WT/REG335/M/1  
 
16 April 2014  
(14-2388) Page: 1/3  
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements 
Seventy-second Session    
 
 CONSIDERATION OF THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN  
CANADA AND JORDAN, GOODS 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 8 APRIL 2014 
Chairman: Ambassador Francisco Lima Mena (El Salvador) 
1.1.  The 72nd Session of the Committee on Regional Trad e Agreements (hereinafter 'CRTA' or the 
'Committee') was convened in Airgram WTO/AIR/4252/Rev.1 dated 28 March 2014. 
1.2.  Under Agenda Item B.III of this session, the CRTA considered the Free Trade Agreement 
(FTA) between Canada and Jordan (hereinafter "the Agreement"). 
1.3.  The Chairman said the Agreement had ente red into force on 1 October 2012. It had been 
notified to the WTO by the Parties on 10 April 2013 under Article XXIV:7(a) of the GATT 1994 and 
the Understanding on the Interpretation of  Article XXIV of GATT 1994 as an Agreement 
establishing a free trade area (document WT/REG335/N/1). The text of the Agreement was 
available, together with its Annexes, on the Partie s' official websites. The Factual Presentation on 
the goods aspects (document WT/REG335/1 dated 16 January 2014) had been prepared by the 
Secretariat on its own responsibility in full consultation with the Parties, in accordance with 
paragraph 7(b) of the Transparency Me chanism for Regional Trade Agreements 
(document WT/L/671). Written questions and replie s on this Agreement had been distributed in 
document WT/REG335/2 dated 25 March 2014. He proposed to organize the consideration of the 
Agreement by first asking the Parties and then other Members to give any general comments and 
then turn to the specifics of the Agreemen t, using the Factual Presentation, document 
WT/REG335/1, to guide the debate. They would then go through the questions and replies 
document. 
1.4.  The representative of Canada thanked th e Committee for the opportunity to present the 
Canada-Jordan Free Trade Agreement. He also thanked the WTO Secretariat for producing a 
thorough factual presentation of the Agreement an d of course the Government of Jordan for their 
contribution. 
1.5.  Canada had been actively pursuing an am bitious bilateral and regional trade liberalization 
agenda. Its efforts had not only opened new markets for Canadian businesses, but had also 
provided opportunities for foreign suppliers in the Canadian market. The Canada-Jordan FTA 
expanded such opportunities for manufacturers, producers and exporters in both countries. Canada and Jordan had enjoyed a good economic relationship, and bilateral trade continued to 
grow. Since 2009, total merchandise trade between Canada and Jordan had grown at an annual 
average of 8.3%, reaching more than $113.5 million in 2013. Along with the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement between th e Parties, which had entered into force in 
December 2009, the Canada-Jordan FTA helped to  strengthen and expand their economic and 
commercial links. 
1.6.  The Canada-Jordan FTA promoted merchandise trade liberalization, notably by eliminating 
tariff barriers and providing rules in support of transparent, non-discriminatory and predictable 
market access. With respect to goods market access, the Agreement provided for the immediate 
elimination of customs duties by Canada on over 98% of tariff lines for products originating in Jordan. At the same time, over 67% of Jordan’s tariff lines for products originating in Canada were WT/REG335/M/1 
 
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  subject to immediate tariff elimination, and the vast majority of the remaining Jordanian tariffs 
were to be phased-out over three or five years. By the end of the phase-out periods, 99.5% of Jordan’s tariff lines would be du ty free. The Agreement contained disciplines governing electronic 
commerce, rules of origin, customs procedures, trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary 
measures, emergency action, monopolies and state enterprises, and dispute-settlement; as well as 
provisions setting out an institutional framework for the Agreement. The FTA also included chapters on Labour and Environment, and was ac companied by separate Labour Cooperation and 
Environment Agreements, signed in parallel with the FTA. 
1.7.  He noted that the WTO was a central pillar of Canada’s trade policy. With trading ties that 
spanned the globe, Canada remained committed to the multilateral system and the WTO as the key forum to foster a stable, predictable, rules-based international trading system. As with other 
trade-enhancing bilateral agreements, the Canada-Jordan FTA complemented this multilateral 
framework. The consensus that had been reached at  the WTO’s Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali 
was truly a significant moment for the trading world and Canada fully supported this outcome 
reached by WTO Members. Canada looked forward to collaborating with other WTO Members, 
including Jordan, on the timely and expeditious entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation. Canada also looked forward to advancing Jordan’s accession to the WTO Agreement on 
Government Procurement.  
1.8.  To conclude Canada appreciated the hard wo rk of the Secretariat, all the efforts put in by 
Jordan, and the opportunity to provide information on the Canada-Jordan FTA. Canada valued the transparency that was provided through the sessions of the Committee on Regional Trade 
Agreements and welcomed Members' questions or comments. 
1.9.  The representative of Jordan said he was pleased at the opportunity to present the 
Agreement establishing a free trade area between Jordan and Canada for consideration. He hoped 
that the background information provided by the Parties would allow progress on the factual 
consideration of the Agreement. As part of continuous efforts to boost economic growth via an export oriented strategy, Jordan had continued to pursue further trade liberalization and economic 
integration worldwide. Based on WTO principles Jordan had successfully achieved remarkable trade 
liberalisation by engaging in several regional and international trade arrangements.  
1.10.  Entering into force on 1 October 2012 the Canada-Jordan Free Trade Agreement was 
Canada’s first and only FTA with an Arab country. The Agreement provided both Parties with 
access to new markets, customers and partnerships, as well as creating stronger supply and 
production chains. The Agreement would work on further institutionalizing bilateral economic ties and promoting greater trade and investment flows between the Parties. Through the Agreement, 
Jordan aimed to enhance business partnerships and to reinforce its access to markets in the North 
American continent. Besides the FTA, Jordan and Canada had been engaged in different types of 
cooperation such as the Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (FIPA).  
1.11.  The comprehensively scoped Agreement between Jordan and Canada complied with 
Article XXIV of the GATT. It created clear, transparent and mutually advantageous rules governing trade to enable businesses to conduct transactions freely, use resources efficiently and take planning decisions with certainty. As mentioned by Canada, the Agreement provided for the 
elimination of customs duties between the two countries. Recognising Jordan’s status as a 
developing country with several economic challenges, a gradual approach to liberalization would be taken by Jordan which would eliminate its tariffs on Canadian goods in a phased manner over a 
five year transitional period. Canada would immediately eliminate its customs duties on Jordanian 
goods. The Agreement therefore would allow Jordan to gradually work on improving its competiveness and to elevate the capacity of national exporters to benefit from the new 
requirements. In this regard, he noted that since the Agreement's entry into force in late 2012, 
there had been an obvious growth in Jordanian exports to Canada by 133%. 
1.12.  Finally, he stressed again that the Agreement complimented Jordan's modernisation 
policies, which were based on economic openness, globalization and integration within the world 
economy.  If any Members needed any clarification or had any comments on the Agreement, 
Jordan was ready to provide responses. WT/REG335/M/1 
 
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  1.13.  The representative of the United States thanked the Parties and the Secretariat for the 
materials provided which had facilitated consideration of the Agreement. The United States had no 
questions but noted that Jordan had a number of non-notified RTAs in force and hoped these would be notified to the WT O as soon as possible.  
1.14.  The Chairman said that the consideration of the Goods Aspects of the Free Trade Agreement  
between Canada and Jordan had allowed the Comm ittee to clarify a number of questions and the 
oral discussion of this RTA could be concluded in accordance with paragraph 11 of the 
Transparency Mechanism. If any delegations wished to as k follow up questions they were invited 
to forward submissions in writing to the Secret ariat by 14 April 2014 and Parties were asked to 
submit replies in writing by no later than 28 Ap ril 2014. In accordance with paragraph 13 of the 
Transparency Mechanism all written submissions, as well as minutes of this meeting would be 
circulated promptly, in all WTO official languages, and would be made available on the 
WTO website.  
1.15.  The Committee took note of the comments made. 
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