Transparency toolkit

ePing helps manage and track technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. Members can submit their SPS and TBT notifications via the platform. ePing allows for better national coordination with regulatory agencies, helps keep track of all notifications submitted and gives access to comprehensive TBT and SPS transparency related information across all WTO Members on one website. Once registered, users can benefit from a range of services such as signing up to receive email alerts and to follow notifications on products and/or markets of interest and to reach out to national and international counterparts.

Transparency obligations

Transparency is a cornerstone of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement and consists of three core elements: notifications; establishment of enquiry points; and publication requirements. Further explanation on these elements can be found here.

Notification of draft technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures

Governments are required to “notify” other members, through the WTO Secretariat, of proposed measures that may have a significant effect on other members' trade and that are not based on relevant international standards. These notifications are contained in WTO document series “G/TBT/N/3 digit ISO country code/#”.

Submission of notifications

The TBT Committee has adopted Guidelines for Notification Procedures for Draft Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures as well as a recommendation on when to use which notification format. Governments can submit notifications to the WTO Central Registry of Notifications through ePing.

• More details

Statement of Implementation

Governments are required to submit a one-time “statement of implementation” (Art. 15.2). This statement should include information on relevant laws and regulations, the time period allowed for comments on notifications, contact information for enquiry points and other relevant national authorities, titles of publications on TBT measures. These notifications are contained in WTO document series “G/TBT/2/Add”. A list of members who have submitted their statements is available in ePing.

Notification of Agreement under Article 10.7

Under Article 10.7 of the Agreement “Whenever a Member has reached an agreement with any other country or countries on issues related to technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures which may have a significant effect on trade, at least one Member party to the agreement shall notify other Members through the Secretariat of the products to be covered by the agreement and include a brief description of the agreement.”

Standardizing bodies: Acceptance of the Code of Good Practice

Standards are addressed by the TBT Agreement in a separate Code of Good Practice for the preparation, adoption and application of standards (Annex 3). Standardizing bodies that have accepted or withdrawn from the Code are required to notify the WTO and the ISO/IEC Information Centre. These notifications are contained in WTO document series “G/TBT/CS/N/#”. The WTO ISO Standards Information Gateway contains information on the Standardizing bodies that have accepted the Code and their work programmes.

Enquiry points

Each member must put in place an Enquiry Point that is able to answer reasonable enquiries from other members, including on any adopted or proposed technical regulations, standards, conformity assessment procedures (Art.10). Contact information for enquiry points is available in ePing.

TBT Enquiry Point Guide

The guide compiles practical information on how Enquiry Points are performing their tasks and overcoming everyday challenges.

Publications

The publication requirements are designed to advertise a member's intent to regulate as well as to provide access to the final texts of regulations. This way, members, and other interested parties can become acquainted with them, have an opportunity to comment and/or adapt to the new requirements. This information can be found in Members statements of implementation.

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Work on transparency in the TBT Committee

• 9th Triennial review recommendations related to transparency.
• 8th Triennial review recommendations related to transparency.
• Decisions and recommendations adopted by the TBT Committee related to transparency can be found here
• 4 February 2021: TBT Committee Thematic Session on Transparency
• 18-19 June 2019: Thematic session on Transparency
• Decisions and recommendations adopted by the TBT Committee related to transparency can be found here
• Guidelines for Notification Procedures for Draft Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures