ITPEC FE Morning April 2023 Question 80
In developing new products that are expected to be employed by government agencies of WTO member countries, which of the following are the appropriate standards to be applied?
Explanation
ISO standards — products for government agencies across many WTO member countries must follow international standards.
The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade requires members to base technical regulations and standards on international standards where they exist, and the Agreement on Government Procurement asks the same of procurement specifications, so that national rules do not become trade barriers. ISO is the main international standards body.
Answer (d)
Why not others:
- •(a) ANSI — the national standards body of the United States, covering one country only
- •(b) FCC — a US regulator for radio and telecommunications, not an international standards body
- •(c) IEEE — a professional association of engineers whose standards, such as IEEE 802 for LANs, are industry standards in its own field, not the standards of an international body made up of national members that the WTO agreements refer to
Key rule: A requirement spanning many countries calls for an international standard (ISO, IEC, ITU); national bodies such as ANSI, BSI or JIS cover one market only.
Legal Affairs · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from an official ITPEC past paper. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with ITPEC. See the official FE past-paper collection or Report an issue.