APEC holds inaugural talks with Europe

APEC holds inaugural talks with Europe

PENANG, Malaysia (AFP): The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) forum held inaugural talks with the European Commission
(EC) here Saturday to promote mutual awareness in the area of
products standards, officials said.

"This is the first time that we have had any contact. It is an
informal discussion in an area that has a lot of common
interest," said Brian McDonald of the EC's directorate general
for commercial questions and external relations with North
America, East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

McDonald, who works as principal administrator for East Asian
affairs, said issues related to standards and certification were
crucial to world trade.

"In terms of trade facilitation, it is important to try and
cooperate more at the international level both in terms of
alignment on international standards, deregulation issues and
mutual recognition agreements," he said.

The dialogue with Brussels is being carried out by the group's
sub-committee on standards and conformance, which is holding a
two-day meeting here to prepare for this year's APEC summit in
Kuala Lumpur in November.

McDonald acknowledged that APEC had undertaken a lot of work
in the area of standards and conformance.

"We have done a good deal as well and it is useful to exchange
views to find out what the other side is doing," he said.

While there have not been any talks of institutionalizing such
informal meetings, the official "it would be helpful, certainly
now that we have started the process of exchange, that we
continue."

Juan Antonio Dorantes, a Mexican delegate, said the talks
offered the opportunity for APEC members to familiarize
themselves with European systems.

"It is going to be helpful. Our systems among APEC are really
different and in the future we hope to develop mutual recognition
agreements between APEC and the EC," he said.

Dorantes, director of standardization at Mexico's general
bureau of standards, said it was important APEC and Europe keep
meeting regularly, adding that the commission would probably
attend another two meetings this year.

"The meeting enables us to know the system in the EC and to
negotiate mutual recognition agreements," he said, adding that
APEC and the commission might start exchanges of technical
experts in the standards field.

Senior officials from APEC are to hold another two meetings,
in Kuching in June and Kuantan in September, before the summit in
Kuala Lumpur.

APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan,
Thailand and the United States.

Russia, Vietnam and Peru joined as official observers earlier
this week and are set to become full members at the APEC summit
in Malaysia in November.

In other development, a trade official said the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum agreed Saturday to start work
on a regional survey of non-tariff barriers in member economies.

The official, who asked not to be named, said preparations for
the survey were discussed during an inaugural meeting of APEC's
new market access group which is headed by Singapore.

APEC set up the group this year to handle work on tariffs and
non-tariff measures under the trade and investment committee,
which reports directly to senior officials advising ministers and
leaders.