Ethiopia has established the WTO-TBT (Technical Barriers to Trade) National Enquiry Point under the Ethiopian Standards Authority, The Ethiopian Herald reported.

Establishment of central authorities, such the the National Enquiry Point, facilitating free trade is one of the prerequisites of joining the global trading body.

According to Geremew Ayalew, Trade Relations and Negotiations Director at the Ministry of Trade, the World Trade Organization's principle of transparency requires the establishment of Enquiry Points and Notification Authorities (NA).

In addition to the Enquiry Point, Ethiopia would also establish Notification Authority under the Ministry of Trade in the future, Geremew said.

"The WTO-TBT and WTP SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) agreements are the key multilateral instruments put in place to deal with standards related non-tariff barriers to trade", Dr. Oswald Chinyamakobvu, standards consultant said at a stakeholders meeting on the Enquiry Point yesterday.

Dr. Chinyamakobvu also said, the WTO-TBT agreement seeks to ensure that technical regulations and standards, as well as testing and certification procedure, do not create unnecessary trade barriers.

The National Enquiry Point will accept trade related queries from WTO member states about Ethiopia's products. It will also provide local exporters with informations relating to compliance requirements when exporting their products, according to Etsegenet Tasew, Acting Documentation and Publication officer of the Enquiry Point.

Source: The Ethiopian Herald