Harmonization of Consumer Product Safety Standards: International Marketing Issues

Abstract

At the center of many arguments for “free trade” and “fair trade” is the notion that harmonization--or making more similar governmental policies and regulatory requirements concerning environmental and safety standards and similar issues--will further reduce non-tariff barriers to trade. By now the concept of harmonization has been fully incorporated as the norm in international economic relations in the world's trading system. Harmonization has always been an important concept in the evolution of the European Union (EU) and, more recently, it has been adopted in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreements.