OECD Trade Policy Papers

ISSN :
1816-6873 (online)
DOI :
10.1787/18166873
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This series is designed to make available to a wider readership selected trade policy studies prepared for use within the OECD.

NB. No. 1 to No. 139 were released under the previous series title OECD Trade Policy Working Papers.

 

Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements and Technical Barriers to Trade: An African Perspective You or your institution have access to this content

Authors:
Nico Meyer1, Tamas Fenyes2, Martin Breitenbach2, Ernst Idsardi3
Author Affiliations
  • 1: Development Bank of Southern Africa, South Africa

  • 2: University of Pretoria, South Africa

  • 3: University of the Free State, South Africa

Publication Date
02 June 2010
Bibliographic information
No.:
96
Pages
49
DOI
10.1787/5kmdbgfrgnbv-en

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Regional trade agreements (RTAs) present opportunities for controlling technical barriers to trade (TBTs). Using key principles and provisions of the WTO Agreement on TBT as a yardstick for analysis, this paper examines whether and how eight major regional integration agreements within the African region address TBT issues. It finds that TBT are not an important issue in Sub-Saharan African RTAs. Only one of the 8 agreements surveyed refers explicitly to the WTO TBT Agreement. Existing provisions for eliminating TBT-related barriers or harmonising legitimate technical regulations are formulated mostly in broad and nonprescriptive terms. The paper describes concrete steps that parties to these RTAs have taken in order to reduce technical barriers. Such initiatives have been taken at the national level but can also involve collaboration between RTAs. Country case studies show that weak TBT infrastructure remains a handicap for businesses and governments and that, with the exception of the Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC), investment by regional economic communities (RECs) in institutional infrastructure related to TBT has not been significant. The paper describes in some detail relevant activities taking place within SADC which could serve as a best-practice model for other African regional agreements. Serious capacity constraints stand in the way of African countries taking on the challenge of reducing TBT barriers. Also, low local levels of living standards favour weak product standard, and this acts as a barrier to upgrading product standards for export markets. Amending TBT coverage in African RTAs, a review of performance of enquiry points and assistance with infrastructure modernisation are among a set of measures recommended for achieving better TBT policy alignment among countries of the region.
Keywords:
South African-EU Trade and Development Cooperation Agreement, regional trade agreements, trade barriers, standards, WTO Agreement on TBT, technical barriers to trade, West African Economic and Monetary Union, South Africa, RTA, Kenya, Nigeria, Economic Community of West African States, East African Community, conformity assessment procedures, TBT, FTA, harmonisation, technical regulations, Southern African Development Community, free trade agreement, regional economic community, technical barriers, mutual recognition, Central African Economic and Monetary Union, Sub-Sahara Africa