Search
The General Secretariat established the Information System on Foreign Trade, which is composed of interconnected on-line databases and consists of updated data on member countries’ commerce, tariff measures and preferences of any product negotiated within the framework of the TM80, as well as information concerning the laws regulating foreign trade.
This database displays an inventory of measures, which comprise:
a) technical measures
- product characteristics requirements
- packaging and labelling requirements
- technical regulations and regulations on quality
- information requirements
b) sanitary regulations
- sanitary measures to protect public health
- sanitary measures to protect animal health
- sanitary measures to protect plant health
c) environment protection measures
d) quantity control measures
- global quotas
- non-automatic licensing (licenses issued on a discretionary basis)
- prohibitions
- local content requirement
e) automatic licensing measures
f) price control measures
- variable charges
- administrative price fixing
- antidumping and compensatory measures
g) monopolistic measures
h) other measures
- regulations to ensure human safety
- regulations to ensure national security
This system allows to view not only the text, but also other information related to the regulations on foreign trade, such as publishing data and date of enforcement.
The information is displayed by country, by product category and by kind of measure, in accordance with the UNCTAD “Coding System of Trade Control Measures”. This system is based on the assignment of a code number, which correspond to a different category of trade control measure. Thus, for example, code 6310 corresponds to “import prohibition”.
Categories with codes ending in 70 (6170, 6270, 6370, 7170) as well as codes 8110 and 8150 are further subdivided according to specific purposes: (1) to protect human health (71); (2) to protect animal health and life (72); (3) to protect plant health (73); (4) to protect environment (74); (5) to protect wildlife (75); (6) to control drug abuse (76); (7) to ensure human safety (77); (8) to ensure national security (78); and (9) for non-specified purposes (79). For example, the requirement of a previous authorization for the import of a product may affect human health and is classified by code 6171.
For further information on the Information System of Foreign Trade, please, contact: sgaladi@aladi.org.