What is the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade?

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) is a major agreement within the WTO that helps ensure international trade is fair and unimpeded. Its main purpose is to reduce non-tariff barriers to trade, such as standards and regulations that might favor local producers over those from other countries. The agreement seeks to ensure that these regulations are necessary, relevant, based on scientific evidence and not used as means of protectionist policies. In Utah, the WTO TBT Agreement is relevant for local businesses exporting goods and services around the world. It ensures that foreign technical regulations and standards are not higher than what is needed to achieve legitimate objectives, such as protecting human health or the environment, and that they are not applied in a way that creates a disguised trade barrier. Specifically, the agreement sets out principles which include the obligation to notify each other of proposed technical regulations; to provide other members with the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations; and to use international standards as a basis for technical regulations, unless there is a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason to use other standards. In summary, the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade is a key agreement in international trade law that helps prevent the use of non-tariff barriers to protect domestic interests over foreign ones. It is relevant for businesses in Utah, as it ensures that international standards are used, and that any local standards do not act as barriers to international trade.

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What is the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade?

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