G/TBT/W/404
20 May 2015
(15-2637)  Page: 1/1
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English/Spanish
 
  ECUADOR – AGREEMENT 14.241 ON EQUIVALENCE WITH 
EUROPEAN UNION REGULATIONS 
STATEMENT BY MEXICO TO THE COMMITT EE ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE 
AT ITS MEETING OF 18-19 MARCH 2015 
The following communication, dated 8 May 2015, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Mexico. 
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  1.  Mexico expressed its concern to Ecuador bilaterally and submitted a number of questions at the 
TBT Committee meeting of November 2014, but no replies have yet been received. This trade 
concern is accordingly submitted once agai n on the basis of the questions outlined 
in paragraph 2.64
1 of document G/TBT/M/64/Rev.1, which contains the minutes of the meeting: 
a. Article 1 of Agreement No. 14.241 states that "the legislation and technical regulations 
of the European Union and its member countries are recognized as equivalent". To which legislation and technical regulations does this refer? 
b. In the antepenultimate preambular paragraph of the agreement it is stated that 
"the technical report of 30 May 2014 recommends the adoption of European standards to assist the Ecuadorian industry". Could information be provided on the way in which it is considered that European standards assist the Ecuadorian industry? On the basis of the 
foregoing question, could Ecuador specify th e relationship between European standards 
and international standards? 
c. Moreover, it could be considered that the provisions of Articles 2 and 3 of 
Agreement No. 14.241 in relation to conformity assessment procedures imply a form of 
discrimination against products from non-European countries. What is Ecuador's thinking on this matter? 
2.  As indicated, these questions have already been put to Ecuador electronically since 
August 2014, and Mexico would therefore be grateful if the necessary information could be provided in response, so that it can be shared with the Mexican industry. 
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1 2.64. The representative of Mexico thanked the Chairman and referred to the Agreement No. 14.241 
of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Industry and Productivi ty, dated 3 June 2014. In this connection, Mexico had 
expressed some concerns to Ecuador bilaterally, to whic h no replies have yet been received. For this reason, 
this STC was submitted on the basis of the following questions: (i) Article 1 of Agreement No. 14.241 stated that "the standards and tech nical regulations of the European Union an d its member countries were recognized 
as equivalent". To which legislation and technical regulations did this refer?; (ii) In the antepenultimate paragraph of the preamble of the Agreement it was stated that "the technical report of 30 May 2014 
recommends the adoption of  European standards to assist the Ecua dorian industry". Could information be 
provided on the way in which it was considered that European standards assist th e Ecuadorian industry? On 
the basis of the foregoing question, could Ecuador spec ify the relationship between European standards and 
international standards?; (iii) Did Ecuador agree with the interpretation that the provisions of Articles 2 and 3 
of Agreement No. 14.241, in relation to conformity assessment procedures, imply a form of discrimination against products from no n-European countries?