Standardization News

Proposal in WTO Non-Agricultural Market Access Negotiations Would Restrict Choice of International Standards

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, National Foreign Trade Council and more than a dozen industry trade associations sent a joint letter to the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Ron Kirk, stating their strong objections to a European proposal in current World Trade Organization Non-Agricultural Market Access negotiations.

According to the industry letter, the European proposal restricts flexibility and choice of international standards by designating a short list of specific organizations as international standards developing organizations and suggesting that only the standards developed by these organizations are relevant internationally within the context of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

Current WTO policy encourages its 153 member countries to eliminate unnecessary barriers to trade by ensuring that international standards utilized for trade and regulatory purposes are developed with open, impartial and transparent principles that afford an opportunity for consensus among all interested parties. This principle-based approach allows industry and governments alike to choose from a broad portfolio of international standards based upon important criteria such as technical quality, market relevance and suitability. The European proposal undermines this internationally agreed-upon approach by limiting choices based on whether the standard was developed by a specific organization on the approved list of standardizing bodies.

"ASTM International shares the concerns expressed by business groups and trade associations regarding the European proposal on international standards," says ASTM International President James A. Thomas. "In today's globally competitive economy, industries need the flexibility to choose international standards that best match their technical needs and market-based objectives."

"Achieving greater standards cooperation and regulatory convergence are key commitments embodied in the Transatlantic Economic Council and its U.S.–EU High Level Regulatory Cooperation Forum," says Sean Heather, executive director of global regulatory cooperation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "We are concerned that the European proposal undermines the mutual commitment to move beyond differences over standards policy that was intended to foster more effective standards cooperation in areas of emerging regulation." The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been actively engaged in coordinating U.S. industry engagement in support of TEC objectives.

The leading business groups and industry trade associations that signed the letter are: the Aluminum Association, Aluminum Extruders Council, American Apparel and Footwear Association, American Automotive Policy Council, American Cleaning Institute, American Iron and Steel Institute, American Petroleum Institute, American Wood Council, Association of Global Automakers, Emergency Committee for American Trade, European-American Business Council, National Association of Manufacturers, National Foreign Trade Council, NEMA: The Association of Electrical and Medical Imaging Equipment Manufacturers, Portland Cement Association, Renewable Fuels Association, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, United States Council for International Business, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

For more information regarding ASTM's global policy and stakeholder outreach efforts, contact Jeff Grove, vice president, global policy and industry affairs (phone: 202-223-8505; jgrove@astm.org).

To read the full text of the letter go to www.astmnewsroom.org/default.aspx?pageid=2460.