NOTIFICATION
OF CHANGES AFFECTING THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF A REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENT
Addendum
The following
communication, dated 12 September 2025, has been received from the Delegations of the EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
and Switzerland) and Georgia.
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Notification of the entry into force of Decision No. 2 of 2022 of the
EFTA-Georgia Joint Committee concerning amendments to Annex II concerning rules
of origin and methods of administrative cooperation.
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1.
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Member(s) notifying:
Georgia and the EFTA States
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2.
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Date of notification:
12 September 2025
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3.
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Notification pursuant to:
[X] Paragraph 14 of the Transparency Mechanism
for Regional Trade Agreements (WT/L/671)
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4.
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Changes
affect:
[X] goods
[ ] services
[ ] both
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5.
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Original RTA being modified:
Free Trade Agreement between Georgia and
the EFTA States
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6.
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WTO document reference of original notification of
RTA: WT/REG386/N/1
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7.
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Parties to the Agreement:
Georgia
and the EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland)
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8.
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Date of adoption:
13 May 2022
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9.
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Date(s) of entry into Force/provisional-application:
1 December 2023
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10.
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Brief description of the changes:
The revised rules of the Regional Convention
on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (PEM Convention)
introduce a new set of modernised rules of origin designed to promote trade
between the Contracting Parties to the PEM Convention. The EFTA States and
Georgia have agreed to amend and replace Annex II to the Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) concerning the definition of the concept of "originating products"
and Methods of Administrative Cooperation, incorporating a dynamic link to
the PEM Convention and applying the revised rules of the PEM Convention in
parallel to the old PEM rules alternatively on a bilateral basis pending
their adoption by the Joint Committee of the PEM Convention.
Key changes include greater flexibility in
the cumulation of origin, introducing simplified, more flexible
product-specific rules, as well as allowing for the issuance of electronic
origin certificates. These updates aim to reduce administrative burdens,
simplify trade documentation, and offer businesses more opportunities within
the PEM zone.
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11.
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Text and related schedules, annexes and protocols
are:
[X] submitted
to the WTO Secretariat (electronic format)
[X] available
from the following official Internet link(s):
EFTA:
https://www.efta.int/sites/default/files/documents/free-trade/News/Joint-Committee-Documents/EFTA-Georgia_Joint%20Committee%20decision%202_2022%20incorporating%20the%20PEM%20Convention.PDF
Georgia:
https://info.parliament.ge/file/1/BillReviewContent/338434
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