235. The Chairman recalled that, at its last meeting, the Council had adopted a decision on the "Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement". Paragraph 1 of the Decision provided that developed country Members shall submit annually reports on actions taken or planned in pursuance of their commitments under Article 66.2. To this end, they must provide new detailed reports every third year and, in the intervening years, provide updates to their most recent reports. These reports must be submitted prior to the last Council meeting scheduled for the year in question. Paragraph 3 of the Decision determined the information that must be provided in these reports. The Decision was adopted on the basis that the first set of new detailed annual reports to be presented under it be submitted at the end of 2003. It was noted that many Members had already submitted detailed reports in the autumn of 2002, and that it was expected that those reports be updated and revised in light of the Decision. Furthermore, paragraph 2 of the Decision provided that the submissions shall be reviewed by the Council at its end-of-year meeting each year. The review meetings shall provide Members with an opportunity to pose questions in relation to the information submitted and request additional information; discuss the effectiveness of the incentives provided in promoting and encouraging technology transfer to least-developed country Members in order to enable them to create a sound and viable technological base; and consider any points relating to the operation of the reporting procedure established by the Decision.
236. Accordingly, he suggested that developed country Members be requested to submit reports on actions they had taken or planned in pursuance of their commitments under Article 66.2 by the end of October, in order to allow their timely circulation and review at the Council's meeting in November.
