Standardization News

Twelve Countries' Shared Commitment to Eliminating Unnecessary Technical Barriers to Trade

In February, after years of negotiations, 12 countries signed the trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.¹ The agreement represents an opportunity to grease the wheels of trade by eliminating unnecessary technical barriers to trade, enhancing transparency and promoting greater regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practice.

ASTM International is fortunate to count nearly 27,000 members from the 12 TPP countries. These individuals represent diverse sectors, including metals and construction materials, chemicals and plastics, renewable energy and biofuels, carbon accounting and sustainability, and the life sciences.

Mitigating Technical Barriers to Trade

The TPP makes its appearance at a time when non-tariff trade barriers remain the biggest challenge facing exporters across the Asia-Pacific region. The TPP's chapter on technical barriers to trade supports the commitments established by the World Trade Organization's Technical Barriers to Trade Committee Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards. This decision states that international standardization can be more effective when it supports sector-driven standards and observes basic principles of standards development.

ASTM's adoption of WTO/TBT criteria for the development of international standards has inspired confidence on the part of market regulators and exporters. TPP is one more way to ensure that regulatory agencies use science-based measures to support their objectives and protect citizens across numerous markets.

For several years, ASTM members and staff have actively worked with TPP countries to provide technical assistance in the use of our standards. For example, we have hosted a number of technical experts from national standards bodies so that they can gain a better understanding of standards development and make industry contacts that can help to advance trade.

Cooperation in the TPP Region

In addition, ASTM's Memorandum of Understanding Program, which embodies the WTO/TBT principle of outreach to developing countries, has significantly contributed to the increase of our international members and opened new markets for our members. At present, 95 standards bodies have become MOU partners. To date, ASTM has documented the citation of over 6,900 of our international standards in countries other than the United States.

In the TPP region, we have signed MOUs with the national standards bodies of Brunei (2011), Chile (2002), Malaysia (2003), Peru (2003), Singapore (2003) and Vietnam (2004). In addition, ASTM has been accredited by the Standards Council of Canada and over 180 ASTM standards are referenced in Canadian federal legislation. Additionally, ASTM's 2016 chairman of the board of directors, Ralph M. Paroli, Ph.D., is director, R&D, in the Measurement Science and Standards portfolio at the National Research Council of Canada. ASTM also has close ties to Japan's national standards body, the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee, as well as to the Japanese Standards Association, one of the largest distributors of ASTM standards in the world. ASTM standards are also widely used in Japan in industries such as ceramics, chemical engineering, ferrous metals, paper manufacturing, medical devices and construction materials.

The goal of the MOU program is to increase participation from international experts and broaden the global acceptance of ASTM standards. For example, many Malaysian laboratories participate in ASTM's Proficiency Testing Programs, which use our test methods to provide statistical quality controls that help labs assess their performance through comparison with other global participants. Additionally, many ASTM standards have been adopted directly as Malaysian national standards. The national standards body of Singapore references numerous ASTM standards, including ones for the biomedical and chemicals industries, general engineering and consumer product safety.

Helping SMEs

In 2016, ASTM is celebrating the contributions of small and medium enterprises to standards development; we are encouraged that the TPP is the first free trade agreement to specifically address barriers to market entry in a chapter on SMEs. Around the world, SMEs are driving economic growth by creating jobs and exporting products to foreign markets. TPP aims to benefit SMEs by streamlining complex technical and administrative barriers that can prevent the entry of products into markets.

The agreement also aims to establish a committee to review recommendations to enhance market access in areas such as digital trade and the internet, which is a growing venue for enterprises of all sizes.

TPP builds on the progress that ASTM has made with our partners and encourages cooperation in the development and review of technical regulations, sets future priorities for areas of mutual interest, and assists in the identification of technical capacity needs. TPP represents 12 countries' shared commitment to science-based regulatory processes, enhancing transparency, eliminating unnecessary technical barriers to trade for companies of all sizes and promoting greater regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practice. ASTM is doing its part to promote this admirable mission in the trans-Pacific region.

Reference

1. Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. Ratification by the authorizing bodies of the participating nations is required for TPP to go into full force.

Anthony R. Quinn is ASTM's director of public policy and international trade.