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(...) Other agencies involved in the development of technical regulations include: Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, National Environment Agency, and the Public Utilities Board.

The Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) of SPRING (Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) is responsible for accrediting conformity assessment bodies. (...) The SAC operates accreditation programmes in: (...) environmental, medical, medical imaging, electrical, non-destructive testing, (...) quality management systems certification bodies such as for quality (ISO 9001), environmental (ISO 14001), (...) ISO 22000 and water efficiency (...)

The main statutes governing SPS measures are the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority Act; the Animal and Birds Act; the Control of Plants Act; the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act; the Sale of Food Act; the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act; the Wild Animals and Birds Act; the Fisheries Act; and the Feeding Stuffs Act.

The Competition Act applies to all undertakings, i.e. all natural or legal persons capable of commercial or economic activity, regardless of whether they are foreign-owned, Singapore-owned, or owned by the Government or its statutory boards. The legislation does not cover activities, agreements, and conduct of the Government, statutory bodies, or entities acting on their behalf. Some sectors are excluded from the law due to public interest considerations (e.g. national security concerns), or because they already have sectoral competition frameworks. These include: energy, telecommunications and postal services, media, and airport services. Excluded activities include: the supply of piped water; supply of wastewater management services; supply of scheduled bus and rail services; and maritime cargo terminal operations.

The precision engineering industry is a key supplier for industries such as electronics, marine, aerospace, oil and gas, and medical devices. There are about 2,700 enterprises in these industries. The design and assembly of machinery and systems subsector includes machine tools, and semiconductor and solar equipment makers. (...)

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is responsible for implementing maritime policy, including the management of port waters and ensuring navigational safety, security and environmental protection, and licensing of maritime and port services and facilities. (...)

Singapore is party to all major International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions on ship safety and marine pollution prevention. The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) Act 2014 entered into force on 20 August 2013, which gives effect to the Maritime Labour Convention of the International Labour Organization. The Convention provides a framework of rights and minimum requirements for seafarer working conditions. The new regime applies to seafarers on board Singapore-registered ships and foreign ships calling at Singapore.

In 2011, the MPA (Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore) pledged to invest up to S$100 million over five years through the Maritime Singapore Green Initiative (MSGI), which aims to reduce the environmental impact of the maritime transport sector. The MSGI comprises the Green Ship Programme (GSP) – qualifying Singapore-flagged ships benefit from registration fee reductions and an annual tonnage tax refund; the Green Port Programme (GPP) – ocean-going ships calling at the port of Singapore benefit from a 15-25% reduction in port fees; and the Green Technology Programme (GTP) – local maritime companies may qualify for grants on up to 50% of project costs capped at S$2 million for technologies resulting in at least a 5% emission reduction, and capped at S$3 million for technologies resulting in at least a 20% emission reduction. The MPA also provides support to maritime companies through the Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) Fund and the Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF), aimed at encouraging maritime R&D and manpower development. Funding of S$150 million and S$115 million has been allocated for the MINT and the MCF Manpower Development, respectively, until 2018.

Table A2. 1 Notifications submitted by Singapore, January 2012–January 2016
Products covered/subject Additional comments Document symbol Date
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
Diesel engines Compliance with emission standards G/TBT/N/SGP/14 21/09/2012
(...)
Air-conditioners and refrigerators Amendments to the Environmental Protection and Management Act, Environmental Protection and Management (Registrable Goods) Order and Environmental Protection and Management (Energy Conservation) Regulations G/TBT/N/SGP/16 01/05/2013
Washing machines Amendments to the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme G/TBT/N/SGP/17 17/06/2013
Single-phase televisions Amendments to Energy Conservation Act, Energy Conservation (Registrable Goods) Order and Energy Conservation (Energy Labelling and Minimum Performance Standards) Regulations G/TBT/N/SGP/18 17/09/2013
Single-phase clothes dryers Amendments to Energy Conservation Act, Energy Conservation (Registrable Goods) Order and Energy Conservation (Energy Labelling and Minimum Performance Standards) Regulations G/TBT/N/SGP/19 17/09/2013
(...)
Clothes washing machines Minimum water efficiency requirements G/TBT/N/SGP/22 06/11/2014
Lamps Inclusion in the Energy Conservation (Registrable Goods) Order and Energy Conservation (Energy Labelling and Minimum Performance Standards) Regulations G/TBT/N/SGP/23 04/02/2015
Miscellaneous products Amendments to the Environmental Protection and Management Act G/TBT/N/SGP/24 09/07/2015
(...)
Air-conditioners Amendments to the Energy Conservation (Energy Labelling and Minimum Performance Standards) Regulations G/TBT/N/SGP/26 13/01/2016
(...)

To support the WTO's regular work, Singapore has chaired committees and negotiating groups in Geneva, and tabled papers and proposals to advance discussions on issues such as environmental goods and non-tariff barriers