There has been very little analysis of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) & technical barriers to trade (TBT) regulations and measures issued by the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, over the years countries have issued several notifications at the WTO showing the dynamic nature of the regulations and measures that have a bearing on global trade.
CII and APJ-SLG Law Offices have, therefore, studied the publicly available SPS and TBT notifications of 2016 issued by the WTO on its website. This study focuses on eight sectors- steel, fish and fish products (aquatics), chemical products, milk and milk products (dairy), plant and processed products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and auto and auto components.
These sectors comprise a significant portion of world trade. The year 2016 is significant as world trade had dipped in 2015 after growing for a period of over five to six years.
The study analyses the trends in these notifications and also suggests a way forward for industry to focus on these issues better.