G/TBT/GEN/331  
 
26 August  2022 
(22-6459) Page: 1/6 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
 
 
THEMATIC  SESSION ON REGULATORY COOPERATION  
BETWEEN MEMBERS (MSME s) 
12 JULY 2022, 1 5:00-18:00 
Moderator's Report1  
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At the Ninth Triennial Review, Members agreed to continue to hold thematic sessions in conjunction 
with the TBT Committee's  regular meetings from 2022 to 2024 , to further deepen the Committee's 
exchange of experiences on specific topics. On this basis, the  Committee agreed to hold a thematic 
session on regulatory cooperation with the purpose of sharing Member experiences and perspectives 
on working with MSMEs to facilitate their access to relevant technical information and enhance their 
participation in int ernational trade .2 Information about the speakers, presentations, and related 
material s are available  on the WTO website.3 
 
1  GUIDING QUESTIONS  
• What are the key challenges MSMEs face in accessing information on standards and 
regulations?  
• What good practices, services, digital tools are available for MSMEs to find out about product 
requirements and related procedures in (potential) export markets?  
• How are MSME perspectives and needs taken into account in developing technical 
regulations, standards an d conformity assessment procedures?  
• How can MSMEs be supported further in accessing information on and complying with 
product requirements?  
 
2  INTERVENTIONS  
2.1.  Mr David Gamache Hutchison4 (Canada)  provided an overview of the international business 
development services  offered  to Canadian businesses by the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) at 
Global Affairs Canada under Canada 's Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small 
Business and Economic Development. He highlighted the importance of MSMEs as th e backbone of 
the global economy, though they face numerous challenges relating to technical barriers and often 
do not have the capacity to face these issues alone. He stated that the TCS helps Canadian 
businesses of all sizes, including MSMEs, when it com es to exporting abroad, including on product 
requirements, testing, trade promotion and various advisory services that help minimize the impacts 
of technical barriers. The integration of the TCS within Canada 's international diplomatic presence, 
with over 1,000 trade and business development professionals working from more than 160 locations 
worldwide, gives unparalleled access to TCS services no matter where Canadian businesses are 
looking to export. To promote inclusivity and create a more level playing f ield, the TCS has also 
assisted with greater service differentiation to reflect the diverse needs of Canadian businesses and 
ensures that support is relevant to micro and small businesses. The TCS offers online avenues for 
companies to catalogue the trade barriers they face, avoid and troubleshoot exporting problems, 
 
1 Ms Ana Laura L izano. This Report is provided on the Moderator's own responsibility.  
2 G/TBT/46 . 
3 WTO | Thematic Session on regulatory cooperation between Members (MSMEs) . 
4 Director General , Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination , Trade Commissioner Service , Global 
Affairs . G/TBT/GEN/331  
 
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  and have easy access to relevant international standards. In addition to this, the Standards Council 
of Canada also helps build relationships with other standards bodies to help with mutual rec ognition.  
2.2.  Mr Hutchison also emphasized the important role that Canada 's free trade agreements (FTAs) 
play in facilitating cooperation, including on trade barriers and international standards. In the 
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans -Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Canada -United 
States -Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and the Canada -Israel Free Trade Agreement, there are 
standalone chapters dedicated to small and medium -sized enterprises. Including standalone 
chapters on MSMEs in FTAs can help acknowle dge these issues and prevent technical barriers. He 
shared experiences of how the TCS has helped Canadian businesses by connecting them to investors 
and contacts, as well as providing other advisory services. The success of these businesses 
demonstrates th e Government of Canada 's commitment to providing effective tools and resources 
for Canadian businesses to succeed in foreign markets. He concluded his remarks by emphasizing 
that in addition to these tools, bilateral and multilateral cooperation and engage ment, including 
forums such as TBT Committee Thematic Sessions, provide a platform for dialogue to share best 
practices to support MSMEs.  
2.3.  Ms Whitney Ward5 (United States)  shed light on the challenges that US micro, small and 
medium -sized enterprises face when exporting to a country that has put forward overly trade -
restrictive, un -justified and non -transparent technical regulations. Ms Ward shared events that 
adversely affected her organization, Echo International Export Co, over the past f ew years when met 
with overly burdensome technical regulations for perishable goods. These technical regulations 
included , but were not limited to , lowering the import time frame for the country of importation and 
their allowed time to market US goods  and zero-tolerance standards on perishable products (i.e. , 
no tolerance for defects, decay - any issues pertaining to said produce).  The lack of warning and a 
grace period for implementation of the rules was particularly cumbersome for MSMEs . There was no 
defined communication system to alert brokers/shippers causing havoc on both sides of the 
transaction. Ms Ward touched on how these regulations directly affect their business and that of 
their customers - creating  losses of thousands of dollars and extravagant  food waste that could have 
been prevented. All these issues combine to be perilous to healthy trade between nations.  
2.4.  Dr. Zakiyah6 (Indonesia) described Indonesia's experience in promoting standards 
implementation to the MSMEs. She said that Indonesia introduced  a legal framework that requires 
central and local governments provide assistance for MSMEs, including with respect to certification 
and standardization requirements. Indonesia also introduced Online Single Submission, an 
integrated ele ctronic system for risk -based business licen ces, that helps companies, including 
MSMEs, in developing their businesses and participating in international trade.  
2.5.  Dr. Zakiyah also noted that BSN, the TBT Enquiry Point and Notification Authority  of Indonesia,  
regularly analyses TBT notifications of WTO Members to inform stakeholders about measures that 
may affect their trade. BSN also provides stakeholders with an opportunity to submit their comments 
in relation to such measures. In addition, Dr. Zakiyah expla ined that BSN : provides technical 
assistance for MSMEs in relation to standards implementation and during conformity assessment 
process; and offers  a program me for facilitation of the implementation of national /international 
technical regulations by MSMEs for improving their market access. Dr. Zakiyah also mentioned that 
Indonesia promotes MSMEs products through : social media; a role model podcast about MSMEs that 
successfully implemented standards; and a success story talk show and seminars about MSMEs 
experiences in accessing global market s. 
2.6.  Mr Juan Gabriel Ramírez7 (Costa Rica) presented the DESCUBRE ( "Discover ") programme, 
which aims to strengthen agriculture and fisheries as sustainable activities toward s an inclusive and 
dynamic economy in Costa Rica.  The programme is a private public partnership that promotes the 
diversification of agricultural exports, identif ication of  new trade opportunities and investment in 
agribusiness. DESCUBRE  seeks to mobilize the collaboration among stakeholders across gover nment 
institutions, businesses, and academia to foster productivity and social progress. It has four pillars, 
including : market prospection by identifying new activities and commercial opportunities; financing 
by promoting the increase in the influx of inv estments in rural areas; innovation and development 
through coordinating an innovative agriculture ecosystem to prioritize research on emerging 
 
5 Export Sales Manager , Echo International Export Co. Inc.  
6 Deputy for Standard Implementation and Conformity Assessment, National Standardization Agency . 
7 Program Manager of the DESCUBRE program , Trade Promotion Agency of Costa Rica . G/TBT/GEN/331  
 
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  activities; and elimination of bottlenecks by establishing roadmaps to reduce technical trade barriers. 
The proj ect focuses on addressing challenges of priority value chains such as abacá fibre, papaya, 
turmeric, cocoa, orange, sweet potato, cassava subproducts, insects, and beef, among others.  
2.7.  Mr Ramírez also underscored the importance of regulatory cooperation for MSMEs. Given the 
great number of regulations that differ from one market to another and require specialized staff to 
understand the technical wording, it is complex and cumbersome for MSMEs to adapt. In addition, 
a large part of the knowled ge transfer falls on the certification sector, which represents a high cost 
for the producer. Finally, regulatory changes mostly involve important modifications in primary 
production processes where there is not necessarily a positive economic balance for the agricultural 
entrepreneur.  
2.8.  Ms Marian Sudbury8 (United Kingdom)  described the United Kingdom's experience in helping 
MSMEs to export and access information on trade barriers. She noted that MSMEs are the lifeblood 
of the UK economy, and that the Depart ment for International Trade works closely with MSMEs to 
help them to overcome trade barriers. She then explained that free trade agreements (FTAs) are 
one of the key ways of removing trade barriers for MSMEs, and the United Kingdom seeks to have 
MSMEs -related chapters and provisions in all its FTAs. Indeed, the United Kingdom has such MSMEs -
related chapters in FTAs with Australia, New Zealand and Japan. She then referred to the UK export 
strategy "Made in the UK, Sold to the World" which sets out the long -term strategic direction for 
supporting and encouraging businesses to overcome trade barriers and grow exports.  
2.9.  In addition, she outlined services that the UK offers for exporting MSMEs, such as : the Export 
Support Service; UK Export Academy webinars; UK Tradeshow Programme; and UK Export Finance. 
She also listed the following informational platforms that are useful for MSMEs participating in 
international trade: the official UK government website; Trade with the UK; Report a trade barrier; 
and Check Inter national Trade Barriers.  
2.10.   Major L Clark, III9 (United States)  presented  the role that the Advocacy Office within the 
US Small Business Administration (SBA) plays as the voice for small businesses before regulatory 
federal agents. As small businesses in the  US account for 99.7% of employer firms translating into 
about 31.7 million small businesses, MSMEs are critical to the U S economy. They also represent 
97.5% of firms exporting goods from the US. In this context the  Advocacy  works with federal 
agencies to ensure that federal regulations do not negatively impact the ability of small businesses 
to trade and carry out operations and to create a level playing field as much as possible. The goal 
of the department is to ensure that costs of compliance are reasona ble enough for small businesses 
to operate. The Advocacy  is embedded in international trade and works closely with the US Trade 
Representative office and state departments to implement regulatory processes and various 
programmes that help small businesses gain equal footing in their delivery of goods and services as 
well as the opportunity to participate in global trade. He stated that the office has an active economic 
research team that provides policy makers with data on impacts to small busine sses, as well as 
exploring innovative digital tools and how they can impact international trade. Speaking to the 
successes of the SBA, Major Clark highlighted that in 2015 the Office of Advocacy saved small 
businesses over 3.2 billion USD in potential regu latory costs, which represent savings made through 
avoiding implementing various regulations as proposed by the agency.  
2.11.   Ms Maitane Olabarria10 (European Union) discussed the need to facilitate the participation 
of SMEs in the standardization process. She noted that SBS is a European non -profit association that 
represents SMEs in the standardization process and aims to increase the awareness of specific needs 
of SMEs in relation to standardization. In this context, she flagged three main challe nges for SMEs 
participation in the standardization process: inability to identify relevant standards and difficulties 
with accessing such standards; lack of resources (such as finances, time and personnel); and 
complexity of standards. In addition, she str essed the importance of ensuring that SMEs interests 
are well -represented at the stage of standards development.  
2.12.   She also outlined certain ways of supporting SMEs in standardization process, namely: 
ensuring transparency and information about the standards , by, for example, monitoring 
standardization developments; creating a single point for finding information about standardization; 
 
8 Director for English Regions, Department for International Trade . 
9 Deputy Chief Council for the Office of Advocacy, United States Small Business Administration . 
10 Secretary General, Small Business Standards . G/TBT/GEN/331  
 
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  providing SMEs with financial support; relying on professional organizations (such as SBS) to bridge 
the gap between SMEs and  standardization; and helping SMEs with implementation of complex 
standards, by, for example, providing practical guides, assistance and training on the application of 
standards.  
2.13.   Mr Ashok Ganesh11 (European Union)  presented the standardization work of CEN  and 
CENELEC and MSMEs involvement with standardization. He noted that CEN and CENELEC are 
European standards bodies: CEN deals with multisectoral standardization, and CENELEC deals with 
the standardization in the area of electrical engineering. CEN and CE NELEC are made up of 43 
national standardization bodies from 34 countries. He also said that 34 % of standards developed by 
CEN are identical to ISO standards, and 73 % of standards developed by CENELEC are identical to 
IEC standards. In this context, he als o noted that MSMEs often struggle with identifying relevant 
standards, availability of standards, and also with figuring out how to obtain, use and implement 
such standards.   
2.14.   He highlighted current challenges in the standardization process, such as : short time to 
market and faster innovation; digital transformation of industry; growth of private R&D, outstripping 
public -funded R&D; a young generation of researchers and innovators in start -ups; and competing 
priorities (such as digitalization, environment). In order to overcome such challenge s, he said, CEN 
and CENELEC introduced Strategy 2030 that aims to: benefit CEN and CENELEC customers from 
state-of-the-art digital solutions; increase the use and awareness of CEN and CENELEC standards 
products; and be th e preferred choice for standardization in Europe. In addition, he stressed the 
importance of developing standards for key cutting -edge technologies (such as blockchain, artificial 
intelligence). He also listed CEN and CENELEC MSMEs -related projects, such a s partnership with 
Small Business Standards  (SBS) , SME Toolbox, SME Contact Points throughout Europe and SME -
Working Group.  
2.15.   Ms Silvia Vaccaro12 (European Union) spoke on the successes of public -private partnerships 
in the European Union and the progress and development of standardization in the EU. She stated 
that the public consultation organized  prior to EU standardization  regulation 1025/ 2012 highlighted  
that i nclusiveness was a major issue missing from the standardization process. This includes 
inclusiveness of all societal stakeholders such as SMEs, consumers, trade unions and environmental 
pressure groups. These stakeholder organizations do not have voting ri ghts in European 
standardization bodies,  but they should be involved in the proposal and acceptance of new work 
items, submission of comments and revision of existing standards.  
2.16.   Ms Vaccaro pointed out that the new EU standardization strategy will ensure t hat the 
governance of European standardization is adapted to a new and dynamic environment where 
standards have become geo -political tools. She emphasized that there is a strong need to better 
include and leverage MSMEs in standards development, for instan ce, through avenues such as the 
Enterprise Europe Network which helps MSMEs expand into international markets, get support to 
innovate and get in contact with international partners. She also spoke of the importance of training 
for the new generation of st andard setters and developers as a new generation will need the requisite 
knowledge to face new technologies, complicated networks, data and blockchain that will be 
prominent in the future of standards.  
2.17.   Ms Marianna Karttunen13 (OECD)  spoke about  the importance of international regulatory 
cooperation (IRC) for MSMEs and the role of the good practices that the OECD has identified for 
using IRC to reduce trade costs. She discussed the various types of costs that arise from regulatory 
divergence such  as information costs, specification costs, and conformity assessment costs, and the 
particular impact this entails for MSMEs. She outlined some solutions that have been identified to 
address these costs such as greater transparency to minimize information  costs. Tools such as the 
ePing notification application or the EU DG Growth TBT database can serve as digital one stop shop 
tools and be a single source for SMEs to have access to regulations. The DG Growth TBT database 
gives SMEs access to drafts through  which they can check regulations and publish comments as well 
as seeing how other businesses are affected by the same measures.  As many of the costs outlined 
are fixed trade costs, they need to be covered by large sales to amortize these investments. MSME s 
face higher barriers because of these costs. She also stated that regulatory measures 
 
11 Director, Market Perspectives & Innovation, CEN & CENELEC . 
12 Standards Poli cy of the European Commission , DG GROW . 
13 Policy Analyst, Regulatory Policy Division, Public Governance Directorate . G/TBT/GEN/331  
 
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  disproportionately affect SMEs due to their low levels of national and international participation in 
the setting up processes of these measures.  
2.18.   Ms Karttunen then pre sented the recent Recommendation on International Regulatory Co -
operation to Tackle Global Challenges adopted in June 2022 by the OECD Ministerial Council, which 
supports governments in adapting to an interconnected world by establishing a whole -of-
governm ent IRC strategy, embedding IRC throughout domestic rulemaking by using good regulatory 
practices or basing them on standards as well as in leveraging the variety of bilateral, regional, 
plurilateral and multilateral forms of cooperation to foster regulato ry coherence. She also discussed 
emerging tools to reduce regulatory burdens on SMEs and noted that the most recent survey across 
OECD members shows an increasing trend in the use of regulatory impact assessments as a tool to 
assess trade impacts, includin g on small businesses.  
2.19.   Mr Rajesh Aggarwal14 (ITC)  discussed how the ITC supports market development by 
working closely with SMEs in developing and least developed countries. He stated that small 
businesses face export challenges regarding accessing informa tion, implementing, and adopting 
standards as well as compliance with requirements. The ITC offers trainings to SMEs to promote 
transparency and improve their capacity to comply with international standards. Mr Ag garwal 
mentioned that SMEs also face challe nges of double testing (from exporting and importing countries) 
as well as inadequate comprehension of requirements. Through the ITC's digital trade platform,  
SMEs are provided with information and guidelines on how to comply with requirements. This 
platfo rm also helps SMEs with compliance with trade facilitation , with border agencies and support s 
informal cross -border traders who face challenges with complicated processes by aiding with filling 
out forms.  He noted that the successful implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement would 
also facilitate reduction of costs related to meeting technical regulations and standards.  
3  DISCUSSION  
3.1.  In response to questions about the benefits to MSMEs of standalone chapters in FTAs, 
Mr Hutchison emphasized that in the case of Canada, these reaffirm the importance of the MSME 
perspective in trade issues and provide a framework for cooperation to take joint activities regarding 
MSMEs.  Mr Clark added that MSMEs chapters in FTAs are ways to  improve opportunities for MSM Es 
and how they are considered in relation to regulatory challenges, as well as ensure that other 
chapters are also sensitive to their needs.  
3.2.  Dr. Zakyiah  clarified that projects to support MSMEs in Indonesia receive funds from the  state, 
public enterprise s, and local governments.  To ensure their sustainability when additional funding is 
not available , BSN support s MSMEs in accessing the necessary regulatory information about product  
requirements and market access so that th ey can export their products  and benefit from trade .  
3.3.  The representative of Uruguay  highlighted how the Informal Working Group on MSMEs has 
encouraged WTO Members to exchange experiences to help MSMEs participate in domestic 
regulatory development regarding issues covered by WTO Agreement s. In this context, the Group 
endorsed a recommendation to support MSMEs, contained in Annex 4 of document 
INF/MSME/4/Rev.2 . He also referred  to the Trade4MSMEs platform, spearheaded by the Mexic an 
delegation, which aims to increase access to information by MSMEs and includes a series of short 
guides with easy -to-digest information to help small businesses trade across borders. It also helps 
with assessing the export potential of target markets and the export readiness of MSMEs. The 
platform also brings together information for policymakers, government officials and researchers. 
This includes short policymaker guides and highlights on be st practices, as well as information on 
international and regional initiatives on MSMEs and links to MSME data sources available for 
analytical purposes. Finally, the platform launched the Trade4MSMEs network  on 8 June 2022 , as a 
partnership of  more than  12 international organizations to improve MSMEs' participation in trade 
and collaboration between organizations involved in the topic.  
 
14 Director Officer in Charge, Division of Market Development . G/TBT/GEN/331  
 
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  3.4.  The representative of New Zealand  welcomed  the information exchange during the  session  and 
noted that the New Zealand Stan dards Organization, in collaboration with the Ministry of 
Employment, ha d recently presented cost -free standards, which led to a 20% increase in standards 
downloaded.  
3.5.  The representative of South Africa noted that there is no universal definition of MSMEs a nd 
that it may vary from country to country and depending on sectors and objectives. It was important 
to get further clarity on this issue when discussing regulatory co -operation for MSMEs as we may 
not be talking about the same type of companies or employ ees.  
4  COMMENT BY  THE MODERATOR  
4.1.  We had a very enriching session with inputs from 11 speakers as well as delegations . I would 
like to highlight a few observations from the session :  
• While the definition of MSMEs can vary, it was evident from the intervention s that MSMEs 
make up the majority of businesses in developed and developing countries alike.  
• They need help to participate in international trade. With respect to standards and 
regulations, they need access to information on product requirements and relat ed 
procedures, understand them, meet them and demonstrate compliance with them. They also 
need help to shape standards and regulations in light of their needs and limitations.  
• As we heard from the speakers, they do receive help thanks to a variety of governmental 
and non -governmental initiatives, who support them navigate the rather complex trading 
environment. This support is often anchored in governmental mandates. Increasingly, their 
special nee ds are also recognized in dedicated chapters of FTAs.  
• We heard about cost  savings and success stories for MSMEs, but we also heard how 
procedural requirements can affect them disproportionally and impede their exports. In this 
context, it was pointed out that the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement can 
complement efforts to reduce costs associated with standards and regulations. Reference 
was also made to relevant work undertaken in the Informal Working Group on MSMEs and 
to a new Trade4MSME s platform.  
• Needless to say, challenges of MSMEs go beyond the issues we cover in the TBT Committee. 
Still, I believe that the thematic session shed light on significant efforts that are already 
under way as well as further opportunities to enhance their p articipation in international 
trade.  
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