Brazil’s Enquiry Point for the WTO Agreement
The Enquiry Point for Technical Barriers to Exports is one of the commitments made by World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries, by signing the Agreement on Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT Agreement), which states that “Each Member shall ensure that an information center exists which is able to answer all reasonable enquiries from other members and
their interested parties as well as to provide the relevant documents regarding technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures”.
The existence of such information centers, or Enquiry points, in member countries, allows international trade participants to count on a network of information that enables them to
learn what is proposed, and also the final texts, of technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures in force in all member countries.
One of the obligations of the WTO Member countries is to notify the other Members through the World Trade Organization (WTO) secretariat whenever they issue a new technical requirement
that is not based on a relevant international technical standard, or if the new requirement may have an effect on trade with other members.
The Brazil Enquiry Point has developed a system called "Exporter Alert" that accesses the notifications sent by all of the organization's member countries and sends them via email to
those registered in the system, based on their profile. The profile is determined by the user, who selects the products and the countries for which the user is interested in receiving
such information.
Being alerted in advance, exporters can request the full text of the proposed document for analysis. Based on this analysis, companies can adapt their products even before the new
requirements take effect, thus avoiding delays in deliveries or problems at destination ports, or to report to INMETRO a possible technical barrier.
To register for this free service, go to:
http://www.inmetro.gov.br/barreirastecnicas/pontoEnquiry/ and click on "Exporter Alert" (“Alerta Exportador”).
Questions, complaints about technical barriers and comments regarding foreign notifications made to the WTO can be sent to this e-mail: [email protected]
Brazil Enquiry point for the WTO SPS Agreement
