World Trade Organization (WTO)
In 1995, World Trade Organization had established to deal with GAAT agreement, which was established in 1947. GAAT is an international organization competent in regulations and international laws that organizing trade in between states to facilitate and reinforce the international trade between the members.
The State of Kuwait had joined the membership of the World Trade Organization In January 1, 1995.
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
The agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade is one of the agreements of World Trade Organization (WTO), that concerning on goods trade. The TBT agreement had signed the convention in 1979, and entered into force in 1980 , and it wasn’t binding to all countries, but after the Uruguay meeting ,decided to make the TBT agreement binding to all members states of the World Trade Organization (WTO) when it had been established in 1995.
Principles of Technical Barriers to Trade agreement (TBT)
- To ensure that Technical Regulations, Standard Specifications and Conformity assessment do not create unnecessary obstacles to international trade.
- Using standard specifications and international conformity assessment procedures.
- Encourage member states to join the internationals standardization and the conformity assessment procedures.
- Transparency by publishing and providing the technical regulations, standard specifications and conformity assessment procedures.
- The standardizing body shall allow a period of at least 60 days for the submission of comments on the draft standard by member of the WTO.
- Treat the products originating in the territory of any other Member of the WTO no less favorable than accorded to like products originating in any other country.
- Shall specify technical regulation based on product requirements in terms of performance rather than design or descriptive characteristics.
- and the national standardization systems accept the rules and the regulations of good practice to prepare, approve and apply the standard specifications of Technical Barriers to Trade agreement (TBT).
Enquiry Point of Kuwait State
The Technical Barriers to Trade agreement force every members of WTO’s members to establish a national enquiry point concerning the inquiries related to the agreement as stated in clause (1,10) hereto.
Each Member Shall ensure that an enquiry point exists which is other Member and interested parties in other Members as well as to provide the relevant documents
regarding.
Thereupon, the enquiry point of Kuwait state was established to be responsible for answering all inquiries mentioned, according to the demands of Technical Barriers to Trade
agreement (TBT).
Function of Kuwaiti Enquiry Point
1 - Acting as a communication point between the member states in the WTO and the competent governmental authorities inside the Kuwait state.
2 - Activating and applying the demands of Technical Barriers to Trade agreement (TBT) related to provide information to the member state in the WTO and to local exporters
and importers.
3- Providing documents related to technical regulations, conformity assessment procedures and to specify membership of Kuwait state in international and regional
authorities and organizations and in bilateral agreements in the field of standardization .
4- Notify other Members through the Secretarial of the (WTO) on technical regulation, conformity assessment procedures.
5- Answering the technical inquiries of member states.
6- Disseminating the work program and the annual specifications plan.
What is The Notification?
Notification is a process of advertising and publishing the national procedures that may influence the international trade, whether it’s new, modified or updated. Those procedures may be different in its technical content from the existing international procedures and recommendations or from which in the pipe line. In the initial phase the notification shall be sent from the procedure preparing process (draft). The member states and the competent bodies inside and outside the Kuwait state shall be granted a period of 60 days to study the proposed action then submit their opinions thereon, necessary cases shall be applied immediately without any period of study.
For Inquiries