The complainants also refer to figures on the typical market penetration achieved by imported spirits in other developing countries broadly similar to India, which suggest that the barriers to trade confronting the EU spirits industry in India are particularly problematic.

Internal Market Scoreboard shows progress, but trade obstacles remain

Whereas such controls should comply with obligations incumbent upon the Community under GATT to conduct trade on a non-discriminatory basis and under the GATT Code on Technical Barriers to Trade, according to which standards should not be applied as a means of creating obstacles to international trade,

7. They welcomed the fact that additional protocols to the agreements between the EFTA countries and the European Economic Community consequent on the accession of Spain and Portugal to the EC had now been signed, accelerating the suspension of EFTA countries' customs duties on products imported from Spain. 8. Ministers of the EFTA countries and Mr. Christophersen welcomed the new developments with regard to : - Technical barriers to trade, where : further substantial progress had recently been achieved in the negotiations conc ...[+++]erning an exchange of information between the EC and the EFTA countries in the field of technical regulations, as a contribution to the prevention of barriers to trade in this field and it is hoped that an agreement will shortly be signed; it had been agreed to extend to certain new areas (safety of machines, electromagnetic compatibility, measuring instruments, telecommunication terminal equipment) the discussions currently under way between experts, with a view to the elimination of technical barriers to trade in specific sectors; it had been agreed that EC and EFTA experts should examine the common elements to be included in EFTA-EC mutual recognition agreements; the EC Commission would shortly be making recommendations to the EC Council concerning the general approach to be followed as regards testing and certification.

Cooperation on trade In this field, the objective will be to develop and diversify bilateral trade between the EC and Vietnam and to improve access to markets; this chapter will provide for the application of the "most favoured nation" system. It will concern: the study of ways and means to eliminate trade barriers, in particular non-tariff barriers, between the parties, while taking account of the differences between their systems, and of work carried out in this area by international bodies; the improvement of cooperation between the parties' respective customs authorities, in particular with regard to training, simplifying and harmo ...[+++]nizing customs procedures, and preventing, detecting and penalizing customs offences; exchange of information about mutually advantageous trade opportunities.

Many of the barriers to trade identified result from divergent economic regulations among the trading partners rather than from explicitly protectionist measures.