet Nam. 
26 Argentina;  Bolivia;  Brazil;  Chile;  Colombia;  Costa Rica;  Cuba;  Dominican Republic;  Ecuador;  
El Salvador;  Guatemala;  Honduras;  Mexico;  Nicaragua;  Panama;  Paraguay;  Peru;  Uruguay and Venezuela. 
27 Algeria;  Benin;  Botswana;  Bu rkina Faso;  Cameroon;  Cape Verde;   Central African Republic;  Chad;  
Congo Republic;  Côte d'Ivoire;  Equatorial Guinea;  Gabon;  Gambia;  Ghana;  Guinea;   Guinea Bissau;  Lesotho;  Mali;  
Mauritania;  Morocco;  Mozambique;  Nami bia;  Niger;  Nigeria;  Sao Tome a nd Principe;  Senegal;  Sierra Leone;  
South Africa;  T ogo and Tunisia.  
28 Albania;  Armenia;  Azerbaijan;  Belarus;  Bulgaria ;  Croatia;  Georgia;  K azakhstan;  Kyrgyz Republic;  
Macedonia;  Moldova;  Romania;  Serbia and M ontenegro;  Turkey;  Ukraine and Uzbekistan. 
29 Codex participated in the Zambia, Panama, Senegal and Turkey workshops.  UNIDO and IEC participated in the 
Viet Nam workshop.  ISO participated in the Viet Nam a nd Turkey workshops.  OILM participated in the Panama 
workshop. 
30 The Senegal and Turkey workshops were he ld back-to-back with  regional workshops. G/TBT/15 
Page 8  
 
 such as adequate coordination between regulators, the importance of prioritizing technical assistance 
needs, the establishment of the enquiry points, tran sparency procedures and the use of international 
standards.   
18. The WTO Secretariat participated in a national workshop in Egypt organized by the 
US Commercial Law Development program (CLDP) in co-operation with the Egyptian Organization 
for Standardization and Quality Control (EOS).  It  also participated in a Global Developing Country 
Seminar organized by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), back-to-back with 
ILAC and IAF General Assemblies and a regiona l workshop for South Asian Association for 
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Countries organized by ISO and the Bureau of Indian Standards 
(BIS), which took place in India.  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, to highlight and clarify the main principles and provisions of the Agreement, to provide guidelines and clarification on the TBT notification procedures a nd to explain how the TBT Agreement could be 
used as a tool for facilitating international trade.    
19. Moreover, the trade policy courses organized by  the WTO Secretariat both Geneva-based and 
regional were also an opportunity to provide TB T-related technical assistance.  TBT training was 
provided in the regional trade policy courses held in Kenya for senior capital-based  officials in Africa, 
in Hong Kong for Asian countries, in Tunisia fo r African Countries, in Indonesia for Member 
countries of the Organization of Islamic Conferen ce (OIC) and in Morocco for French speaking 
African countries.  Other technical assistance activ ities included a Geneva-based Special Meeting on 
Procedures for Information Exchange (referred to in paragraph 7 above)
31 as well as advice to capital-
based officials on various issues related to th e operation of the Agreement and the Committee. 
IV. DISPUTES INVOLVING PROVISIO NS OF THE TBT AGREEMENT 
20. The state of play during the year 2004 with regard to disputes involving 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 request 
(WT/DS279/3). 2 
DS263 European 
Communities – 
Measures 
Affecting Imports 
of Wine Argentina On 4 September 2002, Argentina requested 
consultations with the European Communities 
regarding several EC regulations and other 
mandatory provisions on oe nological practices and 
on trade in wine (WT/DS263/1). 2 and 12 
                                                      
31 Capital-based participants from 75 developing country Members attended the workshop with resources from the 
Global Trust Fund.  G/TBT/15 
 Page 9 
 
 
 Case 
# Case  
Name Complaint 
By State of Play TBT Articles 
Invoked 
DS233 Argentina – 
Measures 
Affecting the 
Import of 
Pharmaceutical 
Products India On 25 May 2001, India requested consultations with 
Argentina concerning Arge ntina's Law No. 24.766 
and Decree No. 150/92 (WT/DS233/1). 2 (especially 
2.2),  
5 (especially 
5.1 and 5.2) and 
12 
DS203 Mexico – 
Measures 
Affecting Trade in 
Live Swine United States On 10 July 2000, the United States requested 
consultations with Mexico in respect of Mexico's 
20 October 1999 definitive anti-dumping measure 
on live swine for slaughter (merchandise classified 
under 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 the 
anti-dumping investigation re sulting 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 carryi ng 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, Cana da requested consultations 
with the European Communities in respect of certain 
measures concerning th e importation into the 
EC market of wood of conifers from Canada. The 
measures 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 imports of wood of conifers from Canada into the 
European Communities (WT/DS137/1). 2 
DS134 European 
Communities – 
Measures 
Affecting Import 
Duties on Rice 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 cumulative recovery system 
(CRS), for determining certain import duties on rice, 
with effect from 1 July 1997 (WT/DS134/1). 2, in particular 
2.1  and 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 
Department 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 United States On 24 May 1996, the United States requested 
consultations with Korea concerning testing, 
inspection and other measures required for the 
importation of agricultural products into Korea 2, 5 and 6 G/TBT/15 
Page 10  
 
 Case 
# Case  
Name Complaint 
By State of Play TBT Articles 
Invoked 
Products (WT/DS41/1). 
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 and 
inspection requirements with respect to imports of 
agricultural products into Korea (WT/DS3/1).  
(See WT/DS41). 5 and 6 
2.   Active panels 
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 States requested 
consultations with the European Communities in 
respect of the alleged lack of protection of 
trademarks and geographica l indications (GIs) for 
agricultural products and foodstuffs in the 
European Communities (WT/DS174/1).  
On 4 April 2003, the United St ates sent an additional 
request for consultations concerning the protection 
of trademarks and GIs for agricultural products and 
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 registration 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 establishment 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 Dire ctor-General composed 
the Panel. 
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. 
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, 
Colombia, Guatemala, India, Mexico, New Zealand, 
Norway, Chinese Taipei and Turkey reserved their 
third-party rights. United States: 
(none) 
Australia:  
2 
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 agri cultural 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 
Argentina: 
2, 5 and 12  G/TBT/15 
 Page 11 
 
 
 Case 
# Case  
Name Complaint 
By State of Play TBT Articles 
Invoked 
On 7 August 2003, the United States, Canada and 
Argentina each requested the establishment 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.  
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 the parties' common 
request for additional time to prepare their rebuttals 
as well as the Panel's decision to seek scientific and 
technical expert advice. 
On 4 November 2004, the Chairman of the Panel 
informed the DSB that the Panel estimated to issue 
its final report to the parties by the end of June 2005, 
due to the time taken to identify and select experts 
and, more importantly, to a joint request by all four 
parties that they be granted additional time to 
prepare their further submissions to the Panel. 
Argentina (in respect of the United States' and 
Canada's complaints), Aust ralia, Brazil, Canada (in 
respect of the United States' and Argentina's 
complaints), Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, 
Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Uruguay 
and the United States (in respect of Canada's and 
Argentina's complaints) reserved their third-party 
rights. 
3.   Others 
DS232 Mexico – 
Measures 
Affecting the 
Import of Matches Chile On 17 May 2001, Chile re quested consultations with 
Mexico in respect of a se ries of Mexican laws and 
regulations which are al leged to constitute 
unnecessary barriers to the import of Chilean 
matches (WT/DS232/1). 
On 2 February 2004, Chile informed the DSB that it 
wished formally to withdraw the request for 
consultations and bring this  matter to a close as its 
complaints had been adequately met as a result of 
negotiations with Mexico (WT/DS232/3). 1, 2 and 5 
 
 G/TBT/15 
Page 12  
 
 V. ANNEXES 
A. LIST OF WTO  MEMBERS AND OBSERVERS  
 
Members32 
 
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 Senegal Central African Republic Jordan Sierra Leone 
Chad Kenya Singapore 
Chile Korea, Rep. of Slovak Republic China Kuwait Slovenia Chinese Taipei Kyrgyz Republic Solomon Islands Colombia Latvia South Africa 
Congo Lesotho Spain 
Congo, Democratic Rep. of the Liechtenstein  Sri Lanka Costa Rica Lithuania Suriname Côte d'Ivoire Luxembourg Swaziland Croatia Macau, China Sweden Cuba Madagascar Switzerland 
Cyprus Malawi Tanzania 
Czech Republic Malaysia Thailand Denmark Maldives Togo Djibouti Mali Trinidad and Tobago Dominica Malta Tunisia 
Dominican Republic Mauritania Turkey 
Ecuador Mauritius Uganda Egypt Moldova United Arab Emirates El Salvador Mexico United Kingdom 
                                                     
 
32 Members on 1 March 2005.   G/TBT/15 
 Page 13 
 
 
 Estonia Mongolia United States 
European Communities Morocco Uruguay Fiji Mozambique Venezuela Finland Myanmar Zambia Former Yugoslav Rep. of 
Macedonia Namibia Zimbabwe 
France   
 
 
Observer Governments33 
 
Afghanistan Holy See (Vatican) Serbia 
Algeria Iraq Seychelles Andorra Kazakhstan Sudan Azerbaijan Laos, P.D.R. of Tajikistan Bahamas Lebanon Tonga Belarus Libya Ukraine 
Bhutan Montenegro Uzbekistan 
Bosnia and Herzegovina Russian Federation Vanuatu Cape Verde Samoa Viet Nam Equatorial Guinea  Sao Tomé and Principe Yemen Ethiopia Saudi Arabia  
 
 
Observer Organizations  
 
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)∗  
Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI)*  
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) * 
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)
 * 
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development  (UNCTAD)   United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)  
United Nations Industrial Deve lopment Organization (UNIDO)
 * 
World Health Organization (WHO)  
WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission  The World Bank   
                                                     
 
33 Observers on 1 March 2005. 
∗ Observer status on an ad hoc  basis   G/TBT/15 
Page 14  
 
 B. LIST OF TBT  DOCUMENTS ISSUED DURING THE YEAR 2004 
Document Reference Date of Issue Title  
1. Working Documents (G/TBT/W/ - ) 
G/TBT/W/134/Add.2 23 August 2004 The Development of a Voluntary Standard for the 
Labelling of Foods Derived from Biotechnology 
(Communication from Canada) 
G/TBT/W/195/Add.1 16 March 2004 Follow-up Report on the Implementation of Supplier’s 
Declaration of Conformity (Submission by the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, 
Kinmen and Matsu) 
G/TBT/W/239 24 June 2004 Colombia's Experience with Good Regulatory Practice  
G/TBT/W/240 12 August 2004 Statement by Brazil on Supplier's Declaration of 
Conformity  
G/TBT/W/241 2 September 2004 Statement on Conformity Assessment Procedures 
Implemented in Jordan  
G/TBT/W/242 21 September 2004 China's Transitional Review Mechanism 
(Communication from the European Communities) 
G/TBT/W/243 5 October 2004 China's Transitional Review Mechanism (Questions 
and Comments from Japan to China) 
G/TBT/W/244 11 October 2004 EC and EC Member State Technical Assistance 
Projects/Programmes in the TBT Field 
(Communication by the European Communities) 
G/TBT/W/245 21 October 2004 Transitional Review Mechanism Pursuant to Section 
18 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China (Questions from the United States 
to China) 
G/TBT/W/246 29 October 2004 Annual Transitional Review Mandated in Paragraph 18 
of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic 
of China:  Information Required in Annex 1A of 
WT/L/432 (Submission by the People's Republic of 
China) 
G/TBT/W/247 3 November 2004 Technical Cooperation Activities in the Field of 
Standards and Technical Regulations  (Communication 
from Switzerland) 
G/TBT/W/248 3 November 2004 Good Regulatory Practice (Communication by 
Mexico) 
G/TBT/W/249 8 November 2004 Third Annual Transitional Review Mandated in 
Paragraph 18 of the Protocol of Accession of the 
People's Republic of China (Report 2004 by the 
TBT Committee) 
2. Minutes of the Meetings (G/TBT/M/ - ) 
G/TBT/M/31Corr.1 4 March 2004 Corrigendum to the Minutes of the Meeting of 
7 November 2003 (Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/M/32 and Corr.1 19 April 2004, 
22 July 2004 Minutes of the Meeting of 23 March 2004 (Note by the 
Secretariat) 
G/TBT/M/33 and Corr.1 31 August 2004, 
17 November 2004 Minutes of the Meeting of 1 July 2004 (Note by the 
Secretariat) 
G/TBT/M/33/Add.1 21 October 2004 Report of the Special Meeting of the TBT Committee 
dedicated to Conformity Assessment Procedures held 
on 29 June 2004 (Addendum to the Minutes of the 
Meeting of 1 July 2004 - Note by the Secretariat)  G/TBT/15 
 Page 15 
 
 
  
3. General Documents (G/TBT/GEN/ - ) 
G/TBT/GEN/N/36-46 January 2004 – 
December 2004 Notifications issued during the Months of December 
2003 until October 2004 (Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/GEN/1 and 
Rev.1 and Corr.1 4 March 2004, 
15 June 2004, 
13 July 2004 Statements on Implementation and Administration of the 
Agreement under Article 15.2 (Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/GEN/2 4 March 2004 International Intergovernmental Organizations – 
Observer Status in the Co mmittee on Technical Barriers 
to Trade (Note by the Secretariat) 
G/TBT/GEN/3 2 April 2004 Statement by the Representative of UNIDO 
(TBT Committee Meeting of 23 March 2004, Agenda Item 5 on Technical Co-operation) 
G/TBT/GEN/4 5 April 2004 Statement by the Representative of  the UNCTAD (TBT 
Committee Meeting of 23 March 2004, Agenda Item 5 
on Technical Co-operation) 
G/TBT/GEN/5 5 April 2004 Information provided by the OIML (TBT Committee 
Meeting of 23 March 2004, Agenda Item 6(b) on Updating by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/6 5 April 2004 Information provided by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (TBT Committee Meeting of 23 March 
2004, Agenda Item 6(b) on Updating by Observers) 
G/SPS/GEN/491 and Add.1 G/TBT/GEN/7 and 
Add.1 7 June 2004 and 
Addenda on 23 November 2004 
 Communication from Mexico  
 
G/TBT/GEN/8 25 June 2004 Information Provided by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (TBT Committee Meeting of 1 July 2004, Agenda Item 6(b) on Updating by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/9 1 July 2004 Statement by  UNCTAD (TBT Committee Meeting of 
1 July 2004, Agenda Item 5 on Technical Co-operation) 
G/TBT/GEN/10 2 July 2004 Information Provided by OIML (TBT Committee 
Meeting of 1 July 2004, Agenda Item 6(b) on Updating 
by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/11 8 July 2004 Proposed Dates of Meetings of the Committee on 
Technical Barriers to Trade in 2005 
G/TBT/GEN/12 25 October 20 04 Information on Activities of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (TBT Committee Meeting of 
4 November 2004, Agenda item 5(b) on Updating by Observers) 
G/TBT/GEN/13 1 November 2004 Programme of the Special Meeting on Procedures for 
Information Exchange (2-3 November 2004) 
G/TBT/GEN/14 29 November 2004 Statemen t by ISO on its Activities for Developing 
Countries  (TBT Committee Meeting of 
4 November 2004) 
4. Documents Relating to the Code  of Good Practice (G/TBT/CS/ - ) 
G/TBT/CS/1/Add.8 4 March 2004 List of St andardizing Bodies that have Accepted the 
Code of Good Practice for th e Preparation, Adoption and 
Application of Standards in 2003 (Note by the Secretariat) G/TBT/15 
Page 16  
 
  
4. Documents Relating to the Code of  Good Practice (G/ TBT/CS/ - ) (cont'd) 
G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.10 4 March 2004  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/2/Rev.10/ 
Add.1 10 March 2004 List of Standardizin g Bodies 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/146/Rev.1 11 May 2004 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice (The Separate Customs Territory of 
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu) 
G/TBT/CS/N/154 19 February 2004 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice  (Mexico)  
G/TBT/CS/N/155 19 February 2004 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice  (R epublic of Armenia) 
G/TBT/CS/N/156 31 August 2004 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice  (Guatemala) 
G/TBT/CS/N/157 12 October 2004 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice  (Nicaragua) 
G/TBT/CS/N/158 10 November 2004 Notification under Paragraph C of the WTO TBT Code 
of Good Practice  (Burkina Faso) 
5. Statements on the Implementation and Ad ministration of the TBT Agreement (G/TBT/2/ - ) 
G/TBT/2/Add.3/Rev.1 18 May 2004 Communication from Indonesia 
G/TBT/2/Add.9/Rev.1 29 October 2004 Communication from Malaysia 
G/TBT/2/Add.75/Rev.1 10 August 2004 Communication from the Republic of Armenia 
G/TBT/2/Add.77 5 March 2004 Communication from Papua New Guinea 
G/TBT/2/Add.78 22 March 2004 Communication from El Salvador  
G/TBT/2/Add.79 15 July 2004 Communication from the Democratic Republic of the 
Congo  
G/TBT/2/Add.80 3 August 2004 Communication from the Republic of Madagascar 
G/TBT/2/Add.81 15 October 2004 Communication from Georgia 
G/TBT/2/Add.82 25 October 2004 Communication from Nicaragua 
G/TBT/2/Add.83 16 Decem ber 2004 Communication from the Republic of Sierra Leone 
6. Notifications Pursuant to Arti cle 10.7 of Agreements on Issues Re lated to Technical Regulations, 
Standards or Conformity Assess ment Procedures (G/TBT/10.7/ - ) 
G/TBT/10.7/N/38/Rev.1 10 May 2004 Notification by the Separate Customs Territory of 
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu – Revision 
G/TBT/10.7/N/46 21 July 2004 Notification by the United Sates 
G/TBT/10.7/N/47 30 November 2004 Notification by the Separate Customs Territory of 
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu 
7. Other Documents  
G/L/710  
previously issued as 
JOB(04)/160 8 November 2004 
 
 Report (2004) of the TBT Committee 
G/TBT/14 5 March 2004 Ninth Annual Review of the Implementation and 
Operation of the TBT Agreement (Note by the 
Secretariat)  
G/TBT/ENQ/24-25 9 March 2004, 
13 October 2004 National Enquiry Points (N ote by the Secretariat)  G/TBT/15 
 Page 17 
 
 
  
8. Job documents (JOB(04)/ - ) 
JOB(04)/70 10 June 2004 Supplier's Declaration of Conformity Workshop (Draft 
Programme and Overview of Key Issues, Submissions and Statements) 
JOB(04)/90 and Rev.1 and Rev.2 30 June 2004, 
21 September 2004, 
21 October 2004 Draft programme of the Special Meeting on Procedures 
for Information Exchange on 2-3 November 2004  
JOB(04)/91 1 July 2004 Conformity Assessment Procedures:  Table of 
References – Special meeting on Conformity 
Assessment Procedures held on 29 June 2004 
JOB(04)/147 now issued as Annex 1 
of G/TBT/M/34 14 October 2004 Work Programme for the Fourth Triennial Review 
(Proposal by the Chairman) 
JOB(04)/148 15 October 2004 Fourth Special Session on Procedures for Information 
Exchange – 2-3 November 2004 (Background Note by 
the Secretariat) 
JOB(04)/156 20 October 2004 Supplier's Declaration of Conformity - Workshop of 
1 March 2005 
JOB(04)/160 
now issued as G/L/710 29 October 2004 Draft Report (2004) of the Committee on Technical 
Barriers to Trade  
JOB(04)/161 now issued as 
G/TBT/W/249 1 November 2004 
 Third Annual Transitional Review Mandated in 
Paragraph 18 of the Protocol of Accession of the 
People's Republic of China – Draft Report (2004) 
JOB(04)/163 4 November 2004 Competition Policy and Deregulation Related Meetings 
on APEC 2004 (Communication from Chile) 
 G/TBT/15 
Page 18  
 
 C. NOTIFICATIONS MADE BY MEMBERS AND BY RELEVANT ARTICLES OF THE AGREEMENT IN 
2004  AND SINCE THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE AGREEMENT  
 
Number of notifications made under  
the relevant Articles in 2004 Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2004  2.9 2.10 3.2 5.6 5.7 7.2 Not 
specified Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Argentina 18 16 0 0 2 0 0 0 223 
Armenia 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Australia 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 135 
Austria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
Bahrain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Barbados 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
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 
Brazil 16 13 0 0 2 1 0 0 276 
Brunei 
Darussalam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Canada 32 27 0 0 12 0 0 0 249 
Central 
African 
Republic 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Chile 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 112 
China 23 12 7 0 1 3 0 0 63 
Chinese Taipei 6 4 2 0 4 2 0 0 16 
Colombia 14 8 1 0 2 0 0 3 102 
Costa Rica 22 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 
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 
Republic 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 209 
Denmark 20 18 2 0 0 0 0 0 204 
Dominican 
Republic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 
Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 
El Salvador 19 19 0 0 9 0 0 0 113 
Estonia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
European 
Communities 30 27 0 0 9 0 0 1 259 
Fiji 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Finland 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 
France 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 
Georgia 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5  G/TBT/15 
 Page 19 
 
 
 Number of notifications made under  
the relevant Articles in 2004 Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2004  2.9 2.10 3.2 5.6 5.7 7.2 Not 
specified Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Germany 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Grenada 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Guatemala 14 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 
Guyana 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 
Honduras 13 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 
Hong Kong, 
China 6 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 53 
Hungary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 
Iceland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
India 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 54 
Indonesia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 
Israel 44 27 0 0 33 0 0 0 130 
Italy 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 
Jamaica 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 
Japan 22 22 0 0 4 0 0 0 365 
Jordan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
Kenya 11 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 11 
Korea, 
Republic of 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 173 
Kuwait 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 
Latvia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 
Lithuania 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Macau, China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 164 
Mexico 14 11 2 0 1 0 0 0 285 
Netherlands 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 596 
New Zealand 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 
Nicaragua 16 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 54 
Norway 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 
Oman 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
Panama 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 
Peru 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Philippines 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 93 
Poland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 
Saint Lucia 10 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 31 
Senegal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
Singapore 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 
Slovak 
Republic 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 39 
Slovenia 15 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 
South Africa 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 G/TBT/15 
Page 20  
 
 Number of notifications made under  
the relevant Articles in 2004 Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2004  2.9 2.10 3.2 5.6 5.7 7.2 Not 
specified Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Spain 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 67 
Sri Lanka 14 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 
Sweden 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 135 
Switzerland 12 12 0 0 1 0 0 0 117 
Thailand 44 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 275 
Trinidad and 
Tobago 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 
Tunisia 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
United 
Kingdom 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 
United States 38 36 0 0 2 0 0 0 293 
Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
Venezuela 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 
Zambia 38 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 38 
TOTAL 638 573 20 1 86 6 0 4 6098 
  G/TBT/15 
 Page 21 
 
 
 D. OBJECTIVES AND RATIONALES STATED IN NOTIFICATIONS IN 2004 
 
Objectives and Rationales Number of times that the objective was mentioned 
as the first, second or third objective in the 
notifications received in 2004 
National security requirements 15 
Consumer information, labelling 43 
Prevention of deceptive practices and consumer 
protection 154 
Protection of human health or safety 340 
Protection of animal or plant life or health 24 
Protection of environment 88 
Quality requirements 28 
Harmonization 27 
Adoption of new domestic law and technology 65 
Lowering or removal of trade barriers 1 
Trade facilitation 9 
Cost saving and increasing productivity 2 
Others 37 
Not specified 2 
 G/TBT/15 
Page 22  
 
 E. OBSERVATION OF THE RECOMMENDED COMMENT PERIOD BY MEMBERS IN 2004 
 
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 
Argentina 3 1 0 14 0 18 
Armenia 9 0 0 0 0 9 
Australia 4 2 4 0 0 10 
Brazil 7 2 0 7 1 16 
Canada 3 5 23 1 0 32 
Central African 
Republic 0 0 0 5 0 5 
Chile 0 1 2 1 1 4 
China 0 0 11 12 9 23 
Chinese Taipei 2 1 3 0 0 6 
Colombia 0 0 11 3 1 14 
Costa Rica 0 0 21 1 0 22 
Czech Republic 4 1 3 0 0 8 
Denmark 0 2 10 8 2 20 
El Salvador 0 0 19 0 0 19 
European 
Communities 9 3 15 3 0 30 
Finland 0 0 2 0 0 2 
France 1 1 3 1 0 6 
Georgia 0 0 0 3 0 3 
Germany 0 1 0 1 0 2 
Grenada 0 0 2 0 0 2 
Guatemala 0 1 13 0 0 14 
Guyana 0 0 2 0 0 2 
Honduras 0 0 13 0 0 13 
Hong Kong, China 1 0 5 0 0 6 
Israel 0 0 42 2 0 44 
Italy 1 0 2 0 0 3 
Jamaica 2 0 0 0 0 2 
Japan 6 2 14 0 0 22 
Kenya 0 0 8 3 3 11 
Korea, Republic of 11 2 3 0 0 16 
Lithuania 1 0 0 0 0 1 
Mexico 0 12 0 2 2 14 
Netherlands 1 0 5 1 0 7 
New Zealand 0 7 1 0 0 8 
Nicaragua 0 0 13 3 0 16 
Norway 0 0 2 0 0 2 
Oman 0 1 0 0 0 1 
Peru 0 0 4 0 0 4 
Philippines 0 0 2 2 0 4 
Saint Lucia 5 5 0 0 0 10 
Slovak Republic 0 0 1 0 0 1 
Slovenia 1 0 14 0 0 15  G/TBT/15 
 Page 23 
 
 
 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 
South Africa 0 0 3 1 0 4 
Spain 1 0 0 0 0 1 
Sri Lanka 0 0 0 14 0 14 
Sweden 0 0 8  0 8 
Switzerland 0 1 11  0 12 
Thailand 1 0 39 4 0 44 
Trinidad and 
Tobago 7 0 0  0 7 
Tunisia 1 0 0  0 1 
United Kingdom 0 0 1  0 1 
United States 6 17 14 1 0 38 
Venezuela 0 0 3  0 3 
Zambia 0 0 0 38 0 38 
TOTAL 87 68 352 131 19 638 
 G/TBT/15 
Page 24  
 
 F. TBT  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UNDERTAKEN BY THE WTO  SECRETARIAT IN 2004 
1. Geneva-Based Events 
 
Date Activity Participants Venue Organized by 
2-3 November  Special Meeting of the TBT 
Committee on Procedures for Information Exchange  Capital-based participants 
from 75 developing 
country Members  Geneva WTO 
 
2. Regional Workshops 
 
Date Region/Participants Venue Organized by Organizations' 
Participation 
14-15 February  Gulf countries Muscat, Oman WTO - 
22-23 April  East Africa and other 
COMESA Members  Lusaka, 
Zambia  WTO in co-operation with 
COMESA Codex 
4-6 May  Asia and Pacific 
(sub-regional) Hanoi, 
Viet Nam WTO UNIDO, ISO, 
IEC 
20-22 July  Latin America  Panama City, 
Panama  WTO in co-operation with 
IDB/INTAL OILM, Codex 
17-19 August  Western Africa and 
other African 
countries Dakar, 
Senegal  WTO Codex 
23-24 September  Central and Eastern 
Europe, Central Asia 
and the Caucasus Istanbul, 
Turkey WTO in co-operation with 
Black Sea Economic 
Cooperation Permanent 
International Secretariat ISO, Codex 
 
3. National Workshops 
 
Date Country/Scope Organized by Organizations' 
Participation 
14 June  Ukraine (Kiev)/ TBT WTO ISO 
17-19 August  Senegal (Dakar)/ TBT 
(back-to-back with regional) WTO Codex 
7-9 September  Sao Tomé and Principe/ Agriculture, 
TBT and SPS WTO - 
27-28 September  Turkey (Ankara)/ TBT and SPS  
(back-to-back with regional) WTO in co-operation with 
Black Sea Economic 
Cooperation Permanent 
International Secretariat ISO, Codex 
17-18 November  Mauritius (Port-Louis)/ SPS and TBT WTO - 
 
  G/TBT/15 
 Page 25 
 
 
 4. Participation in Activities Organized by Other Agencies 
 
Date Activity Venue Organized by 
23-25 February  National workshop in 
Egypt Cairo, Egypt US Commercial Law Development Program 
(CLDP) in co-operation with the Egyptian 
Organization for Standardization and Quality 
Control (EOS) 
13 October  Developing Country 
Seminar (Global) Cape Town, 
South Africa South African National Accreditation System 
(SANAS), back-to-back with ILAC and IAF 
General Assemblies 
6-7 December  Regional workshop for 
SAARC Countries New Delhi, 
India  ISO and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 
 
5. Trade Policy Courses Co vering the TBT Agreement 
 
(i) Geneva-Based 
 
Date Scope/Focus Venue Organized by 
17 February  27th Trade Policy Course (English) Geneva WTO 
25 February  28th Trade Policy Course (French) Geneva WTO 
6 June  Introduction Course on WTO for LDCs (French) Geneva WTO 
16 June  29th Trade Policy Course (French) Geneva WTO 
21 July  Introduction Course on WTO for LDCs (English) Geneva WTO 
25 October  30th Trade Policy Course (Spanish) Geneva WTO 
 
(ii) Regional  
 
Date Scope/Focus Venue Organized by 
13 May  Senior capital-based 
officials in Africa Nairobi, 
Kenya  WTO 
11 August  Asia Hong Kong, 
China  WTO in co-operation with Hong Kong 
University 
8 September  African Countries Tunis, 
Tunisia  WTO in co-operation with the African 
Development Bank and ECA 
11 October  Member countries of 
the Organization of 
Islamic Conference 
(OIC) Jakarta, 
Indonesia  WTO in co-operation with Islamic 
Development Bank, Non-Aligned Movement 
Centre for South-South Technical 
Cooperation, Government of Indonesia  
15 October  French speaking 
African countries Rabat, 
Morocco  WTO 
  
 
__________