India notifies to WTO its quality control plans for 12 protective textile items

Subject : Economy

Section :External Sector

Concept :

India has notified to the WTO of its intention to come up with a quality control order (QCO) for 12 items made of protective textile including protective clothing and gloves, bullet resistance jackets, high-visibility warning clothes and water-proof multi-purpose rain ponchos.
The QCO, which makes Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification mandatory for sale of the identified items in the domestic market, is aimed at ensuring health and safety of consumers but also plays an important role in curbing cheap imports.
The final date for comments (from WTO members) is 60 days from the date of notification as per the notification made to the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade of the WTO.

Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) of the WTO

WTO members/observers use the TBT Committee to discuss specific trade concerns (STCs) — specific laws, regulations or procedures that affect their trade, usually in response to notifications.
Committee develops a series of decisions and recommendations intended to facilitate implementation of the TBT Agreement.
The Committee usually holds three formal meetings per year. These are sometimes preceded by workshops or thematic sessions.
Meetings are open to all WTO members and observer governments.

Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement

The TBT Agreement was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations, which was concluded in 1994
The Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement aims to ensure that technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures are non-discriminatory and do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade.
The TBT establishes rules and procedures regarding the development, adoption, and application of voluntary product standards, mandatory technical regulations, and the procedures (such as testing or certification) used to determine whether a particular product meets such standards or regulations.
The Agreement seeks to prohibit the use of technical requirements as needless barriers to trade.
At the same time, it recognises WTO members’ right to implement measures to achieve legitimate policy objectives, such as the protection of human health and safety, or protection of the environment.
Although it applies to a broad range of agricultural and industrial products, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and specifications for government procurement are covered under separate agreements.