Record High of 2,195 Trade Technical Barriers in the First Half

[Financial News] The number of technical regulations notified by World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries in the first half of this year reached a record high of 2,195.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the trends of trade technical barriers for the first half of 2025 on the 13th.
The 2,195 technical regulations recorded this year represent a 9.3% increase compared to the 2,009 recorded in the same period last year, confirming a continuous increase in technical regulations.
The regulations of the major three countries, the United States, China, and the European Union (EU), increased by 16.2% from 352 to 409 in one year.
The United States recorded the highest number of notifications with 229, a 10.1% increase from the previous year, by strengthening regulations on automotive safety and energy efficiency of machinery and restricting the use of high-risk chemicals.
China notified 127 cases, a 27% increase, by strengthening safety standards for machinery and consumer goods such as firefighting equipment and protective clothing, and by revising regulations on fire detection and alarm performance of electronic products.
The EU also notified 53 cases, a 20.5% increase, by strictly enforcing restrictions on automotive pollutant emissions and conformity assessment requirements in the chemical sector. Meanwhile, Indonesia increased regulations on 57 items including chemical ceramics and steel certification, raising the number of notifications in the Asia region to 419, a 38.3% increase.
Kim Dae-ja, Director of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, stated, "Responding to trade technical barriers (TBT) is a key means to enhance the export competitiveness of our companies," adding, "We will spare no support in resolving TBT and overseas certification difficulties in line with the new government's goal of achieving $1 trillion in exports." 

leeyb@fnnews.com Lee Yu-beom Reporter