OTC / TBT Agreement (Technical Barriers to Trade)
WTO agreement governing technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures to avoid unjustified barriers to trade.
TBT / TBT Agreement — Technical Barriers to Trade
The OTC Agreement (Technical Barriers to Trade — TBT) is a multilateral WTO agreement that aims to ensure that technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures do not constitute unjustified obstacles to international trade.
Scope
The agreement covers mandatory technical regulations, voluntary standards and conformity assessment procedures (testing, inspection, certification, accreditation).
Key principles
- Non-discrimination: technical rules must apply equally to domestic and imported products
- Necessity: the measures must not be more restrictive than necessary to achieve the legitimate objective
- Harmonization: encouragement to use existing international standards (ISO, IEC, Codex)
- Transparency: obligation to notify draft technical regulations to the WTO
Distinction with the SPS Agreement
The TBT Agreement covers technical regulations in general (safety, quality, labeling, environment). The SPS Agreement specifically covers sanitary and phytosanitary protection measures.
Practical impact
Exporting companies should check the technical regulations of the destination country. WTO TBT notifications provide an opportunity to anticipate new requirements and provide comments before their adoption.