A Milestone for Global Trade & Industry Standards

In November 2024, the WTO marked the 30th anniversary of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreement, a regulatory framework that has played a critical role in shaping international trade standards. For the spirits industry, this agreement has been instrumental in ensuring regulatory transparency, reducing trade barriers, and improving market predictability.  WSA remains committed to working closely with the WTO to further strengthen international regulatory cooperation and improve market access for spirits producers worldwide.

During a panel discussion on “Regulatory Cooperation for 2030 and Beyond” Pauline Bastidon, Director of Trade & Economic Affairs at spiritsEUROPE and Vice Chair of WSA’s International Trade Committee, spoke on behalf of the spirits industry, highlighting the positive impact of the TBT agreement and future opportunities.

Key Takeaways from the Panel Discussion

• Supporting Private Sector Compliance: The TBT Agreement provides crucial guidance on standards like labeling and product information, enabling businesses to operate in global markets with consistency and confidence.
• Enhancing Access to Regulatory Notifications: Open access to regulatory notifications allow companies to anticipate and manage potential market shifts, strengthening resilience. Improving the accessibility and the timeliness of these regulatory notifications remains a priority.
• Facilitating Smooth Transactions for Businesses: By securing reasonable transition periods, the TBT Agreement helps companies—especially those with long-life products—adapt to new regulations with minimal impact. This ensures that the transition proceeds smoothly
• Encouraging Cross-Border Regulatory Collaboration: The TBT’s notification process enables countries to exchange recommendations and learn from each other, improving regulatory practices and avoiding past challenges, fostering stronger international cooperation.

Opportunities for Improvement

While the TBT agreement has improved regulatory transparency and trade facilitation, further refinements can enhance its effectiveness:

• Enhancing notification timelines to give businesses enough time to adapt to regulatory changes.
• Providing multilingual translations of regulatory notifications to improve accessibility.
• Promoting best practices in regulatory alignment to smoothen trade.
• Increasing private sector engagement in the decision-making process to ensure practical implementation.

By strengthening these areas, the TBT Agreement can further support a transparent, predictable, transparent trade environment that fosters sustainable economic growth and resilience.