CHAPTER 8
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE
Article 8.1: Definitions
1. The definitions of the terms used in this Chapter contained in Annex 1 of the TBT Agreement, including the chapeau and explanatory notes of Annex 1, are incorporated into this Chapter and shall form part of this Chapter, mutatis mutandis.
2. In addition, for the purposes of this Chapter:
consular transactions means requirements that products of a Party intended for export to the territory of another Party must first be submitted to the supervision of the consul of the importing Party in the territory of the exporting Party for the purpose of obtaining consular invoices or consular visas for conformity assessment documentation;
marketing authorisation means the process or processes by which a Party approves or registers a product in order to authorise its marketing, distribution or sale in the Party’s territory. The process or processes may be described in a Party’s laws or regulations in various ways, including “marketing authorisation”, “authorisation”, “approval”, “registration”, “sanitary authorisation”, “sanitary registration” and “sanitary approval” for a product. Marketing authorisation does not include notification procedures;
mutual recognition agreement means a binding government-to-government agreement for recognition of the results of conformity assessment conducted against the appropriate technical regulations or standards in one or more sectors, including government-to-government agreements to implement the APEC Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment of May 8, 1998 and the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Mutual Recognition Arrangement of July 7, 1999 and other agreements that provide for the recognition of conformity assessment conducted against appropriate technical regulations or standards in one or more sectors;
mutual recognition arrangement means an international or regional arrangement (including a multilateral recognition arrangement) between accreditation bodies recognising the equivalence of accreditation systems (based on peer review) or between conformity assessment bodies recognising the results of conformity assessment;
post-market surveillance means procedures taken by a Party after a product has been placed on its market to enable the Party to monitor or address compliance with the Party’s domestic requirements for products;
TBT Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, as may be amended; and
verify means to take action to confirm the veracity of individual conformity assessment results, such as requesting information from the conformity assessment body or the body that accredited, approved, licensed or otherwise recognised the conformity assessment body, but does not include requirements that subject a product to conformity assessment in the territory of the importing Party that duplicate the conformity assessment procedures already conducted with respect to the product in the territory of the exporting Party or a third party, except on a random or infrequent basis for the purpose of surveillance, or in response to information indicating non-compliance.
Article 8.2: Objective
The objective of this Chapter is to facilitate trade, including by eliminating unnecessary technical barriers to trade, enhancing transparency, and promoting greater regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practice.
Article 8.3: Scope
1. This Chapter shall apply to the preparation, adoption and application of all technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures of central level of government bodies (and, where explicitly provided for, technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures of government bodies at the level directly below that of the central level of government) that may affect trade in goods between the Parties, except as provided in paragraphs 4 and
5.
2. Each Party shall take reasonable measures that are within its authority to encourage observance by regional or local government bodies, as the case may be, on the level directly below that of the central level of government within its territory which are responsible for the preparation, adoption and application of technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures, of Article
8.5 (International Standards, Guides and Recommendations), Article 8.6 (Conformity Assessment), Article 8.8 (Compliance Period for Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures) and each of the Annexes to this Chapter.
3. All references in this Chapter to technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures shall be construed to include any amendments
to them and any addition to the rules or the product coverage of those technical regulations, standards and procedures, except amendments and additions of an insignificant nature.
4. This Chapter shall not apply to technical specifications prepared by a governmental entity for its production or consumption requirements. These specifications are covered by Chapter 15 (Government Procurement).
5. This Chapter shall not apply to sanitary and phytosanitary measures. These are covered by Chapter 7 (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures).
6. For greater certainty, nothing in this Chapter shall prevent a Party from adopting or maintaining technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures in accordance with its rights and obligations under this Agreement, the TBT Agreement and any other relevant international agreement.
Article 8.4: Incorporation of Certain Provisions of the TBT Agreement
1. The following provisions of the TBT Agreement are incorporated into and made part of this Agreement, mutatis mutandis:
(a) Articles 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12; (b) Articles 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9; and (c) paragraphs D, E and F of Annex 3.
2. No Party shall have recourse to dispute settlement under Chapter 28 (Dispute Settlement) for a dispute that exclusively alleges a violation of the provisions of the TBT Agreement incorporated under paragraph 1.
Article 8.5: International Standards, Guides and Recommendations
1. The Parties recognise the important role that international standards, guides and recommendations can play in supporting greater regulatory alignment, good regulatory practice and reducing unnecessary barriers to trade.
2. In this respect, and further to Articles 2.4 and 5.4 and Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement, to determine whether there is an international standard, guide or recommendation within the meaning of Articles 2 and 5 and Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement, each Party shall apply the Decisions and Recommendations adopted by the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Since 1 January 1995 (G/TBT/1/Rev.12), as may be revised, issued by the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade.
3. The Parties shall cooperate with each other, when feasible and appropriate, to ensure that international standards, guides and recommendations that are likely to become a basis for technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles to international trade.
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