Dealing with other WTO
Members’ notifications
Step 1: Scan for WTO
Notifications
On a regular basis, review the new notifications posted by the WTO
at
http://docsonline.wto.org/gen_search.asp
To assist with the identification of
new notifications, monthly summary lists of SPS notifications are
presented on the site above. Enter either of the following in the
Document Symbol line of the search screen:
G/SPS/GEN*
The SPS Secretariat offers a service to automatically deliver SPS
Notifications.
Step 2: Obtain
copies
Select and download those notifications that may have an impact on
trade with your economy. Many Members download all recent
notifications as a service to their exporters. They can be grouped
and downloaded as a compressed self-extracting .exe file to speed
the download process. An ordered system for storing the
notifications on your computer will greatly assist with keeping
track of the notifications you download.
Step 3:
Distribute
Send the notifications to the relevant organizations in your
economy. Some Members list all recent notifications on
their IC or Notification Authority web sites, and offer a
subscription service whereby subscribers can receive automatic
advice of notifications pre-selected by WTO Member or
subject.
Interested organizations can be regulators, other government
agencies, standards and conformance bodies, chambers of commerce,
trade associations or guilds, non-government organizations and
private sector companies.
Step 4: Process requests for
the documents referred to in
notifications
Organizations that are interested in a
particular notification will require copies of the notified
documents referenced in the notification. They may either ask their
own IC or Notification Authority to obtain them or contact the
notifying WTO Member’s Notification Authority direct. Note that
under the SPS Agreement there is no obligation on IC or
Notification Authorities to respond to requests for documents from
private sector individuals or organizations, although some do so
and send a copy to the requestor’s IC or Notification
Authority.
WTO Members requesting documents should ensure they address the
request to the organization and address shown in Box 11 of the SPS
emergency notification form or Box 12 of the SPS routine
notification form. They should ensure they provide all the elements
that identify the documents and in particular the WTO Notification
number to which the request refers.
Step 5: Process requests for
extensions of comment period
Any requests for extensions of the comment period should be
addressed to the organization and address shown in Box 12 of the
SPS routine notification form and include the WTO Notification
number to which the request refers. A date should be specified by
which a response is required, but allow at least five days.
Step 6: Dealing with
comments related to other WTO Members’
Notifications
These are generated within your own
economy and are sent to the WTO Member that made the relevant
notification. They should be provided without unnecessary delay to
the authority designated on the notification form to receive
comments, or to the Member’s Notification Authority or IC if no
other authority is designated.
The Agreements do not specify who should be responsible for
despatch of comments to the notifying Member, but the Notification
Authority should be capable of doing this. In some circumstances
comments may be despatched by the Enquiry Point or the organization
that prepared the comments.
Step 7: Pass back the
notifying Member’s response
On receipt of any comments about how the notifying WTO Member will
proceed to take submitted comments into account and receipt of
additional relevant information on the proposed measures, such
information should be passed to the organizations that submitted
comments.
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