The significant increase in imported consumer goods into SADC countries over the last decade has caused several SADC Governments to implement or to consider implementing Consignment Based Conformity Assessment (CBCA) or Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programmes. CBCA/PVoC programmes are generally described as having the following objectives:

• To protect consumers from dangerous, substandard or counterfeit products.

• To protect the environment.

• To protect domestic industry from unfair competition from non-compliant goods.

• To facilitate trade through the avoidance of consignment testing upon arrival or multiple testing requirements.

CBCA/PVoC programmes could indeed achieve all of these objectives, but they pose challenges to governments in terms of design and execution in order to avoid them being in breach of the provisions of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT), other applicable WTO agreements and certain aspects of regional trade arrangements.

This Trade Brief will look at CBCA/PVoC programmes in the SADC region and will discuss them in a GATT, WTO and SADC context.

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