ISO 14001 may act as a non tariff barrier to trade if certification is costly or difficult to achieve.

It weakened governments which were already weak and threatened emergent democracies it constituted a non tariff barrier to trade which placed companies that refused to engage in the practice at a disadvantage.

The nature of the peak tariffs and their selective application would warrant complementing the existing tariff and trade data base with detailed national trade data specifying for each tariff line the trade flows under the various tariff regimes and rates applied.

Elsewhere, non tariff measures continued to frustrate trade expansion.

(b) The elimination of trade distorting policies, protectionist practices and non tariff barriers in international trade relations

(b) The elimination of trade distorting policies, protectionist practices and non tariff barriers in international trade relations

Demonstrated conformity to those standards and norms can offer enhanced market access, while non compliance can pose an effective non tariff barrier.

Their exports today face a variety of barriers in their major markets, including non tariff trade barriers and other non tariff measures.

We call for better access to markets, in particular preferential markets with lowered tariff and non tariff barriers to trade with industrialized countries.

b See OECD, Indicators of Tariff and Non Tariff Trade Barriers, Paris, 1996, and its corresponding CD ROM, produced jointly by OECD and UNCTAD.

Table 3 Tariff averages, pre and post Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations (Percentage)

In this regard it is urgent to eliminate high tariffs, tariff picks, tariff escalation, non tariff barriers, export subsidies and to substantially reduce trade distorting domestic support for protecting the agricultural sector of developed countries.

6. Urges States to eliminate barriers to trade, including tariff peaks, high tariffs and non tariff barriers and measures which are not consistent with their obligations under the World Trade Organization agreements, taking into account the importance of the trade of fisheries products, particularly for developing countries

Urges States to eliminate barriers to trade, including tariff peaks, high tariffs and non tariff barriers and measures which are not consistent with their obligations under the World Trade Organization agreements, taking into account the importance of the trade of fisheries products, particularly for developing countries

It can be compared to a specialized library with books on trade related topics (i.e. tariff schedules para tariff measures non tariff measures import statistics).a The global aim of TRAINS is to increase transparency in international trading conditions.

UNCTAD meeting on Coping with trade reforms a developing country perspective on the WTO tariff negotiations

UNCTAD meeting on Coping with trade reforms A developing country perspective on the WTO tariff negotiations

Despite various preferential trade arrangements with its main trading partners, Africa's external trade continues to be hindered by a host of non tariff barriers and excessive market entry requirements that nullify the market access granted under preferential tariff regimes.

Countries of every sort will face requests to do their part to overcome hurdles to a new global trade accord. Tariff and non tariff barriers will need to come down.

(a) Trade distorting policies and practices, including tariff and non tariff barriers, tariff escalation and obstacles to competition, have a negative effect on the ability of developing countries to diversify their exports and to undertake the requisite restructuring of their commodity sector

Economic needs tests were singled out as a barrier to the expansion of trade in health services.

(iii) Those non tariff measures which are not covered by multilateral trade agreements should continue to be identified.

Preferential tariff rate is applicable to imported goods originated from countries or regions with which the People's Republic of China has a signed trade agreement containing provisions on special preferential tariff rates.

For developing countries, it was more important at the present stage to establish through FDI liberalization, reduction of tariff and non tariff barriers to trade, and domestic deregulation market structures that worked.

In the short term, there might be merit in focusing the non tariff barrier dimension in the negotiations, e.g. on simplifying certification procedures for a few selected categories of EPPs.

Regional economic integration initiatives usually focus on trade liberalization, tariff reduction and quota abolition. However, trade facilitation issues too have received increased attention in recent years.

As a result of successive rounds of multilateral trade negotiations, as well as regional trade agreements and autonomous tariff reduction initiatives, tariffs are continuously being lowered.

The tariff quotas for such products are intended to safeguard traditional trade flows and create new minimum access opportunities for the trade of all WTO members.

Experts agreed that developing countries engaged in steel trade, for example Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Viet Nam, faced market distortions due both to market access barriers and to trade measures, including subsidies, anti dumping actions, and tariff peaks and tariff escalation.

Products benefiting from tariff quotas are often narrowly defined, exclude standard trade qualities, or are provided for industrial use.

Data on tariff rates are taken from these studies and from the UNCTAD database on trade control measures (TRAINS).

74. The Group reaffirmed its support for General Assembly resolution 51 167, which stressed the urgent need to continue trade liberalization in developed and developing countries through a substantial reduction of tariff and other barriers to trade, in particular non tariff barriers, and the elimination of discriminatory and protectionist practices in international trade relations.

This should include individual trade flows by partner countries under the MFN, GSP and LDC rates, preferential trade within free trade agreements, customs unions or other preferential arrangements, trade under outward processing regimes, and autonomous tariff rates.

An increasing number of developing countries have requested assistance, particularly in developing lists of EGs and identifying tariff and non tariff barriers affecting trade in these goods, as well as considering possible negotiating modalities.

However, in some sectors and products notably those of special interest to developing countries high tariff peaks still prevailed, while remaining tariff escalation in commodity based trade introduced a bias against diversification and processing.

Certification issues have a considerable bearing on the ability of ISO 14001 to act as a barrier to trade.

It is not yet possible to attribute at this stage movements in trade to tariff changes resulting from the Round.

After nine rounds of GATT WTO tariff liberalization this agenda has made significant strides with average tariff levels having reached single digit figures, and international flows of FDI, trade and financial resources having increased exponentially.

(b) Trade distorting policies and practices, including tariff peaks and tariff escalations, environmental regulations and other non tariff barriers, as well as the erosion of trade preferences should be avoided as they have negative effects on the ability of developing countries to diversify their exports and to undertake the required restructuring of their commodity sector while impeding successful measures taken by the commodity dependent countries

Among the reasons cited for the other regions not being as dynamic as the developing Asia Pacific region in harnessing more of the benefits of South South trade have been their inadequate infrastructure, including for trade and transport facilitation, as well as high tariff and non tariff barriers.

The ISO 14001 standard may result in a de facto barrier to trade if companies have difficulties in obtaining certification.

WTO has given prominence to the potential for further reduction of tariff barriers to foster an expansion in South South trade.

According to preliminary indications there seems to be little trade exceeding the tariff quota levels in agricultural and food industry products.

Establishment of a more equitable international economic system, especially access to markets and removal of tariff and non tariff trade barriers and elimination of subsidies on agriculture are prerequisites for the promotion of pro human rights growth.

The continual decline of tariff rates as a result of eight multilateral trade negotiations has raised the relative importance of NTBs in terms of both protection and regulatory trade instruments.