Measures for identifying, preventing and eliminating technical barriers to trade
Article 53
The Parties agree to identify and implement mechanisms among those supported by the TBT Agreement that are the most appropriate for particular priority issues or sectors. Such mechanisms may include: 1. intensifying their collaboration, with a view to facilitating access to their respective markets, by increasing the mutual knowledge and understanding of their respective systems in the field of technical regulations, standards, metrology, accreditation and conformity assessment; 2. exchanging information, identifying and implementing appropriate mechanisms for particular issues or sectors, i.e. alignment with international standards, reliance on the supplier's declaration of conformity, the use of internationally recognised accreditation to qualify conformity assessment bodies and the use of international product testing and certification schemes; 3. identifying and organising sector-specific interventions on technical regulations and conformity assessment with a view to facilitating understanding of and access to their respective markets. These sectors will be chosen taking into account key areas of trade, including priority products; 4. developing cooperation activities and measures with a view to supporting the implementation of the rights and obligations under the TBT Agreement; 5. developing common views and approaches on technical regulatory practices, including transparency, consultation, necessity and proportionality, the use of international standards, conformity assessment requirements, the use of impact and risk assessment, enforcement and market surveillance, where appropriate; 6. promoting harmonisation, whenever possible and in areas of mutual interest, towards international standards, and the use of such standards in the development of technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures; 7. undertaking to consider, in due course, negotiating mutual recognition agreements in sectors of mutual economic interest; 8. promoting collaboration between the Parties’ and SADC EPA States’, as the case may be, organisations responsible for technical regulations, metrology, standardisation, testing, certification, inspection and accreditation; and 9. promoting the participation by the SADC EPA States in international standards-setting bodies.