G/TBT/2/Add.128  
 
21 February 2020  
(20-1360) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 IMPLEMENTATION AND A DMINISTRATION OF THE  AGREEMENT ON TECHNI CAL 
BARRIERS TO TRADE  
COMMUNICATION FROM T HE UNITED KINGDOM  
The following Statement under Article 15.2 of the TBT Agreement has been received from the 
delegation of the United Kingdom . 
 
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Pursuant to Article 15.2 of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade ( "the TBT Agreement "), 
the United Kingdom hereby informs the Committee of measures in place t o ensure the 
implementation and administration of the World Trade Organi zation (WTO) TBT Agreement, following 
its withdrawal  from the European Union on 31 January  2020.  
 
1  OVERALL RESPONSIBILI TY FOR THE WTO TBT A GREEMENT  
The Department for International Tr ade has overall responsibility on behalf of the United 
Kingdom Government for the implementation of the TBT Agreement.  Enquiries relating to the 
Agreement may be addressed to the United Kingdom TBT Enquiry Point and Notification Authority:  
United Kingdom  TBT Enquiry Point and Notification Authority  
Regulatory Environment Team   
Trade Policy Group  
Department for International Trade  
3 Whitehall Place  
London SW1A 2AW  
email: TBTEnquiriesUK@trade.gov.uk  
 
2  THE UNITED KINGDOM  REGULATORY SYSTEM  
The United Kingdom  Government leads on regulatory matters internationally . However  the 
Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hold competence within their 
respective territories for certain elements within several areas such as agriculture, environment, 
fisheries and health.  
Government departments and agencies , as well as the Devolved Administrations, are 
responsible for developing and implementing policy to regulate products.   
The United Kingdom  approach to regulation and alternatives to regulation is set out in published 
guidance, and includes expectations fo r developing, appraising, consulting and approving measures 
ahead of legislation being laid in the relevant legislature, adoption and entry into force.  It also 
includes requirements relating to post -implementation review, which should determine whether a 
measure continues to be the most effective means of delivering the intended outcome.  The 
regulatory framework supports the United Kingdom  Government and Devolved Administrations  in 
delivering key policy objectives such as health and safety, the environment,  consumer protection 
and national security.   G/TBT/2/Add.128  
 
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Better regulation requirements, together with appraisal requirements set out in HM Treasury 's 
Green Book1 and Parliamentary information expectations, provide an effective and accountable 
system to ensure domesti c and international impacts of measures are clearly understood, considered 
and explained.  Requirements such as the above ensure that policy  makers consider and take into 
account  the range of expected impacts of their proposals, and that they are sensitive to the needs 
of stakeholders, including the business community, and particularly small and medium -sized 
businesses.  Comparable but distinct arrangements govern the making of regulations in the Devolved 
Administrations.  
The United Kingdom  Government and Dev olved Administrations  require all regulatory proposals 
to be well -evidenced to support effective consultation and decision -making.  This includes the 
requirement for regulation with significant impacts on business to be supported by an impact 
assessment.  There are also requirements for consultation.   
For the United Kingdom  Government, these are driven by the Government 's Consultation 
Principles, which are available a t: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation -
principles -guidance  
The United Kingdom  Government provides advance notice of upcoming measures  by 
consultations  which are published on the following link:  
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?publication_filter_option=consultations  
Consultations on Devolved Administration  measures are run by the relevant De volved 
Administration  and are guided by separate principles and processes.  Further information, including 
full details of upcoming consultations, can be found at the following links:  
• Scottish Government consultations: http://consult.scotland.gov.uk   
• Welsh Government consultations: https://gov.wales/consultations  
• Northern Ireland consultations: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/public -consultations  
All consultations are publicly available for comments from both domestic and international 
stakeholders.  Contact details to register comments are provided on the consultation websites.  
There is an obligation to publish a response to consultations, summarising the comments 
received and the subsequent direction chosen for any measure.  Such obligations ensure that 
domestic and international stakeholder views remain an integral part of policy develop ment and help 
to create a predictable and transparent regulatory environment to foster economic growth and 
stability.   
Except in urgent circumstances, the United Kingdom allows for a reasonable interval between 
the publication of technical regulations and their entry into force.  
All technical regulations which have been adopted are published at www.legislation.gov.uk .  
The governance of regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom varies dependent upon their 
specific  structures and status, but in each case, including for bodies operating in a devolved 
administration, details on decision -making processes and accountability can be found online.  All 
regulators, including those with statutory independence, deliver policy outcomes for which a 
government Minister is accountable in the respective legislature.  The United Kingdom  TBT Enquiry 
Point would be happy to provide further details on specific examples.   
The Department for International Trade (DIT) works closely with oth er government 
departments and regulatory bodies on the implementation of the TBT Agreement.  DIT also liaises 
with the Devolved Administrations  on matters which are not reserved to the United Kingdom 
 
1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the -green -book-appraisal -and-evaluation -in-central -
governent   G/TBT/2/Add.128  
 
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  Parliament, and serves as the notification authority for all United Kingdom  measures, including those 
only applicable to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.   
3  STANDARDISATION AND ACCREDITATION  
The national body responsible for standards in the United Kingdom  is the British Standards 
Institution (BSI), a  role supported by a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Kingdom  
Government.  BSI produces a wide range of technical standards, working alongside experts in 
business, government and consumer groups.  BSI has adopted the TBT Agreement Code of Good 
Practice and publishes its programme accordingly at the following site:  
https://shop.bsigroup.com/Navigate -by/Membership/Update -Standards/  
BSI hosts an enquiry point for standards.  Enquiries may be directed to the address below:  
The British Standards Institution  
Knowledge Centre  
389 Chiswick High Road   
London  W4 4AL  
United Kingdom  
Email: knowledgecentre@bsigroup.com  
https://www.bsigroup.com/en -GB/about -bsi/uk -national -standards -body/  
 
The national accredita tion body in the United Kingdom  is the United Kingdom Accreditation 
Service (UKAS), whose role is recognised in United Kingdom  law and supported by a Memorandum 
of Understanding with the United Kingdom  Government.  UKAS is a signatory to multilateral 
agreem ents facilitating mutual recognition of accreditation between accreditation bodies via the 
International Accreditation Forum, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation , and 
European Cooperation for Accreditation.  
4  NOTIFICATION OF DRAF T TECHNICAL ME ASURES AND PARTICIPA TION IN COMMITTEE  
The United Kingdom is strongly committed to a free and fair -trading regime, underpinned by 
the multilateral rules -based system.  Upholding WTO obligations is of paramount importance and will 
be achieved by being fully t ransparent and accountable, including as follows:  
• Notifying and publishing proposed Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment 
Procedures in keeping with the obligations of the WTO TBT Agreement:  The United Kingdom  
will continue to provide draft text s for notified measures and a period of 60 days will generally 
be allowed for comments.  The United Kingdom  TBT Enquiry Point will endeavour to respond 
to reasonable requests from Members in a timely fashion.  Finalised legislation will continue to 
be notifi ed to the WTO and published on the official home of United Kingdom  legislation  
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/  
• As outlined in Section 2, the Department for International Trade acts as the TBT notification 
autho rity for the UK.  
• Actively participating in the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade: The United Kingdom  is 
committed to open and productive engagement with Members, both with respect to measures 
affecting trade and on issues relating to the implementa tion and administration of the 
Agreement.  
• Development and technical assistance: The United Kingdom  is committed to helping 
developing countries reduce poverty through trading opportunities.  The Department for 
International Development  and the Department for International Trade 's joint Trade for 
Development team  serves as a co -ordination point for the Unit ed Kingdom 's Aid for Trade 
portfolio, which helps developing countries to break down barriers to trade and take better 
advantage of trading opportunities.  For example, the United Kingdom -funded Commonwealth 
Standards Network promotes awareness and use of i nternational standards across the 
Commonwealth, helping reduce the costs of trade and supporting the aims of the TBT 
Agreement.   G/TBT/2/Add.128  
 
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  5  EXISTING EUROPEAN UN ION LAW 
The United Kingdom ceased to be a Member State of the European Union on 31  January 
2020.  The United  Kingdom and the European Union have agreed a Withdrawal Agreement which 
provides for a time -limited transition period during which European Union law, as implemented 
through the Withdrawal Agreement, will continue to apply to and in the United Kingdom.  The United 
Kingdom Parliament has legislated to repeal the European Communities Act 1972 by means of the 
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.  This also preserves , and incorporates into domestic law, 
those elements of European Union law which will apply in t he United Kingdom at the end of the 
transition period.  The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 in turn implements the 
Withdrawal Agreement, including by amending the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to reflect 
the terms of the Withdrawal Agr eement.   
The United Kingdom  is committed to transparency  in all aspects of the WTO TBT Agreement  
and would be happy to answer any questions via the United Kingdom  TBT Enquiry Point.  
 
 
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