EXPERTS DISCUSS NON-TARIFF BARRIERS TO TRADE

EXPERTS DISCUSS NON-TARIFF BARRIERS TO TRADE

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 5 September (UNCTAD) -- The scope and complexity of measures other than tariffs that restrict trade -- and currently affect up to 40 per cent of the exports of the world's least developed countries -- are the subject of a three-day UNCTAD-sponsored expert meeting that opened this morning at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.  The session will run through 7 September.

Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) are "increasingly becoming front-stage market-access concerns", especially for the world's poorer nations, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi told the meeting this morning.  He announced his intention to appoint an informal group of eminent persons to study the matter.

Non-tariff barriers have multiplied in recent years as tariffs have been reduced following decades-long negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).  Many observers say NTBs amount to a new form of protectionism, and one that is harder to detect and define.  Economists and trade experts have been trying to document the prevalence of NTBs and are also wrestling with the more difficult task of determining the precise economic effect of a number of national or local requirements and regulations on restricting imports.  Non-tariff barriers may include anti-dumping measures, new technical standards applied to imports, new safety regulations, changed sanitary requirements, or more exacting procedures for import licensing and customs clearance.  Experts say it can be difficult to distinguish between legitimate measures taken by industrialized countries to protect public health and promote consumer safety and regulations that abuse free-trade principles and unfairly restrict imports.

Surveying NTBs around the world is a challenge, as such barriers vary from country to country, change frequently, and are hard to classify and quantify.  Experts say the lack of transparency in such an approach to regulating trade leaves it susceptible to abuse.  The impact on international trade, while extensive, is difficult to compute.  It is clear that NTBs are especially damaging to exports from developing countries and from the least developed countries in particular.  The UNCTAD estimates that in 2002, 40 per cent of the exports of least developed countries were affected by non-tariff barriers.  The marked increase in the use of NTBs in recent years is placing costly and often unnecessary burdens on firms, especially in developing countries, which struggle to meet technical, health or administrative requirements for their exports.  Non-tariff barriers affect supply capacities, export competitiveness and market access in developing countries.

This week's meeting, on "Methodologies, Classifications, Quantifications and Development Impacts of Non-Tariff Barriers", is intended as a first step towards obtaining consistent and complete information on NTBs; improving their classification and qualification; overcoming the current and widespread lack of knowledge about these trade barriers; and forging and strengthening partnerships among international organizations seeking to deal with the problems posed by NTBs.  Among the challenges facing the international community are preventing such abuses of trade while preserving the right of countries to set and enforce regulations on the safety and quality of products, and involving developing countries more fully in international standard-setting on trade so that their interests can be heard and represented fairly.  In addition, developing nations must be provided with systematic information on new standards and regulations that govern their exports.  UNCTAD's Trade Analysis and Information System is currently the most comprehensive publicly available database on NTBs.

Participating in the meeting are experts nominated by UNCTAD member States; a number of internationally recognized authorities on NTBs from academia and the private sector; and representatives of international organizations, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development )OECD).  The UNCTAD intends to hold regular expert meetings on this subject to contribute to international understanding and consensus- building on related issues.

Aiding discussion at this week's meeting is a background note prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat on "Methodologies, Classifications, Quantifications and Development Impacts of Non-Tariff Barriers" (TD/B/COM.1/EM.27/2). 

Contacts:  Press Office, +41 22 917 5828, unctadpress@unctad.org; www.unctad.org/press; V. Ognivtsev, +41 22 917 5865, victor.ognivtsev@unctad.org.

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For information media • not an official record