Decision on Proposed Understanding on WTO-ISO Standards Information System

      Ministers decide to recommend that the Secretariat of the World Trade Organization reach an understanding with the International Organization for Standardization (�ISO�) to establish an information system under which:

1.    ISONET members shall transmit to the ISO/IEC Information Centre in Geneva the notifications referred to in paragraphs C and J of the Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards in Annex 3 to the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, in the manner indicated there;
 

2.    the following (alpha)numeric classification systems shall be used in the work programmes referred to in paragraph J:
 

(a)   a standards classification system which would allow standardizing bodies to give for each standard mentioned in the work programme an (alpha)numeric indication of the subject matter;
 

 (b)   a stage code system which would allow standardizing bodies to give for each standard mentioned in the work programme an (alpha)numeric indication of the stage of development of the standard;  for this purpose, at least five stages of development should be distinguished:  (1) the stage at which the decision to develop a standard has been taken, but technical work has not yet begun;  (2) the stage at which technical work has begun, but the period for the submission of comments has not yet started;  (3) the stage at which the period for the submission of comments has started, but has not yet been completed;  (4) the stage at which the period for the submission of comments has been completed, but the standard has not yet been adopted;  and (5) the stage at which the standard has been adopted;
 

 (c)   an identification system covering all international standards which would allow standardizing bodies to give for each standard mentioned in the work programme an (alpha)numeric indication of the international standard(s) used as a basis;
 

3.    the ISO/IEC Information Centre shall promptly convey to the Secretariat copies of any notifications referred to in paragraph C of the Code of Good Practice;
 

4.    the ISO/IEC Information Centre shall regularly publish the information received in the notifications made to it under paragraphs C and J of the Code of Good Practice;  this publication, for which a reasonable fee may be charged, shall be available to ISONET members and through the Secretariat to the Members of the WTO.