RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/TBT/2/Add.2
19February 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-0600)
Original: English Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OFTHE AGREEMENT
ONTECHNICAL BARRIERS TOTRADE
Thefollowing Statement under Article 15.2oftheAgreement hasbeenreceived from the
delegation oftheUnited States.
_______________
1. Inaccordance withArticle 15.2oftheAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade andthe
Decision taken bytheCommittee onTechnical Barriers toTrade (G/TBT/1/Rev.1), wehereby
submit totheCommittee thisstatement summarizing themeasures inexistence andtaken toensure
theimplementation andadministration oftheAgreement intheUnited States.
2. Asasignatory totheTokyo Round Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade, the
United States provided itsStatement onImplementation inTBT/1/Add.1 (14April 1980). Title
IVoftheTrade Agreements Actof1979 (Public Law96-39), thelegalbasis onwhich the
Agreement wasimplemented intheUnited States, andtheU.S.Administration 'sStatement of
Administrative Action, which setsforth adetailed plantoguide theExecutive Branch in
implementing TitleIV,iscontained inthatdocument. TheTokyo Round Agreement entered into
force fortheUnited States on1January 1980. Conforming amendments tothatlegislation were
made withthepassage oftheUruguay Round Agreements Act(Public Law103-465). Few
changes were required intheadministrative regulations, practices andprocedures toimplement the
Agreement. Infact,theStatement ofAdministrative Action, which accompanied TitleIVofthe
Trade Agreements Actof1979, wasreproduced asanattachment totheStatement of
Administrative Action accompanying theUruguay Round Agreements Act. TheWTO Agreement
entered intoforce on1January 1995.
3. TheAdministrative Procedure Act(APA) setsforth thegeneral procedures forrulemaking
tobefollowed byagencies oftheUnited States Government (5U.S.C. section 551etseq.). In
general, theAPA requires ataminimum thatfortheissuance ofasubstantive ruleanagency
must:
(1) Publish anotice ofproposed rulemaking intheFederal Register. Thisnotice must
setforth thetextorthesubstance oftheproposed rule,thelegalauthority forthe
rulemaking proceeding, andapplicable times andplaces forpublic participation.
(2) Provide allinterested persons --nationals andnon-nationals alike--anadequate
opportunity forsubmission ofwritten comments ontheproposed rule. Thispublic
comment process serves anumber ofpurposes, including giving interested persons
theopportunity toprovide theagency withinformation thatwillenhance the
agency 'sknowledge ofthesubject matter oftherulemaking. Thepublic comment
process alsoprovides interested persons withtheopportunity tochallenge the
factual assumptions onwhich theagency isproceeding, andtoshow inwhat
respect suchassumptions areinerror.
./.G/TBT/2/Add.2
Page2
(3) Publish anotice offinalrulemaking atleast30daysbefore theeffective dateof
therulewhich includes astatement ofthebasis andpurpose oftherule,and
responds toallsubstantive comments received. TheAPA makes anexception
from therequirement forpublication ofthefinalrule30daysbefore itseffective
dateiftherulemakes anexemption orrelieves arestriction, oriftheagency
makes andpublishes afinding thatanearlier effective dateisrequired "forgood
cause".
4. TheAPA alsocontains provisions foradvance notice ofproposed rulemaking. This
allows agencies toseekgeneral comments onissues prior todeveloping thespecific regulatory
proposal. There areonlylimited exceptions tothese requirements.
5. Theoffice oftheU.S.Trade Representative (USTR) retains overall responsibility for
national implementation oftheAgreement. Representations concerning U.S.implementation of
theAgreement andrequests forconsultations should bedirected toUSTR. TheDepartment of
Commerce, National Institute ofStandards andTechnology (NIST) maintains theEnquiry Point
fortheUnited States:
TheNational Center forStandards andCertification Information
National Institute ofStandards andTechnology
Bldg. 820,Room 164
Gaithersburg, MD20899
Telephone: (301) 97540.40
Fax: (301) 92615.59
Telex: TRT197674 NIST UT
email: overman@MICF.NIST.GOV
6. NIST isresponsible foridentifying andproviding notifications totheWTO Secretariat
under theTBTAgreement. Fortechnical regulations andconformity assessment procedures
proposed bycentral government bodies, NIST relies upon theinformation published daily inthe
Federal Register inorder toidentify proposals which aresubject tothenotification procedures
under thisAgreement. Final textsofcentral government technical regulations andconformity
assessment procedures arealsopublished intheFederal Register. Fortechnical regulations and
conformity assessment procedures prepared bystategovernments, NIST relies upon publications
bythestates (e.g., stateregisters; administrative codes; gazettes) towhich itsubscribes. On
questions concerning standards andtechnical regulations foragricultural products, including
sanitary andphytosanitary measures, NIST isassisted bytheU.S.Department ofAgriculture:
Office ofFood Safety andTechnical Services
Foreign Agricultural Service
U.S.Department ofAgriculture
AGBox1027
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
14thandIndependence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC20250-1027
Telephone: (202) 72022.39
Fax: (202) 69006.77
email: CFWILSON@AG.GOV
Bothoffices circulate notifications received under theAgreement tointerested parties for
comment.