106. 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 specified that the purpose of the work of the Council for TRIPS should be to address those aspects of trade facilitation which the Council for TRIPS regarded as being related to the TRIPS Agreement, and asked the Council for TRIPS to convey the results of its discussions on the issue by March 1999. At the last meeting, the Council for TRIPS had agreed to request the Secretariat to prepare a short background note on the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and trade facilitation, and to revert to the matter at the present meeting with a view to concluding its discussions, so as to be able to report to the Council for Trade in Goods in March 1999, as requested. This background note was circulated to Members on 5 January 1999 in document IP/C/W/123. He also recalled that the European Communities had presented a discussion paper on this subject, which had been circulated as informal document No. 7109 of 23 December 1998.
107. Continuing, the Chairperson suggested that the simplest approach to this matter would be if Members could agree to authorize him to convey to the Council for Trade in Goods the record of the discussions on this agenda item as reflected in the minutes of the TRIPS Council together with copies of the papers that had been presented to the Council on this matter, namely the Secretariat's background note and the European Communities discussion paper.
