Cross- cutting issues in regional trade agreements: Sanitary and phytosanitary measures

There has been a proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) since the early 1990s. As of 1 December 2014, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)/ WTO members had notified nearly 600 RTAs, counting goods and services notifications separately, to the WTO. Out of these RTAs, 256 are currently in force. Many of the RTAs contain provisions regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures that conform to provisions contained in the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (hereafter “SPS Agreement”). Other RTAs currently in force to determine provisions go beyond the SPS Agreement requirements. This chapter summarizes whether the key provisions of the SPS Agreement are incorporated into RTAs and highlights trends where the RTAs provisions go beyond the provisions in the SPS Agreement.