Non-tariff measures (NTMs) have become increasingly important in international trade as tariffs get limited by the WTO. More and more creativity is being used by countries to regulate trade in sectors of national interest and stay WTO compliant at the same time. It is all about how well policy-makers are able to make use of the ambiguity in the WTO Agreements negotiated decades ago to benefit their domestic industry. For exporters, just being aware of NTMs will not suffice. They have to be well versed with them, among other aspects of trade.

Attempts have been made to demystify NTMs by explaining the concepts of the WTO SPS and TBT Agreements hidden behind legal language and clearly explain what can be the norm and what is a violation. This book also looks at NTM regulations by countries where India has export potential, such as automobiles, chemicals, toys, textiles, etc., and the difference between policy making of developed and developing nations.

It cannot end without touching upon what India needs to do to discipline its domestic regulatory environment from the view of impact assessment and market surveillance. Both are related to the effective implementation of a regulation and thus need discussion in today`s context.

Tanu Singh, is currently working with Government of India, Department of Commerce (DoC) as Deputy Director-General  of Foreign Trade. She completed her graduation (B.Tech.) in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and worked for a brief period as a scientist in the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Thereafter, she completed MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bengaluru, and worked in the oil and gas sector before joining the Government of India in the Indian Trade Service (ITS) as Assistant Director-General of Foreign Trade.

Working for six years in DoC, she has been involved in negotiating SPS and TBT chapters in a number of FTAs such as Peru, Canada,  Sri Lanka, the UAE, the EU, the UK, etc.     She was actively involved in RCEP negotiations and led the Indian side on numerous occasions. The work entailed continuous interaction with EPCs, ministries, and legal teams for policy matters on SPS    and TBT at the WTO, bilateral and multilateral levels.