An analysis of technical barriers to trade within the European Union perspective

Abstract

After setting up the necessary framework for the subject on technical barriers to trade (TBT), this study tries to enlighten the removal efforts of the TBT within the European Union (EU) and Turkey. In this respect, this study covers the removal approaches of TBT in the EU together with Turkey's alignment with the EU on the subject, as required by the Customs Union Agreement. This study also tries to evaluate the importance of different approaches on the removal of TBT on the Turkish trade with the EU. This evaluation is prepared by allocating external trade values for product groups into the regulatory approaches of the EU and analyzing the coverage of these approaches in the total external trade of the EU-15 countries. Accordingly, it is found that most of the Turkish trade with the EU-15 countries may be subject to technical regulations. Moreover, it is observed that the shares of the Turkish trade regarding the different EU approaches on TBT evolve over time. This study discovers that the importance of harmonizing the EU legislation on the iv removal of TBT on Turkish exports to the EU-15 has been increasing over the timeline. Additionally, it is observed that the number of product groups, which Turkey reveals as comparative advantage in harmonized area, is increasing over time. Thus, Turkey is becoming more competitive in the EU-15 market.