Abstract
This chapter analyzes the recognition rules of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as an example of transnational relations. The ISO-IEC/WTO relationship is described from the analysis of the EC-Sardines and US-Tuna II cases, which have conflicting interpretations of the relationship between the rules of those institutions. The way to establish such relationship can directly challenge the notions of representation and legitimacy of the decision-making process within the WTO, as argued in the chapter.
The research benefited from the São Paulo Research Foundation grant “Projeto de Auxílio à Pesquisa FAPESP 2014/25776-4” and the institutional support of FGV Direito SP. Our thanks to Bruno Renzetti, Danielle Denny, and Bruno Pegorari, who contributed with comments to previous versions of the paper, as well as to participants to the WTO Chair meeting, in Brazil (FGV/SP). An enlarged version of the paper was previously published, in Portuguese, at Badin, M.; Takitani, M. (2016), pp. 192–210.
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Notes
- 1.
The TBT Committee operates very closely to ISO and IEC. The 2016 annual report states the importance of keeping an updated relation with ISO and IEC in WTO. See G/TBT/38/Rev. 1 (2016), par. 2.5.
- 2.
According to the WTO Secretariat, during the Tokyo Round, GATT parties used both ISO/IEC Guide 2 and the ECE/ISO standards to define international standards. See WT/CTE/W/10-G/TBT/W/11 (1995).
- 3.
Request for Consultations by Peru, European Communities – Trade Description of Sardines, WT/DS231/1-G/L/449-G/TBT/D/22, 23 April 2001.
- 4.
Panel Report, European Communities – Trade Description of Sardines, WT/DS231/R, adopted 23 October 2002, par. 7.70.
- 5.
Request for Consultations by Mexico, United States — Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products, WT/DS381/1-G/L/858-G/TBT/D/32, 28 October 2008.
- 6.
The case counted with twelve countries as third parties: Australia, Canada, China, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, and the European Union.
- 7.
Appellate Body Report, European Communities – Trade Description of Sardines, WT/DS231/AB/R, adopted 23 October 2002, para. 225: “Thus, the definition of a ‘standard’ in the ISO/IEC Guide expressly includes a consensus requirement. Therefore, the logical conclusion, in our view, is that the omission of a consensus requirement in the definition of a ‘standard’ in Annex 1.2 of the TBT Agreement was a deliberate choice on the part of the drafters of the TBT Agreement, and that the last two phrases of the Explanatory note were included to give effect to this choice. Had the negotiators considered consensus to be necessary to satisfy the definition of ‘standard’, we believe they would have said so explicitly in the definition itself, as is the case in the ISO/IEC Guide. Indeed, there would, in our view, have been no point in the negotiators adding the last sentence of the Explanatory note.”
- 8.
See Panel Report, United States — Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products, WT/DS381/R, adopted 12 June 2012, par. 6.762, and Appellate Body Report, United States — Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products, WT/DS381/AB/R, adopted 12 June 2012, par. 353.
- 9.
Appellate Body Report, United States — Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products, WT/DS381/AB/R, adopted 12 June 2012, par. 357.
- 10.
According to Epps and Trebilcock (2013), p. 257: “Thus, instead of referring to the definition of standard as contained in Annex 1 of the TBT Agreement, the Panel chose to remain within the framework of the ISO/IEC Guide, arguably in order to achieve some form of coherence and in order to avoid cross-referencing both the ISO/IEC Guide and the TBT’s Annex. It is unclear why the Panel felt compelled to do so despite the Appellate Body’s earlier finding in the Sardines case.”
- 11.
The definition of “National Body” is contained in ISO/IEC Directives Part 1. According to item “i” of the Preface, National Bodies – with the right to participate in the elaboration of the ISO/IEC Guide 2 – (i) ISO’s Full Members and (ii) IEC National Committees At ISO/IEC Directives Part 1 (2016).
OBS: The terms “Member Body” and “National Committee” will be explained below. For now, the relevant point is that in order to be a Member Body or a National Committee, it is necessary to be a formal part in these organizations.
- 12.
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 (2016).
- 13.
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, deals with the specific procedures to the technical work of the organizations and ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, brings the rules and principles to the structure and drafting of the documents of ISO/IEC. ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (2016). ISO/IEC Guide 2: 2004 (2004).
- 14.
ISO. ISO Members (2016).
- 15.
ISO (2015), p. 8.
- 16.
ISO Statutes (2016), Art. 7.4, “f”.
- 17.
ISO Statutes (2016), Art. 7.
- 18.
IEC (2016).
- 19.
IEC (2016).
- 20.
The elaboration of ISO/IEC Guide 2 shall be in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives Part 2 (Available at: http://www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs/iec/isoiecdir-2%7Bed7.0%7Den.pdf. Access in: June 2016). This document determines that, during the standard setting processes, these shall have a preface in which it is described the purpose and rationale of the standard. Moreover, when describing the purpose and the rationale, the preface shall inform the “voting process”. Thus, it is possible to affirm that, unlike the WTO decision making process, ISO/IEC Guidelines have a flexible voting process.
- 21.
ISO/IEC. ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 (2016), Item 1.3.2.2.
- 22.
The mentioned positions by WTO members and ISO/IEC are registered in G/TBT/M/35 (2005), paras. 62–71.
- 23.
G/TBT/M/35 (2005), paras. 62–71.
- 24.
G/TBT/GEN/38 (2006).
- 25.
G/TBT/M/39 (2006), para. 118.
- 26.
JOB (06)/252 (2007).
- 27.
G/TBT/M/41 (2007), paras. 117–118.
- 28.
WT/DSB/M/317 (2012), para. 32.
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Appendix: Membership Compared
Appendix: Membership Compared
WTO Members | ISO Members | IEC Members |
|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | Afghanistan | – |
Albania | – | Albania |
Angola | – | – |
Antigua and Barbuda | – | – |
Argentina | Argentina | Argentina |
Armenia | Armenia | – |
Australia | Australia | Australia |
Austria | Austria | Austria |
Bahrain, Kingdom of | Bahrain, Kingdom of | Bahrain, Kingdom of |
Bangladesh | Bangladesh | – |
Barbados | Barbados | – |
Belgium | – | – |
Belize | – | – |
Benin | Benin | – |
Bolivia | – | – |
Botswana | Botswana | – |
Brazil | Brazil | Brazil |
Brunei Darussalam | – | – |
Bulgaria | Bulgaria | Bulgaria |
Burkina Faso | Burkina Faso | – |
Burundi | – | – |
Cabo Verde | – | – |
Cambodia | – | – |
Cameroon | Cameroon | – |
Canada | Canada | Canada |
Central African Republic | – | – |
Chad | – | – |
Chile | Chile | Chile |
China | China | China |
Colombia | Colombia | Colombia |
Congo | – | – |
Costa Rica | Costa Rica | – |
Côte-d’Ivorie | Côte-d’Ivorie | – |
Croatia | Croatia | Croatia |
Cuba | Cuba | Cuba |
Cyprus | Cyprus | Cyprus |
Czech Republic | Czech Republic | Czech Republic |
Democratic Republic of Congo | Democratic Republic of Congo | – |
Denmark | Denmark | Denmark |
Djibouti | – | – |
Dominica | – | – |
Dominican Republic | – | – |
Ecuador | Ecuador | – |
Egypt | Egypt | Egypt |
El Salvador | El Salvador | – |
Estonia | Estonia | Estonia |
European Union | – | – |
Fiji | Fiji | – |
Finland | Finland | Finland |
France | France | France |
Gabon | Gabon | – |
Gambia | – | – |
Georgia | – | Georgia |
Germany | Germany | Germany |
Ghana | Ghana | – |
Greece | Greece | Greece |
Grenada | – | – |
Guatemala | – | – |
Guinea | – | – |
Guinea-Bissau | – | – |
Guiana | – | – |
Haiti | – | – |
Honduras | – | – |
Hong Kong, China | – | – |
Hungary | Hungary | Hungary |
Iceland | Iceland | Iceland |
India | India | India |
Indonesia | Indonesia | Indonesia |
Ireland | Ireland | Ireland |
Israel | Israel | Israel |
Italy | Italy | Italy |
Jamaica | – | – |
Japan | Japan | Japan |
Jordan | Jordan | Jordan |
Kazakhstan | Kazakhstan | Kazakhstan |
Kenya | Kenya | Kenya |
Korea, Republic of | Korea, Republic of | Korea, Republic of |
Kuwait | Kuwait | – |
Kyrgyzstan | – | – |
Lao People’s Democratic Republic | – | – |
Latvia | Latvia | Latvia |
Lesotho | – | – |
Liberia | – | – |
Liechtenstein | – | – |
Lithuania | Lithuania | Lithuania |
Luxemburg | Luxemburg | Luxemburg |
Macao, China | – | – |
Madagascar | – | – |
Malawi | Malawi | – |
Malaysia | Malaysia | Malaysia |
Maldives | – | – |
Mali | Mali | – |
Malta | Malta | Malta |
Mauritania | – | – |
Mauritius | Mauritius | – |
Mexico | Mexico | Mexico |
Moldova, Republic of | – | – |
Mongolia | Mongolia | – |
Montenegro | – | Montenegro |
Morocco | Morocco | Morocco |
Mozambique | – | – |
Myanmar | – | – |
Namibia | Namibia | – |
Nepal | Nepal | – |
Netherlands | Netherlands | Netherlands |
New Zealand | New Zealand | New Zealand |
Nicaragua | – | – |
Niger | – | – |
Nigeria | Nigeria | Nigeria |
Norway | Norway | Norway |
Oman | Oman | Oman |
Pakistan | Pakistan | Pakistan |
Panama | Panama | – |
Papua New Guinea | – | – |
Paraguay | – | – |
Peru | Peru | – |
Philippines | Philippines | Philippines |
Poland | Poland | Poland |
Portugal | Portugal | Portugal |
Qatar | Qatar | Qatar |
Romania | Romania | Romania |
Russian Federation | Russian Federation | Russian Federation |
Rwanda | Rwanda | – |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | – | – |
Saint Lucia | Saint Lucia | – |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | – | – |
Samoa | – | – |
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of | Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of | Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of |
Senegal | Senegal | – |
Seychelles | – | – |
Sierra Leone | – | – |
Singapore | Singapore | Singapore |
Slovak Republic | Slovak Republic | Slovak Republic |
Slovenia | Slovenia | Slovenia |
Solomon Islands | – | – |
South Africa | South Africa | South Africa |
Spain | Spain | Spain |
Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka |
Suriname | – | – |
Swaziland | – | – |
Sweden | Sweden | Sweden |
Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland |
Chinese Taipei | – | – |
Tajikistan | – | – |
Tanzania | Tanzania | – |
Thailand | Thailand | Thailand |
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia |
Togo | – | – |
Tonga | – | – |
Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago | – |
Tunisia | Tunisia | Tunisia |
Turkey | Turkey | Turkey |
Uganda | – | – |
Ukraine | Ukraine | – |
United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates |
United Kingdom | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
United States of America | United States of America | United States of America |
Uruguay | Uruguay | – |
Vanuatu | – | – |
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | – | – |
Viet Nam | Viet Nam | Viet Nam |
Yemen | Yemen | – |
Zambia | – | – |
Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe | – |
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Badin, M.R.S., Takitani, M.Y. (2019). Are ISO/IEC Rules the Odds Out of the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement?. In: do Amaral Júnior, A., de Oliveira Sá Pires, L.M., Lucena Carneiro, C. (eds) The WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03263-0_9
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