Committee on Trade and Development - Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements - Factual Presentation - Economic Complementarity Agreement between Mexico and Cuba - Goods - Report by the Secretariat

Factual Presentation

Economic Complementarity Agreement between Mexico and CUBA
(Goods)

Report by the Secretariat

This report, prepared for the consideration of the Economic Complementarity Agreement between Mexico and Cuba, has been drawn up by the WTO Secretariat on its own responsibility and in full consultation with the Parties. The factual presentation reproduces as closely as possible the terminology used in the Agreement and in the comments provided and does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the Secretariat of such terminology. The report has been drawn up in accordance with the rules and procedures contained in the Decision for a Transparency Mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements (WT/L/671) and thus does not imply any value judgement by the Secretariat regarding the contents of the Agreement.

Any technical questions arising from this report may be addressed to Maria Donner Abreu (tel: +41 22 739 5244). Any statistical questions arising from this report may be addressed to Rowena Cabos (tel: +41 22 739 5185).

               

Table of Contents

Page

1   Trade Environment. 3

2   Characteristic Elements of the Agreement. 5

2.1   Background information. 5

3   Provisions on trade in goods. 5

3.1   Import duties and charges, and quantitative restrictions. 5

3.1.1   General provisions. 5

3.1.2   Liberalization of trade and tariff lines. 6

3.1.3   Liberalization schedule. 7

3.1.4   Tariff rate quotas. 8

3.2   Rules of origin. 9

3.3   Export duties and charges, and quantitative restrictions. 10

3.4   Regulatory provisions of the agreement 10

3.4.1   Standards. 10

3.4.2   Safeguard mechanisms. 11

3.4.3   Anti-dumping and countervailing measures. 11

3.4.4   Subsidies and State-aid. 11

3.4.5   Customs-related procedures. 12

3.4.6   Other 12

4   General Provisions of the Agreement. 12

4.1   Transparency. 12

4.2   Current payments and capital movements. 12

4.3   Exceptions. 12

4.4   Accession and withdrawal 13

4.5   Institutional framework. 13

4.6   Dispute settlement 13

4.7   Relationship with other agreements concluded by the Parties. 14

4.8   Government procurement 15

4.9   Intellectual property rights. 15

4.10   Competition. 16

4.11   Environment 16

4.12   Labour 16

4.13   Electronic Commerce. 16

4.14   Small and medium-sized enterprises. 16

4.15   Special and differential treatment 16

Annex 1. 17

Annex 2. 19