105. The Chairperson recalled that this matter was on the agenda of the Council for Trade in Goods as a result of a decision at the Singapore Ministerial Conference and that the Council for TRIPS had agreed to consider this issue following a letter, dated 1 September 1998, received from the Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods. The letter requested the Council for TRIPS to address those aspects of trade facilitation which the Council for TRIPS regarded as being related to the TRIPS Agreement and to convey the results of its discussions on the issue by March 1999. In the consideration of trade facilitation in the Council for Trade in Goods context, reference had been made to the provisions on border enforcement in the TRIPS Agreement. In the light of the informal consultations he had held on this matter, the Chairperson proposed that the Council request the Secretariat to prepare a short background note on the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and trade facilitation. The Council would revert to this matter at its next meeting, with a view to concluding its discussions at that meeting, so as to be able to report to the Council for Trade in Goods in March 1999.
