CEFTA

Technical Barriers to Trade can be grouped into three broad categories, namely technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures.

 The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) International Classification of Non-Tariff Measures provides a number of categories that can be helpful to define specific measures:

1. Technical regulations: Documents laying out mandatory rules regarding product characteristics, related processes, or production methods. These regulations may also encompass terminology, symbols, packaging, marking, or labelling requirements and ca be grouped into the following types of measures:
   
   • Import authorization/licensing related to technical barriers to trade;
   • Tolerance limits for residues and restricted use of substances;
   • Labelling, marking and packaging requirements;
   • Production or post-production requirements;
   • Product identity requirements; and
   • Product quality, safety or performance requirements.
   
   
2. Standards: Documents established by recognised bodies that provide guidelines or characteristics for products, processes, or production methods, with which compliance is not mandatory.

   Standards may also include or focus on terminology, symbols, packaging, marking, or labelling requirements. A well-known example are the standards issued by the International Standardisation Organisation’s (ISO); and
   

3. Conformity assessment procedures: Procedures used to verify that products, processes, or production methods comply with the requirements outlined in technical regulations or standards. Such measures can be grouped into the following types of measures:

• Product registration/approval requirements;
• Testing requirements;
• Certification requirements;
• Inspection requirements;
• Traceability requirements; and
• Conformity assessment related to other technical measures.