[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7168-7169]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2963]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 941244-4344]


International Standards and Trade Support Program

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
plans to set up a service to help U.S. industry avoid or overcome non-
tariff, technical barriers to trade in many foreign markets. Such 
barriers to trade are caused by normative standards, measurement 
standards, conformity testing, and related practices. NIST has operated 
such a program with great success in Saudi Arabia for the past four 
years. NIST plans to (1) support ITA, USTR and voluntary standards 
organizations such as ISO, IEC, ANSI, and to cooperate with regulatory 
agencies, certifiers, etc.; (2) place NIST standards experts in 
critical markets; (3) train and place local-hire NIST standards 
representatives in developing markets; (4) develop close contacts with 
key authorities in foreign markets through training, etc.; and (5) 
align its program with the International Trade Administration's, where 
the Foreign Commercial Counselors at U.S. Embassies assist U.S. 
companies to overcome specific standards-related non-tariff trade 
barriers. NIST is interested in industry cooperation and invites 
responses about countries and types of technical barriers to trade to 
be addressed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Please address all communications to Dr. Peter L.M. Heydemann, 
Director, Technology Services, National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; phone (301) 975-4500; FAX (301) 
975-2183.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST plans to address problems in the 
European Union, the ten ``big emerging markets'' (BEMs) defined by 
Under Secretary Jeffrey Garten, Russia and certain of the Newly 
Independent States (NIS). The ten BEMs are Mexico, China, Indonesia, 
India, South Korea, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and 
Poland.
    The strategy of the program will be to develop close, personal 
contacts between NIST staff and key officials in foreign markets who 
can influence standards-related non-tariff trade barriers. These 
contacts will help NIST to negotiate changes from a basis of mutual 
trust and confidence. One means to develop these contacts are training/
information courses that NIST will present in the United States and in 
foreign markets. NIST will involve a variety of federal authorities, 
ANSI and other voluntary standards organizations, State Weights and 
Measures offices, and selected private enterprises in these efforts. 
NIST standards experts and standards representatives placed in the 
foreign markets will follow up and help to further develop and maintain 
these contacts. Their range of contacts will be different but 
complementary to that of the Foreign Commercial Counselors. They will 
be able to collect additional information on these markets, on planned 
standards and test methods, and on newly appointed officials.
    The purpose of the program is to enhance U.S. exports by assisting 
U.S. manufacturers to overcome or avoid standards-related, non-tariff 
trade barriers (NTBs), especially technical barriers to trade (TBTs), 
and by facilitating negotiation of mutual recognition agreements for 
conformance testing. TBTs, whether or not established intentionally by 
our trading partners, limit U.S. manufacturers' access to export 
markets and often cause large expenses to exporters when testing of 
conformance to the standards of one or more receiving countries is 
required, when tests need to be performed in the buyer's country, or, 
more generally, through the inevitable delay connected with conformance 
testing and certification. TBTs result from disparities between 
standards and conformity assessment practices in the United States and 
in its trading partners:

    Foreign national, regional, or international standards may not 
reflect the latest U.S. technology and technical practice. In some 
cases, this is due to lack of U.S. influence in the development of 
international standards, where European practice prevails in certain 
technical areas due to the extensive participation of European 
Authorities and, in some cases, due to bloc voting by European 
national standards bodies. In many cases, the United States has had 
limited opportunity to influence standards development of importing 
countries or regions.
    Differences in testing and certification requirements in other 
countries frequently pose obstacles to U.S. exports. If Mutual 
Recognition Agreements (MRA) for conformance testing are not in 
place and test data generated in the United States are not accepted 
in a foreign country, U.S. exporters must duplicate costly and time-
consuming approval and certification procedures in the foreign 
country to meet regulatory requirements for product acceptance. 
Agreements on the mutual recognition of conformance testing are 
often difficult to obtain and even more difficult to enforce. 
Foreign standards and conformity assessment rules are often complex 
and detailed, and [[Page 7169]] many exporters are unable to obtain 
sufficient, timely information on them. This problem compounds the 
difficulties created by disparities among national or regional 
standards and conformity assessment rules.

    The major goals of the Technology Services (TS) Standards in Trade 
program are:
    1. Reduce differences between U.S. standards on specific products 
and those of our NAFTA and other major trading partners, especially in 
primary and development export areas.
    2. Promote the incorporation of U.S. standards and technology into 
international standards.
    3. Maximize adoption by developing countries of U.S. standards and 
technology.
    4. Provide the technical underpinning and develop the contacts 
necessary for recognition of U.S.-based conformity assessment practices 
by foreign regulatory authorities and support U.S. negotiators in 
developing and implementing mutual recognition agreements.
    5. Raise awareness by industry and the federal government of the 
importance of standards, testing and certification practices, 
especially in international arenas.
    6. Develop an automated standards data network relying on all 
available sources of information to support the information needs of 
industry and government.
    These goals will be achieved through strong support to the 
Departments of State and Commerce, and the U.S. Trade Representative in 
international negotiations to secure foreign acceptance of U.S. tests, 
certificates, quality systems, and registrations, and through the 
following seven complementary programs and initiatives:

Standards in Trade Programs and Initiatives

I. Support for ISO/IEC and other International Standards Committees and 
Subcommittees

    Assign NIST technical staff to provide technical support to 
specific committees and subcommittees, whose deliberations may result 
in standards, guides or recommendations that will affect U.S. trade. 
Provide coordination and contribute to the necessary resources.
    Work with U.S. industry and standards writing organizations to 
achieve consistent, professional representation on all important 
international committees and subcommittees.

II. Implementation of NAFTA: Trilateral Committee

    Plan the harmonization of measurement services (calibrations, 
Standard Reference Material, and Standard Reference Data); provide 
extensive training to participants; compare national measurement 
standards. Draft test protocols; define areas for mutual recognition of 
calibration and conformance testing services; define information needs.

III. Implementation of NAFTA: Standards Information

    Organize the continuous acquisition of the broad range of 
information required by NAFTA: federal, state, local and private 
standards, rules and regulations--both current and planned--that affect 
trade. Make that information available to U.S. industry and disseminate 
it automatically to predetermined target groups.

IV. Overcoming Technical Trade Barriers in the European Union

    Establish permanent representation at the USEC Mission by resident, 
professional NIST staff who will (1) work with national and 
international standards committees to facilitate recognition of U.S. 
technology and test methods in new standards; (2) review existing 
foreign or international standards in key U.S. export sectors and, 
based on private sector input, advocate modifications to remove or 
reduce technical barriers to trade; (3) support negotiations of mutual 
recognition agreements for conformance testing; (4) facilitate U.S. 
input to the development of standards, test methods, and certification 
procedures supporting regulatory requirements; and (5) provide 
technical advice and support to commercial and economic staffs in U.S. 
embassies in Europe for the identification and resolution of trade 
issues involving technical barriers.

V. Overcoming Technical Barriers to Trade in Major Emerging Markets

    Place NIST standards experts with the same tasks described in 
Section IV in three or four major (BEM) markets (e.g., Argentina, 
Brazil, Mexico), and in Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union. 
Establish U.S. standards support offices with local administrative 
staff in six or seven major (BEM) markets (E.g., Turkey, South Africa, 
Chile, India, Indonesia, South Korea). Develop programs for metrology 
and testing laboratories with Russia and the BEMs to provide for 
recognition of U.S. test results by foreign regulatory authorities. 
This is an efficient means to remove measurement-related trade barriers 
where warranted in specific situations. Arrange and support consistent 
representation of U.S. industry on international standards writing 
committees.

VI. Training

    Provide training and familiarization for metrologists and standards 
writers from Canada and Mexico as part of the implementation of NAFTA.
    Provide training in metrology, conformance testing, and standards 
writing to representatives of Russia and the BEM governments. The 
purpose is to familiarize them with U.S. Technology and to lay the 
groundwork for helping the host country to re-write standards to 
reflect the use of U.S. technology and of performance versus design 
standards.

VII. Acquisition and Dissemination of Information

    Design, create, and install an on-line database system for 
standards-related information.
    Establish a central NIST inquiry point as part of the database but 
with access to human experts. Technology Services currently answers 
about 170,000 inquiries on standards per year mostly by letter, phone, 
or personal contact. Database access will be able to answer the bulk of 
these inquiries more efficiently.

(15 U.S.C. 272)

    Dated: January 31, 1995.
Samuel Kramer,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 95-2963 Filed 2-6-95; 8:45 am]
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