WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/2/Add.75/Rev.1 
10 August 2004  
 
(04-3379) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
   
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE AGREEMENT 
ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE 
 
Communication from the Republic of Armenia 
 
 
Revision  
 
  The following revised statement under Article 15. 2 of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to 
Trade has been received from the Republic of Armenia
. 
 
_______________ 
  
1. The Republic of Armenia has taken steps to establish and develop its national systems of 
metrology, standardization and conf ormity assessment. Relevant laws regulating those systems are the 
Law on Ensuring Uniformity of Measurements
 adopted on 26 May 2004, the Law on Standardization 
as modified by the Law on Making Additions and Amendments to the Law on Standardization  
adopted on 26 May 2004, and  the Law on Conformity Assessment  adopted on 26 May 2004.  The 
three laws incorporate the core pr inciples of the WTO TBT Agreement. 
2. The Law on Ensuring Uniformity of Measurements  regulates the legal basis for ensuring the 
uniformity of measurements and the rights and responsibilities of its participants, regulates the 
relations of the bodies of State governance with ente rprises, institutions and private entrepreneurs in 
the field of ensuring the uniformity of measurements , and is directed towards the protection of rights 
and lawful interests of citizens, as well as toward s ensuring the reliability of measurements in the 
economy.  In the Law the processes of metrological testing and calibration are set apart and affirmed. 
The metrological testing, as a state function can  be conducted by the National body, and the 
calibration – by entities certified by the National body.  The obligations of the chief state inspector of 
metrology are affirmed.  Under the Law the national institute of metrology is established, which will 
operate within the structure of the National body and will conduct scientific research in the area of 
metrology, maintain national etalons, and ensure th e uniformity of time and frequency measurements. 
3. The Law on Standardization  defines the legal basis for standa rdization activity and the rights 
of its participants, as well as regulates the principl es of development and application of technical 
regulations and normative documents on standardization.  The additions and amendments in the Law 
were necessary as to provide for the following: th e conditions and the requirements for developing 
technical regulations, and the legal status (laws a nd government decrees) of regulations are clearly 
affirmed; the National Institute of Standards and Quality CJSC  is established, upon which authority is 
granted, particularly, to adopt national sta ndards, to represent the Republic of Armenia in 
international organizations in the ar ea of standardization, and to pub lish national standards.  Together 
with the Governmental Decree No 9 of 11 January 2000 on Preparation, Adoption and Application of 
Technical Regulations , the Law defines standards and technical  regulations in full compliance with 
respective definitions in Annex 1 to the TBT Agreemen t.  Relevant Ministries are held responsible for 
the preparation of technical regulations according to the Law on Standardization. Non-discrimination 
principle as it concerns the treatment of domestic  and foreign products and services, as well as the 
principle of equivalency of other countries’ regulatio ns are foreseen by the Decree.  International and G/TBT/2/Add.75/Rev.1 
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regional standards, directives and guidelines should be taken into account wh ile elaborating national 
standards and regulations.  
4. The Law on Conformity Assessment
 regulates organization of mandatory and voluntary 
conformity assessment of productio n, goods, labor and services, quality and ecological management 
systems, and persons to normative requirements.  It defines: legal basis and procedure of licensing of 
legal persons or individual businesspeople who part icipate in the process of conformity assessment, 
and of state control over the conformity of produc ts and services to the normative requirements; the 
conditions of selling products in th e goods market; and the rights and obligations of participants in 
conformity assessment.  The necessity of the Law stems from the current demands of the economy development, the structural changes in the areas of standardization, metrology and conformity 
assessment, and the fulfillment of the WTO post-accession requirements.  The Law provides that 
compulsory assessment should be implemented in  accordance with the requirements of technical 
regulations through corresponding schemes.  The pr ocesses of exercising control in the conformity 
assessment area are also clarified.  The Law has a ffirmed the assessment forms, which are conformity 
assessment, certification, and state control.  Such l ess expensive and less trade restrictive methods of 
conformity assessment, as manufacturer’s declaration and conformity mark, are also included in the 
law.  According to this Law, a certificate on conf ormity and a registered declaration on conformity 
have the same legal power, and domestic and fore ign manufacturers and service providers are granted 
similar rights in applying declarations on conformity  of products or services.  Mandatory certification 
activities are coordinated by the Department for Standardization, Metrology and Certification 
(SARM), which was reorganized by joining the Mi nistry of Trade and Economic Development as 
Department of Standardization, Metrology and C onformity Assessment (hereinafter Department) and 
conducted by the accredited certification bodies and testing laboratories.   
5. Taking into consideration the necessity of the control over the safety of products, labor, 
services for the national environment, the human life and health, as well as the protection of consumer 
rights some products are subject to mandatory conf ormity assessment according to the Decree No 239 
of the Government “On Mandatory Conformity A ssessment of Products and Services in the Republic 
of Armenia ”, which provides the descriptions and CN cod es of the products involved.  These products 
were selected taking into consideration the reports received from the inspection bodies, the Ministry of Agriculture, Sanitary-Anti-Epidemiological State Department, consumers, based also on data of 
research institutes and laboratories. Requirements for products covered by mandatory conformity 
assessment in Armenia are kept to minimum.  Mandatory certification procedures are the same for 
both imported and domestic products.  Certificates ar e issued for product types based on testing of 
samples, analysis of production system, quality system certification or declaration of supplier 
depending on the scheme of certification.  These internationally accepted certification schemes were 
fixed by AST 5.3.  Procedures on recognition of certificates issued by foreign certification bodies are regulated by the Decree N 247, 18 May 2000
 of the Government.  In the absence of agreements on 
mutual recognition, the Decree allows for simplified procedures on acceptance of certificates and 
conformity marks issued by certification bodies of  other countries, if Armenian authorities are 
satisfied that conformity assessment procedures in those countries offered adequate assurance of 
conformity.  
6. Standards’ Guide (three-month periodicity) and Catalog on Standards (annually) are 
published, which provide current information on issues related to standards and certifications. 
7. Technical regulations shall be enacted at least two months after their promulgation and 
notification to the relevant interna tional organizations and national bodies. 
8. The Department of Standardization, Metrolog y and Conformity Assessment was denoted as 
the coordinator of standardization, metrology and conformity assessment activities in Armenia, and its 
rights and obligations are defined by the Law on Standardization, the Law on Uniformity of 
Measurements and the Law on Conformity Assessment .  The three Laws serve as the legal basis for  G/TBT/2/Add.75/Rev.1 
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development of Quality Standardization, Metrol ogy and Conformity Asse ssment Policy pursued by 
the Department.  Being the national body in charge of the administration related to standardization, 
certification and metrology in Armenia its respons ibilities include the creation and administration of 
national standardization and certification systems; the adoption of national standards and classifications; the application of inte rnational standards; the publicati on of official information in the 
fields of standardization and certification etc.  
9. The Department cooperates with standards orga nizations in other countries and is a member 
of the International Organization for Standardizati on.  Presently, Armenia is a member of ISO, EASC, 
which enables Armenia to participate in the elab oration of international and regional standards 
through technical committees and to apply these standards in Armenia.  
10. The main enquiry point operating in Armenia is  Department of Standardization, Metrology 
and Conformity Assessment of the Ministry of Tr ade and Economic Development of the Republic of 
Armenia, which will implement the obligations est ablished in accordance with Article 10 of the 
TBT Agreement.  The address of the Department: 
Department for Standardization, Metrology and 
Conformity Assessment of the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development of the 
Republic of Armenia 5 M. Mkrtchyan street 
375010, Yerevan,  
Republic of Armenia  
Tel.:  (3741) 56 69 25,  
Fax.:  (3741) 52 65 77 
  E-mail:   rdayan@minted.am
  
 
11. The enquiry point on standards and quality matter s is the National Institute of Standards and 
Quality CJSC. The address of the Institute is: 
  National Institute of Standards and Quality CJSC 
  Ministry of Trade and Economic De velopment of the Republic of Armenia 
49/2 Komitas Str.  Yerevan, 375051 
Republic of Armenia 
 
Tel.:  (3741) 23 58 51, (3741) 28 10 33 E-mail:  sarm@sarm.am
  
  W e b :   www.sarm.am   
 12. The notifications authority is the WTO Notifica tion Agency in the Republic of Armenia.  The 
address of the Agency is: 
WTO Notification Agency in the Republic of Armenia  
5 M. Mkrtchyan 
Yerevan, 375010 Republic of Armenia 
 
Tel.:  (3741) 54 39 81, (3741) 54 39 82 Fax.:  (3741) 54 39 83 
  E-mail:  aghazaryan@minted.am
  
 G/TBT/2/Add.75/Rev.1 
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13. According to the paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article  I of the Procedure of Preparation, Adoption 
and Application of Technical Regulations  approved by the Governmental Decree No 9 of 
11 January 2000  the bodies authorized to prepare technical regulations should provide the 
WTO Notification Agency in RA with early inform ation on their proposals to prepare new technical 
regulations along with justifications, so that the Agency could fulfill the obligation on corresponding 
notifications. 
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