Apr 14, 2011

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, National Foreign Trade Council and more than a dozen industry trade associations sent a joint letter to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) stating their strong objections to a European proposal in current World Trade Organization (WTO) Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiations. 

According to the industry letter, the European proposal restricts flexibility and choice of international standards by designating a short list of specific organizations as international standards developing organizations and suggesting that only the standards developed by these organizations are relevant internationally within the context of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.  Current WTO policy encourages its 153 member countries to eliminate unnecessary barriers to trade by ensuring that international standards utilized for trade and regulatory purposes are developed with open, impartial and transparent principles that afford an opportunity for consensus among all interested parties.  This principle-based approach allows industry and governments alike to choose from a broad portfolio of international standards based upon important criteria such as technical quality, market relevance and suitability.  The European proposal undermines this internationally agreed-upon approach by limiting choices based upon whether the standard was developed by a specific organization on the approved list of standardizing bodies.

“ASTM International shares the concerns expressed by business groups and trade associations regarding the European proposal on international standards,” says ASTM International President James A. Thomas.  “In today’s globally competitive economy, industries need the flexibility to choose international standards that best match their technical needs and market-based objectives.” ASTM International is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of international voluntary consensus standards; its standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance safety, facilitate market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.

“Achieving greater standards cooperation and regulatory convergence are key commitments embodied in the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) and its U.S.–EU High Level Regulatory Cooperation Forum,” says Sean Heather, executive director of Global Regulatory Cooperation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  “We are concerned that the European proposal undermines the mutual commitment to move beyond differences over standards policy that was intended to foster more effective standards cooperation in areas of emerging regulation.”  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been actively engaged in coordinating U.S. industry engagement in support of TEC objectives.

ASTM International’s standards development process is aligned with WTO principles and results in the development of international standards grounded in technical quality and relevance, but is blind to national boundaries as evidenced by more than 5,000 citations of ASTM standards through adoption or citation in regulation by 100 countries in every region of the world – including Europe.  ASTM International has individual members from more than 135 WTO member countries and currently has 74 standards cooperation agreements in place with national standards bodies and regional organizations in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.  ASTM standards are used in research and development, product testing and quality systems. They are often a critical component of the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy.

The leading business groups and industry trade associations that signed the letter are: the Association of Global Automakers, Aluminum Extruders Council, American Apparel and Footwear Association, American Automotive Policy Council, American Cleaning Institute, American Iron and Steel Institute, American Petroleum Institute, American Wood Council, Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT), European American Business Council, National Association of Manufacturers, National Foreign Trade Council, NEMA: The Association of Electrical and Medical Imaging Equipment Manufacturers, Portland Cement Association, Renewable Fuels Association, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, The Aluminum Association, United States Council for International Business, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Click here to view the full text of the letter.

To discuss ASTM's global policy and stakeholder outreach efforts, please contact Jeff Grove, vice president, global policy and industry affairs, ASTM International (phone: +1-202-223-8505; jgrove@astm.org).

ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: +1-610-832-9603; bscindl@astm.org 

Release #8860