UNITED

NATIONS

Distr.

GENERAL

ECE/TRADE/230

15 February 1999

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

COMMITTEE FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY AND

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Third session

8-10 June 1999

PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE THIRD SESSION

to be held in the Palais des Nations, Geneva,

starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 8 June 1999

1.	Adoption of the agenda	ECE/TRADE/230

2.	Election of officers

3.	Matters arising from the fifty-fourth

session of the Economic Commission

for Europe

4.	Trade analysis:

Review of recent and prospective trade	Economic Survey

trends, policies and problems, including	TRADE/1999/1

matters arising from the 1999 Round Table

5.	Trade facilitation:

Report of the fourth and fifth sessions	TRADE/CEFACT/1998/27

of the Centre for the Facilitation of	TRADE/CEFACT/1999/18
Procedures and Practices for	TRADE/1999/2

Administration, Commerce and Transport

(CEFACT)

GE.99-

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6.	Technical harmonization and standardization:

(a)	Working Party on Technical

Harmonization and Standardization

Policies

(b)	Working Party on Standardization	TRADE/WP.7/1998/9

of Perishable Produce and Quality	TRADE/1999/3

Development

7.	Trade and investment promotion:

(a)	International Contract Practices	TRADE/WP.5/1998/11
in Industry	TRADE/1999/4

TRADE/1999/5

TRADE/1999/6

TRADE/1999/7

(b)	Liaison with other organizations,	TRADE/1999/8

and the organization of seminars and

workshops

8.	Industry and enterprise development:

(a)	Cross-sectoral enterprise	TRADE/1999/9

development activities	TRADE/1999/10

(b)	Development of small and medium-sized	TRADE/1999/11

enterprises

(c)	Enterprise development activities	TRADE/CHEM/GE.1/1999/7

with an emphasis on the chemical

industry

(d)	Enterprise development activities	TRADE/STEEL/GE.1/1999/6

with an emphasis on the steel

industry

9.	Cooperation with the business community	TRADE/1999/12

10.	Extrabudgetary activities in support	TRADE/1999/13

of the work programme

11.	Regional advisory activities	TRADE/1999/14

12.	Activities of the Commission's other	TRADE/1999/15

principal subsidiary bodies

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13.	Mainstreaming of gender issues

14.	Programme of work, 1999-2001	TRADE/1999/16

15.	Other business	TRADE/1999/17

16.	Adoption of the report

* * *

ANNOTATIONS

Introduction

1.	The provisional agenda for the third session of the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development has been drawn up by the secretariat on the basis of the decisions and programme of work adopted by the Committee at its second session held in June 1998.

2.	The provisional timetable presented hereafter has been proposed by the Bureau of the Committee. The afternoon session of Thursday, 10 June will be held only to approve the draft report of the third session.

3.	At its second session, the Committee decided to hold its 1999 Round Table on the "Polish experience of transition: accomplishments and problems". A preliminary agenda for this event can be found in the annex to the present agenda. New participants in the Committee session should be informed that it has become the custom to dedicate the first day of the Committee sessions to a round table and to hold the regular session on the following two days:

(a.m.)	(p.m.)

Monday,	7 June	- CTIED Round Table -

Tuesday,	8 June	- CTIED regular sessions -

Wednesday,	9 June	- CTIED regular sessions -

Thursday,	10 June	Informal	Draft report

meetings

4.	The third Committee session will therefore formally begin at 10.00 on Tuesday, 8 June 1999.

5.	Since the 1998 session new security procedures have gone into

effect. Delegates must obtain security badges before they are allowed to enter the building (at the Villa Les Feuillantines which is located near the gate at the Place des Nations). This process will be facilitated if the delegates register in advance so that badges can be prepared in time. Registration

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information can be obtained from the secretariat (tel. 41 22 917 2488, fax. 41 22 917 0479, e-mail: ctied@unece.org).

Item 1 - Adoption of the agenda

6.	In accordance with the Commission's rules of procedure, the first item on the provisional agenda is the adoption of the agenda.

Item 2 - Election of officers

7.	As a result of the Commission decision to enlarge the bureaux of its subsidiary bodies, the CTIED Bureau should now include two vice-chairmen. Thus, in accordance with the Commission's rules of procedure and established practice, the meeting is expected to elect a Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen. It will be recalled that, at its second session, the Committee elected Mr. G. Fehér (Hungary) and Mr. M. Vilchez-Barros (Spain), Chairman and Vice-Chairman, respectively.

Item 3 - Matters arising from the fifty-fourth session of the Economic Commission for Europe

8.	The secretariat will report orally on the discussions held at and the decisions adopted by the Commission at its fifty-fourth session to be held in May 1999. If desired, extracts from the report of that session will be made available as a conference room paper.

Item 4 - Trade analysis: review of recent and prospective trade trends, policies and problems, including matters arising from the 1999 Round Table

9.	Under this agenda item, the Chairman of the Round Table to be held on the Polish Experience of Transition (see annex) on 7 June 1999 will report on the discussions held at and conclusions drawn by the Round Table.

10.	The secretariat will present its "Trade Policy Review" paper (TRADE/1999/1) for comment and discussion. The latest edition of the Economic Survey of Europe will also be introduced by the secretariat.

11.	Delegations who so wish are welcome to present brief reports on relevant developments and problems in their countries. In so far as such reports are made available sufficiently in advance (i.e. at least two weeks before the meeting), they will be reproduced by the secretariat. Reports may be submitted by regular post or by e-mail to CTIED@unece.org.

Item 5 - Trade Facilitation: Centre for the Facilitation of Procedures and Practices for Administration, Commerce and Transport (CEFACT)

12.	The Committee will have before it a note by the secretariat (TRADE/1999/2) summarizing progress achieved and the report of the fourth and fifth sessions of CEFACT (TRADE/CEFACT/1998/27 and TRADE/CEFACT/1999/18).

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Item 6 - Technical harmonization and standardization

(a)	Working Party on Technical Harmonization and Standardization Policies

13.	The Chairman of the Working Party will report orally on its ninth session, held in May 1999 (main results of the session will be presented in a conference room paper). The Committee will also have before it a draft of the paper which the secretariat was invited to prepare by the Fifth West-East Conference of Ministers of Economy, Industry and Trade of G-7 and reforming Countries (the "Münster" Conference) at its January 1998 meeting for presentation to its next Conference in November 1999. This paper will focus on the impact of norms and standards on international trade of reforming countries and on the progress these countries have made towards meeting international and regional requirements.

(b)	Working Party on Standardization of Perishable Produce and Quality Development

14.	The Committee will have before it a note by the secretariat (TRADE/1999/3) summarizing progress achieved and the report of the tenth session of the Working Party (TRADE/WP.7/1998/9).

Item 7 - Trade and investment promotion

(a)	International Contract Practices in Industry

15.	The Committee will have before it the report of the forty-seventh session of the Working Party which includes a request to change the name of the Working party to the Working Party on International Legal and Commercial Practice (TRADE/WP.5/1998/11) and a note by the secretariat (TRADE/1999/4) summarizing progress achieved.

16.	Also before the Committee will be the final report of the October 1998 WP.5 Forum on the Protection and Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Transition Economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS (TRADE/1999/5); and a document from the secretariat providing background to the request from WP.5 for the establishment of an informal advisory group as part of its follow-up to the October 1998 Forum ((TRADE/1999/6).

17.	The Chairman of the Working Party on International Contract Practices in Industry and the secretariat will report on progress being made on the revision of the European Convention on International Commercial Arbitration (TRADE/1999/7).

(b)	Liaison with other organizations, and the organization of seminars and workshops

18.	Under this sub-item, the Committee will have before it a report on the activities of the secretariat in these areas (TRADE/1999/8).

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Item 8 - Industry and enterprise development

(a)	Cross-sectoral enterprise development activities

19.	The Committee will have before it notes by the secretariat (TRADE/1999/9 and TRADE/1999/10) containing a survey of enterprise development activities and a proposal for the strategic direction of this part of the programme of work.

(b)	Development of small and medium-sized enterprises

20.	Under this sub-item, the Committee will have before it a report on the activities of the secretariat in this area (TRADE/1999/11).

(c)	Enterprise development activities with an emphasis on

the chemical industry

21. The ad hoc Group of Experts on the Chemical Industry will submit the report of its second session (TRADE/CHEM/GE.1/1999/7).

(d)	Enterprise development activities with an emphasis on the steel

industry

22. The ad hoc Group of Experts on Steel will submit the report of its second session (TRADE/STEEL/GE.1/1999/6).

Item 9 - Cooperation with the business community

23.	The Committee will have before it a report by the secretariat on its

cooperation with the business community (TRADE/1999/12).

Item 10 - Extrabudgetary activities in support of the work programme

24.	The Committee will have before it a report by the secretariat on recent developments in extrabudgetary activities in support of the work programme and, in particular, the work in countries in transition (TRADE/1999/13).

Item 11 - Regional advisory activities

25.	The Committee will have before it a report by the secretariat on recent developments in the regional advisory activities in support of the countries in transition (TRADE/1999/14).

Item 12 - Activities of the Commission's other principal subsidiary bodies

26.	The Committee will have before it a paper by the secretariat on trade and investment related activities of other principal subsidiary bodies (TRADE/1999/15).

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Item 13 - Mainstreaming of gender issues

27.	The secretariat will report on efforts made to mainstream gender issues in the Committee's work. Delegations are invited to transmit further ideas.

Item 14 - Programme of Work, 1998-2001

28.	The Committee will have before it a draft programme of work (TRADE/1999/16) prepared by the secretariat taking into account the proposals of the Bureau of the Committee in March 1999. Should the decisions taken by the Commission at its fifty-fourth session require amendments to the draft programme of work, these will be indicated in a conference room paper.

Item 15 - Other business

29.	The Committee will have before it a paper by the secretariat on the promotion of its work and the development of a mission statement in order to better communicate the purpose and activities of the Committee (TRADE/1999/17).

30.	At the time of drafting, the secretariat was not aware of any further items to be discussed under this agenda item.

31. The secretariat notes that the dates of the fourth session of the

Committee are provisionally set for 20-22 June 2000 and that the Committee is expected to agree on a theme for the 2000 Committee round table.

Item 16 - Adoption of the report

32.	In accordance with established practice, the Committee will adopt its report on the basis of a draft prepared by the secretariat.

* * *

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Annex

Annex

PRELIMINARY AGENDA

Round Table of 7 June 1999

THE POLISH EXPERIENCE OF TRANSITION:

ACCOMPLISHMENTS	AND PROBLEMS

1.	Enterprise development in the emerging market economy

2.	Financial market institutions: the case of stock exchange

3.	Achievements in electronic commerce and banking

4.	Foreign investment in Poland: successes and failures

5.	Accession to the World Trade Organization: the Polish way

Panel discussion: Lessons of transition.

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