Commerce Secretary Donald Evans announced in May that “the Department has made tangible improvements in how we tackle standards-related issues that can distort trade and undermine the competitiveness of U.S. products. And there are more improvements to come.”
Affecting an estimated 80% of world trade, standards are critical to manufacturing competitiveness in global markets, as they can facilitate international trade or impede access to foreign markets, explains the Commerce Dept. in a report titled “Standards and Competitiveness - Coordinating for Results.” The report assesses the Commerce Dept.'s activities to reduce standards-related trade barriers and recommends steps to increase the reach and effectiveness of the DOC and other federal agencies' coordination of trade-related standards and conformity assessment.