WT/REG/23  
 
22 October 2013  
(13-5806)  Page: 1/4  
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements   
 
REPORT (2013) OF THE  
COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS  
TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL 
CHAIRMAN: MR. FRANCISCO A. LIMA MENA (EL SALVADOR) 
1  INTRODUCTION 
1.1.  At its first meeting in April 2013, the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) 
elected Mr. Francisco A. Lima Mena (El Salvador) as Chairman of the CRTA. 
1.2.  During 2013, the Committee held four sessions (in April, July, September and October). The 
minutes of those meetings are listed in the Attachment. Four sessions are foreseen in 2014. 
2  OBSERVER STATUS 
2.1.  The Committee agreed to continue the granting of observer status in the CRTA to the 
Latin American Integration Association (LAIA), on an ad hoc  basis. No decision was taken with 
respect to the requests for observer status listed in document WT/REG/W/11/Add.3.  
3  CONSIDERATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS 
3.1.  In the period 1 January to 1 October 2013, the CRTA received 31 notifications of RTAs, 19 in 
goods, notified under Article XXIV of GATT 1994, and 12 in services, notified under Article V of 
GATS.1 
3.2.  During 2013, 13 factual presentations were distributed reflecting 23 notifications, counting 
goods and services separately, all of which were used as the basis for consideration of RTAs in the CRTA.
2  
3.3.  The Chairman held consultations with delegati ons in an effort to resolve the case of RTAs for 
which the factual consideration is delayed due to lack of comments from the Parties. The Chairman with the help of the Secretariat, drew up and circul ated in advance of CRTA meetings a list of such 
RTAs.
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1 Russian Federation-Uzbekistan (G); Russian Federation-Turkmenistan (G); Chile-Malaysia (G); 
Panama-Nicaragua (G&S); EU-Central America (G&S); EU-Colombia and Peru (G&S); Canada-Panama (G&S); Canada-Jordan (G); Panama-Guatemala (G&S); EU (28) Enlargement (G&S); Ukraine-Montenegro (G&S); Republic of Korea-Turkey (G); Malaysia-Australia (G&S); Turkey-Mauritius (G); Costa Rica-Peru (G&S); Treaty on a Free Trade Area between members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (G); 
Chile-Nicaragua (G&S); Me xico-Uruguay (G&S); Costa Rica-Singapore (G&S). 
2 China-Costa Rica (G&S); Guatemala-the Separate Customs Territory of Taiw an, Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu (G&S); Chile-Honduras (G&S); Chile-Guatemala (G&S); Japan-Peru (G&S); El Salvador-Honduras- the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (G&S); EFTA-Montenegro (G); EFTA-Peru 
(G); Peru-Panama (G&S); India-Malaysia (S); India-Japan (G&S); EFTA-Ukraine (G&S); EFTA-Hong Kong, 
China (G&S). 
3 Documents WT/REG/W/74/Rev.1, WT/REG/W/76 and WT/REG/W/78. WT/REG/23 
 
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  3.4.  Under paragraph 22(b) of the Transparency Mechanism (TM)4, as of 1 October 2013, all 
factual abstracts of RTAs for which the CRTA has concluded its factual examination under Article XXIV of GATT 1994 and Article V of GATS were posted on the RTA Database. 
4  EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS 
4.1.  Paragraph 1 of the TM 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 2013, a total of eight early announcements were received from Members, six for RTAs under 
negotiation and two for newly signed RTAs.
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5  SUBSEQUENT NOTIFICATION AND REPORTING  5.1.  Paragraph 14 of the TM provides for change s 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 av ailable on the WTO website. In the period 
1 January to 1 October 2013, notifications of changes for five RTAs have been received and posted on the RTA Database.
6 
5.2.  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. No such reports were submitted during 2013. 
5.3.  In order to assist Members in their discu ssion of implementation reports, the Secretariat 
issued a follow-up note (JOB/REG/4) that was discussed by Members during the Committee's 68
th Session. At the Committee's 71st Session, Members discussed a mock implementation report 
provided by the EU and Chile on its RTA. 
6  DATABASE ON RTAS 
6.1.  Paragraph 21 of the TM provides for the Secretariat to establish and maintain an updated 
electronic database on individual RTAs. The database was launched in January 2009 and is 
available on the WTO public website. The database provides information on all notified RTAs, 
including the status of the consideration process. 
7  PROCEDURES TO IMPROVE AND FACILITATE THE EXAMINATION PROCESS 
7.1.  No discussion was held on this item. 
8  SYSTEMIC IMPLICATIONS OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND INITIATIVES FOR 
THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM 
8.1.  At Australia's request, the CRTA discussed at its 68th and 70th Sessions, recent Working 
Papers on RTAs which have appeared on the WTO's website.7 Some Members raised concerns as to 
the procedural modality to bring these issues be fore the Committee. The Secretariat clarified that 
the General Council rules of procedure were followed. 
                                               
4 The General Council Decision of 14 December esta blishing the Transparency Mechanism for Regional 
Trade Agreements (WT/L/671) is being implemented 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 accordance with paragraph 47 
of the Doha Declaration (paragraph 23 of the General Council's Decision). 
5 Under negotiation: EU-Singapore; EU-Morocco; EU-Viet Nam; EU-Malaysia; EU-US TTIP; EU-Japan.  
Newly signed: Switzerland-China; New Zealand-the Sepa rate Customs Territory of  Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen 
and Matsu. 
6 EFTA-Egypt; EFTA-Jordan; EFTA-Leb anon; EFTA-Mexico; EFTA-Morocco. 
7 Respectively, "Services rules in regional trad e agreements: How diverse and how creative as 
compared to the GATS multilateral ru les?" and "Market access provisions on trade in goods in regional trade 
agreements". WT/REG/23 
 
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  9  FINAL REMARKS 
9.1.  In an effort to encourage the notification of  non-notified RTAs, the Chairman 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 parties as being in force and appeared in 
factual presentations circulated be tween September 2009 and September 2013.
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9.2.  Although considerable progress has been ma de 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. 
                                               
8 Documents WT/REG/W/73, WT/REG/W/75/Rev.1 and WT/REG/W/77. WT/REG/23 
 
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  ATTACHMENT 
 
MINUTES OF THE MEETINGS HELD IN 2013 
Sixty-eighth Session – 9-10 April 2013 
 
 WT/REG/M/68  
 WT/REG310/M/1 China – Costa Rica, goods and services 
  Sixty-ninth Session – 3-4 July 2013 
  WT/REG/M/69  
 WT/REG303/M/1 
 WT/REG303/M/1/Corr.1 Chile – Honduras, goods and services   WT/REG312/M/1 Chile – Guatemala, goods and services 
 WT/REG297/M/1 Guatemala – the separate customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu, 
Kinmen and Matsu, goods and services  
 WT/REG283/M/1 El Salvador, Honduras – the separate customs territory of 
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, goods and services 
 
Seventieth Session – 17-18 September 2013 
 
 WT/REG/M/70 
 
WT/REG322/M/1 Hong Kong, China – The EFTA States, goods and services 
WT/REG323/M/1 Montenegro – The EFTA States, goods 
WT/REG315/M/1 Ukraine – The EFTA States, goods and services WT/REG295/M/1 Peru – The EFTA States, goods WT/REG313/M/1 Peru – Panama, goods and services  
WT/REG309/M/1 Japan – Peru, goods and services  
WT/REG300/M/1 Japan – India, goods and services WT/REG329/M/1 India – Malaysia, services  
Seventy-first Session – 21-22 October 2013 (to be issued) 
 
 WT/REG/M/71 
 
WT/REG/W/79 Draft Report (2013) of the CRTA to the General Council 
 
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