Abstract

This  paper  provides  an  overview  of  methods  employed  to  quantify  non-tariff  measures (NTMs) and then analyses their differences and looks at what these mean for the Transatlantic Trade  and  Investment  Partnership  (TTIP)  negotiations.  We  find  several  similarities  in  the approaches taken. Because all studies conclude that NTMs matter, policy-makers are right to focus on ‘regulatory cooperation’ in TTIP. Given the significant differences in NTMs across sectors, policy-makers should dive deep into sector-specific elements of NTMs and focus on those sectors where the largest potential gains can be made (i.e. where NTMs are highest, such as  in  agriculture,  automobiles,  steel,  textiles  and  insurance  services).  An  area  identified  for further research is the fact that unlike trade taxes (i.e. tariffs), regulatory barriers to trade are not  generally  targeted  as  the  primary  policy  objective,  but  rather  stem  from  other  strategic policy  concerns  such  as  consumer  safety  and/or  social  and  environmental  protection.  This element should be further investigated.