Do Bilateral and Regional Approaches for Reducing Technical Barriers to Trade Converge Towards the Multilateral Trading System?

As part of its work on regionalism, the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate has completed a series ofstudies that compare rule-making provisions in regional trade agreements with those in the World TradeOrganisation (e.g., in the area of services, investment and competition). This paper aims to complementexisting studies, by examining legal provisions regarding "technical barriers to trade" (i.e., technicalregulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures) in selected bilateral and regional tradeagreements, and their degree of similarity and convergence with the WTO Agreement on TechnicalBarriers to Trade, and with each other.The study reveals that most provisions regarding technical barriers to trade (TBT) included in bilateral andregional trade agreements converge towards the multilateral trading system. When implementedeffectively, agreements seeking deeper economic integration and regulatory cooperation, in particular, cancomplement and strengthen the implementation the WTO Agreements on Technical Barriers to Trade bysetting the pace for improved regulatory practices and TBT-related infrastructure in member countries(e.g., through regional consultation fora and joint standardisation and accreditation bodies). Some caveatshowever remain. When overlapping agreements promote different criteria for the harmonisation ofstandard-related measures and when bilateral or regional initiatives are conducted in isolation frominternational efforts and divert attention from multilateral trade and standards-related negotiations, newobstacles may arise both for regulators and businesses. Such constraints are further magnified for lowincome countries afflicted by administrative and technical capacity-related problems. To remedy thesepotential problems, the study proposes a number of policy recommendations.