G/TBT/W/763  
 
14 February 2022  
(22-1341) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 
SUGGESTIONS FROM THE UNITED STATES ON HOW THE TBT COMMITTEE CAN  
MOST EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THE NUMEROUS OUTSTANDING  
RECOMMENDATIONS ON TRANSPARENC Y 
STATEMENT  BY THE UNITED STATES AT THE INFORMAL COMMITTEE  
ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE  ON 10 FEBRUARY  2022 
The following communication, dated 10 February 2022, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the United States . 
 
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1.1.  The United States notes that there are indeed a number of areas where the TBT Commi ttee 
must pursue work on transparency following the 9th Triennial Review and in continuing to advance 
transparency items from the 8th Triennial Review.  Given the technical nature of several transparency 
items, it may be more constructive and a more efficie nt use of the Committee 's time to start work 
in smaller group settings and through preparatory work by the Secretariat before these items are 
brought to the full Committee.  
1.2.  The United States also sees value in using the standing item on transparency in the  
Implementation and Administration of the Agreement  portion of the agenda to advance work on the 
recommendations and to allow Members to share their experiences and best practices on the various 
topics.  We note that there was enthusiastic engagement on tra nsparency with a number of Members 
contributing proposals during the recent review process.  
1.3.  To that point, continued reliance on virtual engagement, where appropriate, can encourage 
participation in the work on transparency, including from technical and po licy experts who might not 
be able to attend in -person only meetings.  The TBT Committee is one of the most active WTO 
committees with a robust work program that necessitates flexibility and creativity to make progress.  
1  SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS FOR FOLLOW UP ON  RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE 9TH 
TRIENNIAL REVIEW REPORT ( G/TBT/46 ) UNDER HEADING 6.29  
1.1  6.29 (b), handling of comments:   
1.4.  An idea is for Members to use ePing to work on both recommendations i and ii. T he chat feature 
and the link to the international discussion forum for the notification in question can be used; the 
United States intends to begin by posting to ePing 's international discussion forum notice  when we 
have submitted comments on a WTO Member notification , but we will  not initially post the comments 
to ePing . In addition, the United States will use the chat and international discussion for um to pose 
questions of clarification and scope of a notification as needed to seek clarifications and promote 
information exchange among Members.  To date there has been limited use of ePing functionalities, 
including for communications between and among enquiry points.  We would invite  Members to 
volunteer to work with the Secretariat  to trial exchanges of information about comments on  
notifications.  
 G/TBT/W/763  
 
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  1.2  6.29 (c) i and ii relating to t iming of notifications :  
1.5.  An option  could be a two -step process.  First, the Secretariat could collect information from 
Members to provide context before any discussion in a thematic session or as a Committee a genda 
item. For example, it might be possible to develop a short questionnaire, with the responses used 
to inform any subsequent discussion.   
1.6.  Second, the United States sees benefit for all Members in improving transparency about the 
timing of Member notifi cations and understanding Member practices.  This topic could be covered as 
part of the  transparency element of the Committee 's agenda.  Members could provide short 
presentations on their processes and practices.  An added benefit is that it could allow enqui ry point 
and GRP experts to engage more in the Committee 's work, particularly if they can participate 
remotely.  
1.3  6.29 (d) submission  of notifications :  
1.7.  The two proposals, 6.29 (d) i and ii, could  be combined  for follow up with work proceeding in 
small grou p format, supported by Secretariat staff, and examining how the guidelines and template 
can be amended to include more detail in notifications.  The work of the small group could take place 
virtually, or on the margins of TBT Committee meetings.  Any recomme ndations could then be shared 
with the full Committee for review and consideration.  Once agreed, regular training sessions can 
help Members understand how to complete the notification template.   
1.4  6.29 (d) iii on product coverage of notified measures and HS codes:   
1.8.  For a thematic session to be effective, it should include experts able to respond to Members ' 
concerns. Given the technical nature of the topic and specific Member challenges, the session could 
be held virtually to maximize participation of expe rts. In addition, since one session is unlikely to 
solve all of the challenges associated with product coverage in notifications, this should be a standing 
item for the Committee to discuss and for Members to share best practices.  
1.9.  The United States notes as well that some of the recommendations from the 8th Triennial 
Review Report have not be en acted upon, and some are closely related to recommendations adopted 
in the most recent r eview.  We are referring specifically to handling of comments ( G/TBT/41 , 
items  6.1 (f) i and iii) and work on HS codes  (item 6.1 (d) ii,) that could be addressed together with 
the latest recommendations  on these topics . 
1.10.   In addition, the 8th Triennial Review outcomes on validation of enquiry point contact 
information and submitting up to date lists of where texts of final technical regulations can be found 
could both be refreshed if the Secretariat put out a n annual reminder notice to all Members.  We 
would ask the Secretariat to look at what other updates would have transparency benefits and ensure 
the effective operation o f the TBT Agreement . 
1.11.   The United States welcomes the Chair 's views on the best path forward.  
 
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