Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
[ Last Updated 9 December 2005 ]
Contents
The Ministry represents New Zealand's standards and conformance interests in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC).
The Sub-Committee assists the Committee on Trade and Investment to achieve the standards and conformance related components of APEC's trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation agenda. This agenda includes the reduction of negative effects on trade and investment flows caused by differing standards and conformance arrangements in the region. The agenda also involves further developing open regionalism and market-driven economic interdependence through a number of activities including encouraging greater alignment of APEC Member Economies' standards with international standards.
Ultimately, more harmonised standards and conformance will improve the efficiency of production and facilitate the conduct of international trade, resulting in more rapid trade flows, reduced costs and greater integration of production networks in the region.
The main areas in which the Sub-Committee is working collectively are:
- Alignment of Member Economies' standards with International Standards;
- Recognition of Conformity Assessment in the Regulated Sector;
- APEC Mutual Recognition Arrangements;
- Related Arrangements and Recognition of Conformity Assessment in the Voluntary Sector; and
- Technical Infrastructure Development.
Since chairing the Sub-Committee in 1999, New Zealand continues to actively participate in the work of the committee. Recent highlights include:
- New Zealand joined Australia and Singapore as the third economy to become a full participant in the APEC Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (APECEEMRA), a Pathfinder Initiative established in 1999;
- Officials presented a white paper at the 3rd APEC Conference on Good Regulatory Practice on alternative means of reducing Technical Barriers to Trade due to mandatory requirements. In particular, the paper looked at the crucial role of regulators and the way Regulatory Impact Statements and FTAs can be used as tools to focus regulators' attention on trade facilitation issues;
- Officials presented a white paper at the 5th APEC Conference on Standards and Conformance illustrating the New Zealand experience with the Q-Base Code, a quality management standard developed specifically for small and medium enterprises (SMEs);
- The Ministry is working with the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) to co-ordinate and run an APEC Fire Safe Use of Timber in Construction seminar in Wellington from 24-26 May 2005. The seminar aims to familiarise regulators and other experts in fire safety and construction in the APEC region with new approaches to managing fire risks that expand the range of wood products that can be used with safety. It will also examine effective ways of structuring regulations to permit different approaches to fire safety to be adopted.
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