third Thematic session on good regulatory practiCe

18-19 march 2014

Chairman's Report^[1]

Addendum

This Report was delivered by the Chairman of the WTO TBT Committee at the meeting of 19-20 March 2014.

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1.  At the Sixth Triennial Review, the Committee agreed to hold thematic sessions on Good Regulatory Practice (GRP) in response to specific decisions and recommendations contained in our triennial review reports.^[2] The first thematic session on GRP was held on 5 March 2013^[3], and the second on 17 June 2013.^[4] The third thematic session held this week comprised presentations organized under two topics: (i) link between GRP and trade competitiveness; and, (ii) information on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). The final programme is annexed to this statement. The full presentations are available as Room Documents on WTO Documents Online (under "Documents for meetings").

2.  The representative of Canada presented its 2012 Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Management (CDRM), focusing specifically on the "one-for-one" rule. The CDRM aims to reduce administrative burdens imposed on business by government regulation, such as paperwork. The "one-for-one" rule requires that for any new regulation introduced by a department or agency, regulation of equal administrative burden has to be removed by that department or agency. The rule came into effect in April 2012, and each department or agency is required to report annually on its implementation to the Treasury Board Secretariat, which on this basis published its first Annual Scorecard Report in January 2014. As a result of the rule, in fiscal year 2013 Canadian businesses saved 98,000 hours of time in red tape, and over CAD $20 million in costs.

3.  The representative of Chinese Taipei described how it applied GRP mechanisms for public consultation and transparency in its regulatory process. For example, an administrative procedure law mandated early, extensive, and systematic consultations with stakeholders. Online consultation mechanisms were introduced to reduce burdens on business and encourage direct citizen participation. The representative presented a case study of a public consultation carried out by the National Communications Commission (NCC) on a regulation that harmonized mobile phone chargers. Numerous best practices were highlighted, including the early publication of a notice of regulatory activity, explicit justification of the need for government intervention on the basis of both environmental and consumer benefits, the introduction of a transition period, and regular reviews of the regulation to ensure its fitness for purpose in light of technological evolution.