ITA Standards Initiative

Standards and Competitiveness

The Office of Standards Liaison (OSL) works with members of ITA's Commercial Service, Market Access and Compliance, Manufacturing and Services, and Import Administration staff on trade matters that have a primary component involving standardization and/or conformity assessment, such as:

market access of chemicals, manufactured goods and services, and information technology
protection of intellectual property rights
compliance with trade agreements
resolution of technical barriers to trade
standardization and conformity assessment frameworks of developing markets

In working towards ITA's mission, OSL actively engages private sector stakeholders - including individual companies, industry and trade associations, and standards developing organizations - as well as pertinent U.S. government agencies and foreign regulators.

Notes from Foreign Markets

ITA employs standards attachés - located in the key markets of China, Europe and Central America - who monitor emerging standards issues having potential trade implications for U.S. businesses.

China most recent | archives | fact sheets
European Union most recent | archives
Western Hemisphere most recent | archives

Standards News

International Trade Administration and the National Association of Manufacturers to Host Seminar on the U.S. Voluntary Standards System
On July 24, the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration and the National Association of Manufacturers will host an informative morning seminar on the U.S. voluntary standards system. Panelists from industry and government will discuss key features of our U.S. standards system, both in general and as they relate to crucial areas of technology such as Smart Grid, healthcare IT and cybersecurity. They will also explore opportunities that the public and private sectors have to collaborate to maximize the contributions of the standards system in support of public policy objectives. For a copy of the seminar agenda, click here.

The seminar will be held from 9am to12pm at the Department of Commerce Auditorium, 1401 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. Attendance is free, but pre-registration is required for entry to the building.

For more information, click here.
China Industry Fact Sheets Now Available

The International Trade Administration will be publishing a series of industry fact sheets covering sector-specific standards and conformity assessment issues within China.

June 2009 fact sheet on Energy Efficiency Labelling
Previous fact sheets
NIST Releases Report on Smart Grid Development

On June 18, 2009, the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology released a report that identifies issues and proposes priorities for developing technical standards and an architecture for a U.S. Smart Grid. The Smart Grid is a planned nationwide network that will use 21st century information technology to deliver electricity efficiently, reliably and securely, while allowing increased use of renewable power source
The nearly 300-page report, developed and delivered to NIST by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), is available on the NIST Smart Grid web site.

NIST will accept public comments on the report for 30 days after the publication of an upcoming notice in the Federal Register announcing the report’s availability.
Read the official press release.

U.S. Department of Commerce | International Trade Administration