RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SPS/W/45
6December 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3947)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
CONSISTENCY: QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION
Note bytheChairman
Atthemeeting oftheCommittee on15-16 November 1995, Iagreed toundertake informal
consultations regarding themostappropriate manner inwhich toadvance thework oftheCommittee
withregard totheelaboration ofguidelines tofurther theimplementation ofconsistency interms of
Article 5:5oftheAgreement. Tofocus these consultations, Iinvite Members toconsider theattached
questions andprovide responses asappropriate.
Delegations wishing tocomment onthesequestions ortosubmit answers inwriting areinvited
tosubmit these totheSecretariat, ifpossible before theendofJanuary 1996. Members whowish
tobeconsulted regarding theirgovernment 'sviews onthisissue should soindicate totheSecretariat
(Mr.E.Wijkström, Office 2071, Tel.7395729) before 20December 1995.
./.G/SPS/W/45
Page2
Questions forConsideration
1. How doyouunderstand "consistency" inoperational terms forthepurpose oftheSPS
Agreement?
2. When developing guidelines, howshould thewords "ifsuchdistinctions result indiscrimination
oradisguised restriction ofinternational trade" betaken intoaccount?
3. "TheCommittee shalltakeintoaccount allrelevant factors". Could youplease giveexamples
ofsuchfactors?
4. Could yougiveexamples, within thescope oftheSPSAgreement, of"human health risksto
which people voluntarily expose themselves" inyourcountry?
5. How doyouunderstand therelation between theprovisions ofparagraph 5ofArticle 5and
other provisions intheSPSAgreement, e.g.those inparagraphs 3:1,3:2,3:3and5:4?
6. What means could there betoassess ifaMember hasachieved ornotachieved (asufficient
degree) ofconsistency?
Thelistofquestions isnotexhaustive. Delegations arewelcome topresent anyother questions
orcomments relevant tomytask.
Itisalsonotnecessary tocomment onallofthequestions listed. Even comments onjustsome
ofthequestions arewelcome.
Anyideas orproposals onhowtoproceed afterthisfirstround ofconsultations aremost
welcome.
When preparing myreport totheCommittee, Ishalltakeintoaccount allcomments presented
tothegreatest extent possible. Iwill,however, treatthecomments confidentially inthesense that
Iwillnotindicate which elements inmyreport emanate from which delegations.