ТBТ/WTO

World Trade Organization
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

This website section aims to introduce the Bulgarian society with all notifications of standards, received by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat in the framework of the “Technical Barriers for Trade” Agreement. Through the maintenance of this section the Bulgarian Institute for Standardization (BDS) fulfills the obligation for “transparency”, stated in the agreement (art.2) as follows:

2.9. Whenever a relevant international standard does not exist or the technical content of a proposed technical regulation or draft standard is not in accordance with the technical content of relevant international standards, and if the technical regulation may have a significant effect on trade of other Members, Members shall:

2.9.1. publish a notice in a publication at an early appropriate stage, in such a manner as to enable interested parties in other Members to become acquainted with it, that they propose to introduce a particular technical regulation or standard;

2.9.2. notify other Members through the Secretariat of the products to be covered by the proposed technical regulation, together with a brief indication of its objective and rationale. Such notifications shall take place at an early appropriate stage, when amendments can still be introduced and comments taken into account;

2.9.3. upon request and without discrimination, provide to other Members particulars or copies of the proposed technical regulation or standard and, whenever possible, identify the parts which in substance deviate from relevant international standards;

2.9.4. without discrimination, allow reasonable time for other Members to make comments in writing, discuss these comments upon request, and take these written comments and the results of these discussions into account.

Information on standards

The National Enquiry Point responds to all reasonable inquiries from other WTO Member States and interested parties regarding standards-related issues and matters, having relation with the standards, developed or available within the territory of Bulgaria or in other Member States of WTO.

According to the “Technical Barriers for Trade” Agreement (TBT/WTO), ‘reasonable’ enquiry is a request for information on a specific product or groups of products and not on a whole manufacture sector or legislative field.