WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/PAN/21
11October 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4178)
ACCESSION OFTHE REPUBLIC OFPANAMA
On2October 1996theGeneral Council adopted aDecision (WT/ACC/PAN/20) totheeffect
thattheGovernment oftheRepublic ofPanama mayaccede totheWTO Agreement ontheterms set
outintheProtocol fortheAccession oftheRepublic ofPanama, thetextofwhich wasapproved at
theGeneral Council meeting on2October 1996(WT/GC/M/14). ThetextoftheProtocol isannexed
hereto.TheSchedulesofConcessionsonGoodsandofSpecificCommitmentsinServicesarereproduced
indocuments WT/ACC/PAN/19/Add.1 andAdd.2, respectively.
_______________
On2October1996,theMinisterforTradeandIndustryofPanama,Mrs.NitziaR.deVillarreal,
signed adreferendum theProtocol ofAccession.WT/ACC/PAN/21
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PROTOCOL OFACCESSION OFTHE REPUBLIC OFPANAMA
TOTHE MARRAKESH AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING
THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
TheWorld Trade Organization (hereinafter referred toasthe"WTO"), pursuant totheapproval
oftheGeneral Council oftheWTO accorded under Article XIIoftheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing
theWorld Trade Organization (hereinafter referred toas"WTO Agreement"), andtheRepublic of
Panama (hereinafter referred toas"Panama"),
Taking noteoftheReport oftheWorking Party ontheAccession ofPanama totheWTO in
document WT/ACC/PAN/19 andAddenda 1and2(hereinafter referred toasthe"Working Party
Report"),
Having regard totheresults ofthenegotiations ontheaccession ofPanama totheWTO,
Agree asfollows:
PartI-General
1. Upon entry intoforce ofthisProtocol, Panama accedes totheWTO Agreement pursuant to
Article XIIofthatAgreement andthereby becomes aMember oftheWTO.
2. TheWTO Agreement towhich Panama accedes shallbetheWTO Agreement asrectified,
amended orotherwise modified bysuchlegalinstruments asmayhaveentered intoforce before the
dateofentry intoforce ofthisProtocol. ThisProtocol, including thecommitments referred toin
paragraph 116oftheWorking Party Report which arehereby incorporated intothisProtocol, shall
beanintegral partoftheWTO Agreement.
3. Except asotherwise provided forintheparagraphs referred toinparagraph 116oftheWorking
Party Report, those obligations intheMultilateral Trade Agreements annexed totheWTO Agreement
thataretobeimplemented overaperiod oftimestarting withtheentry intoforce ofthatAgreement
shallbeimplemented byPanama asifithadaccepted thatAgreement onthedateofitsentry intoforce.
4. Panamamaymaintainameasureinconsistentwithparagraph1ofArticleIIoftheGATSprovided
thatsuchameasure isrecorded intheListofArticle IIExemptions annexed tothisProtocol andmeets
theconditions oftheannex totheGATS onArticle IIExemptions.
PartII-Schedules
5. TheSchedules annexed tothisProtocol shall become theSchedule ofConcessions and
Commitments annexed totheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 (hereinafter referred to
asthe"GATT 1994") andtheSchedule ofSpecific Commitments annexed totheGeneral Agreement
onTrade inServices (hereinafter referred toas"GATS") relating toPanama. Thestaging ofthe
concessions andcommitments listed intheSchedules shallbeimplemented asspecified intherelevant
parts oftherespective Schedules.
6. Forthepurpose ofthereference inparagraph 6(a)ofArticle IIoftheGATT 1994tothedate
ofthatAgreement, theapplicable dateinrespect oftheSchedules ofConcessions andCommitments
annexed tothisProtocol shallbethedateofentry intoforce ofthisProtocol.WT/ACC/PAN/21
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PartIII-Final Provisions
7. ThisProtocol shall beopen foracceptance, bysignature orotherwise, byPanama until
30June1997.
8. ThisProtocol shallenter intoforce onthethirtieth dayfollowing thedayofitsacceptance.
9. ThisProtocol shallbedeposited withtheDirector-General oftheWTO. TheDirector-General
oftheWTO shallpromptly furnish acertified copyofthisProtocol andanotification ofacceptance
thereto pursuant toparagraph 7toeachMember oftheWTO andtoPanama.
10. ThisProtocol shallberegistered inaccordance withtheprovisions ofArticle 102oftheCharter
oftheUnited Nations.
Done atGeneva thissecond dayofOctober onethousand ninehundred andninety-six, ina
single copy intheEnglish, French andSpanish languages eachtextbeing authentic, except thata
Schedule annexed hereto mayspecify thatitisauthentic inonlyoneormore ofthese languages.