This information note describes the standards and regulations that members have notified to the WTO in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These have been submitted under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), which set out disciplines for standards and regulatory measures used, for example, to protect human, animal and plant life and health and the environment, and to ensure product safety.
For instance, to expedite and broaden access to PPE on a temporary basis, Brazil has eased its authorization requirements, while Canada has loosened its bilingual labelling rules. Several members (including Argentina, Australia, Chile, Costa Rica, the European Union, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Africa and Chinese Taipei) are accepting scanned copies or electronic SPS certificates, in light of the disruptions caused by COVID-19. Switzerland is relaxing certain food labelling requirements to deal with COVID-19-related supply shortages.
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