UNITED

NATIONS

Distr.

GENERAL

TRADE/WP.7/GE.2/2002/2

8 March 2002

ORIGINAL : ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

COMMITTEE FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY AND

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Working Party on Standardization of

Perishable Produce and Quality Development

Specialized Section on Standardization of

Dry and Dried Produce (Fruit)

49th session, 21 to 24 May 2002, Geneva

Item 2 of the Provisional Agenda

MATTERS OF INTEREST ARISING SINCE THE FORTY-EIGHTH SESSION

Note by the secretariat

This document sums up the relevant outcome of the fifty-seventh session of the Working Party on Standardization of Perishable Produce and Quality Development.

GE.02-

Item 4	Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce (Fruit)

Document:	TRADE/WP.7/GE.2/2001/13 (Report of the 48th session)

54.	The Chairman of the Specialized Section, Mr W. Staub, introduced the report of the 48th session.

(a)	Texts recommended for adoption as revised UNECE standards:

Document: TRADE/WP.7/GE.2/2001/13, paras. 15 to 28

Walnut Kernels

Document: TRADE/WP.7/GE.2/2001/13/Add.1

55.	The proposed text was adopted as a revised UNECE Standard with a few amendments proposed by the Chairman. The text will be published as addendum 8 to this report (TRADE/WP.7/2001/9/Add.8).

Walnut colour chart

56.	At the last session of the Specialized Section, the delegation of the International Nut Council had proposed to provide 1,000 copies of the annex before the session of the Working Party.

57.	The colour chart had not been printed yet because some more editorial issues had to be clarified (inclusion of a lemon coloured kernel, separation/ new text for the black kernel).

58.	Because the chart was urgently needed in trade it was decided to form an editorial group consisting of the delegations of France and the United States, the Chairman of the Specialized Section and the secretariat, who would review the new draft to be provided by INC before deciding to have the 1,000 copies printed. Should INC not be able to print the chart, the OECD Scheme might be approached to undertake this work.

(b)	Automatic inclusion of the annexes to the standard layout into the individual standards

Document:TRADE/WP.7/GE.2/2001/13, paras. 98, 118

59.	The Working Party agreed the proposal of the Specialized Section that all standards should always include the actual version of the annexes (on determination of the moisture content) to the standard layout i.e. if the annexes were changed, the standards would automatically be adjusted.

60.	The Specialized Section will discuss the question whether the annexes should be included with each individual standard or be published separately.

Item 9	General questions concerning the work of WP.7 and its specialized sections

(a)	Status and possible revision of the Geneva Protocol

Document:	TRADE/WP.7/2001/6

75.	The secretariat introduced the document which reproduces the Geneva Protocol (paragraph numbers have been added to facilitate reference), information on acceptances, as well as questions concerning its applicability. He said that some of the questions had been raised by the Specialized Section on Standardization of Seed Potatoes who were asking if their work was covered by the Protocol or not.

76.	He said further that the goal of this document was to inform and to initiate a discussion which could lead to amendments to the Protocol if deemed necessary by the Working Party. He said that he had reviewed the provisions of the Protocol in detail and it had seemed to him that many were outdated and others could be introduced into the standard layout or the Working Procedures.

77.	The delegate of Germany said that she agreed that many provisions could be moved out of the protocol but that at present the protocol was the place for commitments by governments towards standardization. Could these commitments also be covered by the working procedures and the standard layout?

78.	The Chairman said that the protocol could be updated where appropriate and some parts could be moved to the working procedures and the standard layout. These could then be annexed to the protocol together with acceptances and other relevant information. The protocol would thus serve as a frame for a complete description of the terms of reference of the work of the Working Party. He said he would prefer to maintain the name "Geneva Protocol" as it had a certain recognition in international trade.

79.	The delegate of Germany asked if this would not make updating too complicated because every change of the annexes would mean going through the procedure of changing the protocol. The secretariat said that it could be provided for in the Protocol that the annexes could be updated by a decision by the Working Party.

80.	It was decided that:

-	The secretariat will clarify with the legal services what the legal procedures around a protocol and its status are, in what way it is different from a convention and how it is amended.

-	Each Specialized Section should put the item on the agenda and transmit their ideas and opinions to the Working Party.

-	The Working Group on Working Procedures will be given the task to further discuss the document 2001/6, to collect the information from the specialized sections and to evaluate the necessity to amend the Geneva Protocol. The results and proposals will be transmitted to the Working Party.

-	Each delegation will research their Country's position concerning the Geneva Protocol.

81.	The delegation of Switzerland informed that in their case the Foreign Ministry had been responsible and the Protocol was seen as a declaration of the intention to undertake standardization.