WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/2/Add.7/Rev.1 
14 February 2008 
 
 (08-0669) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   French 
  
 
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON 
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE 
 
Communication from Switzerland
 
 
Revision  
   The following revised statement under Article 15. 2 of the Agreement has been received from 
the delegation of Switzerland
. 
 
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 1. In accordance with Article 15.2 of the Agreemen t on Technical Barriers to Trade, the Swiss 
delegation hereby submits to the Committee this statement on the implementation and administration 
of the Agreement in Switzerland. 
2. As a signatory to the Tokyo Round Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, Switzerland 
provided a statement on the implementation of the Agreement, which was circulated as document TBT/1/Add.24 of 4 February 1981.  Th e present statement describ es the measures which 
are in force or which have been taken to ensu re the implementation and administration of the 
WTO Agreement. 
3. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SEC O) assumes responsibility, on behalf of the 
Swiss Government, for implementing the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.  Any questions concerning Switzerland's implementation of the Agreement and requests for consultation 
should be addressed to the SECO. 
4. The Federal Law on Technical Obstacles to Tr ade (FF 1995 IV 539) entered into force on 
1 July 1996.  It strengthens implementation of th e Agreement by incorporating the principles therein, 
giving them concrete form in terms of domestic le gislation and ensuring their systematic application. 
 (a) The Federal Law on Technical Obstacles to  Trade applies to all federal and cantonal 
government services involved in the regulatory process.  The SECO monitors implementation of the Law by the services responsible for drawing up and applying 
sectoral regulations. 
  (b) In general, Swiss technical regulations must be formulated so as not to create 
technical obstacles to trade.  To this end the Law specifies that they must be adapted 
to the legislation of the main trading partners.  Exceptions are allowed only for 
reasons of public order, such as the protection of health or the environment, in 
accordance with the Agreement. 
 G/TBT/2/Add.7/Rev.1 
Page 2  
 
   (c) The conclusion of international agreem ents on the mutual recognition of tests, 
conformity assessment procedures or authori zations is facilitated by the delegation of 
authority to the federal government. 
  (d) In the absence of international agreements, the autonomous recognition by 
Switzerland of other countries' tests and conformity assessment procedures is based 
on a liberal approach. 
  (e) Swiss technical regulations must be no tified under the procedures laid down in the 
international agreements to which Switzerland is a party.  Since 1981, this procedure 
has been regulated in Switzerland by ordinance. 
 5. The SECO is responsible fo r administering the technical regulation notification
 procedure.  It 
ensures that all Swiss regulations relating to the Agreement are notified.  Comments on Swiss 
regulations should be addressed to: 
Secrétariat d'État à l'économie (SECO) 
Mesures non tarifaires Effingerstrasse 1 3003 Berne Telephone: +(41) 31 324 07 60 Fax:  +(41) 324 09 58 
Email:  tbt@seco.admin.ch
 
 6. Opinions relating to the drafting of Swiss texts within the scope of the Agreement are 
published on the website of the federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation under the heading 
"Procédures de consultation et d'audition "
1 (procedures for consultation and hearings).  Once 
adopted, the texts of all Switzerland's technical re gulations and conformity assessment procedures are 
published in the Recueil Officiel suisse2 (Official Compendium of Swiss Federal legislation). 
7. The SECO has assigned to the Swiss Standards Association  (SNV) the task of setting up and 
managing Switzerland's enquiry point.  The Swiss en quiry point provides information on all current 
and proposed technical regulations stemming from the Federal Government, local institutions, or 
non-governmental bodies.  The SNV is also respons ible for circulating notifications received under 
the Agreement to the interested parties for comment.  The particulars of the Swiss enquiry point are as 
follows: 
Association suisse de normalisation (SNV) 
Centre Suisse d'Information pour règles techniques (switec) Bürglistrasse 29 
8400 Winterthur 
Telephone: +(41) 52 224 54 55 Fax:  +(41) 52 224 54 75 Email:  switec@snv.ch
 
 8. In implementing the Agreement, Switzerland also attaches great importance to the Code of 
Good Practice for the Preparation, A doption and Application of Standards .  The three principal Swiss 
standardization bodies, which account for almost a ll the standardization work done in Switzerland, 
have accepted and apply this Code.  Th e three bodies concerned are as follows: 
                                                      
1 http://www.admin.ch/ aktuell/vernehmlassung /index.html?lang=fr 
2 http://www.admin.ch/dokumentation/gesetz/index.html?lang=fr  G/TBT/2/Add.7/Rev.1 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Association suisse de normalisation (SNV) 
Bürglistrasse 29 8400 Winterthur Telephone: +(41) 52 224 54 54 Fax:  +(41) 52 224 54 74 
Email:  info@snv.ch
 
 
CES (Comité électrotechnique suisse) – une commission d'Electrosuisse Electrosuisse Luppmenstrasse 1 
CH-8320 Fehraltorf 
Telephone: +(41) 44 956 11 11 Fax:  +(41) 44 956 11 22 Email:  info@electrosuisse.ch
 
 
Asut (Association suisse des télécommunications) 
Laupenstrasse 18a Case postale 7923 3001 Berne Telephone: +(41) 31 560 66 66 Fax:  +(41) 31 560 66 67 
Email:  info@asut.ch
 
 
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