Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade SlideShare
The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) is a multilateral agreement administered by the World Trade Organization (WTO) that seeks to ensure that technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles to international trade. The TBT Agreement is one of the most important technical standards agreements in international trade.
The TBT Agreement applies to all goods, including agricultural products, and to all measures that may affect trade in goods. It aims to ensure that technical regulations and standards are not used as a means of protectionism and that they are not more trade-restrictive than necessary to achieve their legitimate objectives, such as the protection of human health or the environment.
The TBT Agreement sets out a number of key principles that are designed to ensure that technical regulations and standards are developed and implemented in a transparent, non-discriminatory, and science-based manner. For example, the Agreement requires that technical regulations and standards be developed and implemented in a transparent manner, with opportunities for public comment and consultation.
The Agreement also requires that technical regulations and standards be based on scientific principles and not be more trade-restrictive than necessary to achieve their legitimate objectives. In addition, the Agreement requires that technical regulations and standards be non-discriminatory, meaning that they should not unfairly favor domestic goods or discriminate against imported goods.
Another important aspect of the TBT Agreement is that it recognizes the importance of conformity assessment procedures (CAPs) in ensuring that goods comply with technical regulations and standards. The Agreement requires that CAPs be developed and implemented in a transparent, non-discriminatory, and science-based manner, and that they be based on international standards and guidelines, where they exist.
The TBT Agreement has a number of benefits for businesses and consumers. By promoting the development of transparent, science-based, and non-discriminatory technical regulations and standards, the Agreement helps to create a level playing field for businesses operating in international markets. This, in turn, helps to promote competition and innovation, which can lead to lower prices and better-quality products for consumers.
The TBT Agreement also helps to ensure that technical regulations and standards do not unnecessarily impede trade in goods. This can help to reduce the cost of doing business and increase market access for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may lack the resources to comply with complex technical regulations and standards.
In conclusion, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade is an important agreement that seeks to ensure that technical regulations and standards do not create unnecessary barriers to international trade. By promoting the development of transparent, science-based, and non-discriminatory technical regulations and standards, the TBT Agreement helps to create a level playing field for businesses operating in international markets, while also promoting competition and innovation and increasing market access for SMEs.
