1. The Thirteenth Session of the Codex Committee on General Principles was held in Paris from 7 to 11 September at the kind invitation of the Government of France. The Session was chaired by Professor Pierre Louisot, and was attended by 250 Delegates and observers representing 57 Member countries and 24 international organizations. A complete list of participants at the Session is given in Appendix I.
2. The Session was opened by Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, who welcomed participants on behalf of the French Government and stressed the involvement of the services in his Ministry in the work of Codex Alimentarius. The Minister highlighted the relationship between Codex and the World Trade Organization and the importance of Codex standards as a reference in international trade.
3. As regards the adoption of standards, the Minister strongly reasserted the necessity to seek all means to reach consensus in order to facilitate their acceptance at the international level. Heemphasized the importance of scientific evaluation, which would be reflected in France by the creation of an Agency on food safety, while pointing out the need to respect consumers' expectations and concerns. This would offer the best guarantee for a balance in international trade, as decisions should be based on objective and measurable data in order to avoid creating barriers to trade. Recognizing the importance of the work of the Committee in this perspective, Mr. Strauss-Kahn wished delegates all success in their work.
