Medium-Term Plan
5) The Committee recalled that following the decisions of the 23rd Session of the Commission, the Executive Committee had considered the Medium-Term Plan and asked the regional Coordinating Committees for their opinion in this respect (ALINORM 01/3, paras 36-41). The CCEXEC had agreed that on the basis of its discussions a small group consisting of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons together with the Secretariat would work on a Draft Medium-Term Plan 2003-2007 and develop a strategic statement of the Commission´s vision for the future.
6) The CCEXEC had also considered the Draft Action Plan of the Chair of the Commission (hereafter referred to as Action Plan) (Conference Room Document 3 of CCEXEC) and agreed that it would be revised in the light of the discussion and circulated for government comments as well as to Coordinating Committees.
7) The Secretariat informed the Committee that the revision of the Chair’s Action Plan, as recommended by the CCEXEC, was underway and had not yet been finalized. Consequently it was not possible to make it available to the Committee for consideration. The Committee noted that it would be distributed in all official languages to member countries and international organizations after its finalization, for consideration by the Executive Committee and the Commission. It was not intended at this stage for consideration by Regional Committees, but would be forwarded to them after the Commission.
8) The Vice-Chairman of the Commission (Professor Stuart Slorach, Sweden) informed the Committee that the Working Group including the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Commission had discussed the preparation of the Medium-Term Plan and the Chair’s Action Plan, and the Strategic Statement.
9) The Strategic Statement took the year 2007 as a reference and made a number of assumptions, and especially that Codex standards would be widely accepted, that there would be wider participation of Members and international organizations, and that coordination would be ensured between Codex and other international fora. The Committee noted that the Statement would be circulated for government comments and considered by the next session of the Committee on General Principles.
10) The Vice-Chair indicated that the Chair’s Action Plan included some major changes such as converting Commodity Committees into Task Forces with a limited time frame, a review of the elaboration procedure, and holding the meetings of the Commission on an annual basis
11) While debating this question, the Committee warmly welcomed the initiative intended to improve the efficiency of Codex work, while ensuring transparency and increasing participation. However, it expressed its concern that it was not possible for the Regional Committee to discuss it in detail and express its views in this regard.
12) The Committee had an exchange of view on these proposals and the following issues of interest were put forward for further consideration: the need to improve transparency in the decision process; the increased participation of developing countries and NGOs; and the relationship with other international organizations in order to avoid duplication and to take into account international recommendations in other areas, especially the environment and animal health and welfare. The Committee also noted that proposed changes related to the elaboration of standards and structure of Committees would require careful consideration according to the current procedures.
13) The Committee noted that the report of the Working Group would be distributed and placed on the Codex website before the end of October 2000, and that the Chair’s Action Plan would be distributed for consideration at the CCEXEC, the Commission and the Regional Committees. The revised Medium-Term Plan would be considered by the CCEXEC and the Commission and forwarded to Coordinating Committees, with a view to its finalization by the 25th Session of the Commission.
14) The Committee agreed that, in the interest of transparency and in view of its essential importance for future work of Codex, the revised Action Plan should be distributed in all languages of Codex in good time before the next meeting of the Executive Committee.
Meetings of the Commission
15) The Secretariat recalled that the proposal to hold the Commission on an annual basis and abolish the Executive Committee originated from a proposal of the Delegation of Malaysia in the last Session of the Committee on General Principles, while discussing the composition of the Executive Committee. Following a general discussion it had been agreed that a document considering all relevant aspects of the question should be prepared for consideration by the next session. The proposal was later included in the Action Plan but this did not affect its status as a specific item under discussion in a Codex Committee. The background information on this proposal was included in the working paper for the session and for consideration by the Regional Committee.
16) The Committee supported in principle the annual meetings of the Commission but noted that important aspects should be considered: budgetary implications; the additional burden for all member countries and especially developing countries, as well as practical matters such as distribution of documents and the timetable of meetings.
17) The Representative of FAO indicated that the financial implications associated with annual meetings would be included in the documents presented to the CCGP and the Commission, and also stressed the importance of ensuring efficient and transparent operation of Codex, while avoiding duplication with other organizations. As regards the proposal for a trust fund, the Representative indicated that this was one of the possibilities under consideration, but FAO and WHO also facilitated the participation of developing countries through other means such as the organization of workshops prior to regional committees. The Representative of WHO supported this view and recalled the high importance given by the WHO governing body to food safety matters and Codex work.
