Cooperation between United States and Canada in Regulating Transborder Pipelines

Abstract

The article is devoted to cooperation of the United States and Canada in the field of cross­border oil and oil products transportation via pipelines, as well as standardization that is closely related to their functioning. The study focuses on the relationship between developments in trade relations, international regulation of international trade and development of pipeline transport. As part of the analysis of cooperation between the countries, the main focus is placed on practice of developing and expanding cooperation in North America, which is characterized by active interaction of authorities, expressed in international legal acts, both mandatory and non­binding. In the WTO system, a distinction is made between two terms: "standard", the observance of which is voluntary, and "technical regulations", including the requirement that compliance is mandatory for companies. The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade recognizes the right of countries to establish technical regulations, including requirements for labeling and packaging of goods, which should be based on evidence­based data. Similar rules apply to the processes of determining compliance with standards – certification. The use of international standards seems to be a positive trend in the development of national standardization systems, but the need for regulatory bodies to bring standardization in line with regional and international standards generates a number of specific tasks. The record of cooperation between Canada and the United States demonstrates that parties managed to establish highly efficient regulatory regime, built upon multi­level interaction.