RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/ALB/8/Add.2
11October 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4215)
Original: English
ACCESSION OFALBANIA
Additional Questions andReplies
Addendum
Thefollowing replies toadditional questions andreplies, totheMemorandum ontheForeign
Trade Régime (document L/7613) andtotheearlier Replies toQuestions (documents WT/ACC/ALB/3
andWT/ACC/ALB/4), related tostandards andcertificates, exchange controls andbanking andother
financial services havebeenreceived fromtheMinistry ofIndustry, Transport andTrade oftheRepublic
ofAlbania.
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III.A.11 STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATES
Question 1
Please supply theinformation requested inquestionnaire ontechnical barriers totrade.
Answer.
Theinformationrequestedinthequestionnaireontechnicalbarrierstotradehasbeentransmitted
totheWorking Party. (WT/ACC/ALB/15)
Question 2
How iswork onthedraft lawreferred toonpage 16ofWT/ACC/ALB/3 progressing?
Isitpossible toprovide theWorking Party withacopy ofthedraft inaWTO language?
Answer.
Thedraftlawhasbeenprepared andhasbeensubmitted totheCouncil ofMinisters.
Question 3
Willthedraft lawonstandards andcertification provide for:
- astandardization activity based ontheconsensus ofallinterested parties, particularly
theprivate sector, which willendeavour toproduce voluntary standards andfacilitate
harmonization withinternational andEuropean ones?
Answer.
Standardization activities willbebased oncollaboration among interested parties, including
theprivate sector. Inthisregard, drafts ofstandards aresentforcomment totheChamber ofCommerceWT/ACC/ALB/8/Add.2
Page2
through which theprivate sector canpresent itsviews. Drafts arealsosenttoassociations representing
consumerinterests.Theobjectiveofthisprocessistoproducevoluntarystandardsbasedoninternational
andEuropean ones.
Article 4,point 3ofthedraftlawprovides that"allnatural andlegalpersons shallcooperate
withtheStandardization andQuality Department forthedrafting andreexamination ofAlbania standards
aswellasadaptation andadoption ofEuropean andinternational standards". Article 3,point 6provides
thatAlbanian standards shallbevoluntary. Withregard toharmonization, there isapriority toadopt
European andinternational standards provided they"serve theinterests ofthecountry towards thelifting
oftechnical barriers totrade andintroduction ofstateofthearttechnology" (Article 3,point 8).
- aconformity activity allowing independent third party certification tobecarried outby
either public orprivate bodies? Inthelightofaprogressive transformation ofmandatory
standards intovoluntary, willtheroleofmandatory certification bereduced accordingly?
Concerning thesetting upofanaccredited system, willtheseries EN45000ortherelevant
ISO/IEC Guides bethereference?
Answer.
Thedraftlawallows thirdparty certification tobecarried outbyeither public orprivate bodies
suchastheDepartment ofStandardization andquality (DSC) oraccredited laboratories (Article 8,
points 1and5).
Mandatory certification shallbecarried outwhen requested byministries andonlyforproducts
dealing withhealth andsafety.
Concerning thesetting upofanaccreditation system, EN45000standards areadopted as
Albanian standards. TheAlbanian lawdefines thatnational accreditation andcertification systems
shallbebased onEuropean andinternational standard. Rules foraccreditation areprepared according
toISO/IEC Guides (Article 8,point 1).
- aprioritization persector/product inthetransformation ofmandatory standards into
voluntary standards? Inwhich sectors, andunder which justification, willstandards
certainly remain mandatory? Intheareas where standards willbemade voluntary, which
willbethearrangements intheregulatory sphere? Willtheunderlying legislation be
limited, forinstance, toessential safety requirements?
Answer.
Actually 40%ofAlbanian standards arevoluntary. Theremaining aremandatory because
thetechnical regulations arenotyetprepared bytherelevant authorities. After theapproval ofdraft
law,allAlbanian standards afteratwoyearperiod willbevoluntary (Article 17,point 1).Regarding
theregulatory sphere, public authorities willberesponsible forimplementation oftechnical regulations
onlyforessential health andsafety requirements.
Question 4
Please provide adetailed listoftheproducts which aresubject tominimum quality
standards, whether these aremandatory and,ifso,thereasons whythese standards aremandatory.WT/ACC/ALB/8/Add.2
Page3
Answer.
Products subject tominimum quality standards aremainly those dealing withhealth andsafety,
suchaselectrotechnical products, pharmaceuticals, some important building materials (e.g.cement),
chemicals, toysandfoods.
Question 5
Regardingthemandatorycertificationtowhichfood,pharmaceuticalsandelectro-technical
products aresubject, would Albania specify whether thequality certification existing intheEC
countries isvalidly accepted?
Answer.
Regarding mandatory certification forfood, pharmaceuticals andelectrotechnical products,
thedecision whether toaccept quality certification fromECcountries isadecision taken bytherelevant
ministries.
QUESTIONS ONEXCHANGE CONTROLS
Question 6
With regard tocapital transfers, could Albania specify iftheprofits derived from
joint-venture andindustrial cooperation activities canbetransferred without limitations.
(WT/ACC/ALB/3, questions 59and63).
Answer.
Profits derived fromjointventures canbetransferred without limitations. Wewould appreciate
aclarification ofthemeaning on"industrial cooperation activities".
Question 7
Could Albania describe theregulatory system fortransfers andcurrent payments in
services?
Answer.
Thesame regulatory system applies totransfers andcurrent payments related togoods and
services. Under thatsystem, andinlinewithArticle 4oftheForeign Exchange Market Regulations
issued bytheBank ofAlbania, resident andnon-residents mayfreely receive payments fromandmake
payments abroad forcurrent transactions including:
- interest, dividends andnetincome from deposits andother investments 'securities;
- repatriated profits;
- amortization ofloans; and
- depreciation ofdirect investments.WT/ACC/ALB/8/Add.2
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QUESTIONSONBANKINGANDOTHERFINANCIALSERVICES(EXCLUDINGINSURANCE)
Question 8
Canyouconfirm thatforeign banks canestablish acommercial presence inAlbania in
theform ofeither asubsidiary, abranch orarepresentative office without limitations onthe
foreign capital participation (including wholly foreign-owned banks)?
Answer.
According totheLawontheBanking System, aforeign bankcanestablish apresence inthe
form ofasubsidiary, abranch orarepresentative office. Foreign banks canbefounded without
limitations oftheforeign capital participation, including wholly foreign-owned banks.
Question 9
Canyouconfirm thattheconditions andcriteria applied toforeign banks forobtaining
alicence inAlbania arepurely prudential andnon-discriminatory, anddonotinvolve anymarket
access limitations (art.XVIGATS)?
Answer.
Theconditions andcriteria applied toforeign banks forobtaining alicence inAlbania arepurely
prudential anddonotinvolve anymarket access limitations. These conditions andcriteria arealso
non-discriminatory withtheexception oftheminimum capital requirement forforeign banks which
isslightly higher thanthatrequired fordomestic banks. (Seealsoprevious answers onthissubject.)
Question 10
Arethere anyrestrictions onforeign capital participation inexisting domestic banks?
Answer.
There arenotrestrictions onforeign capital participation inexisting private domestic banks.
Theconditions forforeign participation indomestic Statebanks which willbeprivatized havenotbeen
determined yet.