EU opposes India's attempt to include additional steel products under BIS quality control

In a notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO), India intends to include more steel and stainless steel products in its quality control system. Previous attempts to do so have generated a lot of protest from various member states, especially from the EU region.

According to government sources, this step is necessary to ensure the safety of infrastructure and human health. However, some WTO members see this as a non-tariff barrier to restrict imports of these products.

The Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Project, 2019, from the Indian Ministry of Steel, specifies that transformer cores, with or without winding, should only be manufactured from BIS marked steel plate and strip that meets certain Indian standards. Standard (IS) specifications. Another category of products that must be made from IS specialty stainless steel products are stainless steel pipes and tubes. The draft order clearly states that it applies to both domestic production and imports.

Currently, about 50 carbon steel products and 3 stainless steel products are subject to quality assurance testing.

The European Union is opposed to the BIS quality certification requirement, requiring India to accept tests carried out in foreign accredited laboratories. The EU views the retesting requirement as a non-tariff barrier to trade that should be removed soon.