nontarifaire

Non-tariff measures, often abbreviated as NTMs, are policy measures other than ordinary customs duties that affect international trade by restricting, regulating, or shaping the conditions under which goods and services cross borders. In French, these are commonly called mesures non tarifaires or nontarifaires. NTMs can serve legitimate public objectives such as protecting health, safety, the environment, and consumers, but they can also be used to influence market access or shield domestic industries from competition.

NTMs cover a wide range of instruments. Common types include import licensing and quotas, technical regulations and standards, conformity assessment and testing requirements, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, labeling and packaging rules, origin and documentary requirements, and various border and administrative procedures. While many NTMs pursue transparent policy objectives, others may be opaque or discretionary, raising compliance costs and trade frictions.

Within the World Trade Organization framework, NTMs are defined as measures other than tariffs that affect trade. The TBT Agreement and the SPS Agreement regulate many NTMs to ensure they are transparent, non-discriminatory, and grounded in science or legitimate regulatory objectives. NTMs can be more trade-restrictive than tariffs in some cases, underscoring the importance of international cooperation, transparency, and impact assessment in trade policy.

Governments use NTMs to pursue public policy goals, implement regulatory standards, manage risks, and negotiate market access. Analyzing NTMs helps policymakers balance legitimate objectives with the goal of minimizing unnecessary barriers to trade.