IMPLEMENTATION
AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE AGREEMENT
ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE
COMMUNICATION FROM GABON
Addendum
The
following communication under Article 15.2 of the Agreement on Technical
Barriers to Trade, dated 22 March 2017, has been received from the
delegation of Gabon.
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1 RELEVANT LAWS AND REGULATIONS
1.1. In Gabon, the implementation of technical regulations is governed by
various legislative texts under different ministries, as indicated in section
1.2. In light of the broad scope of these texts and the number of ministries, departments
and agencies that act as their custodians, the Government of Gabon has
established the Policy on the National Framework for Technical Regulations and
Conformity Assessment Procedures.
1.2. The Policy on the National Framework for Technical Regulations and Conformity
Assessment Procedures, adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers on 23 February 2013,
establishes the national conformity assessment system that constitutes the
legal basis for the implementation of the WTO TBT Agreement in Gabon. The
Policy can be viewed at www.aganor.ga.
The
Policy seeks to identify and establish mechanisms and related principles for
the implementation of good regulatory practices that will guide and assist ministries
and the relevant regulatory agencies when preparing, adopting and applying non‑discriminatory
technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures with respect to
products, processes, or production methods. The aim is to ensure the
effective implementation of the provisions of the TBT Agreement.
1.3. Gabon's regulatory and standard‑setting bodies pursue policies based
on the international standards developed by bodies to which Gabon is party,
including the following: the International Organization for Standardization (ISO);
the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC); the Codex Alimentarius; the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU); the International Organization for
Legal Metrology (OIML); and the International Bureau for Weights and Measures
(BIPM).
The
Government of Gabon will use the standards, guidelines and recommendations developed
by these international standard‑setting bodies, or the relevant parts thereof,
as the basis for the country's national technical regulations and conformity
assessment procedures.