IPPC Secretariat ad hoc Working Group on Standard-setting Procedures

Montevideo, 1999-03-15/19

Aim
The ICPM (Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures) set up by FAO in 1998 is currently working with the standard-setting procedures established in the early 1990s by FAO Conference, involving the CEPM (Committee of Experts on Phytosanitary Measures). At the first meeting, it called on an ad hoc working group to propose new procedures for standard setting.

Working Group
Courtesy Mr Hiroshi AKIYAMA

Proposal
This group met in Montevideo on 1999-03-15/19. European participants included Mr M. Vereecke (EU Commission) and the Director General (nominated by the non-EU EPPO countries). The group developed a proposal for a new standard-setting Committee as a subsidiary body of the ICPM with 3 new features:

membership of one person from each of the 7 FAO regions, plus 5 individually selected experts
all new standards to be proposed with a clear and agreed 'specification' before detailed drafting starts
participants attend at own expense, freeing funding for working groups

In other respects, the procedures for initiation, consultation and approval are broadly those of the CEPM.

Representativity
The main issue for discussion was how this Committee could ensure adequate representation of different countries and groups of countries around the world. The CEPM system does this by nomination of one expert by each RPPO (2 experts in the case of APPPC and EPPO), plus 3 other experts (for EU, Japan and Near East), giving a total of 14. The new proposal reduces the number to twelve, with only 2 from America and 1 from Europe (on the basis of the FAO regions). It is supposed that the 5 individually selected experts will in practice redress the balance for America and Europe, who otherwise see their participation much reduced compared with the CEPM.

Participants

Felipe CANALE (Chairman) - E-mail: fcanale@distrinet.com.uy

John HEDLEY (Chair. Secretary) - E-mail: hedleyj@maf.govt.nz

Robert GRIFFIN (IPPC Secretariat) - E-mail: Robert.Griffin@fao.org

Hiroshi AKIYAMA (Japan) - E-mail: jdr01717@niftyserve.or.jp

Reinouw BAST-TJEERDE, Mrs (Canada) - E-mail: rbast@em.agr.ca

Ian SMITH (EPPO) - E-mail: Smith@eppo.fr

Brian STYNES (Australia) - E-mail: Brian.Stynes@aqis.gov.au

Marc VEREECKE (EU) - E-mail: Marc.Vereecke@DG6.cec.be

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