Standards

Standards and Technical Barriers to Trade

Standards should play a central role in facilitating trade in goods and services. However, standards can often restrain commercialization of a product or service in multiple markets. Even where standards may be harmonized or internationally recognized, the testing and conformity assessment procedures required to verify the quality, safety and integrity of the good or service can obstruct access to markets in a timely and efficient manner.
 

The GRC  works to advance important standards and conformity assessment policy in support of open and competitive markets, while addressing specific challenges that arise as Chamber members do business around the world.

Standards and conformity policies should adhere to the following guidelines:

• Not be designed to position government to set standards and conformity assessment.

• Be designed, where possible, through a voluntary and private sector standards body.

• Allow foreign and domestic stakeholders participate in an open and transparent standard setting process.

• Require regulators to reference private-sector and international standards in order to meet their required regulatory objective; where no standard exists, regulators should engage the private-sector standard-setting bodies to address their concerns.

• Allow third-party private sector entities to conduct conformity assessments, where such independent assessment is desirable.