ANNUAL REPORT ON
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 6
OF THE AGREEMENT
ON THE APPLICATION OF SANITARY
AND PHYTOSANITARY
MEASURES
NOTE by the Secretariat[1]
Article
6 of the SPS Agreement requires that measures take into account pest- or
disease-free areas or areas of low pest or disease prevalence. This concept is
frequently referred to as "regionalization". At the 2-3 April 2008
meeting, the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures adopted
guidelines to further the practical implementation of Article 6.[2]
These guidelines are intended to provide assistance to Members in the
implementation of Article 6 by improving transparency, exchange of information,
predictability, confidence and credibility between importing and exporting
Members.
[1] This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own
responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members or to their
rights and obligations under the WTO.