National Treatment provisions in CPTPP agreement: guidance for conformity assessment bodies and businesses

Following the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) last year, the Department for Business and Trade have published guidance on how UK conformity assessment bodes (CABs) can utilise the National Treatment provisions.

New CPTPP powers allow UK CABs to apply for accreditation in other CPTPP countries and to be treated equally to domestic CABs through the application process.

The National Treatment provisions allow UK CABs to assess against the other CPTPP countries regulations in the UK. This means UK CABs can take on more business directly and it reduces costs for businesses who would previously have to export their goods for assessing.

The guidance outlines how UK CABs can engage with overseas accreditation bodies / approval bodies, including the relevant contact details and how to present credentials. It also advises businesses that UK CABs may now also be recognised for the CPTPP markets – eligibility can be checked via the UK Market Conformity Assessment Bodies Database.

You can access the guidance here: National Treatment of Conformity Assessment Bodies (NTCAB) for conformity assessment bodies (CABs) and businesses – GOV.UK