RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/TBT/2/Add.13
27June1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2478)
Original: Spanish Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OFTHE
AGREEMENT ONTECHNICAL BARRIERS TOTRADE
ThePermanent Mission oftheRepublic ofCuba totheOffice oftheUnited Nations andother
International Organizations accredited inSwitzerland presents itscompliments totheSecretariat of
theWorld Trade Organization andhasthehonour toinform theCommittee onTechnical Barriers to
Trade, inaccordance withparagraph 2ofArticle 15oftheAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade,
ofthemeasures taken toensure theimplementation andadministration oftheAgreement.
1. Pursuant tosubparagraph (n)ofArticle 90oftheConstitution oftheRepublic ofCuba, the
Council ofState, ontheproposal oftheCouncil ofMinisters, ratified theAgreement Establishing the
World Trade Organization (WTO) on9February 1995.
2. Cuba'slegislative system iscodified andisbased ontheprinciples ofRoman law;inaccordance
withtheconstitutional rulesinforce, uponratification bytheCouncil ofState, aninternational treaty
isincorporated indomestic law,onanequal footing withother statutes.
3. Fortheabove reasons, theprovisions oftheAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade, and
theMarrakesh Agreement ingeneral, arebinding onCuba asaresult oftheirratification bytheCouncil
ofState.
4. TheNATIONAL BUREAU OFSTANDARDS oftheRepublic ofCuba hasbeendesignated
thecompetent national authority andinformation service fortheimplementation andadministration
oftheAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade.
5. Thestandardization process intheRepublic ofCuba comprises theelaboration andapproval
ofvoluntary andmandatory standards, certification ofproducts andquality systems inaccordance with
ISO9000, accreditation oflaboratories, inspection andmetrology. TheRepublic ofCuba's
standardization policy consists inadopting theinternational standards inforce, wherever possible, with
theaimofavoiding anyform ofdiscrimination.
6. Mandatory standards areelaborated inorder toprevent unfair practices andtoprotect health,
safety andtheenvironment.
7. Prior tothefinalpublication ofastandard oraconformity assessment procedure, aperiod
of90daysisallowed forthepresentation ofcomments, which mustbesenttothenational authority
atthefollowing address:
./.G/TBT/2/Add.13
Page2
Director
Dirección deOrganismos Internacionales Especializados
OFICINA NACIONAL DENORMALIZACI ÓN
Calle ENo.261entre 11y13
Vedado, LaHabana 10400
Cuba
Tel: +53.7/300.022 /879/891
Fax: +53.7/338.048
8. Advertisements concerning theelaboration ofstandards andconformity assessment procedures
arepublished inthemagazine "Normalización" andintheloose-leaf bulletin "Páginas Sueltas".
Likewise, resolutions ontheapproval ofstandards, regulations andconformity assessment
procedures arepublished intheOfficial Gazette oftheRepublic ofCuba.
9. Theinformation service oftheNational Bureau ofStandards isitsInformation Centre; itis
amember ofISONET andfullycarries outitsfunctions inthatcapacity. Theaddress oftheInformation
Centre isasfollows:
Oficina Nacional deNormalización
Centro deInformación
Reina No.412entre Gervasio yEscobar
Centro Habana
LaHabana 10200
Cuba
Tel: +53.7/625.193
Fax: +53.7/338.048
10. Agroup hasbeensetuptoensure compliance withtheobligations laiddown intheAgreement
onTechnical Barriers toTrade; itsmembers arerepresentatives ofbodies withcompetence inthe
matters covered bytheAgreement.