Standards and Conformity Assessment as Nontariff Barriers to Trade

Abstract

is an International Economist with the Trade Unit of the Organization of American States, involved in carrying out the mandate given at the Summit of Miami in December 1994 by Heads of Governments of the Western Hemisphere to create the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Among her responsibilities is support of the FTAA Working Group on Standards and Technical Barriers to Trade.

The effects of phthalate restrictions on Turkey s footwear imports

“…8-9) view inter alia the reduction in quantity imports and the increase in price of imports as important characteristics of non-tariff barriers in order to understand fully their effects. Likewise, Stephenson (1997) points out the danger of their acting as barriers to trade as they have the capacity to restrain trade growth and an effect on economic efficiency. Bognar (2011, p. 186) suggests that "once regulations for higher standards of production are introduced, producers from exporting countries may be subject to additional costs in order to meet the standards specified in the regulations".…”

Private agri-food standards: Implications for food policy and the agri-food system

“…Here private standards are a substitute for missing public institutions. As the large chains and processing Wrms compete amongst themselves in national and regional markets and attempt to diVerentiate their products to protect and gain market share, they Wnd that the public standards needed for that diVerentiation do not exist (which is very common in developing regions, see Stephenson, 1997). Alternatively, relatively undiVerentiated public standards exist, inherited from the protected, homogeneous commodity markets that were common before market liberalisation and structural adjustment.…”

Analysis of Non-Tariff Barriers of Concern to Developing Countries

“…Technical barriers to trade (TBTs): While recognising that technical measures may serve legitimate purposes, it is also evident that they can be important obstacles to exports to developed countries whose technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures may effectively serve as border-protection instruments (Wilson, 2000;Wilson, 1999;Stephenson, 1997;Michalopoulos, 1999). Despite their adverse effects, Nixon (2004) argues that these measures can also have a positive effect for developing countries by spurring new competitive advantages and investment in technological capability, should enterprises in DCs act offensively.…”

“…Studies on APEC offer a comprehensive analysis of frequency and coverage ratios of NTBs for the periods 1984-1993(PECC for APEC, 1995), 1993(Stephenson, 1997(McGuire et al, 2002. Some analyses within APEC are also sectoral, for instance identifying NTMs in forest products (APEC, 2000).…”

“…Anecdotal and other evidence from case studies (Laird, 1999;Michalopoulos, 1999;Stephenson, 1997;McGuire, 2000) appears to challenge the arguments in much of the research-based literature that the use of "core NTBs" has substantially decreased in the post-Uruguay Round trade environment. Case studies in Asia indicate that NTBs remain a significant issue for developing countries.…”