The project’s purpose is to prepare a new recommendation on approaches to consultation between public and private entities within the area of trade and/or an extended guideline to Recommendation 4. A case study repository is also envisaged.

Recommendation 4 details how PRO-organisations should be put up and how they can be run. However, Rec 4 does not address the issue of trust building between public and private and does not cover the approaches that are necessary in order to consolidate positions between companies and their organisations on one side or in between different governmental bodies and departments on the other. A new recommendation would cover these areas as well as a distinction on how to conduct consultation on different levels, i.e. strategic, tactic and operational. The recommendation would answer to the need of transparency and consultation that is discussed in the WTO negotiations on trade facilitation as well as in other fora.
The main scope of the project is to formulate a new recommendation, but it will also be assessed if an update is needed of Recommendation 4.