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Market Access Group |
Trade liberalisation through the elimination of tariff and non-tariff measures (NTMs) encourages greater trade and investment flows; creates new business opportunities and jobs in the Asia-Pacific; and contributes to APEC's goal of advancing free and open trade and investment in the region.
Established in 1998 by the Committee for Trade and Investment (CTI), the Market Access Group's (MAG) mandate is to advance and integrate the CTI's objectives on tariffs and NTMs. These are two of the 15 specific areas outlined in the Osaka Action Agenda through which APEC member economies are working to eliminate barriers to trade.
In order to involve business in its work, the MAG invites representatives from the business community, including the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), to its meetings and workshops.
The MAG also works with other APEC groups including: the Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC); the Group on Services (GOS); the Energy Working Group / Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation (on environmental goods and services (EGS)); and the Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) (on simplifying documents and procedures relating to rules of origin).
Achievements
The MAG supports the World Trade Organisation's on-going Doha Development Agenda and Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiations by sharing information on specific liberalisation initiatives. The MAG has affirmed the importance of adhering to commitments made by the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) participants to provide duty-free treatment for products covered by the ITA.
In February 2008, the MAG held a Workshop on the IT/Electronics Industry. Discussions focused on the significant role played by the ITA in APEC economies, and the need for APEC to collaborate with business and other relevant parties to address IT issues. The MAG also expressed concern about products covered by the ITA that may no longer be receiving duty free treatment because of technological innovation.
Advancing trade in environmental goods and services (EGS) is another priority for the MAG. In 2008, the MAG helped develop the EGS Work Programme Framework. The objectives of the Framework are to support the development of the EGS sector in APEC and to provide a coherent setting for the work underway in various APEC bodies. The Framework has four components: (i) research and development, (ii) supply, (iii) trade, and (iv) demand.
In 2009, under the trade component, the MAG helped the CTI develop several projects to facilitate trade in EGS:
- The Environmental Goods and Services Information Exchange (EGSIE) website was formally launched in November 2009. It serves as a one-stop gateway to access and exchange EGS-related information.
- A "Workshop on Trade and Environment" was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in May to facilitate the sharing of ideas, information and experiences between participants. The aim was to provide APEC policy-makers with tools to develop effective environmental regulations and to develop policies that do not distort trade in environmental technologies, goods and services.
- A "Workshop on Environmental Goods and Services" was held in Singapore in July. The objectives were to:
1. Promote better understanding and awareness of the linkages between trade in environmental goods and climate change;
2. Increase understanding and raise awareness of the role of technology and environmental goods in addressing climate change; and
3. Increase business motivation to adopt environmental technologies by establishing international technical standards and other regulatory systems in developing economies.
- The "Survey of Major Impediments and Market Drivers to the Development of Trade in Environmental Goods" which aims to share information on impediments to expanded trade in environmental goods and to improve the functioning markets for such goods.
In addition to the work on EGS, the MAG also conducted a "Workshop on Remanufacturing" in February 2009 to enhance understanding of the benefits of the removal of trade barriers in remanufactured products. The MAG endorsed a document entitled, "Next Steps on Remanufacturing," and formulated a questionnaire for APEC economies to answer in order to provide a snapshot of their existing policies, including regulatory and other measures for remanufactured goods.
In 2009, the MAG also extensively discussed making ROO more business-friendly through the harmonisation, cumulation, and simplification of documents and procedures. In particular, the discussion led to the analysis of ROOs in five sectors (refrigerators, musical instruments, steel, bicycles and consumer electronics).
Accordingly, the MAG endorsed the adoption of a set of APEC Elements for Simplifying Documents and Procedures Relating to ROOs which includes concepts such as reasonably long validity period, waivers of certificates of origin and declaration for low value shipments.
By undertaking these projects relating to trade facilitation in remanufactured products and in EGS, as well as adopting a set of APEC elements to simplify rules of origin, the MAG contributes to APEC's goal of accelerating regional economic integration (REI).
Current Activities
An APEC Website on Tariffs and ROOs ("WebTR") will be produced by November 2010. The objective is to improve access to, and the transparency of, tariffs and ROOs in all APEC member economies.
The MAG is developing a workshop on non-tariff measures affecting trade in food and agriculture in the APEC region. It will be held later in 2010.
Import Regulations and Business Information Links
The MAG has compiled a comprehensive set of links to import regulations and other business information in APEC member economies to make it easier for importers and exporters to access information before trading in the Asia-Pacific region. To access these links, simply click on the drop down menu below.
Market Access Group (MAG) - Key Contacts
Convenor
Dr. Akihiko Tamura, SJD
Councilor for APEC
APEC Office, Trade Policy Bureau
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI),
Tokyo, Japan.
Email: tamura-akihiko@meti.go.jp (copied to konishi-eiko@meti.go.jp)
APEC Secretariat
Ms Zaireen Omar
Director (Program)
Email: zo@apec.org
Reviewed on: 7 May 2010