Removal of import barriers

The government decision adopts the committee's recommendations on increased competition and removing import barriers, headed by the CEO of the Ministry of Economy, Amit Lang.

According to the decision, government ministries are required to prepare a work plan in order to adjust the policy for importing goods to Israel as is the common practice in developed countries and in accordance with the decision regarding reduction of the regulatory burden (2118).

As part of the work plan, a detailed proposal will be submitted, detailing the relevant goods pertaining to each government ministry and the specific requirements applicable to these goods when imported. A governmental methodology will be formed and regulated in order to supervise markets and conduct risk management. In addition, the Minister of Economy will promote the signing of international accords with other countries to acknowledge goods suitability certificates to binding standards or technical requirements, and will officially remove provisions from official standards which set forth national requirements that cannot be justified according to the Standards Law. The decision includes steps to establish accessibility to the protocols of standardization committees at the Standards Institution of Israel (SII), increasing the number of representatives of the on behalf of the Ministry of Economy and provisions regarding required orders and legislation amendments for implementing the report's recommendations.

The government decision has only been partially implemented, with a long list of tasks, mostly under the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and its support units, advancing in a satisfactory manner.  This includes making the information accessible to the public through governmental websites. Other sections, involving work with governmental regulators responsible for import, are in various stages of implementation and have not been completed to date. The majority of ministerial work programs to reduce regulation and remove barriers to import have not yet been completed.