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.