WT/COMTD/N/55
20 July 2017
(17-4034) Page: 1/1
Committee on Trade and Development
Original: English
NOTIFICATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENT
1. Member(s) notifying: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, States Parties to the
MERCOSUR and Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, Member
States of SACU
2. Date of notification: 19 July 2017
3. Notification pursuant to
[ ] Article XXIV:7(a) of GATT 1994
[ ] Article V:7(a) of GATS
[X] Paragraph 4(a) of the Enabling Clause
4. Parties to the Agreement: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, States Parties to
the MERCOSUR and Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, Member
States of SACU
5. Date(s) of signature:
15 December 2008, Salvador (by MERCOSUR Members)
3 April 2009, Maseru (by SACU Members)
6. Date(s) of entry into Force: 1 April 2016
7. Brief description of the Agreement:
The Preferential Trade Agreement between MERCOSUR and SACU is the first step
towards strengthening economic and trade relations between the signatory Parties. The
objective is to promote bilateral trade flows by means of mutual concessions, tariff
preferences and other conditions agreed for the importation from the respective
territories of the Parties. The Agreement envisages preferential tariff access for certain
number of products from each Party. The Parties also agree to strengthen their
cooperation in the areas of animal health and plant protection, standards, technical
regulations and conformity assessment, food safety and mutual recognition of sanitary
and phytosanitary measures. The Agreement also contains provisions on Rules of Origin,
Safeguard Measures, Dispute Settlement procedures and Customs cooperation.
8. Text and related schedules, annexes and protocols are:
[ ] submitted to the WTO Secretariat (electronic format)
[X] available from the following official Internet link(s):
(MERCOSUR): http://mre.gov.py/tratados/public_web/DetallesTratado.aspx
(SACU): http://www.sacu.int/docs/agreements/2016/mercosur-and-sacu-tradeagreement.
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