KEY ICT POLICY PRINCIPLES: WTO TBT Annex 3: Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards
WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Annex 3: Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards[1]
General Provisions
A. For the purposes of this Code the definitions in Annex 1 of this Agreement shall apply.
B. This Code is open to acceptance by any standardizing body within the territory of a Member of the WTO, whether a central government body, a local government body, or a non-governmental body; to any governmental regional standardizing body one or more members of which are Members of the WTO; and to any non-governmental regional standardizing body one or more members of which are situated within the territory of a Member of the WTO (referred to in this Code collectively as “standardizing bodies” and individually as “the standardizing body”).
C. Standardizing bodies that have accepted or withdrawn from this Code shall notify this fact to the ISO/IEC Information Centre in Geneva. The notification shall include the name and address of the body concerned and the scope of its current and expected standardization activities. The notification may be sent either directly to the ISO/IEC Information Centre, or through the national member body of ISO/IEC or, preferably, through the relevant national member or international affiliate of ISONET, as appropriate.
Substantive Provisions
D. In respect of standards, the standardizing body shall accord treatment to products originating in the territory of any other Member of the WTO no less favourable than that accorded to like products of national origin and to like products originating in any other country.
E. The standardizing body shall ensure that standards are not prepared, adopted or applied with a view to, or with the effect of, creating unnecessary obstacles to international trade.
F. Where international standards exist or their completion is imminent, the standardizing body shall use them, or the relevant parts of them, as a basis for the standards it develops, except where such international standards or relevant parts would be ineffective or inappropriate, for instance, because of an insufficient level of protection or fundamental climatic or geographical factors or fundamental technological problems.
G. With a view to harmonizing standards on as wide a basis as possible, the standardizing body shall, in an appropriate way, play a full part, within the limits of its resources, in the preparation by relevant international standardizing bodies of international standards regarding subject matter for which it either has adopted, or expects to adopt, standards. For standardizing bodies within the territory of a Member, participation in a particular international standardization activity shall, whenever possible, take place through one delegation representing all standardizing bodies in the territory that have adopted, or expect to adopt, standards for the subject matter to which the international standardization activity relates.
H. The standardizing body within the territory of a Member shall make every effort to avoid duplication of, or overlap with, the work of other standardizing bodies in the national territory or with the work of relevant international or regional standardizing bodies. They shall also make every effort to achieve a national consensus on the standards they develop. Likewise the regional standardizing body shall make every effort to avoid duplication of, or overlap with, the work of relevant international standardizing bodies.
I. Wherever appropriate, the standardizing body shall specify standards based on product requirements in terms of performance rather than design or descriptive characteristics.
J. At least once every six months, the standardizing body shall publish a work programme containing its name and address, the standards it is currently preparing and the standards
which it has adopted in the preceding period. A standard is under preparation from the moment a decision has been taken to develop a standard until that standard has been adopted. The titles of specific draft standards shall, upon request, be provided in English, French or Spanish. A notice of the existence of the work programme shall be published in a national or, as the case may be, regional publication of standardization activities.
The work programme shall for each standard indicate, in accordance with any ISONET rules, the classification relevant to the subject matter, the stage attained in the standards development, and the references of any international standards taken as a basis. No later than at the time of publication of its work programme, the standardizing body shall notify the existence thereof to the ISO/IEC Information Centre in Geneva.
The notification shall contain the name and address of the standardizing body, the name and issue of the publication in which the work programme is published, the period to which the work programme applies, its price (if any), and how and where it can be obtained. The notification may be sent directly to the ISO/IEC Information Centre, or, preferably, through the relevant national member or international affiliate of ISONET, as appropriate.
K. The national member of ISO/IEC shall make every effort to become a member of ISONET or to appoint another body to become a member as well as to acquire the most advanced membership type possible for the ISONET member. Other standardizing bodies shall make every effort to associate themselves with the ISONET member.
L. Before adopting a standard, the standardizing body shall allow a period of at least 60 days for the submission of comments on the draft standard by interested parties within the territory of a Member of the WTO. This period may, however, be shortened in cases where urgent problems of safety, health or environment arise or threaten to arise. No later than at the start of the comment period, the standardizing body shall publish a notice announcing the period for commenting in the publication referred to in paragraph J. Such notification shall include, as far as practicable, whether the draft standard deviates from relevant international standards.
M. On the request of any interested party within the territory of a Member of the WTO, the standardizing body shall promptly provide, or arrange to provide, a copy of a draft standard which it has submitted for comments. Any fees charged for this service shall, apart from the real cost of delivery, be the same for foreign and domestic parties.
N. The standardizing body shall take into account, in the further processing of the standard, the comments received during the period for commenting. Comments received through standardizing bodies that have accepted this Code of Good Practice shall, if so requested, be replied to as promptly as possible. The reply shall include an explanation why a deviation from relevant international standards is necessary.
O. Once the standard has been adopted, it shall be promptly published.
P. On the request of any interested party within the territory of a Member of the WTO, the standardizing body shall promptly provide, or arrange to provide, a copy of its most recent work programme or of a standard which it produced. Any fees charged for this service shall, apart from the real cost of delivery, be the same for foreign and domestic parties.
Q. The standardizing body shall afford sympathetic consideration to, and adequate opportunity for, consultation regarding representations with respect to the operation of this Code presented by standardizing bodies that have accepted this Code of Good Practice. It shall make an objective effort to solve any complaints.
WTO技术性贸易壁垒协定附件3：关于制定、采用和实施标准的良好行为规范
总则
A. 就本规范而言，应适用本协定附件1中的定义。
B. 本规范对下列机构开放供接受：WT0一成员领土内的任何标准化机构，无论是中央政府机构、地方政府机构，还是非政府机构；一个或多个成员为WTO成员的任何政府区域标准化机构；以及一个或多个成员位于WTO一成员领土内的任何非政府区域标准化机构(本规范中称“标准化机构”)。
C. 接受和退出本规范的标准化机构，应将该事实通知设在日内瓦的ISO/IEC信息中心。通知应包括有关机构的名称和地址及现在和预期的标准化活动的范围。通知可直接送交ISO/IEC信息中心，或酌情通过ISO/IEC的国家成员机构，或最好通过ISONET的相关国家成员或国际分支机构。
实质性规定
D. 在标准方面，标准化机构给予源自WTO任何其他成员领土产品的待遇不得低于给予本国同类产品和源自任何其他国家同类产品的待遇。
E. 标准化机构应保证不制定、不采用或不实施在目的或效果上给国际贸易制造不必要障碍的标准。
F. 如国际标准已经存在或即将拟就，标准化机构应使用这些标准或其中的相关部分作为其制定标准的基础，除非此类国际标准或其中的相关部分无效或不适当，例如由于保护程度不足，或基本气候或地理因素或基本技术问题。
G. 为在尽可能广泛的基础上协调标准，标准化机构应以适当方式，在力所能及的范围内，充分参与有关国际标准化机构就其已采用或预期采用标准的主题制定国际标准的工作。对于一成员领土内的标准化机构，只要可能，即应通过一代表团参与一特定国际标准化活动，该代表团代表已采用或预期采用主题与国际标准化活动有关的标准的该成员领土内所有标准化机构。
H. 一成员领土内的标准化机构应尽一切努力，避免与领土内其他标准化机构的工作或与有关国际或区域标准化机构的工作发生重复或重叠。它们还应尽一切努力就其制定的标准在国内形成协商一致。同样，区域标准化机构也应尽一切努力避免与有关国际标准化机构的工作发生重复或重叠。
I. 只要适当，标准化机构即应按产品的性能而不是设计或描述特征制定以产品要求为基础的标准。
J. 标准化机构应至少每6个月公布一次工作计划，包括其名称和地址、正在制定的标准及前一时期已采用的标准。标准的制定过程自做出制定标准的决定时起至标准被采用时止。应请求，应以英文、法文或西班牙文提供具体标准草案的标题。有关工作计划建立的通知应在国家或在区域(视情况而定)标准化活动出版物上予以公布。
应依照国际标准化组织信息网的任何规则，在工作计划中标明每一标准与主题相关的分类、标准制定过程己达到的阶段以及引以为据的国际标准。各标准化机构应至迟于公布其工作计划时，向设在日内瓦的ISO/IEC信息中心通知该工作计划的建立。
通知应包括标准化机构的名称和地址、公布工作计划的出版物的名称和期号。工作计划适用的期限、出版物的价格(如有定价)以及获得出版物的方法和地点。通知可直接送交ISO／IEC信息中心，或最好酌情通过国际标准化组织信息网的相关国家成员或国际分支机构。
K. ISO/IEC的国家成员应尽一切努力成为ISONET的成员或指定另一机构成为其成员，并争取获得ISONET成员所能获得的最高级类型的成员资格。其他标准化机构应尽一切努力与ISONET成员建立联系。
L. 在采用一标准前，标准化机构应给予至少60天的时间供WTO一成员领土内的利害关系方就标准草案提出意见。但在出现有关安全、健康或环境的紧急问题或出现此种威胁的情况下，上述期限可以缩短。标准化机构应不迟于征求意见期开始时，在J款提及的出版物上发布关于征求意见期的通知。该通知应尽可能说明标准草案是否偏离有关国际标准。
M. 应WTO一成员领土内任何利害关系方请求，标准化机构应迅速提供或安排提供一份供征求意见的标准草案副本。除实际递送费用外，此项服务的收费对国内外各方应相同。
N. 标准化机构在进一步制定标准时，应考虑在征求意见期内收到的意见。如收到请求，应尽可能迅速地对通过已接受本《良好行为规范》的标准化机构收到的意见予以答复。答复应包括对该标准偏离有关国际标准必要性的说明。
O. 标准一经采用，即应迅速予以公布。
P. 应WTO一成员领土内任何利害关系方请求，标准化机构应迅速提供或安排提供一份最近工作计划或其制定标准的副本。除实际递送费用外，此项服务的收费对国内外各方应相同。
Q. 标准化机构对己接受本《良好行为规范》的标准化机构就本规范的实施提出的交涉，应给予积极考虑并提供充分的机会就此进行磋商。并应为解决任何投诉做出客观努力
[1] As agreed upon at the WTO Uruguay Round Agreement by TBT signatories, and implemented by 2000 for developed countries and 2004 by developing countries. Please see http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/17-tbt_e.htm.
