WT/COMTD/W/220  
 
3 October  2016 
(16-5268) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade and Development  Original: Spanish  
 
   
COMMUNICATION FROM U RUGUAY ON BEHALF OF  
THE LATIN AMERICAN I NTEGRATION ASSOCIATI ON (LAIA)  
 
The following communication has been received from the delegation of Uruguay on  
16 September 2016  for circulation to WTO Members.  
 
_______________  
 
 
ALADI/CR 002/ 16 
 
The Chairman of the Committee of Representatives of the Latin American Integration Association 
(LAIA) presents his compliments to the Chairman of the Committee on Trade and Development 
(CTD) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and wishes to refer to the CTD session held on 
8 July 2016, at which the Delegation of Bolivia which currently chairs the Committee of 
Representatives - read Communication ALADI/CR 001/16 (circulated as document 
WT/COMTD/W/217).  
 
In this respect, we note the following:  
 
1. We he reby reaffirm in full the above -mentioned Communication, ALADI/CR 001/16.  
 
2. We would like to emphasize that each of the LAIA member countries acts in an individual 
capacity with regard to the agreements they conclude under the 1980 Treaty of Montevideo 
(TM80), as is clear from the Individual Notification of Agreement Data Sheets annexed to the 
"Report to the WTO on Instruments Concluded Under the 1980 Treaty of Montevideo", which are 
duly submitted through the Delegation of Uruguay to the WTO in the count ry's capacity as the 
headquarters State of the Association.  
 
3. We confirm that it is LAIA member countries, and not the General Secretariat or the Latin 
American Integration Association itself, which draft, approve and submit to the WTO the 
above -mentione d Individual Notification of Agreement Data Sheets, which – it is worth recalling - 
conform to the Notification Format for Regional Trade Agreements contained in Document 
WT/REG/16 of 23  November  2006.  
 
4. We reiterate that LAIA member countries are ready to supplement the information contained 
in the various Individual Data Sheets with respect to any particular aspect of agreements 
concluded under the TM80 in a dedicated session of the CTD, in accordance with paragraphs 16 
and 18 of the Decision of 14  December 2006 which established the Transparency Mechanism for 
Regional Trade Agreements. This willingness in no way precludes voluntary exchanges on systemic 
issues within the CTD framework.  
 
In this connection, we would like to know the criteria for determin ing, with respect to the " List of 
RTAs which have appeared in factual presentations […] and have not yet been notified to the 
WTO", that an RTA "has not been notified to the WTO",  and why this List, despite the provisions of 
the above -mentioned paragraph 1 8 of the Transparency Mechanism, is circulated for consideration 
by the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) instead of the CTD.  
 WT/COMTD/W/220  
 
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  Furthermore, the LAIA member countries once again request that the WTO Secretariat circulate 
the document "Report to the WTO on Instruments Concluded Under the 1980 Treaty of 
Montevideo" under the document symbol WT/COMTD/N/*, in keeping with notifications made 
within the CTD framework.  
 
We would also like to repeat our call for the WTO Secretariat to remove from the "Li st of RTAs 
which have appeared in factual presentations […] and have not yet been notified to the WTO" all 
agreements between LAIA member countries that were duly notified under paragraph 4(a) of the 
"Enabling Clause".  
 
Lastly, in order to enhance the tran sparency of the notification process in respect of agreements 
concluded under the TM80, the LAIA member countries would be very grateful if you, as Chairman 
of the CTD, could forward this communication to the WTO Secretariat and the CTD members.  
 
The Chair man of the LAIA Committee of Representatives takes this opportunity to renew to the 
Chairman of the WTO Committee on Trade and Development the assurance of his 
highest  consideration.  
 
Montevideo, 6  September  2016.  
 
 
To: 
The Chairman  
Committee on Trade and Development  
Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr  
World Trade Organization (WTO)  
Geneva, Switzerland  
 
 
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