G/TBT/38  
 
17 February 2016  
(16-0987)  Page: 1/40  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
 
 
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND 
OPERATION OF THE TBT AGREEMENT 
 
 NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1  
 
 
The WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (the Committee) will conduct its Twenty-
First Annual Review of the Implementation an d Operation of the WTO Agreement on Technical 
Barriers to Trade (the TBT Agreement) under Article 15.3 at its next meeting on 9-10 March 2016. 
This document contains information on developments in the Committee relating to the 
implementation and operation of the TBT Agreement from 1 January to 31 December 2015.  
 
 
_______________ 
 
 
                                               
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the position of Members or to thei r rights and obligati ons under the WTO. G/TBT/38 
 
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
1   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 3  
2   MEETINGS OF  THE COMMITTEE ................................................................................... 3  
3   REVIEW OF TBT MEASURES ......................................................................................... 4  
3.1   Notifications of technical regulation s and conformity asse ssment procedures ...................... 4  
3.1.1   Trends in new notifications and fo llow-up (addenda, corri genda, revision) ....................... 4  
3.1.2   Members' engageme nt in notifications ....................................................................... 5  
3.1.3   Notifications by regi on and developm ent stat us ........................................................... 7  
3.1.4   Comment period pr ovided in notifications .................................................................. 10 
3.1.5   Online submission of  notifications (TBT NSS) ............................................................. 11 
3.1.6   Stated objectives of notifications .............................................................................. 11 
3.1.7   Other TB T Notifications ........................................................................................... 13 
3.2   Specific Trad e Concerns (STCs) .................................................................................. 13 
3.2.1   Trends in STCs ...................................................................................................... 13 
3.2.2   Members' engagement in STCs ................................................................................ 15 
3.2.3   Members subject to STCs ........................................................................................ 16 
3.2.4   STCs by region and developmen t stat us .................................................................... 17 
3.2.5   Types of concer ns raised in STCs ............................................................................. 19 
3.2.6   Stated objectives of measures subject to STCs ........................................................... 19 
3.2.7   Frequency – the number of times a given STC is raised in the Committee ...................... 20 
3.2.8   Relationship between  notification s and STCs .............................................................. 21 
4   DISPUTES INVOLVING PROVIS IONS OF THE TBT AGREEMENT .................................. 22  
5   TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ........................................................................................... 22  
ANNEXES ........................................................................................................................ 24  
A. Notifications by Member, 1995-2015 ............................................................................... 24 
B. Summary of STCs  Raised in 2015  ................................................................................... 29 
C. Overview of new STCs raised in 2015 .............................................................................. 36 G/TBT/38 
 
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1  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
In 2015, the Committee completed its Seventh Triennial Review. The Report (G/TBT/37) includes a 
set of recommendations covering, among other th ings: good regulatory practices, regulatory 
cooperation between Members, conformity asse ssment procedures, standards and transparency. 
The reports also sets out a work programme of thematic sessions aimed at strengthening information exchange in the various cross-cutting  areas covered by the TBT Agreement. In terms 
of the Committee's review of measures, during th e year, notifications decreased by 12% compared 
to the previous year (to a total of 1,989 notifications). Nevertheless, the trend since 2015 has been an upward one driven increasingly by developing Members. In 2015, developing Members continued to submit significantly more new notifications than developed Members - also the 
number of notifications from LDCs increased during the year. In total, 86 specific trade concerns 
(STCs) were discussed in 2015, the second highest number since 1995. A much lower proportion of these, however, were notified to the Committee: only 49% of the STCs discussed had been 
notified (well below the long-run average of 68%) . On technical assistance (TA), the Secretariat 
delivered 18 TA events specifically targeted to the TBT Agreement and an additional 19 TBT 
modules were delivered as part of various other WT O TA activities. Finally, ad hoc observer status 
was granted to the African Organization for St andardisation (ARSO) and the Intergovernmental 
Authority on Development (IGAD).  
2  MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE 2.1.  Ms. Alana Maria Lanza Suazo (Honduras) was elected
2 by the Committee as its Chairperson 
for 2015. 
2.2.  Three regular Committee meetings were held during the year (18-19 March, 17-18 June  
and 4-6 November 2015).3 Back-to-back with the regular meetings, the Committee held thematic 
sessions on the preparation of the Seventh Triennial Review, on 17 March4, 16 June5 and 
3 November 2015. 
2.3.  On 18-19 March 2015, the Committee adopted it s report of the Twentieth Annual Review of 
the Implementation and Operation of the TBT Agreement under Article 15.3.6 At the same 
meeting, the Committee took note of document G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.21 containing a list of those 
standardizing bodies that have accepted the Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards since 1 January 1995. 
2.4.  The Committee adopted the Report of its Seventh Triennial Review on the Operation and 
Implementation of the TBT Agreement (her eafter "Seventh Triennial Review") on 
6 November 2015,
7 in accordance with the mandate under Article 15.4 of the TBT Agreement. At 
the same meeting, the Committee granted ad hoc observer status to the African Organization for 
Standardisation (ARSO) and the Intergover nmental Authority on Development (IGAD).8 
2.5.  Representatives of the BIPM, Codex, GS O, IEC, ISO, ITC, OECD, OIML, UNECE and WHO 
updated the Committee on activities relevant to the work of the TBT Committee, including on 
technical assistance.  
                                               
2 Pursuant to Article 13.1 of the TBT Agreement and to its Rules of Procedure. 
3 G/TBT/M/65-67. 
4 JOB/TBT/125 
5 JOB/TBT/134 
6 G/TBT/34 
7 G/TBT/37 
8 G/TBT/M/67, para. 4.5. G/TBT/38 
 
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  3  REVIEW OF TBT MEASURES9 
3.1  Notifications of technical regulati ons and conformity assessment procedures 
3.1.1  Trends in new notifications an d follow-up (addenda, corrigenda, revision) 
3.1.  In 2015, Members submitted 1,442 new notifications (including 24 revisions) of technical 
regulations and conformity assessment proc edures. 476 addenda and 47 corrigenda to 
notifications were also submitted (Chart 1).10 In total, 1,989 TBT notifications were submitted in 
2015 by 73 Members. While 2014 marked the year with most notifications in a single year since 
the entry into force of the Agreement on 1 January  1995, the number of notifications decreased by 
12% in 2015. Nevertheless, 2015 was still the year with the fourth most notifications overall since 1995. Since 2007, Members have submitted more than 1,000 new notifications annually with that figure increasing to 1,500 since 2012. Since th e entry into force of the Agreement and up to 
31 December 2015, 20,318 new notifications, 4,901 addenda and corrigenda, and 172 revisions 
have been submitted by 128 Members. The number of notifying Members increased by 2 in 2015 as Suriname and Yemen notified for the first time. 
Chart 1: Total TBT notifications, 1995-2015 
 
 
3.2.  Over the last decade there has been a mark ed growth in the use of addenda and corrigenda, 
with a record 675 notified in 2014 (Chart 1). In 2015, this number decreased to 523 notified 
addenda and corrigenda. The US (1,200), Brazil (533), Ecuador (529), Colombia (323) and the EU 
(307) have notified the most addenda and corrigenda since 1995. 
3.3.  The overall relation between new notifica tions, addenda and corrigenda, and revisions is 
illustrated in Chart 2. The Committee adopted a recommendation on "Coherent Use of Notification 
Formats" in 2014 which provides Members with guidance on when to use different formats.11 It is 
recommended that Members use: new notifications "t o notify the draft text of a proposed technical 
                                               
9 The data for the graphs in this  section are drawn from the TBT IMS http://tbtims.wto.org/ . More detail 
is contained in Annex A. 
10 This document uses the terminology adopted by the TBT Committee in the recommendation on 
"Coherent use of notification formats", G/TBT/35, 18 June 2014. 
11 G/TBT/35. G/TBT/38 
 
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  regulation or conformity assessment procedure"; addenda "to notify additional information related 
to a notification or the text of a notified measure"; corrigenda "to correct minor administrative or clerical errors (which do not entail any changes to the meaning of the content)"; and revisions "to indicate that the notified measure has been substantially re-drafted prior to adoption or entry into 
force."
12  
3.4.  While the number of revisions has also grown, this format is used infrequently (Chart 1 and 
Chart 2). China (30), Brazil (21), Canada (16), So uth Africa (14) the Dominican Republic (10) and 
Korea (9) have notified most revisions since 1995. 
 
Chart 2: Share of notifications, by type, 1995-2015 
 
 
 
 
3.1.2  Members' engagement in notifications 
3.5.  The ten Members that submitted the most TBT notifications in 2015 are shown in Chart 3.  
Chart 3: Most active notifying Members, 2015 
 
 
                                               
12 Please refer to the full text of  G/TBT/35 for fu rther details. G/TBT/38 
 
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  3.6.  2014 showed a new trend indicating more notifications from Members that had been 
historically less active. This partly continued in 2015 as observed over the period 1995-2014 (Chart 4). In 2015, for example, the US again led by numbers of new notifications (283) followed 
by Ecuador (126) (Member which notified most in 2014) and Brazil (119). China was more active 
in 2015 than in 2014, submitting 111 notification s compared to 49 in 2014. Uganda submitted 100 
notifications in 2015.  
3.7.  Three consecutive years of significant notifi cation activity has placed Ecuador (126 in 2015; 
420 in 2014; 103 in 2013) among the ten Members that have notified most measures over the 
period of 1995-2015 (Chart 4). Korea has dropped out of the "top ten" category following Japan 
with a total number of 765 notifications in 2015.  
 
Chart 4: Most active notifying Members (new notifications, revisions, and modifications), 
1995-2014, and 2015 
 
 
3.8.  Focusing on the four Members with most notifications over the last ten years since 2006, Chart 5 highlights the trends in notification ac tivity of these Members. There was a significant 
growth in notifications of all types from the US (190%) between 2006-2015. Meanwhile, there was 
a gradual growth in notifications from the EU (130%), Brazil (123%), and China (60%), 
notwithstanding a spike in notifications from China in 2008-2009. G/TBT/38 
 
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  Chart 5: Notifications submitted by US, Brazil, China and EU, all types, 2006-2015 
 
3.9.  As mentioned above, the overal usage of notification formats differs between Members. The 
number of noftification submitted between 2006-2015 (Chart 6) indicates the different notification 
preferences of Members. For instance, while the US submitted most addenda and corrigenda 
(1056), China submitted most new notifications (1001). Yet, the addenda or corrigenda format has 
been used little by China with a total of 29 notifications over the last decade.  
Chart 6: Type of notifications by Memb er (four most active Members), 2006-2015 
 
 
3.1.3  Notifications by region and development status 
3.10.  The growth in notifications since 2005 ha s been driven by increasing engagement of 
developing Members. This trend continued in 2015 as developing Members submitted significantly 
more new notifications in 2015 than developed Members (Chart 7). Yet, the share of new 
notifications from developing Members declined to 69% of the total compared to 80% in the previous year (Chart 8). Least-developed country Members (LDCs) continued to notify less 
frequently, but in 2015 notifications from this grou p slightly increased due to Uganda's high level 
of notification activity.
13  
                                               
13 The LDC which has notified most (new notifications) since 1995 is Uganda (532). Other LDCs notify 
much less frequently: Tanzania (44), Zambia (46), Rwanda (37) and Yemen (29). All other LDCs have 
submitted 12 or fewer new notifications since 1995. G/TBT/38 
 
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  Chart 7:  New notifications by development status, 1995-2015 
 
 
 
 
Chart 8: New notifications, by development status, 2015 
 G/TBT/38 
 
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3.11.  The number of new notifications submitted by Members grouped by region is presented in 
Chart 9 and Chart 10. More than half the new notifications in 2015 were submitted by Members 
from Middle East and Asian regions (Chart 9). Compared to the previous year, Members in the 
South and Central America and Caribbean region decreased their level of new notifications in 2015 
(Chart 9) due, in particular, to fewer notifications from Ecuador. Growth in the number of new notifications submitted by Members in the Middle East  region is one driver of the overall increase 
in new notifications since 2009 (Chart 10). While the share of notifications of the Middle East 
region has again decreased since its peak in 2013 (489), Chart 9 and 10 also indicate the increasing engagement of Asia, catching up with  the Middle East region, both holding a share of 
26% in 2015. 
Chart 9: Distribution of new notifications by region, 2015 
 
 
Chart 10: Number of new notifica tions by selected region, 2006-2015 
 G/TBT/38 
 
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3.1.4  Comment period provided in notifications 
3.12.  The Committee has recommended that the normal time-limit for presentation of comments 
on notified technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures should be 60 days, and 
that any Member able to provide more than 60 days (such as 90 days) is encouraged to do so.14 In 
2015, Members on average provided 59.6 days  for comments in the 1,329 cases where 
notifications specified a comment period (Chart 11). In total, 113 notifications did not specify a 
comment period, stated it as non-applicable, or had a comment period which had lapsed.  
Chart 11: Average number of days allowed for comments, 1995-201515 
 
 
                                               
14 G/TBT/1/Rev.12,  Section 4.3.1.6, page 23-24. 
15 This chart covers only those notifications that specify a comment period. The chart does not take into 
account notifications where the comment period was not sp ecified, was stated as non-applicable, or had lapsed 
at the time of circulation ("lapsed" means that the deadli ne for comments stated on the notification was earlier 
than the date of circulation of the notification). G/TBT/38 
 
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  3.1.5  Online submission of notifications (TBT NSS) 
3.13.  In 2015, a total of 1,214 notifications were submitted through the online TBT NSS by 27 
Members representing 35% of the annual notification volume (Chart 12). Online submission has facilitated the submission and processing of noti fications, leading to more rapid circulation and 
increasing the time available to Members to submit comments on notifications of interest. The 
Secretariat continued to prioritize processing of notifications received through the TBT NSS during 2015.
16 
Chart 12: Members submitting noti fications through TBT NSS, 2015 
Member Total TBT notifications 
submitted through TBT NSS 
United States 280 
Brazil 111 
Uganda 100 
European Union 78 
China  78 
South Africa 72 
Korea 71 
Canada 49 
Japan 37 
Czech Republic 33 
Chinese Taipei 32 
South Africa 27 
United Arab Emirates 25 
Indonesia 17 
Israel 15 
Thailand 15 
Turkey 13 
Kenya 12 
Malaysia 12 
Ukraine 10 
Switzerland 7 
United Kingdom 4 
Sweden 2 
India 2 
Zambia 2 
Bolivia 1 
Denmark 1 
Total 1,214 
 
 3.1.6  Stated objectiv es of notifications 
3.14.  Chart 13 shows that amongst the 1,442 new notifications received in 2015, the objective of 
protection of human health or safety was pr edominately cited by Members, followed by: 
prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection; quality requirements; and protection 
of the environment. The increasing prominence of  the objective of quality requirements is no 
longer consistent with the overall trend since 1995 (Chart 14) that places the protection of the 
environment as third most common objective. The section "other" summarizes a range of objectives including cost saving and increasing productivity, national security and not specified as 
these objectives have all together been mentioned only four times.  
 
                                               
16 For access to the TBT NSS, please contact tbtnss@wto.org .  G/TBT/38 
 
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  Chart 13: Notifications by objective, 201517 
 
 
Chart 14: Notifications by objective, 1995-201519 
 
 
 
 
                                               
17 The objectives as indicated by Members in It em 7 of the new notification template (see: 
G/TBT/1/Rev.12, page 51). Notifications may cite multiple objectives. G/TBT/38 
 
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  3.1.7  Other TBT Notifications 
3.1.7.1  Notifications under Article 10.7 3.15.  In 2015, five agreements were notified under Article 10.7, each between the US and 
another Member. The other Members were Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Korea and the EU. Since 
the entry into force of the TBT Agreement, Members have submitted 144 notifications under Article 
10.7 along with 6 corrigenda.  
3.1.7.2  Notifications under Article 15.2  
3.16.  In 2015, eight notifications were made under Article 15.2 of the TBT Agreement with 
respect to measures in existence or taken to ensure the implementation and administration of the TBT Agreement. The Seychelles and Senegal notified for the first time under Article 15.2, while Ukraine, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Rwanda and Kenya submitted revised 
statements.
18 
3.1.7.3  Notifications under the Code of Good  Practice for the preparation, adoption and 
application of standards ("Code of Good Practice") 
3.17.  In 2015, Myanmar notified acceptance of the Code of Good Practice, and no standardizing 
body withdrew. Since the entry into force of the Agreement and through December 2015, 165 
standardizing bodies from 126 Members have no tified acceptance of the Code of Good 
Practice.19 Document G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.21 contains a list, by Member, of standardizing bodies that 
have accepted the Code of Good Practice since 1 January 1995 through December 2015.20 
3.2  Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) 3.18.  Since its first meeting, Members have used the TBT Committee as a forum to discuss trade 
issues related to technical regulations, conf ormity assessment procedures and standards, 
prepared, adopted and applied by other Members. These discussions are referred to as "specific trade concerns" (STCs) and relate either to proposed measures, or to measures currently in force. 
TBT Committee meetings afford Members the opportunity to review STCs in a multilateral setting, 
to seek further information and clarification on the measures in question, and to work towards mutually acceptable solutions. 
3.2.1  Trends in STCs 
3.19.  In 2015, 37 new STCs were raised, which is ten less than in the previous year (Chart 15).
21 
In addition, 49 previously raised STCs were discussed during the year, the second highest number in any given year since 1995. (Annex B contains a full list; Annex C provides details on new STCs 
raised in 2015). Overall, 86 STCs were discussed in 2015, second only to 2012.  
 
                                               
18 The full list of statements of Members having submitted a statement on implementation and 
administration of the TBT Agreement under Article 15.2 (since January 1995) is contained in document G/TBT/GEN/1/Rev.13. The new statements were rece ived from Tajikistan (G/TBT/2/Add.112) and Mali 
(G/TBT/2/Add.113). Ukraine (G/TBT/2/Add.100/Rev.3), Switzerland (G/TBT/2/Add.7/Rev.2) and Canada (G/TBT/2/Add.6/Rev.3) submitted a revision to their statements. 
19 Notifications of acceptance of the Code by standardizing bodies of Members are contained in  
documents G/TBT/CS/N/1-183.  
20 The ISO/IEC Information Centre prepares the WT O TBT Standards Code Dire ctory which lists all  
standardizing bodies that have notified  their acceptance of the Code. See: 
http://www.standardsinfo.net/info/inttrade.html  
21 More detail on specific trade concerns raised in  the TBT Committee is available through the TBT IMS 
(http://tbtims.wto.org ). G/TBT/38 
 
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  Chart 15:  STCs raised, 1995-2015 
 
3.20.  Chart 16 illustrates, in a different way, the number of STCs discussed at each Committee 
meeting over the past ten years. The figures in Chart 16 are greater than those in Chart 15, since 
the latter only counts a "previously raised" STC once even though it may have been raised at all 
three regular meetings of any given year.22 Chart 16 shows that the total number of STCs 
discussed annually has grown significantly between  2006 and 2015 (from 63 to 161). This upward 
trend has meant that the Committee has used an increased amount of meeting time discussing 
STCs (only around 21 STCs were discussed per meeting in 2006 while that figure was 54 in 2015). Overall, 2015 marks the year when the most STCs (both new and previously raised) have been discussed since 1995.  
Chart 16: STCs discussed per committee meeting, 2006-2015 
 
                                               
22 In other words, in Chart 16 if the same STC is rais ed at multiple Committee meetings during the year, 
it is counted as only one STC. In Chart 17, an STC is counted each time it is rais ed at a Committee meeting – 
this figure thus more accurate ly reflects the time used by the Committee to discuss STCs. G/TBT/38 
 
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  3.2.2  Members' engagement in STCs 
3.21.  The Members that most frequently raised STCs in 2015 were the US, Canada and the EU, 
following the general trend since 1995 (Chart 17 and Chart 18). In Chart 17, the number of previous concerns indicates the overall number of times a Member has re-raised concerns 
(consistent with the approach of Chart 16). Thus, a concern can be re-raised three times per year, 
in the March, June and/or November meetings. In  2015, the EU and the US both raised most new 
and previous concerns with 82 each. Some Members were more active in raising previous 
concerns, for instance, Mexico reverted to 33 prev iously raised STCs but raised only 1 new STC. 
Chart 17: Members most frequently raising STCs, 2015
23 
 
 
  
Chart 18: Members most frequently raising new STCs, 1995-2015
24 
 
 
                                               
23 This chart indicates the number of new and pr evious STCs in respect of which a Member has 
expressed concern (e.g. the US expr essed concern with respect to 15 di fferent new STCs, and 67 previous 
STCs, in 2015. The previous STCs can be raised more than  once). This chart includes only those Members that 
have raised concern with respect to a total of more than 14 STCs during the year. More than one Member may raise concerns (new or previous) about the same STC. 
24 This chart indicates the number of STCs in resp ect of which a Member has expressed concern (e.g. 
the EU expressed concern with respect to 224 different STCs from 1995-2015). This chart includes only those Members that have raised concern with respect to thir ty-three or more STCs during the period in question. G/TBT/38 
 
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  3.2.3  Members subject to STCs 
3.22.  Between the years 1995-2015, measures of the EU, China and the US have been most 
frequently subject to concerns raised by other Members. In 2015, China and the EU were subject 
to the highest number of STCs. This marks a change compared to the previous year in which 
Ecuador (11) and Russia (6) were subject to a significant number of STCs (Chart 19 and Chart 
20). 2015 therefore picks up the trend of previous years.  
Chart 19: Members most frequently subject to STCs, 201525 
 
Chart 20: Members most frequently subject to new STCs, 1995-201526 
 
                                               
25 This chart indicates the number of times that a Me mber was subject to a STC raised by one or more 
Member(s). This chart includes only those Members subject to a total of six new and previous STCs or more during 2015. Countries can be subject to previous STCs more than once per year.   
26 This chart indicates the number of times that a Me mber was subject to a STC raised by one or more 
Member(s). This chart includes only those Member s subject to 14 STCs or more between 1995-2015.  G/TBT/38 
 
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  3.2.4  STCs by region and development status 
3.23.  Members that have raised or been subjec t to STCs in the TBT Committee grouped by region 
and development status are presented in Chart 21 to Chart 24. Members from the Asia and the North American regions raise most STCs, whereas Members from South and Central America and 
the Caribbean region as well as Europe have been most often subject to STCs (Chart 21 and Chart 
22). In 2015, Members in Asia were subject to 17  STCs, the most of any regional group (Chart 
21). Members from Africa, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Middle East regions 
are less frequently subject to and active in raising STCs. Historically, North America, Europe and 
Asia have been most active in raising STCs, while Asia is most often subject to STCs.  
Chart 21: Subject to STCs by region, 2015
27 
 
Chart 22: STCs raised by region, 2015 
 
3.24.  Since 1995, developed Members have raised the majority of STCs. This is also valid for 
2015 (Chart 23). Since 1995, as well as in 2015, developing Members were more frequently 
subject to STCs (Chart 24). No measures of LDC Members have been subject to STCs (Chart 24). 
                                               
27 "Subject to STCs" indicates that a measure of a Member in a given region has been subject to a STC 
raised by one or more Member(s). Note that this category totals to 37, reflecting the breakdown of the 37 new STCs raised in 2015, by region of the Member that was subject to the STC. "STCs Raised" indicates the number 
of times that a Member in a given region raised concern with respect to a STC in 2015. A given STC may be raised by several Members. G/TBT/38 
 
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  Chart 23:  STCs raised, by development status, 1995-201528 
 
 
Chart 24: Subject to STCs, by development status, 1995–2015 
 
                                               
28 "STCs Raised" indicates the number of times that a Member of a given development status raised a 
concern with respect to a STC. A given ST C may be raised by several Members.  G/TBT/38 
 
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3.2.5  Types of concerns raised in STCs  
3.25.  In 2015 the most frequently invoked concerns by Members in their statements in the 
Committee were those relating to transparency, slightly different from the long term trend (Chart 
25). Issues relating to further information or clarification about the measure at issue and to the 
avoidance of unnecessary barriers to trade were also frequent, as were concerns about the rationale for measures, the use of relevant international standards as well as issues of 
discrimination.  
Chart 25: Types of concerns raised, 1995-2014, and 2015
29 
 
 
 
3.2.6  Stated objectives of measures subject to STCs 
3.26.  Information about the stated objective of measures subject to STCs may be derived from 
the notification itself, or through the discussion of the particular measure in the Committee. Since 1995, the most commonly stated objectives of measures raised as STCs relate to the protection of 
human health and safety. This was also valid for 2015 (see Chart 26). Protection of the 
environment, an objective cited in many measures raising concern since 1995, was cited less frequently in 2015 whereas the categories prev ention of deceptive practices and consumer 
information, labelling were stated more frequent ly. The category 'other' (in Chart 26) covers a 
wide range of stated objectives including trade facilitation, enhancing the effectiveness of 
conformity assessment, or avoiding entry of illegal products. For some STCs, the objective is not readily apparent from discussions and there is no notification; these stated objectives have been 
classified as "not specified".  
  
                                               
29 For each specific trade concern covered there may be more than one type of concern raised. G/TBT/38 
 
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  Chart 26: Stated objectives for the measures raised as STCs, 1995-2014, and 201530 
 
 
 
3.2.7  Frequency – the number of times a given STC is raised in the Committee 
3.27.  Most STCs (60%) have been raised at one or two Committee meetings. Some (26%) have 
been raised between three and five times in Committee meetings, while a small number (14%) 
have been raised at 6 or more meetings (Chart 27), and have been the agenda of the Committee for several years.  
Chart 27: Frequency of STCs (num ber of meetings raised), 1995-2015 
 
 
 
                                               
30 For each specific trade concern there may be more than one stated objective. G/TBT/38 
 
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  3.2.8  Relationship between notifications and STCs 
3.28.  Chart 28 illustrates the relationship between the number of new notifications and new STCs 
raised each year. In 2015, far more STCs than usual were raised for measures that were not 
notified as only 49% of STCs discussed relate to notified measures. This is far below the overall 
share since 1995 of 68% (Chart 29).  
Chart 28: Trends in notifications and STCs 
 
 
Chart 29: New STCs discussed related to notified measures 
 
 
3.29.  Of those STCs that relate to notified measures, measures notified as technical regulations 
(Article 2.9.2) have been most frequently discussed (Chart 30).  
 G/TBT/38 
 
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  Chart 30: Measures raised in STCs, 1995-2015 by frequency31 
 
 
 4  DISPUTES INVOLVING PROVISIONS OF THE TBT AGREEMENT  
4.1.  Since 1995, 51 disputes have cited the TBT Agreement in their respective requests for 
consultations, the first formal step to initiate a WTO case. In 2015, one such consultation request was lodged concerning Russian Federation measures affecting the importation of certain railway 
equipment.
32 Other developments during the year included:  
 the circulation of two Appellate Body reports reviewing two compliance panel rulings 
with respect to the following TBT disputes: US country of origin labelling regulations for meats (the "COOL dispute");
33 and, US measures on canned tuna labelling;34  
 The DSB's authorization that Mexico and Canada could, in the context of the 
COOL dispute, suspend the application to the US of tariff concessions ("retaliate") in the 
goods sector in annual amounts of, respectfully, USD 227,758 million and 
CAD 1,054,729 million, in conformity with the Arbitrator's Decisions that were also 
circulated in 2015;35 and 
 The establishment by the DSB of a Panel concerning certain Indonesian measures 
affecting exports of chicken meat and products.36  
5  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  5.1.  Similar to 2014, in 2015 the Secretariat continued to significantly increase its TBT-related 
technical assistance ("TA") activities. This is consistent with the fact that demand for TA in the TBT 
area has grown substantially over the last few years. During 2015, the WTO Secretariat organized, 
or otherwise participated in, a total of 37 TBT-related TA activities in various formats. Compared 
                                               
31 Some measures have been notified both as technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, and 
some concerns have been raised against multiple notifi ed measures. Chart 31 counts each time an Article cited 
in a notified measures is raised as an STC. 
32 https://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/dispu_e/cas es_e/ds499_e.htm  
33 https://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/dispu_e/cas es_e/ds384_e.htm  
34 https://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/dispu_e/cas es_e/ds381_e.htm  
35 https://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/dispu_e/cas es_e/ds384_e.htm  
36 https://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/dispu_e/cas es_e/ds484_e.htm  G/TBT/38 
 
- 23 - 
 
  to 2014 and 2013, there was a notable increase in the demand for, and delivery of, national TBT 
activities.37 Demand to joint TBT-SPS workshops has also significantly increased in 2015.38 
5.2.  18 of all TA activities carried out in 2015 were national, regional and Geneva-based 
workshops that were organized specifically on the TBT Agreement and hosted by various 
developing country members or observers.39 These included, in particular, 2 regional workshops40, 
13 national workshops41 as well as one Geneva-based advanced course (see next paragraph 4.3). 
The programmes were designed to assist particip ating economies to consolidate knowledge of the 
principles and disciplines of the TBT Agreement,  discuss implementation-related challenges and 
better engage in the work of the TBT Committee. Pa rticular emphasis was put on transparency and 
national coordination. Around half of these national and regional TBT-specific activities also covered the SPS Agreement and were organized in cooperation with the Secretariat experts 
responsible for that area. In total, participants from 61 WTO members or observers (including 32 
LDCs), covering all regions of the world, benefited from TBT-specific technical assistance activities 
in 2015.
42 
5.3.  The Advanced Course on the TBT Agreement, organized jointly by the Trade and Environment 
Division and the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC), took place in Geneva from 9 to 20 March 2015. A total of 24 funded partic ipants, involved at a te chnical or policy level 
with the implementation of the TBT Agreement, at tended the course. In addition to covering the 
provisions of the TBT Agreement (and related Ag reements) and the functions/procedures of the 
TBT Committee in a comprehensive manner, this interactive course allowed participants to share national experiences on implementation issues. In particular, each participant, with the guidance 
of coaches, prepared an action plan to addre ss a specific TBT-related implementation challenge 
they had identified in their country. The goal of the course was to encourage individuals to take a leadership role in making a difference despite various institutional and/or resource constraints they 
may face at the national level. Participants had to report back periodically on the implementation 
of their action plans. For those who fulfilled this re quirement, a follow up course will take place in 
Geneva in March 2016.  
5.4.  Additionally, during the course of 2015, a total of 19 TBT modules were delivered as part of 
the programme of various broader WTO TA activities, mostly in the context of Geneva-based and regional Trade Policy Courses. In total, participants from 114 WTO Members or observers benefited from these activities in 2015 (including 28 from LDCs), covering all regions of the world.  
5.5.  Finally, in 2015, three distance learning cour ses specifically on the TBT Agreement were held. 
A total of 201 participants successfully completed these courses (124 participants in English, 45 participants in French, and 32 participants in Spanish).
43 
 
_______________ 
 
                                               
37 13 national TBT workshops were delivered in 2015, compared to 10 in 2014 and 7 in 2013.   
38 In 2015, around half of the TBT-specific regional  and national workshops covered both the TBT and 
SPS Agreements. In particular, the majority of the national workshops delivered in 2015 (7 out of 13) covered both Agreements, as opposed to just 3 (out of 10) in 2014. 
39 Including 2 sui generis  multi-regional TBT workshops.  
40 These 2 regional workshops, which also covered th e SPS Agreement, were held  in: Kenya (for African 
members of IGAD – Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and Thailand (for the Asian-Pacific regions, 
in cooperation with the UNESCAP).   
41 These 13 national workshops were held in: Algeria (joint TBT and SPS), Ecuador, Gambia (joint TBT 
and SPS), Guatemala, Honduras, Malaysia, Mexico (joi nt TBT and SPS), Myanmar (joint TBT and SPS), Oman 
(joint TBT and SPS), Peru, Sudan (joint TBT and SPS), Tr inidad and Tobago (joint TBT and SPS), and Ukraine.  
42 Among the 49 LDCs designated by the United Nations, 34 have become WTO members while another 
nine are negotiating to join the WTO. 
43 The TBT-online course is addressed to governme nt officials from Members and Observers and covers 
all aspects of the TBT Agreement. The TBT online cour se is available throughout the year in all three 
languages. While the WTO E-Learning material is freely available in the WTO E-Learning website, participants have to register and submit a nomination form in orde r to participate in a monito red course, access the exam 
module and obtain a WTO certificate.  More information can be obtained at http://ecampus.wto.org/ . 
 G/TBT/38 
 
- 24 - 
 
   
ANNEXES 
A. Notifications by Member, 1995-2015 
Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2015 Addenda 
and 
Corrigenda 
2015 Revisions 
2015 Total 
Notifications 
2015 Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Albania 11 0 0 11 77 
Angola 0 0 0 0 0 
Antigua and 
Barbuda 0 0 0 0 0 
Argentina 12 12 0 24 352 
Armenia 0 0 0 0 74 
Australia 1 0 0 1 200 
Austria 0 0 0 0 4 
Bahrain, 
Kingdom of 48 1 0 49 421 
Bangladesh 0 0 0 0 0 
Barbados 0 0 0 0 10 
Belgium 0 0 0 0 209 
Belize 0 0 0 0 5 
Benin 0 0 0 0 2 
Bolivia, 
Plurinational 
State of 1 0 0 1 25 
Botswana 0 0 0 0 38 
Brazil 40 71 4 115 791 
Brunei 
Darussalam 0 0 0 0 2 
Bulgaria 0 0 0 0 0 
Burkina Faso 0 0 0 0 0 
Burundi 0 0 0 0 1 
Cabo Verde 0 0 0 0 0 
Cambodia 0 0 0 0 3 
Cameroon 0 0 0 0 8 
Canada 37 10 2 49 623 
Central 
African 
Republic 0 0 0 0 10 
Chad 0 0 0 0 0 
Chile 35 1 0 36 399 
China 98 3 5 106 1184 
Colombia 4 13 0 17 256 
Congo 0 0 0 0 3 
Costa Rica 6 3 0 9 168 
Côte d'Ivoire 0 0 0 0 0 G/TBT/38 
 
- 25 - 
 
  Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2015 Addenda 
and 
Corrigenda 
2015 Revisions 
2015 Total 
Notifications 
2015 Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Croatia 0 0 0 0 39 
Cuba 0 0 0 0 19 
Cyprus 0 0 0 0 1 
Czech 
Republic 12 22 0 34 305 
Democratic 
Republic of 
the Congo 0 0 0 0 0 
Denmark 1 0 0 1 252 
Djibouti 0 0 0 0 0 
Dominica 2 0 0 2 13 
Dominican 
Republic 2 0 0 2 231 
Ecuador 32 94 0 126 319 
Egypt 46 16 1 63 123 
El Salvador 4 0 0 4 236 
Estonia 0 0 0 0 11 
European 
Union 75 4 0 79 948 
Fiji 0 0 0 0 1 
Finland 1 0 0 1 71 
France 6 0 0 6 229 
Gabon 2 0 0 2 2 
Georgia 4 0 0 4 92 
Germany 0 0 0 0 22 
Ghana 0 0 0 0 11 
Greece 0 0 0 0 0 
Grenada 0 0 0 0 17 
Guatemala 0 0 0 0 94 
Guinea 0 0 0 0 1 
Guinea-
Bissau 0 0 0 0 0 
Guyana 0 0 0 0 20 
Haiti 0 0 0 0 1 
Honduras 1 0 0 1 86 
Hong Kong, 
China 2 0 0 2 79 
Hungary 1 0 0 1 31 
Iceland 0 0 0 0 2 
India 6 2 0 8 99 
Indonesia 12 5 0 17 106 
Ireland 0 0 0 0 1 
Israel 12 3 0 15 879 G/TBT/38 
 
- 26 - 
 
  Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2015 Addenda 
and 
Corrigenda 
2015 Revisions 
2015 Total 
Notifications 
2015 Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Italy 1 0 0 1 27 
Jamaica 8 0 0 8 82 
Japan 36 2 0 38 747 
Jordan 0 0 0 0 47 
Kenya 11 1 2 14 453 
Korea, 
Republic of 75 5 0 80 725 
Kuwait, the 
State of 51 2 0 53 310 
Kyrgyz 
Republic 0 0 0 0 33 
Lao People's 
Democratic 
Republic 0 0 0 0 1 
Latvia 0 0 0 0 31 
Lesotho 0 0 0 0 0 
Liechtenstein 0 0 0 0 0 
Lithuania 2 0 0 2 27 
Luxembourg 0 0 0 0 0 
Macao, 
China 0 0 0 0 6 
Madagascar 0 0 0 0 0 
Malawi 0 0 0 0 0 
Malaysia 12 0 0 12 227 
Maldives 0 0 0 0 0 
Mali 0 0 0 0 2 
Malta 0 0 0 0 0 
Mauritania 0 0 0 0 0 
Mauritius 0 0 1 1 5 
Mexico 20 30 0 50 479 
Moldova, 
Republic of 6 0 0 6 31 
Mongolia 0 0 0 0 6 
Montenegro 0 0 0 0 0 
Morocco 0 0 0 0 26 
Mozambique 0 0 0 0 9 
Myanmar 1 0 0 1 2 
Namibia 0 0 0 0 0 
Nepal 0 0 0 0 4 
Netherlands 0 0 0 0 620 
New Zealand 2 0 0 2 102 
Nicaragua 1 1 0 2 144 
Niger 0 0 0 0 0 G/TBT/38 
 
- 27 - 
 
  Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2015 Addenda 
and 
Corrigenda 
2015 Revisions 
2015 Total 
Notifications 
2015 Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Nigeria 3 0 0 3 4 
Norway 1 0 0 1 81 
Oman 42 1 0 43 241 
Pakistan 35 0 0 35 92 
Panama 0 0 0 0 85 
Papua New 
Guinea 0 0 0 0 1 
Paraguay 4 3 0 7 84 
Peru 18 0 0 18 87 
Philippines 6 0 0 6 248 
Poland 0 0 0 0 8 
Portugal 0 0 0 0 1 
Qatar 52 1 0 53 423 
Romania 0 0 0 0 90 
Russian 
Federation 5 0 0 5 46 
Rwanda 0 0 0 0 37 
Saint Kitts 
and Nevis 0 0 0 0 0 
Saint Lucia 0 0 0 0 50 
Saint 
Vincent and 
the 
Grenadines 0 0 0 0 13 
Samoa 0 0 0 0 0 
Saudi 
Arabia, 
Kingdom of 83 0 0 83 906 
Senegal 0 0 0 0 12 
Seychelles 0 0 0 0 0 
Sierra Leone 0 0 0 0 0 
Singapore 3 0 0 3 41 
Slovak 
Republic 0 0 0 0 47 
Slovenia 1 0 0 1 102 
Solomon 
Islands 0 0 0 0 0 
South Africa 9 13 7 29 252 
Spain 0 0 0 0 68 
Sri Lanka 0 1 0 1 47 
Suriname 1 0 0 1 1 
Swaziland 0 0 0 0 1 
Sweden 2 0 0 2 222 
Switzerland 25 0 0 25 285 G/TBT/38 
 
- 28 - 
 
  Members Number of 
notifications 
made in 
2015 Addenda 
and 
Corrigenda 
2015 Revisions 
2015 Total 
Notifications 
2015 Total 
number of 
notifications 
made since 
1995 
Chinese 
Taipei 34 17 1 52 228 
Tajikistan 0 0 0 0 0 
Tanzania 0 0 0 0 44 
Thailand 32 2 0 34 582 
The former 
Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia 1 0 0 1 8 
The Gambia 0 0 0 0 2 
Togo 0 0 0 0 2 
Tonga 0 0 0 0 0 
Trinidad and 
Tobago 1 1 0 2 112 
Tunisia 0 0 0 0 26 
Turkey 12 1 0 13 77 
Uganda 97 3 0 100 531 
Ukraine 7 2 0 9 109 
United Arab 
Emirates 53 1 0 54 298 
United 
Kingdom 3 1 0 4 47 
United 
States of 
America 110 173 0 283 1257 
Uruguay 4 0 0 4 11 
Vanuatu 0 0 0 0 0 
Venezuela, 
Bolivarian 
Republic of 0 0 0 0 35 
Viet Nam 28 2 0 30 79 
Yemen 28 0 0 28 28 
Zambia 2 0 0 2 46 
Zimbabwe 0 0 0 0 0 
TOTAL 1442 523 24 1989 20449 
 G/TBT/38 
 
- 29 - 
 
   
B. Summary of STCs Raised in 2015 
The following table lists the 86 specific trade concerns raised in the TBT Committee during 2015. 
The second column contains the name of specific  trade concern, and in parentheses, its unique 
identification number in the online TBT IMS (IMS ID).1 
The specific trade concerns are sorted according to the following criteria, in descending order (first 
by date, then frequency, then number of Members concerned):  
a. Date: date of meeting when the specific trade concern was last raised (in reverse 
chronological order);  
b. Frequency : number of meetings at which the specific trade concern has been raised; 
and  
c. Members : number of Members that have expressed concern about the measure since it 
was first raised.  
 Specific trade concerns Date Frequency Members 
1 India – Pneumatic tyres and tubes 
for automotive vehicles  4 November 2015 28 4 
2 China – Requirements for 
information security products, 
including, inter alia, the Office of 
State Commercial Cryptography 
Administration (OSCCA) 1999 
Regulation on commercial 
encryption products and its on-
going revision and the Multi-Level 
Protection Scheme (MLPS) (ID 294)  4 November 2015 16 6 
3 China - Provisions for the 
Administration of Cosmetics Application Acceptance (ID 296)  4 November 2015 16 5 
4 India - New Telecommunications 
related Rules (Department of 
Telecommunications, No. 842-
725/2005-VAS/Vol.III (3 December 
2009); No. 10-15/2009-AS-III/193 
(18 March 2010); and Nos. 10-
15/2009-AS.III/Vol.II/(Pt.)/(25-29) 
(28 July 2010); Department of 
Telecommunications, No. 10-
15/2009-AS.III/Vol.II/(Pt.)/(30) (28 
July 2010) and accompanying 
template, "Security and Business 
Continuity Agreement") (ID 274) 4 November 2015 16 4 
5 Russian Federation – Draft on 
Technical Regulation of Alcohol 
Drinks Safety (published on 24 October 2011) (ID 332)  4 November 2015 12 8 
6 Korea – Regulation on Registration 
and Evaluation of Chemical Material 
(ID 305)  4 November 2015 12 6 
                                               
1 To access additional information related to an ST C enter the IMS ID number into the 'item number' 
field of the TBT IMS 'specific trade concern' search ( http://tbtims.wto.org/web/pa ges/search/stc/Search.aspx ). G/TBT/38 
 
- 30 - 
 
   Specific trade concerns Date Frequency Members 
7 Indonesia - Technical Guidelines for 
the Implementation of the Adoption and Supervision of Indonesian National Standards for Obligatory 
Toy Safety (ID 328) 4 November 2015 12 4 
8 India – Food Safety and Standards 
Regulation - Food labelling 
requirements (ID 298)  4 November 2015 10 8 
9 European Union – Draft 
Implementing Regulations amending Regulation (EC) No. 
607/2009 laying down detailed rules 
for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 as 
regards protected designations of 
origin and geographical indications, traditional terms, labelling and 
presentation of certain wine sector 
products (ID 345)  4 November 2015 10 6 
10 Chile - Proposed amendment to the 
Food Health Regulations, Supreme 
Decree No. 977/96 (ID 370)  4 November 2015 9 12 
11 India - Electronics and Information 
Technology Goods (Requirements 
for Compulsory Registration) Order, 
2012 (ID 367)  4 November 2015 9 7 
12 Peru — Act to Promote Healthy 
Eating Among Children and 
Adolescents (ID 383)  4 November 2015 8 10 
13 European Union — Revised Proposal 
for the Categorization of 
Compounds as Endocrine Disruptors 
of 19 February 2013 by DG Environment (ID 393)  4 November 2015 8 9 
14 Indonesia – Ministry of Health 
Regulation 30/2013 on the inclusion 
of sugar, salt and fat content 
information, as well as health 
messages on the label of processed 
foods (ID 389)  4 November 2015 8 7 
15 Ecuador – Resolution No. 116 of the 
Foreign Trade Committee of 
Ecuador of 19 November 2013 and Technical Regulation of the 
Ecuadorian Standardization Institute 
RTE INEN 022 on the labelling of processed and packaged food 
products (ID 411)  4 November 2015 6 11 
16 Russian Federation – Safety of 
products for children and 
adolescents (ID 418)  4 November 2015 6 3 
17 India – Labelling Regulations for 
Canola Oil (ID 413)  4 November 2015 6 2 
18 Thailand – Draft Notification of the 
Alcoholic Beverages Control, Re: 
Rules, Procedure and condition for 
Labels of Alcoholic Beverages, 
issued under B.E. (ID 427)  4 November 2015 5 9 G/TBT/38 
 
- 31 - 
 
   Specific trade concerns Date Frequency Members 
19 Ecuador - Draft Technical Regulation 
of the Ecuadorian Standardization Institute (PRTE INEN) No. 189: "Labelling of alcoholic beverages" 
(ID 433)  4 November 2015 5 5 
20  China – Regulations for the 
Supervision and Administration of 
Medical Devices (Order No. 650 of 
the State Council) (ID 428)  4 November 2015 5 4 
21 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - 
Certificate of Conformity (not 
notified) and GSO marking 
requirements for toys (ID 435)  4 November 2015 5 3 
22 Peru — Implementing Regulations 
of 14 November 2012 for 
Moratorium on Planting Genetically 
Engineered Crops (ID 392)  4 November 2015 5 2 
23 Ecuador – Proposed Motor Vehicle 
Safety Regulatory Requirements (RTE INEN 034) (ID 409)  4 November 2015 4 6 
24 Ecuador – Cosmetic products (ID 
417)  4 November 2015 4 5 
25 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Decree 
of the Saudi Arabian Ministerial 
Council on the sale and marketing 
of energy drinks of 4 March 2014 (ID 442)  4 November 2015 4 3 
26 Brazil – Draft Technical Resolution 
nº 69, 9 September 2014, 
Regarding the Requirement of 
Describing the Chemical 
Composition, in Portuguese, in the 
Label of Personal Hygiene Products, 
Cosmetics and Perfumes (ID 443)  4 November 2015 4 3 
27 Ecuador - (PRTE INEN) No. 111: 
Energy efficiency. Clothes dryers. Labellin g (ID 455)  4 November 2015 4 2 
28 European Union – Common Criteria 
for Information Technology Security 
Evaluation (Common Criteria) 
certification in the EU (448)  4 November 2015 4 1 
29 China - Administrative Measure on 
Cosmetics Labelling (AMCL) (ID 456)  4 November 2015 3 5 
30 China - Banking IT Equipment 
Security Regulation (ID 457)  4 November 2015 3 5 
31 Indonesia - Regulation of the 
Minister of Agriculture No. 
139/Permentan/PD.4, 10 December 2014, concerning Importation of Carcass, Meat and/or Processed 
Meat Products into the Territory of 
the Republic of Indonesia, and Regulation of the Minister of 
Agriculture No. 02/Permentan/PD.4, 
10 January 2015, concerning the Amendment of the Regulation of the 
Minister for Agriculture No. 
139/Permentan/PD.4, 10 December 2014 (ID 461)  4 November 2015 3 4 G/TBT/38 
 
- 32 - 
 
   Specific trade concerns Date Frequency Members 
32 Ecuador - Emergency Technical 
Regulation (RTE) No. 088: "Surface 
tension agents", of the Ecuadorian 
Standardization Institute (INEN) 
G/TBT/N/ECU/117 (ID 458)  4 November 2015 3 1 
33 European Union - Proposed 
modification of Regulation (EC) 
1829/2003 referring to genetically 
modified organisms (ID 464)  4 November 2015 2 7 
34 Indonesia - MOI 69/2014 Article 3: 
LCR Requirements for LTE Devices - 
Requirement that Domestic 
Component Level (TKDN) of LTE 
TDD & FDD broadband services 
equipment (ID 472)  4 November 2015 2 6 
35 Chinese Taipei - GMO Labelling (ID 
467)  4 November 2015 2 5 
36 China - Registration Fees for Drugs 
and Medical Device Products (ID 
466)  4 November 2015 2 4 
37 Colombia - Draft Ministry of 
Commerce, Industry and Tourism 
Decree "Restructuring the National Quality Subsystem and amending 
Decree No. 2269 of 1993" (ID 432)  4 November 2015 2 4 
38 Turkey - Toy Communique 01/2015 
(ID 473)  4 November 2015 2 2 
39 Brazil - Draft Ordinance Act Nº. 
374, 27 November 2014 (Portaria SDA/MAPA 374/2014) Establishes quality requirements for wine and 
derivatives of grape and wine (ID 
470)  4 November 2015 2 1 
40 India - Amendments in the import 
policy conditions applicable to 
apples (ID 487)  4 November 2015 1 5 
41 China - Insurance Regulatory 
Commission (CIRC) Information and 
Communication Technology Regulation (ID 489)  4 November 2015 1 4 
42 Brazil - Toy Certification; Ordinance 
No. 89, No. 310 and draft 
administrative rule No. 321 (ID 
478)  4 November 2015 1 3 
43 Singapore - Plain Packaging for 
Tobacco Products (ID 484)  4 November 2015 1 3 
44 India - Secondary cells and 
batteries containing alkaline or 
other non-acid Electrolytes (ID 482)  4 November 2015 1 2 
45 Colombia - Testing Requirements to 
be met by Toys and their 
Components and Accessories (ID 
479)  4 November 2015 1 2 
46 Korea - Standards and 
Specifications for Wood Products (ID 
491)  4 November 2015 1 2 G/TBT/38 
 
- 33 - 
 
   Specific trade concerns Date Frequency Members 
47 European Union - Proposal for a 
Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Cloning of Animals of the bovine, 
porcine, ovine, caprine and equine 
specifies kept and reproduced for farming purposes (197) and 
Proposal for a Council Directive on 
the placing on the market of food from animal clones (198) G/TBT/N/EU/197 and 
G/TBT/N/EU/198 (ID 492)  4 November 2015 1 2 
48 China - Interim Measures for Quality 
Management of Commercial Coal 
(ID 477) (ID 477) 4 November 2015 1 2 
49 China - Guidance for Notification 
and Registration for New Chemicals 
(ID 490)  4 November 2015 1 1 
50 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Draft for 
update of the Technical Regulation 
No. SASO 2857:2014 "Vehicle Tires 
Rolling Resistance and Wet Grip 
Requirements" (ID 488)  4 November 2015 1 1 
51 European Union - Restriction on 
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons 
(PAHs) in Tyres as specified in Annex XVII of REACH (ID 480)  4 November 2015 1 1 
52 United Arab Emirates - Labelling - 
Energy efficiency label for electrical 
appliances (ID 481) (ID 481) 4 November 2015 1 1 
53 EU – Withdrawal of equivalence for 
processed organic products (ID 483)  4 November 2015 1 1 
54 Kingdom of Bahrain, State of 
Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 
Qatar - Motor Vehicles: General 
Requirements "No. GSO 42:2003" 
(ID 485)  4 November 2015 1 1 
55 India - The Stainless Steel Products 
(Quality Control) Order, 2015 (ID 486)  4 November 2015 1 1 
56 Russian Federation - Measure 
affecting the import of Ukrainian 
wallpaper (ID 476)  4 November 2015 1 1 
57 India – Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 
2007 (ID 167) 17 June 2015 20 3 
58 Ecuador - Resolution establishing 
the "General conformity assessment 
framework for Ecuador" and the 
"Handbook of procedures to be 
observed prior to all stages of the 
customs clearance, marketing and 
market surveillance of 
manufactured, imported and 
marketed goods subject to 
Ecuadorian technical regulations (ID 
398)  17 June 2015 6 9 
59 China - Safety Requirement for 
Lithium Ion Cells and Batteries used 
in Portable Electronic Equipment (ID 425)  17 June 2015 4 2 G/TBT/38 
 
- 34 - 
 
   Specific trade concerns Date Frequency Members 
60 Ecuador – Certification of Ceramic 
Tiles II (ID 419) (ID 419) 17 June 2015 3 2 
61 European Union – Limits for 
hexavalent chromium in toys 
(2009/48/EC) (ID 449)  17 June 2015 3 1 
62 Russian Federation - Technical 
Regulations on Safety of Railway 
Transport (TR CU No. 002/2011 and 
No. 003/2011) (ID 460)  17 June 2015 2 1 
63 Canada - Tobacco Reduction 
(Flavored Tobacco Products) 
Amendment Act, 2013 – Bill 206 (ID 
463)  17 June 2015 2 1 
64 Norway – Draft amendments to the 
Tobacco Control Act and the 
Tobacco Labelling Regulations 
relating to Standardised Tobacco 
Products (ID 474)  17 June 2015 1 4 
65 China – Technical Specification for 
Natural Rubber (ID 475) (ID 475) 17 June 2015 1 2 
66 France – Ban on BPA in toys (ID 
471)  17 June 2015 1 1 
67 Chinese Taipei - Additional labelling 
standard of prefecture of origin for 
foods from Japan (ID 468)  17 June 2015 1 1 
68 Sweden - Chemical Taxation for 
Certain Electronics (ID 469) 17 June 2015 1 1 
69 Russian Federation – Measure 
affecting import of Ukrainian food salt (ID 465)  17 June 2015 1 1 
70 Ireland - Proposal to introduce 
standardised / plain packaging of 
tobacco products in Ireland (ID 380)  31 December 9999 6 10 
71 Russian Federation – Measure 
affecting import of Ukrainian 
confectionary products (ID 399)  18 March 2015 5 1 
72 France – Recycling Triman Mark: 
"Draft Decree on a common set of 
symbols informing the consumer 
about recyclable products subject to 
a system of extended producer 
responsibility associated with waste 
sorting instructions" (ID 420)  18 March 2015 4 4 
73 Egypt – Bottled water (ID 421)  18 March 2015 4 1 
74 United Kingdom – Proposal to 
introduce plain packaging of tobacco 
products (ID 424)  18 March 2015 3 10 
75 Indonesia – Regulation of Minister 
of Trade No. 10/M-DAG/PER/1/2014 
concerning Amendment of 
Regulation of Minister of Trade No. 67/M-DAG/PER/11/2013 concerning Affixed Mandatory Label in 
Indonesian Language for Goods (ID 
436) 18 March 2015 3 4 G/TBT/38 
 
- 35 - 
 
   Specific trade concerns Date Frequency Members 
76 European Union – Proposal for a 
Directive of the European 
Parliament and of the Council 
amending Directive 96/53/EC of 25 
July 1996 laying down for certain 
road vehicles circulating within the 
Community the maximum 
authorised dimensions in national 
and international traffic and the 
maximum authorised weights in 
international traffic (COM(2013) 195 
final) (ID 434)  18 March 2015 3 1 
77 Russian Federation – Measure 
affecting import of Ukrainian dairy 
products (ID 426)  18 March 2015 3 1 
78 Ecuador - Equivalence Agreement 
N° 14.241 with the European Union 
regulations (ID 453)  31 December 9999 3 3 
79 Russia - Alcoholic Beverages 
Storage Technical Conditions Order Number 59n (ID 372)  18 March 2015 2 2 
80 Russian Federation – Measure 
affecting imports of Ukrainian juice 
products (ID 439)  18 March 2015 2 1 
81 Russian Federation – Measure 
affecting imports of Ukrainian beer products (ID 440)  18 March 2015 2 1 
82 Ecuador - Draft Technical Regulation 
of the Ecuadorian Standardization 
Institute (RTE INEN) No. 047: 
"Metal cable tray, electrical conduit 
and trunking systems") (ID 454)  18 March 2015 2 1 
83 Israel – Resistance to ignition of 
mattresses, mattress pads, divans 
and bed bases (ID 447)  18 March 2015 2 1 
84 China - National Standard of the 
P.R.C., Safety Technical 
Specifications for Children's 
Footwear (ID 444)  18 March 2015 2 1 
85 Japan – Wood Use Points 
Programme (ID 459)  18 March 2015 1 1 
86 Mexico – Standard on non-alcoholic 
and soft drinks (ID 462)  18 March 2015 1 1 
 
  G/TBT/38 
 
- 36 - 
 
   
C. Overview of new STCs raised in 2015 
The following table provides additional detail about the new specific trade concerns raised in 2015. 
 
Member 
subject to 
STC2 STC Title Stated 
Objective Product 
Coverage Member(s) 
raising the 
concern 
Brazil Draft Ordinance Act Nº. 
374, 27 November 2014 
(Portaria SDA/MAPA 
374/2014) Establishes quality requirements for 
wine and derivatives of 
grape and wine (ID 470) Prevention of 
deceptive 
practices and 
consumer pro;  
Consumer 
information, Labelling;  
Quality 
requirements Wine and 
derivatives of 
grape and wine EU 
 
Brazil  Toy Certification; 
Ordinance No. 89, No. 
310 and draft 
administrative rule No. 
321 (ID 478) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Toys Canada, US, 
EU 
Canada Tobacco Reduction 
(Flavoured Tobacco Products) Amendment 
Act, 2013 – Bill 206 (ID 
463) Protection of 
Human health or safety Flavoured Tobacco 
Products Indonesia 
China Administrative Measure 
on Cosmetics Labelling 
(AMCL) (ID 456) Consumer 
information, 
Labelling;  
 
Prevention of 
deceptive 
practices and 
consumer pro; 
 
Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Cosmetics Canada, 
Japan, Korea, 
US, EU 
China Banking IT Equipment 
Security Regulation (ID 
457) To strengthen 
the security of 
the information 
network and operations management in 
the banking 
system Information 
Technology 
Equipment Australia, 
Canada, 
Japan, US, EU 
China Registration Fees for 
Drugs and Medical Device 
Products (ID 466) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Drugs and medical 
device products Australia, 
Canada, 
Korea, US 
China Technical Specification for 
Natural Rubber (ID 475) n/a Natural rubber Indonesia, 
Malaysia 
                                               
2 Listed in alphabetical order. G/TBT/38 
 
- 37 - 
 
  Member 
subject to 
STC2 STC Title Stated 
Objective Product 
Coverage Member(s) 
raising the 
concern 
China Interim Measures for 
Quality Management of 
Commercial Coal (ID 477) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety;  
 
Protection of the 
environment;  
 
Quality 
requirements Coal Australia, 
Canada 
China Insurance Regulatory 
Commission (CIRC) Information and Communication 
Technology Regulation 
(ID 489) National 
security requirements ICT; insurance 
sector Canada, 
Japan, US, EU 
China Guidance for Notification 
and Registration for New 
Chemicals (ID 490) Protection of the 
environment;  
 
Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Chemicals US 
Colombia Testing Requirements to 
be met by Toys and their 
Components and 
Accessories (ID 479) n/a Toys Canada, US 
Ecuador Emergency Technical 
Regulation (RTE) No. 
088: "Surface tension 
agents", of the 
Ecuadorian 
Standardization Institute 
(INEN) G/TBT/N/ECU/117 
(ID 458) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety;  
 
Protection of the 
environment;  
 
Prevention of 
deceptive 
practices and 
consumer pro Soaps; 
Detergents; 
Scouring powder.  Mexico 
European 
Union Proposed modification of 
Regulation (EC) 
1829/2003 referring to genetically modified 
organisms (ID 464) Public Interest Genetically 
modified food and 
feed  Argentina, 
Brazil, 
Canada, Chile, Paraguay, 
South Africa, 
US 
European 
Union Restriction on Polycyclic 
Aromatic Hydrocarbons 
(PAHs) in Tyres as 
specified in Annex XVII of 
REACH (ID 480) n/a Tyres China 
European 
Union Withdrawal of equivalence 
for processed organic 
products (ID 483) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Organic products India G/TBT/38 
 
- 38 - 
 
  Member 
subject to 
STC2 STC Title Stated 
Objective Product 
Coverage Member(s) 
raising the 
concern 
European 
Union Proposal for a Directive of 
the European Parliament 
and of the Council on the 
Cloning of Animals of the 
bovine, porcine, ovine, 
caprine and equine 
specifies kept and 
reproduced for farming 
purposes (197) and 
Proposal for a Council 
Directive on the placing 
on the market of food 
from animal clones (198) 
G/TBT/N/EU/197 and 
G/TBT/N/EU/198 (ID 492)  Protection of 
animal or plant 
life or health Live bovine 
animals, live 
swine, live sheep 
and goats, live 
horses, asses, 
mules and hinnies, 
other live animals. 
 
All food from 
animal clones. Brazil, US 
France Ban on BPA in toys (ID 
471) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Toys United States 
of America 
India Secondary cells and 
batteries containing 
alkaline or other non-acid 
Electrolytes (ID 482) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Secondary cells, 
batteries Korea, 
Republic of, 
United States 
of America 
India The Stainless Steel 
Products (Quality Control) 
Order, 2015 (ID 486) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety;   Quality 
requirements Stainless steel 
sheets and strips 
for utensils European 
Union 
India Amendments in the 
import policy conditions 
applicable to apples (ID 
487) n/a Apples Australia, 
Chile, New 
Zealand, US, 
EU 
Indonesia Regulation of the Minister 
of Agriculture No. 
139/Permentan/PD.4, 10 December 2014, concerning Importation of 
Carcass, Meat and/or 
Processed Meat Products into the Territory of the 
Republic of Indonesia, 
and Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture No. 
02/Permentan/PD.4, 10 
January 2015, concerning the Amendment of the Regulation of the Minister 
for Agriculture No. 
139/Permentan/PD.4, 10 December 2014 (ID 461) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety;   Protection of 
animal or plant 
life or health;   
Protection of the 
environment Meat of bovine; 
Carcass and/or 
meat of non bovine, and processed meat  Australia, 
Brazil, 
Canada, EU G/TBT/38 
 
- 39 - 
 
  Member 
subject to 
STC2 STC Title Stated 
Objective Product 
Coverage Member(s) 
raising the 
concern 
Indonesia MOI 69/2014 Article 3: 
LCR Requirements for LTE 
Devices - Requirement 
that Domestic Component 
Level (TKDN) of LTE TDD 
& FDD broadband 
services equipment (ID 
472) n/a LTE devices Australia, 
Brazil, 
Canada, 
Japan, US, EU 
Japan Wood Use Points 
Programme (ID 459) Protection of the 
environment Wood, wood 
products, wooden furniture and wood 
burning and pellet 
stove. Wood and articles of wood Russia 
Kingdom of 
Bahrain, 
State of 
Kuwait, 
Kingdom of 
Saudi 
Arabia, 
Qatar  Motor Vehicles: General 
Requirements "No. GSO 
42:2003" (ID 485) Consumer 
information, 
Labelling Motor vehicles  EU 
Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia Draft for update of the 
Technical Regulation No. SASO 2857:2014 "Vehicle 
Tires Rolling Resistance 
and Wet Grip Requirements" (ID 488) Consumer 
information, Labelling Vehicle tires EU 
Korea Standards and 
Specifications for Wood 
Products (ID 491) Quality 
requirements; 
 
Prevention of 
deceptive 
practices and 
consumer pro Forest products 
(fire retardant 
treated wood, 
wood plastic 
composite and 
oriented strand 
board). Canada, US 
Mexico Standard on non-alcoholic 
and soft drinks (ID 462) n/a Non-alcoholic and 
soft drinks  El Salvador 
Norway Draft amendments to the 
Tobacco Control Act and 
the Tobacco Labelling 
Regulations relating to 
Standardised Tobacco 
Products (ID 474) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Tobacco Cuba, 
Dominican 
Republic, 
Indonesia, 
Zimbabwe 
Russian 
Federation Technical Regulations on 
Safety of Railway 
Transport (TR CU No. 002/2011 and No. 
003/2011) (ID 460) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety, Other Railway transport 
products Ukraine G/TBT/38 
 
- 40 - 
 
  Member 
subject to 
STC2 STC Title Stated 
Objective Product 
Coverage Member(s) 
raising the 
concern 
Russian 
Federation Measure affecting import 
of Ukrainian food salt (ID 
465) Prevention of 
deceptive 
practices and 
consumer pro;  
 
Protection of 
Human health 
or safety;  
 
Consumer 
information, 
Labelling Food salt Ukraine 
Russian 
Federation Measure affecting the 
import of Ukrainian 
wallpaper (ID 476) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety;   
Protection of the 
environment Wallpaper Ukraine 
Singapore Plain Packaging for 
Tobacco Products (ID 
484) Consumer 
information, 
Labelling;  
 
Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Tobacco Dominican 
Republic, 
Guatemala, 
Indonesia 
Sweden Chemical Taxation for 
Certain Electronics (ID 
469) n/a Electronics and 
chemicals Korea 
Chinese 
Taipei GMO Labelling (ID 467) Consumer 
information, 
Labelling Genetically 
modified 
organisms Australia, 
Canada, New 
Zealand, 
South Africa, 
US 
Chinese 
Taipei Additional labelling 
standard of prefecture of origin for foods from 
Japan (ID 468) Consumer 
information, Labelling;  
 
Prevention of deceptive 
practices and 
consumer pro Food Japan 
Turkey Toy Communique 
01/2015 (ID 473) Protection of 
Human health 
or safety Toys Canada, US 
United 
Arab 
Emirates Labelling - Energy 
efficiency label for 
electrical appliances (ID 
481) n/a Electrical 
appliances, air 
conditioners Korea 
 
 
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