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You Are Here: Home > APEC Groups > Committee on Trade and Investment > Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance
 
 
The Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance  
The Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance  

The Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) assists the Committee on Trade and Investment to achieve the standards and conformance related components of APEC's trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation agenda. This agenda includes the reduction of negative effects on trade and investment flows caused by differing standards and conformance arrangements in the region. The agenda also involves further developing open regionalism and market-driven economic interdependence through a number of activities including encouraging greater alignment of APEC Member Economies' standards with international standards.

Ultimately, more closely harmonised standards and conformance will improve the efficiency of production and facilitate the conduct of international trade, resulting in more rapid trade flows, reduced costs and greater integration of production networks in the region.

The SCSC was established in 1994 and contributes to trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation through technical areas of standards and conformance.

 Achievements

In 2007, the Trade Facilitation Task Force (TFTF), formed by the SCSC to advance the agenda on trade facilitation in APEC, focuses on issue of Product Related Environmental Regulations. An APEC-funded project to provide an e-learning course on the practical use of environmental product standards in the ISO 14000 series was offered during November 2006 - June 2007. For more information, please visit the Eco-product Research Institute (ERI) of Korea.

In February 2008, TFTF held a joint meeting with APEC Chemical Dialogue on Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and REACH, a European Community Regulation that deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances, to continue its exchange of information and cooperation on technical and trade issues arising from product-related environmental standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.

The SCSC has successfully established an APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum. In February 2008, the SCSC endorsed the Implementation Plan for Strengthening Food Safety Standards Practices in APEC Economies for 2008-2011.

The 5th Conference on Good Regulatory Practice was held in Cusco, Peru on 9 August 2008. Delegates gained better knowledge of sound policies that meet regulatory needs and lead to reductions in regulatory barriers to trade. The conference also considered the priorities for capacity building in the area of Good Regulatory Practice in the future.

The 7th Conference on Standards and Conformance was also held in Cusco on 10-11 August 2008 with four sessions on assessment, education, trade facilitation and a dialogue with business sector. The conference recommended APEC member economies to develop their technical infrastructure on standards and conformance related to measurement and testing areas, as needed, to achieve a successful harmonization of standards. Member economies were also encouraged to participate in the SCSC education initiative more actively to increase awareness and knowledge among the region's stakeholders.

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Current Activities

1. Trade Facilitation
The SCSC has completed its report on the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Action Plan (TFAP). Analysis indicates that the SCSC has made contributions to the trade facilitation action plan in four main areas. And as a result has assisted in reducing business transaction costs in: standards alignment; recognition of conformity assessment in regulated and voluntary sectors; development of technical infrastructure; and transparency of standards and conformity assessment in APEC economies.

The revised SCSC Collective Action Plan (CAP) template in trade facilitation has been endorsed and members are encouraged to update it by 31 May 2008. The SCSC CAP report will be finalized before the Leaders' Meeting in November.

2. Cooperation on Technical Infrastructure Development
Cooperation with the Specialist Regional Bodies (SRBs) in the areas of standards and conformance will be further strengthened by implementing the strategic workplan of cooperation, focused on capacity building.

The SCSC is also working closely with the business community through the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). An ABAC dialogue with the CEOs of National Standards Bodies of the APEC region was held in April 2007.

3. Food Safety Standards
The Seminar on Food Safety Control System and Risk Analysis was held on 6-8 August 2008 in Cusco, Peru. The seminar provided an opportunity for APEC Member Economies:
  • to gain better knowledge about WTO SPS principles and other international standards in the field of food safety and food risk analysis; and
  • to exchange information on food safety control systems, promote the transparency and understanding of each other's food safety regulatory system
The seminar contributed to facilitate international trade and protecting consumer health among member economies.

The Philippines also held the Workshop of Capacity Building on Food Safety Risk Communication for APEC Developing Economies on 23-27 June 2008 in Manila to enhance capabilities of principal government officials on risk communication through assessment of current infrastructure and communication capacity.

The SCSC members agreed in February 2008 in Lima to establish a Wine Regulatory Forum (WRF), which will examine options to simplify and harmonize wine regulation across the APEC region. Australia is leading the work to facilitate harmonization of labeling and trade in wine through the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG), an informal association of industry representatives from wine producing economies which promotes networking and information sharing to provide better access to international wine markets. The WWTG can contribute to the efforts by the APEC member economies which have the interest in forming better wine regulation and facilitating trade in wine.
At present, 8 APEC member economies have provided details about their relevant regulators.

4. Pathfinder Initiatives
The SCSC has implemented the Mutual Recognition Arrangement for conformity assessment of electrical and electronic equipments (EE MRA) as a voluntary pathfinder scheme to help accelerate a region-wide MRA since 1999. To date, 16 members have joined the scheme to exchange information on conformity assessment of electric and electronic equipments, six members joined the mutual recognition of test report scheme, and four members joined the mutual recognition of certification. The APEC Seminar on Understanding and Implementing EE MRA was held in Brunei on 12-13 May 2008.

Thailand hosted a workshop on Administrative Procedures for the APEC Sectoral Food MRA in August 2007. The workshop identified priority areas in capacity building in the process of developing MRAs in the food sector. A work plan of APEC Sectoral Food MRA was also endorsed, including data analysis and general guideline development for multilateral MRA. The implementation of a food MRA will also help accelerate the trade in food products in the region. Thailand would like to hold a workshop covering topics such as food inspection, accreditation and certification system, risk analysis, monitoring and surveillance systems.

5. Supporting SMEs in accessing information related to standards and conformance
The SCSC's webpage provides links to regulatory bodies in APEC member economies to facilitate SMEs access to standards and conformance regulatory requirements across a range of sectors. Useful links to other international standardization bodies are also included.

6. Standard and conformance education
A curriculum project for secondary schools and universities to raise public awareness on the importance of standards and conformance in everyday life as well as its contribution to trade and safety is being developed by Japan and Korea. The report of this Education Project Phase I, Case Studies of How to Plan and Implement Standards Education Programs and Strategic Curriculum Model, provided guidelines to member economies in developing policy and planning or implementing education programs about standards and conformance via case studies and presenting a strategic curriculum model. In August 2008, the SCSC endorsed the organization of an 'Asia-Pacific Network for Standardization' as a part of SCSC Education Initiative to provide a venue for networking among researchers, professionals and educators. Korea will prepare a website to facilitate education activities and networking in the APEC region.

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Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) - Key Contacts
Chair
Mr. Augusto Mello
National Institution for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI)
Calle La Prosa 138, San Borja, Lima
Tel: (51-1) 2247800 Ext. 1260.
Fax: (51-1) 2240348
E-mail: amello@indecopi.gob.pe

APEC Secretariat
Mr Sun Tao
Director (Program)
E-mail: st@apec.org

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Achievements
Current Activities
Contact Information
Find Out More
SCSC Events
Links to Standardization Bodies and Economy's Regulatory Bodies
APEC Electrical and Electronic Equipment Mutual Recognition Arrangement (EEMRA)
Downloads
SCSC Blueprint
(PDF,4202 Kb)
SCSC Contact List - Februray 2007
(PDF,57 Kb)
E-Learning on the Practical Use of the Environment Product Standards: ISO 14000 on EL, LCA, Ecodesign and the Product-Related Environmental Regulations (CTI15/2005T)
(PDF,14 Kb)
2002 APEC Handbook on Notification Authorities and National Enquiry Points under the Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreements of the WTO
(PDF,753 Kb)
External Related Links
SCSC 2004 Collective Action Plan (e-IAP website)
Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC)
Asia Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF)
Asia-Pacific Metrology Program (APMP)
Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC)
Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC)
Testing, Inspection, Calibration, Certification, Accreditation Services in the APEC Region (TIC-CAR)
International Accreditation Forum