FOCUS ON SANITARY AND PHYTO SANITARY (SPS) MEASURES AND TECHNICAL BARRIERS IN TRADE (TBT)

摘要

In view of the free trade environment under the WTO regime, it is essential to understand by all responsible trade partners various self disciplined measures as applied in global trade. WTO helps in promoting the trade globally as it acts mostly on mutual trust; therefore self certification for quality is essential component in it. To help out WTO, Codex, the technical organ of the WTO, has formulated various guidelines on code and conducts to maintain the quality of the product. Additionally, various quality groups of nations also have specified certain norms to protect the standard of living of their citizen. Today, it is a fact that such measures often become trade barriers in stead of maintaining the quality of the product. Stringent technical specifications have been laid out which vary from country to country. In this background, focus has been drawn to clarify the position on SPS and TBT and this article will summarize the position.