8.

Requirements Relative to the Development of Criteria, Standards and Amendments

8.1 Standards shall include criteria that are objective and verifiable, and will lead to no ambiguities when interpreted by users and consumers. They must be flexible enough, thus making them easily applicable by firms of all sizes and in the various regions.

8.2 Impartiality shall prevail throughout the development of new standards. Each Standards Committee section shall take existing regulations and market requirements into account, along with those pertaining to scientific and technical developments.

8.3 Whenever possible, normative requirements shall be stated in terms that refer to management and performance rather than a product's descriptive characteristics or design, and shall not favour any given technology or particular patented product.

8.4 When developing new standards, terms of reference are of primary importance and the parties primarily concerned with a designation must be given a chance to comment on these terms. There shall be justification for all standards and their objectives.

8.5 Administrative requirements concerning compliance evaluation and marks of conformity shall be described separately from technical or process requirements, or those of management, in a document entitled "Accreditation Criteria."

8.6 When standards contain a list of allowable substances, they shall be described separately from the rest of the standards. Any principles or criteria used to determine whether or not to include substances on this list shall appear above the list. There shall also be a procedure describing how new substances may be added to this list by those using the standards.

8.7 Social, environmental or economic objectives shall be clearly explained in standards. Standards should thus not lead to trade barriers, over and above those needed to achieve the goals legitimately intended for standards. Unless they apply to designations of origin (AOC) or protected geographical indications (PGI), standards should not discriminate against similar products that originate from other regions or countries.

8.8 When international standards for a type of designation exist, then the standards developed by the Board should be based on these. Standards must however be adapted to the economic, social, environmental and legal context in the regions where they will be applied, and according to known criteria. Standards should not lead to different interpretations by various certifying bodies.

8.9 The CARTV shall actively strive to harmonize its normative requirements with those of other organizations responsible for standards in the same fields, as long as this harmonization will in no way diminish the rigour of these standards.