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Non-Tariff Barriers

The President's Trade Policy Agenda emphasizes Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) as major impediments to market access for U.S. firms.

USTR is currently addressing NTBs on multiple fronts.

We are pushing for the reduction or elimination of NTBs in various regional contexts, such as Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and contributing to the analysis of NTBs and non-tariff measures at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

We are addressing priority NTBs of concern to U.S. firms in countries around the globe where appropriate, using a variety of trade policy tools such as bilateral discussions under the auspices of our various Trade and Investment Framework Agreements with countries around the world, as well as using relevant committees and working groups of our Free Trade Agreements to enforce our trading partners obligations under these FTAs related to NTBs.

A particular focus of our NTB work is reducing non-tariff barriers facing exports of U.S. motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment.  USTR works with U.S. regulators to facilitate international harmonization of automotive standards, and advocates for the acceptance by countries around the world of U.S. automotive standards.

Related topics:

Autos