Registration Opens for conformity assessment forum in Russia.
Press Release Summary:
Under auspices of U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission, U.S. Department of Commerce is organizing U.S.–Russia Standards and Conformity Assessment Forum that will take place in Moscow on May 30, 2013. Event is supported by ANSI and U.S.–Russia Business Council and will focus on World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement as well as standards and conformance issues that impact trade. Interested organizations in U.S. and Russia are encouraged to attend.
Original Press Release:
Registration Opens for Upcoming U.S.-Russia Standards and Conformity Assessment Forum in Moscow
Following Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in August 2012, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) under the auspices of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission is organizing a U.S.–Russia Standards and Conformity Assessment Forum supported by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the U.S.–Russia Business Council. The forum, scheduled to be held in Moscow on Thursday, May 30, 2013, will focus on the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement and standards and conformance issues that impact trade.
As the world’s eighth-largest economy, with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and consumer consumption rates of the BRICs, Russia is already an attractive market for expanding U.S. competitiveness abroad. U.S. exports to Russia topped $8 billion in 2011, and are expected to rise significantly as a result of Russia’s WTO membership and the opening of its market.
In late 2012, ANSI held a briefing to inform members of U.S. industry about the implications of Russia’s WTO-related commitments, and to solicit relevant industry feedback about standards, compliance, and market access priorities [see related story]. ANSI subsequently took part in a meeting of Russian and U.S. experts on issues related to international trade [see related story].
The May event will be held at the World Trade Center Moscow, and will include speakers from the DoC and ANSI, as well as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Russia’s Federal Agency for Technical Regulations and Metrology (Rosstandart), and the Ministry of Economic Development and Ministry of Industry and Trade, and other key Russian and U.S. agencies and organizations.
The forum’s agenda will include discussions of the U.S. and Russian standards systems and WTO TBT principles, as well as industry cooperation in areas such as fire protection standards for the petroleum industry and medical device standards.
Participation in the forum is free. However, all participants must registration in advance through the World Trade Center Moscow’s website. All interested organizations in the U.S. and Russia are encouraged to attend.
For more information about the forum, please contact Leslie McDermott, ANSI senior manager for international development, at intl@ansi.org.
