RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/TBT/W/51
30July1997
ORGANIZATION(97-3250)
Original: English Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
INDIAN PAPER ONTHE FIRST TRIENNIAL REVIEW
Communication from India
Thefollowing communication, dated 21July1997, reflecting thepreliminary position ofthe
Government ofIndia withrespect totheTriennial Review oftheAgreement onTechnical Barriers
toTrade hasbeenreceived from withtherequest thatitbecirculated toMembers oftheCommittee.
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I. INTRODUCTION
1. India’soverall view isthattheoperation oftheWTO Agreement onTechnical Barriers to
Trade during thefirstthree years ofitsexistence reveals thesignificant potential oftheAgreement
tofurther theobjectives ofGATT 1994, especially inensuring thattechnical regulations andstandards,
including packaging, marking andlabelling requirements, andprocedures forassessment ofconformity
withtechnical regulations andstandards donotcreate unnecessary obstacles tointernational trade.
2. Indiaplaces special importance, asadeveloping country, tothose provisions oftheAgreement
which aredirected towards addressing thespecial interests ofdeveloping countries, such asthe
contribution which international standardization canmake tothetransfer oftechnology fromdeveloped
todeveloping countries, assistance todeveloping countries intheformulation andapplication oftechnical
regulations andstandards andprocedures forassessment ofconformity withtechnical regulations and
standards.
3. Theannual reviews bytheCommittee onTechnical Barriers toTrade sofarreveal thatthe
Committee hasbeenunable tomake anadequate assessment oftheimplementation andoperation of
thisspecific aspect oftheAgreement. Consequently, India would liketheTriennial Review tofocus
onanassessment ofthefullimplementation oftheseprovisions oftheAgreement, especially Articles 11
and12.
4. India isoftheview thatuntilafullassessment oftheimplementation ofalltheprovisions,
including theprovisions ofArticles 11and12,oftheAgreement ismade, itwould bepremature for
theCommittee during thefirstTriennial Review torecommend proposals foramendments tothetext
oftheAgreement. Otherwise, suchproposals could, inIndia’sview, interaliaprejudice theprovisions
ofArticle 12oftheAgreement andshifttheattention oftheReview away from implementation of
theAgreement ’sprovisions.G/TBT/W/51
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II. IMPLEMENTATION OFARTICLE 12
5. TheReview should examine theimplementation oftheprovisions ofArticle 12,asthese are
mandatory provisions oftheAgreement. Inthiscontext, India proposes thattheCommittee should
address thefollowing specific issues:
(i) Examination oftheparticular attention given bydeveloped country Members since
theentry intoforce ofthisAgreement totakeintoaccount thespecial development,
financial andtrade needs ofdeveloping country Members intheimplementation of
theAgreement, bothnationally andintheoperation oftheAgreement ’sinstitutional
arrangements.
(ii) Examination ofthetechnical regulations, standards andconformity assessment
procedures adopted bydeveloped country Members since theentry intoforce ofthe
Agreement, withaviewtoassess theextent towhich thespecial development, financial
andtrade needs ofdeveloping country Members havebeentaken intoaccount bythe
concerned developed country Member.
(iii) Examination oftheorganization andoperation ofrelevant international standardizing
bodies andinternational systems forconformity assessment, withaviewtoassess the
extent special problems ofdeveloping country Members havebeentaken intoaccount
inthese bodies.
(iv) Examination oftechnical assistance provided todeveloping country Members under
theprovisions ofthisAgreement toensure thatthepreparation andapplication of
technical regulations, standards andconformity assessment procedures havenotcreated
unnecessary obstacles totheexpansion anddiversification ofexports fromdeveloping
country Members.
6. IndiawouldproposefortheCommittee’sconsiderationthatthesefourissuesshouldbeexamined
inthecourse oftheReview onthebasisofnotifications received fromMembers during theoperation
ofthisAgreement, andcould besupplemented ifnecessary byasking forinformation fromMembers
andrelevant international standardizing bodies, through acommunication from theCommittee.
III. OTHER ISSUES
7. TheCommittee should examine problems faced bydeveloping country Members inthe
implementation ofprovisions oftheAgreement atthenational level bycentral government bodies,
localgovernment bodies andnon-governmental bodies.
8. TheCommittee should identify problems being faced bydeveloping country Members in
effectively meeting notification obligations specified intheprovisions oftheAgreement.
9. TheCommittee should examine steps taken andnotified bydeveloped country Members to
theWTO toensure theeffective participation of,andconsultations with, developing country Members
inthepreparation andapplication oftechnical regulations, standards andconformity assessment
procedures.
10. TheCommittee should examine thestepstaken intheWTO toassess thecapacity ofdeveloping
country Members toprepare andadopt technical regulations, standards orconformity assessment
proceduresaimedatpreservingindigenoustechnologyandproductionmethodsandprocessescompatibleG/TBT/W/51
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withtheir development needs, keeping inview their particular technological andsocio-economic
conditions andtheirdevelopment, financial andtrade needs.
11. TheCommittee should examine anyinitiatives taken byrelevant international standardizing
bodies toensure broad andeffective participation ofdeveloping country Members intheinternational
standardizing bodies andinternational systems forconformity assessment procedures;
12. TheCommitteeshouldexamineanyinitiativestakenbyMemberstogenerategreaterknowledge
of,andexposure to,technologies relevant tointernational standardization among developing country
Members.
13. TheCommitteeshouldexamineanystepstakenbyinternationalstandardizingbodiesconcerning
products ofspecial interest todeveloping country Members, including theextent offacilitation ofmarket
access ofdeveloping country suppliers through theadoption ofsuchsteps.
14. TheCommittee should examine anysteps taken bydeveloped country Members toenable
expansion anddiversification ofexports fromdeveloping country Members through theprovision of
technical assistance;
15. TheCommittee should examine anysteps taken bydeveloped country Members tohold
consultations withdeveloping country Members under theprovisions oftheAgreement, andtheareas
oftechnology covered bysuchconsultations.
IV. MATTERS FOR INCLUSION INTHE COMMITTEE ’SFUTURE WORK PLAN
16. Based onthereview oftheissues mentioned above, India would propose thattheCommittee
should consider including thefollowing matters initsfuture programme ofwork, which could betaken
upduring thenextthree years andreviewed during theSecond Triennial Review oftheAgreement.
17. Theuseofpositive measures toengender capacity building indeveloping countries forthe
purpose ofpreparation andadoption oftechnical regulations, standards orconformity assessment
procedures, keeping inviewtheirparticular technological andsocio-economic conditions.
18. Thecommissioning ofastudy bytheSecretariat toidentify thebarriers tothemarket access
ofdevelopingcountrysuppliers,especiallyfromthesmallandmediumsizedenterprises(SMEs),created
bybuyers indeveloped countries insisting thatthese suppliers useinternational standards asthebasis
fortheirtechnical regulations orstandards, including testmethods, which maynotbeappropriate to
theirdevelopment, financial andtrade needs.
19. Theconsideration ofmeasures relevant tothetransfer oftechnology onpreferential and
non-commercialtermstodevelopingcountriesforpreparingandadoptingtechnicalregulations,standards
orconformity assessment procedures conducive totheirtechnical andsocio-economic conditions and
totheirdevelopment, financial andtrade needs.
20. Thecommissioning ofastudy bytheSecretariat ontheparticipation ofdeveloping country
Members ininternational standardizing bodies andinternational systems forconformity assessment
procedures, toassess whether andhowaccount istaken ofspecial problems ofdeveloping countries
insuchbodies andsystems.
21. Theencouragement oftheorganization ofinternational meetings relevant totheprovisions
oftheAgreement intheterritories ofdeveloping country Members togivegreater representative
participation bysuchMembers tothedeliberations andrecommendations ofsuchinternational meetings.