SPS course series 2 - The SPS Agreement and science

This course is no longer open for registration. To complete the series of courses please contact elearning@wto.org or register for the new edition of the SPS Course Series. 

Measures to guarantee food safety and protect animals and plants must be based on science. Explore in this intermediate course what this requirement entails!

Course objectives:

1. Understand the following science-related obligations and how they are applied in practice.
2. The principle of regulatory harmonization around relevant international standards (Article 3). You will also learn about the work of the three relevant standard-setting organizations Codex, IPPC and OIE, and how it relates to the obligations of the SPS Agreement (Module 1);
3. The SPS Agreement's obligations regarding risk assessment (Article 5, paragraphs 1 to 3) (Module 2);
4. The SPS Agreement's obligations regarding the level of protection a WTO Member chooses to maintain in its territory (so-called 'appropriate level of protection') (Article 5, paragraphs 4 to and 6) (Module 3); and
5. Temporary measures in emergency situations where there is insufficient scientific evidence to determine whether a product or process is safe (Article 5.7) (Module 4).

Subjects: Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

Trailer: