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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
SCSC also hosted a workshop in June 2007 in Cairns on Underpinning Regional Trade - Metrology, Accreditation and Standards to provide an opportunity for the Specialist Region Bodies (SRBs) to explain, through the use of case studies, their role in facilitating international trade in the food and electrical products sectors.
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 June 2007, TFTF held a joint meeting with APEC Chemical Dialogue on Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) 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.
To support a study on how a market surveillance mechanism can best be implemented to ensure consumer safety and fair competition in products, an APEC-funded workshop on Market Surveillance was held from 24-25 May 2007 in Chinese Taipei. At the workshop, regulators and officials discussed product safety policy and exchanged experience on approaches to market surveillance of regulated products.
The SCSC has successfully established an APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum. The first meeting was held in April 2007 in the Hunter Valley with some 60 regulators from 16 economies participating. A strategy for capacity building in the region was developed by the Forum and endorsed by SCSC 2.
In September 2006, the 6th Conference on Standards and Conformance and the 4th Conference on Good Regulatory Practice (GRP) were held concurrently in Da Nang, Viet Nam. The Conferences focused on: how best government, regulators, accredited testing laboratories and private sector can work together for a harmonized standards and conformity assessment; emerging issues in good regulatory practice in standards and conformity assessment; the importance of performance-based regulations in Building Codes; and the initiative to promote the One Standard-One Test Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (1-1SDoc). Both conferences will be held again in Peru in 2008.
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.
SCSC endorsed the proposal on critical infrastructure and support systems to enable business continuity through periods of natural disasters and other major disruptions.
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 APEC Food Safety Forum will implement the strategic plan agreed in 2007, to seek additional member economy commitments to the Hunter Valley Statement.
Australia is leading the work to facilitate harmonization of labeling and trade in wine through the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG).
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, 14 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. A joint-meeting with ASEAN was held to accelerate the progress of EE MRA in 2008.
Thailand will host a workshop on Administrative Procedures for the APEC Sectoral Food MRA in August 2007. The workshop will identify priority areas in capacity building in the process of developing MRAs in the food sector. The implementation of a food MRA will also help accelerate the trade in food products in the region.
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 university 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.
Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) - Key Contacts
Chair
Mr John Henry
National Marine Safety Committee
Lvl 5, 9-13 Young Street, Sydney NSW 2000
PO Box 1871, Royal Exchange NSW 1225
Tel: 02 9247 3412
Fax: 02 9247 5203
Email: jhenry@nmsc.gov.au
APEC Secretariat
Mr Sun Tao
Director (Program)
E-mail: st@apec.org