RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/TBT/W/17
6December 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3975)
Original: Spanish Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
COMMUNICATION FROM ECUADOR
Thefollowing communications, dated 1August and23October 1995, havebeenreceived from
thedelegation ofEcuador withtherequest thattheybecirculated toMembers oftheCommittee.
_______________
ThePermanent Mission ofEcuador totheEuropean Office oftheUnited Nations andOther
InternationalOrganizationsatGenevapresentsitscomplimentstoMr.RenatoRuggiero,Director-General
oftheWTO, andinaccordance withthecommitment made byEcuador intheWorking Party onits
accession totheWTO, hasthehonour totransmit herewith thenotification andannexes thereto
concerning the"Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade".1
_______________
Thecommunicationof1August1995,containsEcuador'snotificationconcerningtheAgreement
onTechnical Barriers toTrade. Thefollowing isadescriptive summary ofDecision No.376-Andean
SystemofStandardization,Accreditation,Testing,Certification,TechnicalRegulationsandMetrology".
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
DECISION 376OFTHE COMMISSION OFTHE CARTAGENA AGREEMENT
ANDEAN SYSTEM OFSTANDARDIZATION, ACCREDITATION, TESTING,
CERTIFICATION, TECHNICAL REGULATIONS AND METROLOGY
TheAndean System ofStandardization, Accreditation, Testing, Certification, Technical
Regulations andMetrology isestablished forthepurposes offacilitating trade within thesubregion.
Forthatpurpose, itwillcoordinate, develop andharmonize allrelevant activities andservices,
byproviding thenecessary technical input, taking intoaccount safety, health, conservation ofthe
environment andconsumer protection, inorder tohaveanimpact atregional andinternational level.
1Acopy ofthenotifications andAnnexes inquestion isonfileintheWTO Secretariat andcanbeconsulted
byinterested Members.
./.G/TBT/W/17
Page2
TheSystem willbesupported bytheSubregional Committee forStandardization, Accreditation,
Testing, Certification, Technical Regulations andMetrology.
TheMember countries willgradually harmonize national provisions orwilladopt provisions
considered tobeofsubregional interest inorder toestablish Andean standards, bycreating Andean
networks ofstandardization, national accreditation bodies inMember countries, testlaboratories,
accredited certification bodies andmetrology.
TheMember countries mayconclude agreements among themselves, solely withtheobject
orforthepurpose ofpromoting, improving, harmonizing orachieving automatic recognition ofthe
systems, regulations, procedures andmechanisms forconsultation, inaccordance withtheprovisions
ofthisdecision.
AnAndeantrainingprogrammeisalsoestablished,aswellasaninformationandrecordscentre.
Thisdecision covers allproducts included intheCommon External Tariff.