AUTORITÉ NATIONALE RESPONSABLE DES NOTIFICATIONS SPS
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POINT(S) D'INFORMATION SPS
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Arborescence des codes du SH associés aux notifications SPS
Chargement en cours
Participation aux discussions sur les préoccupations commerciales SPS
Reconnaissance de l'équivalence
Documents du comité SPS
Suppléments
Examens des politiques commerciales
Chargement en cours..
POINT(S) D'INFORMATION OTC
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Participation aux discussions sur les préoccupations commerciales OTC
Communication(s) concernant la mise en œuvre
Accord entre les Membres
Acceptation du Code de pratique
Documents du comité OTC
Examens des politiques commerciales
3.100. During the review period, the legal framework governing HACCPs was updated. For fisheries, it consists of Rule 5(1) and 19 and Schedule 9 of the Fish and Fish Product (Inspection and Quality Control) Rules, 1997 (amended in 2008 and 2014) and, for livestock, the Framing of Animal Slaughter and Meat Control Rules, 2018 are under preparation; a quality control laboratory will be established at Savar, Dhaka
3.101. The BAB remains empowered to accredit Testing and Calibration Laboratories, Medical Laboratories, Inspection Bodies, Personnel Certification, and Product Certification. It already accredited different types of testing and calibration laboratory system certification to national and multinational organizations/companies. As at November 2018, the BAB had accredited 66 Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), of which 50 were testing laboratories, 9, calibration laboratories, 2, medical laboratories, 2, system certifications bodies, and 3, inspection bodies; some applications for accreditation are being processed. International accreditation bodies seemingly operate in Bangladesh and, in the future, may compete with the BAB; they appear to primarily service the garment industry and similar export-oriented light manufacturing industries.[154] The BAB is responsible for framing policies and approving rules and regulations for accreditation, and establishing multilateral recognition arrangements (MRAs) with regional and international accreditation bodies. Since 2015, it has been the signatory to, and full member of, the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).[155] It is an affiliated member of the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC), and applied for membership of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). It also works closely with the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), the SAARC Expert Group on Accreditation (SEGA), and the HALAL scheme
3.102. Transparency in the area of standards appears to remain a concern. According to a 2010 United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) baseline study report, as the legislation is focused on technical regulations, many BDSs have remained unpublished for years; as at November 2018, there were about 1,500 (out of 3,768) unpublished BDSs.[156] Bangladesh has not submitted any notification on draft measures (technical regulations) or conformity assessment procedures to the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade so far.[157] Until now, it has not been subject to TBT-related specific trade concerns
3.103. In 2016/17, 654 mobile courts had been established (Section 3.3.7.3.3), and 1,219 surveillance actions were undertaken, leading to 1,323 cases being filed against standards' offenders by the BSTI, and requiring them to cease the sale and/or distribution of illegal and/or sub‑standard products.[158] At the same time; 505 mobile courts had been established and 367 surveillance actions were conducted against users of illegal weights and measures, resulting in 1,280 filed cases. Offenders were fined a total of BDT 5.43 crore
3.104. During the review period, the main regulatory framework in this area remained virtually unchanged, except for jute packaging. Marking, labelling and packaging requirements are contained in relevant BDSs. Labelling requirements are also found in the Bangladesh Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2007, under the Weights and Measures Ordinance, 1982. Each package should contain: the name and address of the manufacturer and packer; the common or generic name of the product, with all ingredients; the net weight; the dates of manufacture and expiry; and the retail price of the package. Upon the enactment of the Compulsory Use of Jute Fiber Packaging Act, 2010 and the Rules for Compulsory Use of Jute Fiber Packaging, 2013, another measure to support the jute sector, jute fibre packaging has become compulsory for 17 items.[159]
3.94. During the review period, the institutional setting in this area remained virtually unchanged. The Ministry of Industries continues to be responsible for leading and facilitating the legal and technical institutional framework for national standards (except pharmaceutical products), quality, and conformity assessment.[145] Its main institutions are the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the sole national standardization, enforcement and quality certification body, that also provides metrology and calibration services; and the Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB) (Sections 3.3.2.2 and 3.3.3.1). According to the authorities, the Department of Fisheries, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, is in charge of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification (Section 3.3.2.2). The BSTI Council, the highest decision-making organ of the institution, consists of representatives from different ministries, business chambers, scientific organizations, and universities. It remains the WTO enquiry point and had not subscribed to ePing as at November 2018 (http://www.epingalert.org/en#/enquiry-points/tbt). It coordinates and heads a system of technical committees, consisting of a mixture of government, academia, and private sector representatives, that draft voluntary standards; it also influences the adoption and formulation of mandatory standards, while simultaneously benefitting from the incomes derived from testing, inspection, and certification against these mandatory standards.[146] Although no regulatory impact analysis (RIA) appears to be in place, Bangladesh gathers stakeholders' opinions prior to the adoption of a standard or technical regulation
3.95. During the review period, MoUs or bilateral cooperation agreements (BCAs) signed between national standards bodies (NSBs) and the BSTI increased from 2 in 2012 to 9 in 2018 (September); the new arrangements involved the NSBs of India, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and China. Policy developments
3.96. The main policy objectives in this area remain unchanged, and involve the harmonization of national standards with international ones, and the adoption of international standards. During the review period, steps were taken, inter alia, to expand the activities of the BSTI throughout the country under the 2015 Expansion and Strengthening of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institutions Project (in five districts). A modern energy-efficient testing laboratory was established in the BSTI Head Office, under the technical and financial assistance of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) (Germany) (Section 4.2.2.3).[147] Regulatory framework
3.97. During the review period, the main legislative framework in the area of standards remained largely unchanged, except for new BSTI (Amendment) Act, 2018 (passed on 28 October 2018), and the Weights and Measures Standards Act, 2018; in both cases, the amendments, inter alia, increased fines and prison offence durations.[148] A number of standards' "special rules" are contained the IPO issued by the MOC. For example, the 2015-18 Order includes applicable conditions for the import of food for human consumption, secondary quality imports of certain sheets and plates (e.g. stainless steel, tin plate, and silicon), and the testing of standards for electric kW meters.[149]
3.98. Standards continue to be implemented on a voluntary basis, unless they are designated as technical regulations (compulsory). As at June 2018, the BSTI had formulated and adopted 3,768 (3,300 in 2012) BDSs. Alignment with international standards reduces the trade restrictiveness of technical regulations; according to the authorities, as at June 2018, about 52% (42% in 2012) of BDSs were aligned with international standards, and 4.5% (1.5% in 2012) with regional standards (i.e. 171 European Standards (ENs) and 3 South Asian Regional Standards Organization standards).[150] In 2018, international standards adopted by the BSTI included 1,535 (1,368 in 2012) International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, 198 (163 in 2012) International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, 86 ISO/IEC standards, and 140 Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) standards. As at May 2018, 166 (4.4% of all BDSs) were mandatory (i.e. under the Mandatory Certification Marks Scheme); and 55 (43 in 2012) imported products required mandatory certification (i.e. inspection and testing) before customs clearance. The BSTI provides Clearance Certificates of Imported Commodities through ASYCUDA World.[151] According to the BSTI, all consignments are inspected, and no risk profiling is used to prioritize the burden of conformity assessment.[152] At the time of the previous TPR, the authorities indicated that testing and certification procedures for technical regulations were the same for domestic and imported products
3.99. Since 2010, Management System Certification (MSC) has been an important addition to the BSTI; as at July 2018, it had issued 48 different system certificates under the quality, environment and food safety management systems.[153]