CEFTA

The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) aims to strike a balance between facilitating trade and protecting legitimate policy objectives. The TBT Agreement aims at ensuring that technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures are:

• Non-discriminatory; and  
• Do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade.
  

While recognising the right of WTO Members to implement measures to protect public health, safety, and the environment, the TBT Agreement strongly encourages the adoption of measures based on international standards to minimise trade barriers. To promote transparency and predictability, the agreement requires WTO Members to establish enquiry points and notify the WTO and other WTO Members of any new or amended technical regulation that they adopt.

The TBT Agreement pursues to foster cooperation and mutual recognition among WTO Members, with the aim of simplifying trade processes, reduce costs, and, ultimately, stimulate economic growth and development.