Washington, D.C., 14 October 2005--U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez convened a meeting to discuss new opportunities for collaboration in international standards through ratification of the new Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). At the Secretarys invitation, ASTM International President James A. Thomas, ANSI President Mark Hurwitz, and senior representatives of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic participated in the high-level standards roundtable.
In observing that standards are sometimes used as a competitive tool as opposed to promoting certainty in the global marketplace, Secretary Gutierrez pointed out that the standards provisions of CAFTA reaffirm internationally agreed upon principles and criteria of the World Trade Organizations (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement for the recognition and use of international standards. The Secretary concluded that his vision for the region is for the universal application of globally accepted principles for the development of global standards and that governments rely on voluntary consensus standards as much as possible in regulation and procurement rather than creating additional regulatory requirements.
Strategic Relationships with Central America
ASTM President James A. Thomas discussed the importance of global participation in the development of international standards by highlighting the strategic relationships ASTM International has developed through memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the national standards bodies of Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua (a similar agreement is pending with standards authorities in Honduras). These strategic working relationships with government standards authorities in Central America encourage the participation of government and industry technical experts from the region and align ASTM standards with official policies and commercial interests of their countries.
"Through our partnerships with Central American countries, ASTM standards are being utilized to bolster economic development, facilitate trade, and enhance the safety, health and environmental welfare throughout the region. As countries align their laws, regulations, and policies to reflect WTO principles and criteria for recognizing and using international standards, they will bolster opportunities for collaboration with ASTM International and level the playing field to ensure the best standards in the world do not incur any unnecessary barriers to their use," stated the ASTM President.
Standards, Codes, and Regulations
Ambassador F. Thomas Duenas of Costa Rica observed that his country has adopted many ASTM standards in their codes and regulations, especially those used in Building Codes. However, he remarked that Costa Ricas industry representatives and trade officials have found it difficult at times to navigate the standards and regulatory regime of the United States because they have found different standards required for different states, such as California. Ambassador Duenas also stated that his country has found a general reluctance by Europe to accept standards developed by non-European based standards organizations.
In response to Ambassador Duenass comments, ASTMs Thomas pledged to work closely with Costa Rica and other countries to meet standards challenges in the U.S. and Europe. Thomas invited technical committees of Central America to participate in the ASTM process and mentioned that existing MOUs enable countries to freely participate as full voting members in the ASTM process.
International Technical Exchange
In addition, ASTM International provides training in Spanish for those who wish to learn how to participate in standards development activities by using the Internet and other electronic tools. ASTM can also arrange for technical experts to visit Central America to provide training in particular industry sectors. Jim Thomas concluded by pointing out that ASTM International will be sponsoring a representative of the national standards body of Costa Rica (INTECO) to participate in upcoming ASTM technical committee meetings in Dallas, Texas.
Ambassador Jose Guillermo Castillo Villacorta from Guatemala closed the meeting by concluding that the application of higher standards in their Central American region will promote a higher quality of life for all their citizens.