. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/2/Add.53
7 May 1999
(99-1663)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  Spanish
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE AGREEMENT
ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE
Communication from Panama
Addendum
The following statement under Article 15, paragraph 2 of the Agreement has been received
from the Delegation of Panama.
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1. Panama has adopted the following provisions to ensure the implementation of the TBT
Agreement:
Resolution No. 5705 of 28 October 1996:  eliminating the use of calcium bromate in wheat
flour (Official Gazette 23156 of 31 October 1996).
2. The provisions currently in force for the implementation and administration of the Agreement
are contained in Articles 90 to 131 of Title II "Provisions on Technical Standardization, conformity
assessment, quality certification, metrology and conversion to the international system of units" of
Law No. 23 of 15 July 1997 "approving the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade
Organization, the Protocol of Accession of Panama to that Agreement together with its annexes andlist of commitments, bringing the domestic law into  line with international regulations and adopting
additional provisions".
3. The technical regulations, the standards adopted and the conformity assessment procedures
are published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Panama.  As regards to the preparation ofstandards, interested parties may obtain the releva nt work programme from the Directorate-General
for Industrial Standards and Technology, Ministry of Trade and Industry, at the following address:
Avenida Cuba
Edificio de la Lotería NacionalPiso 19 Panamá
República de Panamá
Tel:  (507) 227  4749
Fax:  (507) 225 7724
Pursuant to paragraph J of Annex 3, the above-mentioned Directorate now has an internal
annual work programme called "Table of Draft Standards" covering the half-year period from
December 1997 to 31 May 1998.
4. A period of 60 days is normally allowed for the submission of written comments on the
standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.G/TBT/2/Add.53
Page 2
5. The Directorate for Industrial Standards and Technology is currently making arrangements,
with international cooperation, to set up an Enquiry  Point to carry out the functions described in
paragraphs 1 and 3 of Article 10.  For the time being, all enquiries and requests for documents should
be sent to:
Avenida Cuba
Edificio de la Lotería Nacional
Piso 19 Panamá
República de Panamá
Tel:  (507) 227  4749
Fax:  (507) 225 7724
6. Under Title II of Law 23 of 15 July 1997, th e only central body exclusively responsible for
the national implementation of notification procedures and any other provisions stemming from the
Agreement is the Directorate-General for Industrial Standards and Technology (DGNTI) of the
Ministry of Trade and Industry.
7. At present, the DGNTI (central body for standardization in Panama) coordinates periodic
meetings with the national authorities involved in drafting standards and regulations in order to ensure
that they promptly furnish information, inter alia , on the status of drafts, time needed to prepare and
their availability.  This inter-institutional cooperation is most important for Panama to make timelynotifications.
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