*EPF211 05/18/2004
Text: Commerce Dept. Issues Report on Product Standard Trade Barriers
(Secretary Evans lauds recommendations on fighting unfair regulations) (510)

Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans released a report containing recommendations for reducing foreign barriers to trade related to technical product standards.

"We're committed to ensuring that standards are fair and responsive to market and technology needs," Evans said in a May 18 press release.

The report, available online at www.technology.gov, contains more than 50 recommendations for the Commerce Department to strengthen its cooperation with U.S. industry and other U.S. government agencies in order to surmount technical barriers to trade.

Following is the text of the press release:

(begin text)

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Evans Releases Report on Reducing Standards-Related Barriers to U.S. Exports Through Enhanced Department of Commerce Standards Activities

Report makes recommendations for strengthening U.S. international competitiveness through coordination with Commerce, industry and other federal agencies

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans released a report today to reduce standards-related trade barriers and called for broader collaboration across government and with U.S. industry to prevent technical obstacles that impede U.S. exports.

"Standards and related technical regulations affect an estimated 80 percent of world trade," Evans told an audience of industry and standards community representatives. "The recommendations in this report can improve how we tackle standards-related issues that distort trade and undermine our competitiveness."

"We have good news to tell today," Evans said, "and there are more improvements to come. We're committed to ensuring that standards are fair and responsive to market and technology needs. In many ways, this is the beginning of a new Commerce partnership with industry to combat standards as trade barriers to American goods and services."

"In the face of intensifying global competition, neither industry nor government can be complacent about standards-related issues," said Under Secretary for Technology Phil Bond. "The Secretary's Standards Initiative emphasizes best practices, provides critical education and training, expands our early warning tools, and creates greater collaboration with industry and government. Collectively, these actions will go a long way towards an effective rapid response system when standards become trade barriers."

The new report, Standards and Competitiveness-Coordinating for Results, contains more than 50 recommendations. The report also summarizes key industry standards issues in international markets. Some of this information was gathered from more than 200 industry associations and standards organizations in 13 industry roundtables convened over the past year.

The report seeks to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department's standards-related programs and policies. Its recommendations will help the Department identify new opportunities and better ways to work with the private sector and other U.S. government agencies on standards-related issues.

In March 2003, Evans launched the Department of Commerce Standards Initiative, an eight-point plan that responds to industry concerns that divergent standards, redundant testing and compliance procedures, and regulatory red tape are becoming one of the greatest challenges to expanding exports.

The report can be accessed at http://www.technology.gov

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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