[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 22 (Monday, February 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5327-5328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2356]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments on the Operation and Implementation of the 
World Trade Organization's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for comments on the operation and implementation of the 
World Trade Organization's agreement on technical barriers to trade.

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SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking 
public comment on the operation and implementation of the World Trade 
Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). 
The WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, in which the United 
States is represented, is obliged to conclude a review of the Agreement 
no later than the end of 2003. The TBT Agreement disciplines the 
development and application of standards, technical regulations and 
conformity assessment procedures to prevent unnecessary obstacles to 
international trade. The text of the Agreement is available at http://www.wto.org.

DATES: Written comments are due by noon Friday, February 28.

Addresses: Submissions by electronic mail: [email protected].
    Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade 
Policy Staff Committee, at 202/395-6143.
    The public is strongly encouraged to submit documents 
electronically rather than by facsimile. (See requirements for 
submissions below.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
written comments, contact Gloria Blue, (202) 395-3475. Further 
information on the World Trade Organization and the Agreement on 
Technical Barriers to Trade can be obtained via Internet at the WTO Web 
site http://www.wto.org and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 
at http://www.ustr.gov. Questions on the Agreement on Technical 
Barriers to Trade and its review should be directed to Suzanne Troje, 
Director for Technical Barriers to Trade, at the Office of the United 
States Trade Representative (202) 395-3063.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    The TPSC is seeking public comment on the operation and 
implementation of the WTO TBT Agreement to inform the U.S. position and 
approach to the Third Triennial Review. Article 15.4 of the Agreement 
requires such a review and this will be the third conducted by the TBT 
Committee since the inception of the World Trade Organization in 1995. 
Article 15.4 requires the Committee to:

review the operation and implementation of this Agreement, including 
the provisions relating to transparency, with a view to recommending 
an adjustment of the rights and obligations of this Agreement where 
necessary to ensure mutual economic advantage and balance of rights 
and obligations, without prejudice to the provisions of Article 12 
(Special and Differential Treatment for Developing Country Members). 
Having regard, inter alia, to the experience gained in the 
implementation of the Agreement, the Committee shall, where 
appropriate, submit proposals for amendments to the text of this 
Agreement to the Council for Trade in Goods.

    The results of the earlier reviews are available at www.wto.org: G/
TBT/5 (19 November 1997), First Triennial Review of the Operation and 
Implementation of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, and G/
TBT/9 (13 November 2000), for the Second Triennial Review.
    Since the conclusion of the Second Triennial Review, the Committee 
has had follow-up discussions on technical assistance and labeling:
    Technical Assistance: G/TBT/W/178, Questionnaire for a Survey to 
Assist Developing Country Members to Identify and Prioritize their 
Specific Needs in the TBT-Field was developed by the TBT Committee with 
a view to eliciting information on the priority needs of Members. To 
date, some 46 WTO members have provided a response. Although the 
responses are not publically available, the WTO Secretariat presented 
some information on them in G/TBT/W/186 (14 October 2002). In March 
2003 the Committee will host a workshop on technical assistance to 
discuss issues arising from the survey results and Committee 
discussions. The Second Triennial Review requires the Committee to 
assess its progress in implementing its work program in the context of 
the Third Triennial Review.
    Labeling: The Second Triennial Review, under ``other elements'' 
noted that many trade issues were raised at meetings of the Committee 
concerning labeling and reiterated the importance of compliance with 
the Agreement. The Committee has held informal discussions largely on 
the basis of submissions by Members: G/TBT/W/150 (European Commission), 
G/TBT/W/162 (Switzerland), G/TBT/W/165 (United States), G/TBT/W/174/
Rev.1 (Canada), G/TBT/W/175 (European Commission), and G/TBT/W/176 
(Japan). At the request of the Committee and to provide a factual 
background for its future

[[Page 5328]]

discussions, the Secretariat prepared two papers: one, identifying 
specific trade concerns related to labeling brought to the attention of 
the TBT Committee since 1995 (G/TBT/W/184); and, one compiling summary 
information on all of the notifications made under the Agreement since 
1995 related to labeling (G/TBT/W/183). In follow-up to a proposal 
originating in the Canadian paper, the Committee is currently 
discussing possible topics for a workshop on labeling to be held in 
conjunction with its June 2003 meeting.
    Comments are welcome related to these topics or any other relevant 
to the operation and implementation of the Agreement.

2. Requirements for Submissions

    In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions, the Office 
of the United States Trade Representative strongly urges and prefers 
electronic (e-mail) submissions in response to this notice. In the 
event that an e-mail submission is impossible, submissions should be 
made by facsimile.
    Persons making submissions by e-mail should use the following 
subject line: ``WTO TBT Review.'' Documents should be submitted as 
either WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT) files. For any document 
containing business confidential information submitted electronically, 
the file name of the business confidential version should begin with 
the characters ``BC-'', and the file name of the public version should 
begin with the characters ``P-''. The ``P'' or ``BC-'' should be 
followed by the name of the submitter. Persons who make submissions by 
e-mail should not provide separate cover letters; information that 
might appear in a cover letter should be included in the submission 
itself. To the extent possible, any attachments to the submission 
should be included in the same file as the submission itself, and not 
as separate files.
    Written comments will be placed in a file open to public inspection 
pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5, except business confidential information 
exempt from public inspection in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6. 
Business confidential information submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 
2003.6 must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top of 
each page, including any cover letter or cover page, and must be 
accompanied by a nonconfidential summary of the confidential 
information. All public documents and nonconfidential summaries shall 
be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room. The USTR 
Reading Room is open to the public, by appointment only, from 10 a.m. 
to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. An appointment 
to review the file may be made by calling (202) 395-6186. Appointments 
must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance.
    General information concerning the Office of the United States 
Trade Representative may be obtained by accessing its Internet server 
(http://www.ustr.gov).

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 03-2356 Filed 1-31-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P