What Is the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement? | Ask the WTO

Why It Matters

The TBT agreement reduces compliance costs and market barriers for exporters—especially small firms—while helping governments achieve safety and environmental goals without unnecessary trade restrictions. Its transparency and dispute-avoidance mechanisms make international markets more predictable and cost-effective for businesses.

Summary

The WTO’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), in force since 1995, aims to prevent divergent technical regulations, standards and conformity assessments from becoming unnecessary obstacles to international trade. It requires non-discrimination, proportionality (necessity), encouragement of international harmonization, and transparency through advance notifications—over 55,000 of which are posted on the WTO’s EPING platform. The TBT Committee provides a forum for members to raise concerns, share guidance and improve tools so regulations protect consumers without imposing needless costs or duplicate testing. Practical examples include differing safety tests for products like bike helmets and children’s toys that can force redesigns or repeated certification.

Original Description

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https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/webcas_e.htm