The Foreign Government Standards section lists notices of proposed foreign government technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures which could effect U.S. exports. Background: Under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement), WTO members are required to provide advanced notices of their central government's proposals which could significantly affect trade. There are over 100 countries that have membership in the WTO and are involved in the notification process. Accordingly, we publish brief descriptions of the proposed regulations as soon as possible after receipt from the WTO member country. Persons interested in the full text of a proposal or additional information on the TBT Agreement, should contact the National Center for Standards and Certification Information (NCSCI), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bldg. 820, Room 164, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; telephone (301) 975-4036; fax (301) 926-1559; e-mail: brenda.umberger@nist.gov. Please specify the assigned TBT/Notif. number when requesting specific regulations. NCSCI requests copies of the full text of the regulations from the WTO inquiry point in the respective country. After review of the regulation, an exporter who believes that such a regulation or conformity assessment procedure may unjustifiably impede his exports should, as soon as possible, communicate their concerns to NCSCI (contact above). Even if the final date for comments is insufficient, interested persons may still wish to register their views or request an extension of the comment period. All comments are forwarded to the appropriate foreign government for consideration.

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