ABSTRACT
Testing and certification procedures are the means of ensuring the conformity of a product to a set of standards. These procedures might become technical barriers each time an importing country requires certification in addition to what is required by the country of origin. Presently, most Economic Community (EC) nations have bilateral arrangements with US laboratories, certification bodies, and accreditation bodies to test products for compliance with European standards so that they may be sold without additional tests in Europe. The EC's global approach to testing and certification calls for reciprocal access to markets in any agreements negotiated with non-member countries. In America, Underwriters Laboratory, the largest product safety testing and certification organization in the world, accepts European participants in its meetings. In addition, because most testing and certification is done privately in the United States, it is doubful that the US government could negotiate an agreement covering US private sector testing and certification.
