Copyright 1995 NLCIFT



Title:PROPOSED UNDERSTANDING ON MTO-ISO STANDARDS INFORMATION SYSTEM


PROPOSED UNDERSTANDING ON MTO-ISO STANDARDS INFORMATION SYSTEM


     Ministers recommend that the MTO Secretariat reach an
understanding with the 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 mentioned above:

          (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 in paragraph J of
               Annex 3 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 MTO 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 MTO Secretariat, to the Members of the
          MTO.