Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - Annual report on the implementation of Article 6 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - Note by the Secretariat

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.

[2] _G/SPS/48.