

Currently released so far... 12648 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AORC
AF
AU
ASEC
AMGT
AS
APER
AR
AG
ARF
AJ
AA
AINF
APECO
AODE
ABLD
AMG
ATPDEA
AE
AEMR
AMED
AGAO
AFIN
AL
ASUP
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AID
ASCH
AM
AORL
ASEAN
APEC
ADM
AFSI
AFSN
ADCO
ABUD
AN
AY
AIT
AGR
ACOA
ANET
ASIG
AMCHAMS
AGMT
AADP
ADPM
ATRN
ALOW
ACS
APCS
AFFAIRS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AROC
AO
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AFU
BR
BTIO
BY
BO
BA
BU
BL
BN
BM
BF
BEXP
BK
BG
BB
BTIU
BBSR
BRUSSELS
BD
BIDEN
BE
BH
BILAT
BC
BX
BT
BP
BMGT
BWC
CS
CA
CH
CD
CO
CE
CU
CVIS
CASC
CJAN
CI
CPAS
CMGT
CDG
CIC
CAC
CBW
CWC
COUNTER
CW
CT
CY
CNARC
CACM
CG
CB
CM
CV
CIDA
CLINTON
CHR
COE
CR
CIS
CDC
CONS
CF
CODEL
COPUOS
CIA
CFED
CARSON
CL
CROS
CAPC
CTR
CACS
CN
CBSA
CEUDA
COM
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CARICOM
CSW
CITT
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
EAID
ECON
EFIS
ETRD
EC
ENRG
EINV
EFIN
EAGR
ETTC
ECPS
EINT
ES
EIND
EAIR
EU
EUN
EG
EPET
ELAB
EWWT
EMIN
ECIN
ESA
ER
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
EAIG
ET
ETRO
ELTN
EI
EN
EUR
EK
EUMEM
EPA
ENGR
EXTERNAL
EUREM
ELN
EUC
ENERG
ENIV
EZ
ERD
EFTA
ETRC
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ESENV
ENNP
ENVI
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECINECONCS
EFINECONCS
ELECTIONS
ENVR
EXIM
ERNG
ECA
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
IC
IV
IAEA
IR
IO
IT
IN
IS
IZ
IMO
IPR
IWC
ICAO
ILO
ID
ICTY
ICJ
INMARSAT
INDO
IL
IMF
IRS
IQ
IA
ICRC
IDA
IAHRC
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
IGAD
ILC
ITU
ITF
INRA
INRO
IDP
ICTR
IEFIN
IRC
ITRA
ITALY
INRB
INTELSAT
IBET
IRAQI
ISRAELI
IIP
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ISRAEL
IACI
KBTR
KPAO
KOMC
KCRM
KDEM
KHIV
KBIO
KTIA
KMDR
KNNP
KSCA
KTIP
KWMN
KIPR
KCOR
KRVC
KFRD
KPAL
KWBG
KE
KTDB
KUNR
KSPR
KJUS
KGHG
KAWC
KCFE
KGCC
KOLY
KSUM
KACT
KISL
KTFN
KFLU
KSTH
KMPI
KHDP
KS
KHLS
KMRS
KID
KN
KU
KAWK
KSAC
KCOM
KAID
KIRC
KWMNCS
KMCA
KNEI
KCRS
KPKO
KICC
KPOA
KV
KDRG
KIRF
KSEO
KVPR
KSEP
KTER
KBCT
KFIN
KGIC
KCIP
KZ
KG
KWAC
KRAD
KPRP
KTEX
KNAR
KPLS
KPAK
KSTC
KFLO
KSCI
KIDE
KOMS
KHSA
KSAF
KPWR
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFSC
KRIM
KVRP
KENV
KNSD
KCGC
KDDG
KPRV
KTBT
KWMM
KMFO
KMOC
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KPAI
KO
KVIR
KREC
KX
KR
KCRCM
KBTS
KOCI
KGIT
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KTRD
KNPP
KJUST
KCMR
KRCM
KCFC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KLIG
KDEMAF
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KMIG
KRGY
KIFR
MARR
MOPS
MASS
MX
MNUC
MCAP
MO
MR
MEPP
MTCRE
MAPP
MEPN
MZ
MT
ML
MA
MY
MIL
MD
MASSMNUC
MU
MK
MTCR
MUCN
MAS
MEDIA
MAR
MC
MI
MQADHAFI
MPOS
MTRE
MASC
MG
MARAD
MRCRE
MW
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
NATO
NZ
NL
NO
NK
NU
NPT
NI
NG
NEW
NSF
NA
NPG
NSG
NE
NSSP
NS
NDP
NSC
NAFTA
NH
NV
NP
NPA
NSFO
NT
NW
NASA
NORAD
NATIONAL
NGO
NR
NIPP
NZUS
NC
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
OEXC
OTRA
OPRC
OVIP
OAS
OIIP
OSCE
OREP
OPIC
OFDP
OMIG
ODIP
OVP
OSCI
OIC
OECD
OIE
OPDC
ON
OCII
OPAD
OBSP
OFFICIALS
OPCW
OHUM
OES
OCS
OTR
OSAC
OFDA
PGOV
PREL
PM
PHUM
PTER
PINR
PINS
PREF
PARM
PL
PK
PU
PBTS
PBIO
PHSA
PE
PO
PROP
PA
PNAT
POL
PLN
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PCUL
PAK
PGGV
PAO
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PAS
PGIV
PHUMPREL
PCI
PG
POGOV
PHUMPGOV
PEL
POLITICS
POLICY
PINL
PP
PREO
PAHO
PBT
PMIL
POV
PRL
PDOV
PTBS
PRAM
PREFA
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PALESTINIAN
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PINF
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PGOC
PY
PHUH
PF
PHUS
RU
RS
RO
RW
RP
RFE
REGION
REACTION
REPORT
ROOD
RCMP
RM
RSO
ROBERT
RICE
RSP
RF
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
RELATIONS
SENV
SU
SCUL
SOCI
SNAR
SL
SW
SMIG
SP
SY
SA
SHUM
SZ
SYRIA
SF
SR
SO
SARS
SN
SC
SIPRS
SI
SYR
SEVN
SG
SPCE
SK
STEINBERG
SH
SNARCS
SAARC
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SEN
SANC
SWE
SHI
TW
TU
TBIO
TSPL
TPHY
TRGY
TC
TT
TSPA
TINT
TERRORISM
TX
TR
TS
TN
TD
TH
TIP
TNGD
TI
TZ
THPY
TP
TBID
TF
TL
TV
TK
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TFIN
TAGS
UN
UK
UNSC
UNGA
US
UNESCO
UP
UNHRC
UNAUS
USTR
UNDP
UNEP
UY
UNCHR
UG
UZ
UNPUOS
USEU
UNMIK
UNDC
UNICEF
UV
UNHCR
UNCHC
UNCSD
USOAS
UNFCYP
USUN
USNC
UNIDROIT
UNO
UNCND
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 05QUITO710, ECUADOR'S WHITE GOODS POLICIES
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #05QUITO710.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
05QUITO710 | 2005-03-31 20:08 | 2011-05-02 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Quito |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 QUITO 000710
SIPDIS
DEPT PASS TO USTR BENNETT HARMAN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD EINV ECON EC
SUBJECT: ECUADOR'S WHITE GOODS POLICIES
REF: STATE 30500
¶1. Summary. In response to reftel, Emboffs met with newly
appointed Vice Minister of Industries in the Ministry of
Trade (MICIP) Jorge Illingworth and Ecuadorian Standards
Institute (INEN) Director General Felipe Urresta to discuss
white goods. Urresta had not, as he had offered to USTR,
presented his proposal to the Special Committee to suspend
the current practice that had prevented entry of certain
US-produced white goods into Ecuador. Though he had on two
occasions received copies of the US white paper on Ecuador
standards and our request to provide a written response, he
has not provided us with one. He did provide an oral
response and requested a meeting with USTR and Embassy
officials prior to the April 18-22 Lima round of FTA
negotiations. Though the GOE claims it complies with its WTO
commitments regarding technical trade barriers, its
interpretation of compliance leaves plenty of room for doubt.
End Summary.
White Paper Comments
--------------------
¶2. Commercial and Econ officers recently met with newly
appointed Vice Minister of Industries in the Ministry of
Foreign Trade (MICIP) Jorge Illingworth and President of the
Ecuadorian Standards Institute (INEN) Felipe Urresta to
discuss the USG white paper provided in reftel. Urresta
confirmed that he had received copies of the white paper from
USTR and the Embassy on two separate occasions. He had not
provided a copy of the white paper to the &Special
Committee8 referred to by Urresta and the white paper, which
is the Comite Interinstitucional de Normalizacion, or
Inter-institutional Standards Committee (CIN by its Spanish
initials), but said he had discussed the salient points of
the white paper with CIN.
¶3. Illingworth and Urresta said that the trade statistics
they reviewed (from manifestos.com) do not indicate a
significant drop in US white goods entering Ecuador. They
said instead that the statistics indicated imports of white
goods from other countries (especially Brazil, Italy and
Colombia) were growing more rapidly than imports from the
USA. Urresta also asserted that there is nothing new in
Ecuador,s procedures regarding white goods, claiming that
the GOE is simply implementing its 1998 standards law.
¶4. According to Urresta, neither the INEN nor MICIP have ever
rejected Underwriter Laboratories (UL) certifications.
Urresta also claims that the GOE need not, under the WTO
Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, notify the WTO if the
GOE is applying internationally recognized standards and
processes, as is the case with white goods. He denied that
the GOE was requiring new INEN-1 compliance certificates for
superficial changes to white goods (e.g., new colors).
Urresta Takes No Action on His Offer to USTR
--------------------------------------------
¶5. Urresta had also not discussed with CIN the offer that he
had made to USTR,s Suzanne Troje last October. We again
reviewed the content of that offer for Illingworth,s
benefit. First, INEN would repeal the regulations and
instructivos (described by Urresta as mandatory instructions
designed to eliminate discretion when implementing
regulations) that have prevented some US white goods from
entering Ecuador. Second, the GOE would issue a formal
notification of new regulations with a 90-day period to
receive comments on the proposed regulations. Third, the GOE
would arrange a transparent review of the comments received
in response to the notice. Finally, the GOE would publish
the new regulation, allowing six months for implementation
before it took full effect. Urresta said he was willing to
bring the proposal to CIN, but later offered an alternative
to unblock the entry of US-made refrigerator freezers. He
said the CIN could approve a modification to the regulations
that would allow US origin refrigerators and freezers to
enter Ecuador upon presentation of a UL 250 compliance
certificate, a certificate of &tropicalization8, and a
certification that the equipment does not use CFCs. Urresta
suggested that USTR and Embassy officials meet in Quito prior
to the April 14-18 Lima FTA negotiations round.
Organizational Structure
------------------------
¶6. The CIN and various technical committees are the principal
bodies involved in standards and compliance policy.
Established in 1998 by Executive Decree 1536, the CIN is
responsible for publishing the list of goods that must comply
with Ecuadorian norms and technical registrations. The
CIN,s duties include adding or removing products from the
list of those that must comply with Ecuadorian regulations,
recommending guidelines for the correct application of this
law, recommending processes to harmonize national standards
with international ones, and any other activity related to
the contents of this decree.
¶7. The CIN published the first list of products subject to
norms and technical regulations in 1999, with subsequent
modifications in 2000, 2002 and 2003. In January 2003, by
Executive Decree 3497, the GOE introduced the INEN-1
certificate, which certifies that a product complies with
Ecuadorian technical regulations. The INEN-1 is valid for
one year. The list of products was last modified in August
2003 by Acuerdo Interministerial 03420 (Registro Oficial 158)
to include new types of gas ranges and refrigerators.
¶8. Executive Decree 3497 also defined who would serve on the
CIN: the vice ministers of Industry and Foreign Trade of
MICIP, one representative each from the chambers of commerce,
industries and small industries and the Director General of
INEN (currently Urresta). The latter is not a voting member
of CIN, but in effect runs CIN agendas and meetings. INEN
provides technical assistance to the CIN and the technical
committees. Embassy sources indicate that INEN (through
Urresta) manages and leads much of the standards work,
leaving the CIN to rely upon INEN,s technical expertise.
¶9. The technical committees are responsible for formulating
new regulations, revising old ones and drafting instructivos.
The instructivos, described above, also include information
essential to a company wishing to import regulated products.
However, Urresta asserts that the TBT agreement does not
require publication of instructivos or public notices of
changes in the instructivos. Nor are the instructivos
published on the INEN website. They are also not published
in the official register but take effect immediately upon
adoption. Urresta claims that there is no need to notify the
public of instructivos because they do not change laws or
regulations, but merely implement them.
Current Process
---------------
¶10. MICIP (at the behest of INEN) initiates a new regulation
or regulatory change when the INEN sends emails to specific
stakeholders, reportedly by sending them to various chambers
of industry, informing them of a proposed regulatory change.
INEN does send out an electronic bulletin every three
months, but it covers activities that occurred in the prior
quarter. October 2004 was the last electronic bulletin
posted on the INEN website. Though the website has links for
additional information on numerous standards issues, there is
no link for technical regulation notifications.
¶11. MICIP (again through INEN) convenes technical committees
on specific topics. According to Urresta, one must be
&technically qualified8 to participate in these meetings.
For example, in one case, invitations were sent to 27
individuals from local industry, chambers of commerce and
industry, universities and other government officials. A
technical committee was formed with 11 voting members, 1
representing a foreign manufacturer, 7 representing local
manufacturers and their suppliers, and 1 each from a
technical university, the college of mechanical engineers and
MICIP. Interested parties may send comments to the technical
committee, but the committee itself decides which comments
are worthy of consideration. INEN representatives serve as
the secretariat for the technical committees, producing draft
language for review and discussion by the committees.
Urresta resisted our suggestion to open the technical
committee meetings to the public.
¶12. After six-eight months, the technical committee submits
the to INEN,s Board of Directors (the Consejo Directivo, or
CD). The CD reviews the draft and generally forwards it to
the CIN, who in turn passes it to the Minister of MICIP for
approval. On those occasions when the CD suggests changes to
the draft, it is returned to the technical committee to be
modified and is then re-submitted to the CD. The CD sends
the vetted draft through the CIN to the Minister, who signs
the new regulation.
¶13. The GOE modified its notifications procedures in 2004.
Once a regulation is adopted, the regulation is published in
the official register and reported to the WTO by the MICIP
&inquiry point of contact.8 The WTO notification includes
the address, phone number, fax and e-mail of the inquiry
point of contact, but not the incumbent,s name (currently
Arturo Barbosa of MICIP). The WTO notice does not provide
direct access to new regulations or other related documents.
¶14. Urresta said that under the WTO TBT Agreement Ecuador was
not required to state in its WTO notices where a new
regulation could be obtained. Providing a point of contact
for further inquiries was sufficient, he asserted. He also
said that only comments from other governments (not private
companies or individuals) would be accepted by the GOE during
the 60-day WTO comment period. (Note: Andean Community
countries (CAN) ) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and
Venezuela ) by agreement have 90 days under a CAN
agreement.) Also, Urresta claims that Ecuador is not
required under the WTO TBT Agreement to notify or publish
regulations that are applying internationally recognized
standards or procedures, which he cites is the case with
white goods.
Proposed Quality Law
--------------------
¶15. Illingworth told us that Ecuador does have a proposal for
a new quality law that he helped to draft when he was Vice
President of the Guayaquil Chamber of Industries. However,
given the turmoil in the Ecuadorian Congress (a near
permanent condition, made worse over the last several
months), the new law will not be proposed to Congress in the
immediate future. (Comment: We believe it unlikely that any
serious structural reforms can be passed during the remainder
of President Gutierrez,s term in office, which expires in
January 2007. End comment.) Urresta touts a 1999 World Bank
project designed in part to restructure Ecuador,s standards,
testing and compliance agencies. However, the World Bank,
for lack of GOE progress, withdrew the funding.
Comment
-------
¶16. What is clear from our review of the Ecuadorian standards
policy and compliance mechanisms is that INEN controls most
of the process. The lack of notification to and
participation by the public means that INEN can operate as
the &technical expert8 with little to no checks and
balances, leaving considerable room for special interest
interference. Even the technical committees are stacked in
favor of local producers, thereby suggesting legitimacy to
protectionist policies. INEN has said that the WTO requires
all previous obligatory Ecuadorian technical standards to
become voluntary within three years. Therefore, Ecuador will
likely move to rewrite its technical standards as technical
regulations. In February, for the first time, Ecuador
notified two new technical regulations.
KENNEY