36. The Chairperson recalled that it had not been possible to reach a consensus among all Members on the "ground rules" that had been proposed by the Chair last year September for advance reviews of the legislation of some Members which had already been, in whole or in part, brought into conformity with the TRIPS Agreement. In the light of further consultations that he had held on this matter, he suggested that he consult with those Members that had been open to advance reviews of their legislation to see if they would be in a position to have their legislation reviewed in the first part of 2000, so as to kick off the post-2000 review process. This suggestion was made against the background of the fact that, even if it were possible to agree on "ground rules" at the present meeting, the review in question would not take place until the second half of 1999, i.e. just before the end of the transition period for developing countries. Some of these Members had already made advance notifications of their legislation and others would need to do so during 1999 if this suggestion were to work. In the consultations that he had held, discussions had also focused on another question concerning the review of the national implementing legislation of developing countries after 1 January 2000, in particular on the question of the practical arrangements that would need to be put in place for the review of their legislation. Further consultations would be held on this matter which would then, at a later stage, be put on the Council's agenda.
