GLOBAL COMMERCE AND STANDARDS ASME Urges Acceptance Of Market-Driven, De-Facto International Standards
Contact: John Varrasi 212-705-8158 [email protected]
Recognizing the critical role of technical standards in international trade, ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) has urged the U.S. government to support market-driven, de facto international standards as a means of satisfying the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade adopted at the most recent round of GATT negotiations.
"Mechanisms promoting free trade must incorporate commitment to technical excellence and public safety," says the 125,000-member ASME in the paper, Standards and Technical Barriers to Trade.
Some governments believe that the International Organization of Standardization develops truly international standards; but the ASME paper cautions, "ISO standards acquire the title of 'international standards' solely by virtue of the membership composition of ISO. However, this is no guarantor of the technical quality or commercial merit of the resulting standards."
"The true test of an international standard is fair and open access to the standards development process," states the paper.
ASME recommends that emphasis be given to alternatives to ISO standards, "if these alternatives meet the intent of non-discrimination and transparency both technically and procedurally."
The Society supports the use of performance-based technical regulations, noting that at the standards level, more prescriptive provisions are often appropriate. ASME also encourages the continued discussion of issues surrounding harmonization of standards, the definition of consensus, and the importance of governments worldwide to accept de facto international standards which satisfy market and safety needs.
The ASME position call for the harmonization of technical standards on a sectoral basis. "The TBT Agreement requires openness and non-discriminatory practices among the entire international community, but at the same time recognizes the special needs and limitations of emerging economies," says the position paper. Discussing the challenge and difficulty of standards harmonization given the scope and diversity of products manufactured throughout the world, the paper continues: "It may not be possible to harmonize different existing design standards with each other, but it may be possible to develop a single performance-based standard which would be compatible with each of the different design standards."
Regarding the issue of consensus in the standards-setting process, Standards and Technical Barriers to Trade points to ASME's technical committee structure and long-standing policy of balancing competing interests as a model and benchmark.
Standards and Technical Barriers to Trade was approved as a General Position Paper by ASME's Board of Governors. The paper was released to the U.S. Congress, members of the current presidential administration, and state government officials on March 14, 1997. It is available from the ASME Washington Center, (202) 785-3756.
The 125,000-member ASME International is a worldwide engineering society focused on technical, educational and research issues. It conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations, holds some 30 technical conferences and 200 professional development courses each year, and sets many industrial and manufacturing standards.
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