WT/REG/W/121  
 
16 October 2017  
(17-5577) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements    
  
  DRAFT REPORT (201 7) OF THE  
COMMITTEE ON REGIONA L TRADE AGREEMENTS  
TO THE GENERAL COUNC IL 
CHAIRM EN: MR DANIEL BLOCKERT (SWE DEN) AND  
MR WALID DOUDECH  (TUNISIA ) 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  At its second  meeting in June 2017, the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CR TA) 
elected, by acclamation, Ambassador Walid Doudech (Tunisia) , as Chairman of the CRTA.  
1.2.  During 2017, the Committee held four sessions (in April, June, September and November). 
The minutes of those meetings are listed in the Attachment. Four sessions are foreseen in 2018. 
2  OBSERVER STATUS  
2.1.  No decision was taken with respect to the requests for observer status listed in document 
WT/REG/W/11/Add. 4/Rev.1 .  
3  EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS  
3.1.  Paragraph 1 of the Transparency Mechanism (TM)1, provides for Members participating in  
new negotiations and parties to a newly signed RTA to provide information to the Secretariat, to be 
posted on the WTO website. In the period 1 6 October 2016  to 15 October 201 7, a total of two 
early announcements were received from Members, one for an RTA under negotiation and one for 
a newly signed RTA.2 
4  NOTIFICATIONS  
4.1.  In the period 16 October 2016  to 15 October 2017, the CRTA received 22 notifications of 
RTAs, 14 in goods, notified under Article XXIV of GATT 1994, and 8 in services, notified under 
Article  V of GATS.3  
4.2.  In an effort to encourage the notification of non -notified RTAs, the Chairm en with the help of 
the Secretariat, continued to draw up and circulate in advance of CRTA meetings a list of 
non-notified RTAs which have been verified by their partie s as being in force and appeared in 
                                                
1 The General Council Decision of 14 December establishing the Transparency Mechanism for Regional 
Trade Agreements (WT/L/671) is being implemen ted on a provisional basis. Members will review, and if 
necessary modify, this decision, in light of the experience gained from its provisional operation, and replace it 
by a permanent mechanism as part of the overall results of the Doha Round, in accordan ce with paragraph  47 
of the Doha Declaration (paragraph 23 of the General Council's Decision).  
2 Under Negotiation: European Union - Indonesia ; Newly signed: EFTA - Philippines . 
3 Costa Rica – Colombia (G&S); Pacific Alliance (G&S); Turkey – Republic of Mo ldova (G); Turkey – 
Malaysia (G); European Union – Colombia and Peru – Accession of Ecuador (G&S); European Union – Southern 
African Development Community (SADC) (G); European Union – Ghana (G); GUAM (Azerbaijan; Georgia; 
Republic of Moldova and Ukraine)  (G&S); Central American Common Market (CACM) - Accession of Panama 
(G); Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) - Viet Nam (G&S); EFTA – Georgia (G&S); Chile – Thailand (G&S); 
Canada – Ukraine (G); EU – Canada (G&S) .  WT/REG/W/121  
 
- 2 - 
 
  factual presentations circulated between September 2009 and November  2017.4 Members disagree 
on the status of some RTAs on the lists and continue to discuss ways of facilitating the notification 
of RTAs.  
4.3.  At its 84th, 85th and 86th Session s the Committee discussed responses to questions submitted 
by the European Union (WT/REG/W/109) on a communication received from LAIA 
(WT/REG/W/105).  LAIA countries were of the opinion that the CRTA was not the appropriate forum 
for disc ussion of the issue; other Members disagreed.  
5  CONSIDERATION OF REG IONAL TRADE AGREEMEN TS 
5.1.  In the period 16 October 2016 to 15 October 2017 , 11 factual presentations were distributed 
reflecting 17 notifications, counting goods and services separately, ten of which were used as the 
basis for consideration of RTAs in the CRTA  in 2017 , and one will be considered in 201 8.5  
5.2.  The C hairme n held consultations with delegations in an effort to resolve the case of RTAs for 
which the factual consi deration is delayed. The  Chairme n with the help of the Secretariat drew up 
and circulated in advance of CRTA meetings a list of such RTAs.6  
5.3.  In an effort to unblock the backlog in the receipt of data necessary for the preparation and 
drafting of factual presentatio ns for certain RTAs, the Chairme n consulted with a number of 
delegations who expressed a willingness to provide the missing information as soon as possible. 
Members continue to discuss ways of increasing the transparency of such RTAs.  
5.4.  Although considerable progress has b een made in the preparation of factual presentations, 
the Committee continues to experience some difficulties in adhering to its work programme. This is 
due to a number of factors: delays in the receipt of statistical data from parties, data discrepancies 
in Members' submissions, and delays in the receipt of comments from parties.  
6   SUBSEQUENT NOTIFICAT ION AND REPORTING  
6.1.  Paragraph 14 of the TM provides for changes affecting the implementation of an RTA, or the 
operation of an already implemented RTA , to be no tified as soon as possible after such changes 
occur. Such communications are to be made available on the WTO website. In the period 
16 October 2016  to 15  October 2017, notifications of changes for two RTAs have been received 
and posted on the RTA Database.7 
6.2.  Paragraph 15 of the TM provides for parties to an RTA to submit a short written report on the 
realization of the liberalization commitments in the RTA as originally notified at the end of the 
RTA's implementation period. The Secretariat circulated a list  of RTAs subject to implementation 
reports as of 13 February 2017  (document WT/REG/W/ 113). Implementation reports were due for 
136 RTAs, and the end of implementation (EOI) for five RTAs was in 2017. The EOI for a total of 
111 RTAs is from 2017 onwards, wh ile for one RTA the EOI year is not available . Five such reports 
were submitted in the period 16 October 2016 to 15 October 2017 .8  
7  DATABASE ON RTAS  
7.1.  Paragraph 21 of the TM provides for the Secretariat to establish and maintain an updated 
electronic databas e on individual RTAs. The database was launched in January 2009 and is 
                                                
4 Documents WT/REG/W/ 115, WT/REG/W/ 116, WT/REG/W /119 and WT/REG/W/ 122 (to be issued) . 
5 Iceland – Faroe Islands (G&S); Russian Federation – Azerbaijan (G); Republic of Korea – Viet Nam 
(G&S); European Union – Ukraine (G&S); Georgia – Russian Federation (G); Republic of Korea – Colombia 
(G&S); Republic o f Korea – India (S); China – Republic of Korea (G&S); Mexico – Panama (G&S); European 
Union – ESA States (Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe)  (G). Turkey – Republic of Moldova (G) 
will be considered in 2018 . 
6 Documents WT/REG/W/ 114, WT/REG/W/ 117, WT/REG/W/ 120 and WT/REG/W/ 123 (to be issued) . 
7 China – Hong Kong, China (WT/REG162/N/1/Add.10) ; EFTA – Chile (WT/REG179/N/1/Add.4) . 
8 European Union – South Africa (WT/REG113/R/I); European Union – Montenegro (WT/REG236/R/I); 
European Union – The form er Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (WT/REG129/R/I); Ukraine – Kyrgyz Republic 
(WT/REG74/R/I) ; European Union – Albania (WT/REG226/R/I) . WT/REG/W/121  
 
- 3 - 
 
  available on the WTO public website. The database provides information on all notified RTAs, 
including the status of the consideration process at the Committee's meetings.  
8  TECHNICAL ASS ISTANCE  
8.1.  [At the 87th Session of the Committee , the Secretariat gave an account of the RTA -related 
technical assistance activities it had undertaken in 2017 and those planned for 2018.] 
9  PROCEDURES TO IMPROV E AND FACILITATE THE  EXAMINATION PROCESS  
9.1.   At its 84th Session, the Committee discussed the key features of the notification format for 
RTAs (WT/REG/16).  
10  SYSTEMIC IMPLICATION S OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND INITI ATIVES FOR 
THE MULTILATERAL TRA DING SYSTEM AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN  THEM  
10.1.    At its 84th Session, the Committee held an informal discussion on trade facilitation 
provisions in RTAs. Presentations were made by the EU, Japan and Australia on the trade 
facilitation provisions in their RTAs.  
10.2.   At the 84th [and 87th] Session [s] of the CRTA , the Chairman provided a summary of his 
consultations with Members on paragraph 28 of the Nairobi Ministerial Declaration.  
_______________  
 
 WT/REG/W/121  
 
- 4 - 
 
  ATTACHMENT  
MINUTES OF THE MEETI NGS HELD IN 2017 
Eighty-Fourth  Session – 3-4 April 2017 
 
 WT/REG/M/ 84 
 
 WT/REG243/M/1 Iceland – The Faroe Islands , goods and services  [Non-Member]  
 WT/REG317/M/1 Russian Federation - Azerbaijan , goods  [Non-Member]  
  
Eighty -Fifth Session – 29 June 2017  
 WT/REG/M/ 85 
 
 WT/REG371/M/1 Republic of Korea – Viet Nam , goods and services  
 WT/REG353/M/1 European  Union - Ukraine , goods and services  
 WT/REG118 /M/1 Georgia - Russian Federation, goods  
 
Eighty -Sixth Session  – 20 September 2017 
 
 WT/REG/M/ 86 
 
WT/REG375/M/1 Republic of Korea - Colombia , goods and services  
WT/REG286/M/1 Republic of Korea - India, servic es 
 
Eighty -Seventh  Session – 9-10 November 2017 (to be issued ) 
 WT/REG/M/ 87 
 
WT/REG/W/ 121 Draft Report ( 2017) of the CRTA to the General Council  
WT/REG370/M/1 China – Republic of Korea , goods and services  
WT/REG374 /M/1 Mexico - Panama , goods and services  
WT/REG307 /M/1 European Union – the ESA States (Madagascar, Mauritius, 
Seychelles and Zimbabwe), goods  
__________