The Standing Committee can establish other Sub-Committees or ad hoc Working Groups, which may have a more limited mandate.
There are currently four active Working Groups:
The Working Group on Vision and Strategy (WGVS) was originally established at the Convention’s 40th Anniversary in London in September 2015. The mandate of the Working Group was to define a vision and strategy for the Convention and describe what objectives the Convention wishes to achieve over the next decade and how. The WG’s intial mandate, which was limited to a maximum period of 3 years, has been completed and the WG has delivered a new vision and related strategies at the SC Meeting in Stockholm in April 2018. At its meeting in Ljubljana in March 2019, the SC gave the WG a second mandate, which consists in reviewing the comments received from Contracting States during the consultation period. It will advise the SC on whether the proposed vision and strategies need to be amended, based on Members' comments, and on how to implement both vision and related strategies.
The WGVS comprises Members from Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Switzerland and the UK.
The Working Group on Model Law (WGML) was established at the SC meeting in Ljubljana (Slovenia) in March 2019. It aims at drafting guidelines on a model law, which contain basic requirements regarding the control and marking of articles of precious metals, in particular the recognition of foreign hallmarks such as the CCM. The guidelines on the model law, which will be voluntary, should facilitate the accession of new Member States to the Convention.
The WGML's Co-ordinator is Richard Sanders (UK) and comprises Members from Croatia, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and the UK.
The Working Group on the European Union (WGEU) was established at the virtual SC meeting in May 2021. It is open to both Members and Non-Members of the Convention and aims at co-ordinating positions between SC Members, Applicants, TPPs and Observers, and to develop a strategy for engagement with the European Union. The WGEU is an outcome of the first meeting of Expert Group on Mutual Recognition of Goods in the field of precious metal control, established by the European Commission (EC), to which the Convention was invited to attend and present.
The WGEU comprises Members from Croatia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovak Republic, and the UK.
The Working Group on E-Commerce (WG-ECOM) was established at the SC meeting in Vicenza (Italy) in September 2024. It follows a paper by the SC Chairman on the regulatory challenges posed by precious metal jewellery sales on electronic marketplaces (e-platforms), which often do not meet the premarket authorisation or post market traceability requirements required by law in many countries. It is still working on its mandate.
The WGEU comprises Members from Italy, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, and the UK.