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Inventory of National Practices on Standards, Technical Regulations
and Conformity Assessment in the Western Hemisphere


IV. Conformance to International Standards
A. Adherence to Multilateral and Bilateral Agreements on Standards

Note the following abbreviations:

ANDEAN GROUP - Cartagena Agreement
CARICOM - Caribbean Community and Common Market
GROUP OF 3 - Treaty on Free Trade between Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico
MERCOSUR - Common Market of the Southern Cone
NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement
WTO - World Trade Organization

Antigua & Barbuda

Argentina
ALADI
MERCOSUR Working Group on Technical Standards
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bahamas

Barbados
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Belize
CARICOM Standards Council

Bolivia
ANDEAN GROUP - Andean Committee on Standardization, Accreditation and Metrology/Decision 376.
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bilateral
Mexico-Bolivia Economic Complementation Agreement/Standardization Measures (Ch. XIII)

Brazil
IAF - International Accreditation Forum
IATCA - International Auditor and Training Certification Association
MERCOSUR - Working Group on Technical Standards
PAC - Pacific Accreditation Cooperation
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bilateral
Joint Accreditation PTB/DKD (Germany) and INMETRO of CERTI calibration laboratory
Joint Surveillance Audit RVC (Netherlands) and INMETRO of ABS Houston/USA

Canada
NAFTA - Committee on Standards-Related Measures
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
Bilateral
Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the USA
Mutual Recognition Agreement between American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Standards Council of Canada (SCC)
Mutual Recognition Agreement between National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST - USA) and the Standards Council of Canada

Chile
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Colombia
ANDEAN GROUP - Andean Committee on Standardization, Accreditation and Metrology/Decision 376
GROUP OF 3 - Committee on Standards-Related Measures WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bilateral
Binational Colombia-Venezuela Agreement on Standardization, Certification, and Metrology, signed in 1992, which seeks, among other goals, the harmonization of technical standards and the recognition of official seals of conformity. There is also recognition of quality systems' certifications between the ICONTEC of Colombia and the FONDONORMA of Venezuela.

Binational Agreement between Colombia and Ecuador on Standardization, Certification, Metrology, and Exchange of Information, signed in March/1996.

Costa Rica
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
Bilateral:
Costa Rica and Mexico Free Trade Agreement/Chapter XI "Standardization Measures"

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador
ANDEAN GROUP - Andean Committee on Standardization, Accreditation and Metrology/Decision 376
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bilateral
INEN (Ecuador) and ICONTEC (Colombia) - Mutual recognition of quality certificates and quality seals

El Salvador
WTO Agreement on Technical Barrieres to Trade (member since May 7, 1995).

Grenada

Guatemala
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (member since July 15, 1995)

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Jamaica
CARICOM Standards Council
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bilateral:
There are a number of bilateral agreements between the Government of Jamaica and other nations. These arrangements address particular activities, for example, an agreement with the Government of Germany to develop pesticide control in Jamaica.

Mexico
NAFTA - Committee on Standard-Related Measures
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
GROUP OF 3 - Committee on Standard-Related Measures

Bilateral
Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and Costa Rica (Chapter XI)
Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and Bolivia (Chapter XIII)

Panama
Bilateral
The Free Trade Agreement with Mexico is currently under review. It includes a chapter entitled "Standardization Measures".

Paraguay

Peru
ANDEAN GROUP - Andean Committee on Standardization, Accreditation and Metrology/Decision 376

Saint Lucia
CARICOM Standards Council

Trinidad & Tobago
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bilateral
The TTBS has entered into a bilateral arrangement with the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR) in which SISIR provides training to staff of TTBS in order to improve the operations of TTBS.

United States
NAFTA - Committee on Standards-Related Measures
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Bilateral
U.S. - Canada Free Trade Agreement
There are also a number of bilateral agreements and arrangements to which the U.S. Government is signatory or in which it participates. These agreements and arrangements either address a particular area of activity (e.g., a product sector; laboratory accreditation; inspection, etc.) and/or emanate from some of the agreements cited above. There are many agreements as well between private organizations which are not covered in this survey.

Uruguay
MERCOSUR - Working Group on Technical Standards
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

Venezuela
ANDEAN GROUP - Andean Committee on Standardization, Accreditation and Metrology/Decision 376
GROUP OF 3 - Committee on Standrds-Related Measures
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (member since January 1995)

Bilateral
Colombian-Venezuelan Binational Agreement

 
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