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WT/REG/M/99  
 
13 April 2021 
(21-3074) Page: 1/7 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements  
Ninety -Ninth  Session    
 
  
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 22 MARCH 2021  
Chairm en: Ambassador H.E. Mr. Mārtiņš KREITUS (Latvia)  
Ambassador H.E. Dr. Cleopa Kilonzo MAILU (Kenya)  
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1.1.  The 9 9th Session of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (hereinafter "CRTA " or the 
"Committee ") was convened in Airgram WTO/AIR/RTA/2 4/Rev.1  dated 12 March  2021. 
1.2.  The Chairman  welcomed delegations to the meeting. He referred to Airgram 
WTO/AIR/RTA/24/Rev.1 d ated 12 March 2021, which contained the Agenda for the Session of the 
CRTA and the note regarding "Organizational and Technical Arrangements" for the meeting. As 
stated therein, the meeting was held through the Interprefy platform. He drew delegates' atten tion 
to a few practical points for the smooth conduct of the meeting.  
1.3.  With respect to Agenda Item F "Other Business", he wished to inform Members about the 
proposed schedule for CRTA meetings for the rest of the year. He also informed them that Argentina 
wished to speak under Agenda Item F.  
1.4.  The Committee accordingly adopted  the following amended Agenda:  
 Adoption of the Agenda  
 
 Implementation of the RTA Transparency Mechanism  
I. Early Announcements  
II. Notifications of Regional Trade Agreements  
III. Notification of Changes to Existing RTAs  
IV. Non-notified RTAs  
V. Status on the Preparation of Factual Presentations  
 
 Implementation Reports under Paragraph 15 of the Transparency Mechanism for RTAs  
 
 Consideration of Regional Trade Agreements  
I. Free Trade Agreeme nt between the European Union and Singapore , Goods  
and Services  
II. Free Trade Agreement between Peru and Australia , Goods  and Services  
 
 Election of Officers  
 Other Business  
B. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RTA TRANSPARENCY MECHANISM  
1.5.  As was usual practice, the Chairman  provided an update of the Committee's work and the 
implementation of the Transparency Mechanism.  WT/REG/M/99  
 
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  B.I  Early announcements  
1.6.  The Chairman  indicated that a total of 36 early announcements were currently on the WTO 
website (n ot counting those which had been subsequently notified). The latest early announcement 
received was for the FTA between Canada and MERCOSUR . He thanked Members who had submitted 
information in line with the requirements of the Transparency Mechanism and en couraged others to 
do so. He reminded Members to inform the Secretariat of any changes in the status of early 
announcements.  
B.II Notifications of regional trade agreements  
1.7.  The Chairman  indicated that 57 notification had been received since the circulation  of the 
Airgram  of the 98th Session of the CRTA held on 18 November 2020 and had thus been included in 
the Airgram  for the Session. They were:  
- UK - Colombia, goods and services (WT/REG410/N/1  and S/C/N/1024),  
- UK - Kosovo1, goods (WT/REG411/N/1),  
- UK - Lebanon, goods (WT/REG412/N/1),  
- UK - Pacific States, goods only (WT/REG413/N/1),  
- Accession of Samoa  to UK - Pacific States , goods (WT/REG414/N/1),  
- Accession of Solomon Islands  to UK - Pacific States , goods (WT/REG415/N/1),  
- UK - Palestine, goods (WT/REG416/N/1),  
- UK - Kenya, goods (WT/REG417/N/1),  
- UK - Cameroon, goods (WT/REG418/N/1),  
- UK - Canada, goods (WT/REG419/N/1),  
- UK - CARIFORUM States, goods and services (WT/REG420/N/1 and S/C/N/1025),  
- UK - Côte d'Ivoire, goods (W T/REG421/N/1),  
- UK - Central America, goods and services (WT/REG422/N/1 and S/C/N/1026),  
- UK - Chile, goods and services (WT/REG423/N/1 and S/C/N/1027),  
- UK - Faroe Islands, goods (WT/REG424/N/1),  
- UK - Ecuador and Peru, goods  and services (WT/REG425/N/1 and S/C/N/1028),  
- UK - Egypt, goods (WT/REG426/N/1),  
- UK - Eastern and Southern  Africa States, goods (WT/REG427/N/1),  
- UK - Israel, goods (WT/REG428/N/1),  
- UK - Morocco, goods (WT/REG429/N/1),  
- UK - Norway and Iceland, goods (W T/REG430/N/1),  
 
1 Any r eference to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of the United Nations Security 
Council resolution 1244 (1999).  WT/REG/M/99  
 
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  - UK - Republic of Korea, goods (WT/REG431/N/1 and S/C/N/1029),  
- UK – Singapore, goods and services (WT/REG432/N/1 and S/C/N/1030),  
- UK – Tunisia, goods (WT/REG433/N/1),  
- UK – Turkey, goods (WT/REG434/N/1),  
- UK – Ukraine, goods and services ( WT/REG435/N/1 and S/C/N/1031),  
- UK – Viet Nam, goods and services (WT/REG436/N/1 and S/C/N/1032),  
- UK – Switzerland and Liechtenstein, goods (WT/REG437/N/1),  
- UK – North Macedonia, goods and services (WT/REG438/N/1 and S/C/N/1033),  
- UK – Republic of Mo ldova, goods and services (WT/REG439/N/1 and S/C/N/1034),  
- UK – Georgia, goods and services (WT/REG440/N/1 and S/C/N/1035),  
- UK – Japan, goods and services (WT/REG441/N/1 and S/C/N/1036),  
- China -Mauritius, goods and services (WT/REG442/N/1 and S/C/N/1037)  
- UK-SACU and Mozambique, goods (WT/REG443/N/1)  
- Ukraine -Israel, goods (WT/REG444/N/1),  
- Accession of Comoros to EU -ESA, goods only (WT/REG445/N/1),  
- Indonesia -Australia, goods and services (WT/REG446/N/1 and S/C/N/1040),  
- EU-UK Agreement, goods and services (WT/R EG447/N/1 and S/C/N/1041) , 
- ASEAN -Hong Kong, China, goods and services ( WT/REG448/N/1 and S/C/N/1043) and  
- UK-Ghana,  goods (WT/REG449/N/1) . 
1.8.  Further more, the European Union and the United Kingdom made a notification regarding 
inactive agreements (WT/REG/GEN/N /10). 
1.9.  The representative of the United Kingdom  underline d the UK's commitment to transparency 
including under t he RTA  Transparency Mechanism which play ed a crucial role in the WTO. She 
thanked all partners and colleagues who had worked and continue d to work with the UK on its 
programme of trade negotiation s, both in Geneva and in Capitals, for the ir work on the package of 
notifications.  She also t hanked the Secretariat for its support in ensuring that the UK was compliant 
and transparent in the Commi ttee. The details of the agreements could be found in the notifications . 
She looked forward to moving towards the preparation of the factual presentations  and would 
continue to engage  with Members on the details of the UK's transition in an open and inclus ive way. 
She looked forward to working with the Committee on the n ext steps.  
B.III  Notification of changes to existing RTAs  
1.10.   The Chairman  noted that one notification of change to existing RTAs had been received 
concerning the EU Treaty, goods and services (WT/REG39/N/1 and S/C/N/6/Add.1).  
B.IV Non-notified RTAs  
1.11.   The Chairman  stated that an updated list of non -notified RTAs had been circulated on 
15 March  2021 as WT/REG/W/15 7 and contained 53 RTAs issued in factual presentations up to WT/REG/M/99  
 
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  12 March  2021. Compared to the list issued before the previous CRTA in November 2020  
(WT/REG/W/15 4), two RTAs had been removed  following notification , namely Indonesia -Australia 
and ASEAN -Hong Kong, China, both goods and services, and one had been added, namely Brazil -
Paraguay, goods only . 
B.V Status on the preparation of Factual Presentations  
1.12.   The Chairman  informed the Committee that as regards the preparation of the fac tual 
presentations under the remit of the CRTA – in the case of RTAs involving WTO Members only – 
there were currently  61 RTAs for which a factual presentation had to be prepared, counting goods 
and services separately. Factual presentations on a further 15 RTAs involving non -Members were to 
be prepared, as previously agreed by the Committee. The factual presentations for six services 
agreements were on hold, pending the negotiation of services commitments. Of th ose, only one 
involved non -members.  
1.13.   He recalled that he had held consultations with delegations regarding the backlog of factual 
presentations due to late receipt of data necessary for the ir preparation and also comments on draft 
factual presentations. He hoped that delegations would provide th e needed information as soon as 
possible. An updated list of all such RTAs had been recently circulated as document 
WT/REG/W/15 8/Rev.1 , dated 1 9 March  2021. 
1.14.   As customary , he invited a representative of the Secretariat to provide additional information 
on the status of the preparation of factual presentations.  
1.15.   With regard to agreements among Members, t he representative of the Secretariat  stated that  
for GCC -Singapore, services, comments had been received from Singapore but not from most of the 
GCC parties. For EU -Viet Nam , goods and services, the factual presentation had been drafted and it 
would be sent for comments soon. For EU -Central America , goods and services, for which the Parties 
notified an addendum , the Secretariat was awaiting data from t he European Union. For EU -PNG, Fiji, 
goods, data had not been received from PNG and Fiji. Regarding  the accession to that agreement 
by Samoa and the Solomon Islands, data had been received. For ECOWAS, goo ds only , some data 
had been received from some of t he Parties. For the GCC, goods, the Secretariat was awaiting 
responses to questions that had been raised by Members. For the Agreement between the United 
States, Mexico and Canada, goods and services, the  drafting of the  factual presentation was in 
progres s. For the CPTPP, comments were received from most of the Parties and it was scheduled for 
the following CRTA meeting scheduled. For Indonesia -Australia, data were due by 8 April 2021.  
1.16.   With regard to the large number of notifications received  recently , data requests had been 
sent and were due as follows: for EU -UK and most of the Agreement s notified by the UK at the end 
of 2020 data w ere due by 5 May 2021. For UK -Ghana data were due by 17 May 2021. For China -
Mauritius data were due by 31 May 2021. For Ukra ine-Israel data were due by 7 June 2021. For 
ASEAN -Hong Kong, China data were due by 1 July 2021.  
1.17.   As regards agreements involving non -members, for the CIS Agreement, goods, some 
comments on the factual presentation had been received. For the EAEU -Iran Agre ement, goods, the 
deadline for data submission was 22 June 2020 and no data had been received. Data w ere not 
complete for EFTA -Lebanon, Turkey -Syria, Ukraine -Azerbaijan, Ukraine -Turkmenistan, and the 
Russian Federation -Turkmenistan.  For the accession of the Comoros to the EU -ESA Agreement data 
were due on 30 March 2021. For UK -Faeroe Islands, UK -Lebanon, and UK -CARIFORUM, data were 
due on 5 May 2021. For UK -PLO data were due on 10 May 2021. For UK -Kosovo data were due on 
12 May 2021.2 
C IMPLEMENTATION REPORTS UNDER PARAGRAPH 15 OF THE TRANSPARENCY 
 MECHANISM FOR RTAS  
1.18.   The Chairman  informed Members that an updated schedule for the submission of 
implementation reports had been distributed by the Secretariat (document WT/REG/W/ 156). The  
document had indicated that, as of 8 February 2021 , implementation reports were due for 156 RTAs, 
and the end of implementation for 17 RTAs was in 202 1. The end of implementation for a total of 
 
2 Any r eference to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of the United Nations Security 
Council resolution 1244 (1999).  WT/REG/M/99  
 
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  132 RTAs was from 202 2 onwards, while for one RTA the end of implementation year was not 
available.  
1.19.   He encouraged all Members to comply with their obligations and submit implementation 
reports in a timely manner. Since the circulation of the document, the CRTA had not received any 
reports. He offered the floor to t he Parties or Members if they wished to comment on document 
WT/REG/W/156.  
D. CONSIDERATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS  
ITEM D.I 
 
(The minutes of the consideration of this Agreement  were being distributed as a separate document 
WT/REG 402/M/1)  
 
ITEM D.II  
 
(The minutes of the consideration of this Agreement  were being distributed as a separate document 
WT/REG 404/M/1) 
 
E. ELECTION OF OFFICERS  
1.20.   The Chairman  said that following the General Council meeting held on 4 March 2021, he had 
the pleasure to propose that the Committee elected, by acclamation, Ambassador H.E. Dr. Cleopa 
Kilonzo MAILU of Kenya, as the Chairman of the CRTA.  It was so agreed.  
1.21.   The outgoin g Chairman  said that chairing a Committee during those extraordinary and difficult 
circumstances had been a strange experience . He thanked all the delegates , the WTO Secretariat 
and the Interprefy team  for the support received in carrying out his duties. T he delegates and the 
Secretariat had  had to adapt their working methods to new circumstances  and he was happy to see 
that after one year they had managed to adapt to a new normal quickly and carry out the work of 
the Committee without  significant hinderan ce to the proceedings or loss of quality in discussions on 
transparency issues. Despite a number of challenges, he also saw opportunit y in maintaining  the 
virtual or hybrid format of meetings  when meetings  returned to normal operations in Geneva. He 
noted the larger number of participants in the CRTA meetings than previously. More than 100 
delegates had attended th e current and previous  meeting s. He appreciate d the participation of 
Capital-based delegates especially when the time difference was large. Another small but important 
benefit had been  the ability to see the speakers which was not always possible when sitting in a full 
room. That improve d the quality of discussion s. He hoped that t he Comm ittee would use the new 
technological means to further enhance its work and to use the best of both worlds to improve 
discussions on transparency. However, they had to remember that nothing could replace in -person 
meetings , both for consultations an d Committee meetings. He hoped to return back to life as 
everyone had known  it with some addition s of modern technology learn t in the previous year.  
1.22.   The new Chairman  thanked the outgoing Chairman for the excellent way in which he had 
guided the Committee since he had taken  over the leadershi p. He had been working in the 
challenging times of Covid -19 which everyone continue d to face all over the world. He express ed his 
profound gratitude for being appointed as Chairman of the CRTA  and extend ed his sincere 
appreciation to all the Members for their support. He looked forward to work collaboratively with all 
the Members and the Secretariat towards successful and enriching deliberation s in the Committee 
and to deliver the desired results under the preva iling circumstances. He remain ed at the disposal 
of Members  for consultations and discussions in order to take the work of the Committee forward.   
F. OTHER BUSINESS  
1.23.   The Chairman  gave the floor to the delegation of Argentina.  
1.24.   The representative of Argentina  delivered a statement on behalf of the delegations of Brazil, 
Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.  WT/REG/M/99  
 
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  1.25.   He thank ed the Chairman for giving him the opportunity to mention a significant date for the 
four countries. Friday  26 March  2021 marked 30 years since the sig ning of the Treaty of Asunción, 
the constituent instrument of the Southern Common Market, MERCOSUR. From a legal point of view, 
MERCOSUR was part of a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements signed between Latin 
American  countries under the Treaty of Montevideo  of 1980 . The Treaty, which had created the Latin 
American Integration Association (ALADI), had been  notified to the General Agr eement on Tariffs 
and Trade (GATT) under the Enabling Clause.  
1.26.   The bloc was born out of the firm belief of the governments of the parties that the elimination 
of barriers in the region was a key step for moving towards greater economic development and 
impro ving the well -being of their peoples.  
1.27.   From 1991, they set out to create a common market that would have allowed for the 
unrestricted movement of goods and services, in addition to establishing a common external tariff. 
Almost immediately, the expansion of markets and economies of scale and specialization had led to 
the rapid growth of trade and a greater diversification of the countries' export matrices, thereby 
promoting trade not only in primary goods, but also in products with higher value added that  had 
stimulated non -traditional productive sectors and created high -quality jobs.  
1.28.   However, MERCOSUR had also become a platform for joint international outreach and had 
undergone modernization in recent years. The modernization process had been characterized by  
increased momentum in the negotiation of trade agreements with third parties and by the 
revitalization of the intra -MERCOSUR agenda, as demonstrated by the ongoing review of the 
common external tariff and the outlining of new disciplines on government pro curement and 
electronic commerce. In its varied agenda, it had worked to deliver concrete results that had a direct 
impact on citizens' lives.  
1.29.   At the moment, almost 60 countries from all continents had agreements or were involved in 
trade negotiations or e conomic dialogues with MERCOSUR. The bloc had a network of trade 
agreements in force covering all of Latin America, free trade agreements with Israel and Egypt, and 
preferential agreements with the Southern African Customs Union and India, and  it was in various 
stages of discussions with 11 nations or groups of countries.  
1.30.   MERCOSUR had sought to negotiate broader and more comprehensive agreements with more 
competitive partners. In 2018, negotiations had begun  for free trade agreements with Canada, South 
Korea and Singapore. In 2019, trade negotiations on an Association Agreement between MERCOSUR 
and the EU and a Free Trade Agreement between MERCOSUR and the European Free Trade 
Association (EFTA) had been concluded. In 2019 , free trade agreement negotiations w ith Lebanon 
had been resumed and negotiations on the expansion of the agreement with Israel had begun. 2020 
had seen the conclusion of an exploratory dialogue with Viet Nam and a similar exercise was 
underway with Indonesia, with a view to initiating free trade agreement negotiations.  
1.31.   The agreements with the EU and EFTA, at the moment under technical and legal review, had 
been MERCOSUR's first extra -regional agreements with partners from the developed world. In 
addition to trade in goods, th ey include d liberalization offers in the government procurement, 
services and investment sectors. The agreements also had strong environmental, social and 
sustainability component s. Their sustainable development chapters reinforce d the environmental 
and so cial commitments undertaken multilaterally by the parties, such as the Paris Agreement on 
Climate Change, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and 
Flora and the Conventions of the International Labour Organization.  
1.32.   In South America, they had been  making progress in the elimination of tariff barriers to trade 
and had been  seeking, above all, to broaden and deepen ties in areas such as trade in services, 
investment, government procurement, trade facilitation and electronic  commerce. Since 2014, 
MERCOSUR had been establishing closer ties with the Pacific Alliance, formed by Chile, Colombia, 
Mexico and Peru, on matters such as trade facilitation, non -tariff barriers and business dialogue, in 
line with the strategic goal to st rengthen regional integration and seek greater integration into the 
Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, MERCOSUR had submitted a proposal to Central America and the 
Caribbean to negotiate free trade agreements, with the aim of extending the border of its are a of 
liberalized trade in the region beyond South America.  WT/REG/M/99  
 
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  1.33.   The objective of the advancement of external trade negotiations was to gain more markets 
for exports, reduce the cost of capital and inputs for the bloc's producers and exporters, and meet 
consumer  demand. It also had the objective to attract investment and increase MERCOSUR's 
participation in regional and global value chains.  
1.34.   Although MERCOSUR had been established as an economic and trade project, the strategic 
vision underlying its creation had be en rooted in a clear goal to strengthen ties between its members 
in all aspects and it had become a key regional political project for the countries  involved . Based on 
that vision, cooperation and institutional coordination had been extended to numerous ar eas beyond 
those strictly related to trade, including education, science and technology, culture, as well as the 
coordination of social and human rights policies and the establishment of a common citizenship that 
enable d citizens to settle in other countri es of the bloc  and work freely and easily.  
1.35.   He highlight ed the bloc's efforts to overcome asymmetries and establish the MERCOSUR 
Structural Convergence Fund (FOCEM), which had financed 49 projects promoting structural 
convergence, competitiveness and social cohesion among the States Parties, with a total value of  
USD 1,548.9  million.  
1.36.   Over the past 30 years, they had built much more, they had forged a common and shared 
destiny and identity.  Looking ahead, they did not know the exact nature of the multiple and varied 
challenges that they would face in a dynamic and changing international environment. However, he 
was sure that the challenges need ed to be tackled with creativity and bravery, in order to make 
MERCOSUR p art of the solution.  
1.37.   The delegation of Canada  thanked the outgoing Chairman for his excellent work as the head 
of the Committee and welcomed the incoming Chairman. He congratulated MERCOSUR on its 30th 
anniversary. Canada would continue trade discussion wi th MERCOSUR during the ongoing 
negotiation of a global and inclusive trade agreement which would help strengthen their trade ties 
and interpersonal relationship. The agreement was an important part of Canada's trade 
diversification strategy.  
1.38.   The Chairman  informed the Committee of the tentative dates for the CRTA's meetings in 2021 
(21-22 June 2021 and 20 –21 September 2021). The last meeting of the year, to adopt the 
Committee's annual report, w ould be scheduled according to the dates of the Ministerial Conf erence.  
1.39.   The Committee took note  of the comments made.  
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