WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/REG133/5 
10 April 2006 
 
 (06-1661) 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements Original:   English 
  
 
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EFTA STATES AND JORDAN 
 
Questions and Replies
 
  
 The following communication, dated 4 April 2006, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegations of the EFTA States  (Iceland, Liech tenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and Jordan. 
  This document reproduces the questions addressed  to the Parties and the responses submitted. 
The questions and replies set out below are or ganized in accordance with document WT/REG133/3. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE AGREEMENT 
 
4. Trade Data 
 1. Please provide data to this Committee on the number of tariff lines covered in this 
Agreement, including the Agricultural Agreements . For example, could the parties provide the 
number of tariff lines fully liberalized, the numb er of tariff lines liberalized, the number of 
tariff lines subject to TRQs, the liberalization sch edule, and the total number of tariff lines in 
each Party’s schedule. 
 See Annex. 
  
II. TRADE PROVISIONS 
8. Sector-Specific Provisions 
 
8.1 Agriculture 
 
2. Article 1 of the Agricultural protocol between the Republic of Iceland and the 
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan provides for tariff reductions granted by Iceland on imports of 
agricultural goods from Jordan. There is, howev er, no corresponding provision under which 
Jordan grants tariff reductions on import of any agricultural goods from Iceland. Could the 
Parties please explain the justification for this complete exclusion of the agricultural sector in 
light of the 1994 Understanding on the Interpretation of Article XXIV that the “contribution to 
the expansion of world trade“ is “diminishe d if any major sector of trade is excluded”? 
 Iceland is not an exporting state in the field of Agriculture. It is partly self-sufficient in 
domestic production, mainly regarding meat and milk products, but has to import around 50% in 
calorific value of agricultural goods for internal cons umption. Export has mainly been tried for a very 
limited number of high quality goods, such as lamb meat, and has been directed at selected high priced markets or markets that have a tradition for consumption of certain products, such as horse WT/REG133/5 
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  meat. At the time that this b ilateral agreement was made, Iceland exported almost no agricultural 
goods, but for the last 3-4 years some export has been  established, mainly with lamb meat and some 
horse meat products. There is therefore no exclusion inte nded in this regard, this is simply not an area 
where there are any additional interest for Icelandi c producers and not foreseen in the future, due to 
the geographical situation of the country. Furtherm ore, it is worth recalling that the agreement does 
include concessions from both sides on processed ag ricultural products in Protocol A to the 
Agreement.   
IV. OTHER 
 
3. Services and Investment 
 3. Have the Parties taken action under Article 28(2) to liberalize trade in services between 
the Parties? 
 No Parties have taken such action so far 
 
4. Evolutionary Clause 
 4. Article 27, the “Evolutionary Clause”, provid es the Parties the opportunity to review the 
Agreement to “extend it to areas to covered th erein”. Have the Parties utilized or considered 
utilizing, this clause to extend tariff liberalization to additional products? If so which products? 
 No it has not been used so far. 
   
 
   WT/REG133/5 
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  ANNEX 
  
EFTA-Jordan FTA trade coverage in 2004       
(in USD)         
  EFTA Iceland Norway CH-FL 
Imports  (HS 1-24)  95,343 2,159 6,420 86,764 
DF 86,441 2,159 6,420 77,862 
RD 3,167     3,167 
NC 5,735     5,735 
Imports  (HS 25-97)  519,962 2,333 111,529 406,100 
DF 519,962 2,333 111,529 406,100 
RD         
NC         
Imports  (HS 1-97)  615,305 4,492 117,949 492,864 
DF 606,403 4,492 117,949 483,962 
RD 3,167     3,167 
NC 5,735     5,735 
Exports  (HS 1-24)  12,449,585 0 490,409 11,959,176 
DF 583,299   490,409 92,890 
RD 1,460,850     1,460,850 
NC 10,405,436     10,405,436 
Exports  (HS 25-97)  106,580,484 34,416 3,020,659 103,525,409 
DF 35,448,468 34,416 1,077,124 34,336,928 
RD 69,960,211   771,730 69,188,481 
NC 1,171,805   1,171,805   
Exports  (HS 1-97)  119,030,069 34,416 3,511,068 115,484,585 
DF 36,031,767 34,416 1,567,533 34,429,818 
RD 71,421,061   771,730 70,649,331 
NC 11,577,241   1,171,805 10,405,436 
Notes : 
DF - Duty free 
RD - Reduced duties 
NC - No concessions 
Source : World Trade Atlas 
  
  WT/REG133/5 
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EFTA-Jordan FTA 2004: number of tariff lines covered         
(tariff lines at 8-digit level)            
  EFTA Iceland Norway CH-FL  Jordan 
Agricultural products  (HS 01-24)  5,639 2,065 1,288 2,286  1,512 
DF 2,660 1,562 772 326  128 
RD 450 39 130 281  12 
Industrial products  (HS 25-97)  18,243 6,116 5,912 6,215  4,871 
DF 18,219 6,116 5,912 6,191  2,760 
RD 5     5  2,111 
All products  (HS 01-97)  23,882 8,181 7,200 8,501  6,383 
DF 20,879 7,678 6,684 6,517  2,888 
RD 455 39 130 286  2,123 
Notes : 
DF - Duty free 
RD - Reduced duties 
Source : National Statistical Offices 
Agriculture :  includes processed agricultural products. The c oncessions are negotiated on a bilateral basis. 
 
Number of tariff lines subject to TRQs 
 Jordan: 1 tariff line is subject to TRQ, at 4-digit level  
Iceland: No TRQ  
Norway: No TRQ 
Switzerland: 69 tariff lines are subject to TRQs, all at 8-digit level 
 
Liberalization Schedule 
 
Industrial products : Jordan: the duties will gradually be eliminated, at the latest  12 years after the entry into force of the Agreement. EFTA: to tal elimination of 
duties upon entry into force.  
Fish: Jordan:  the duties will gradually be eliminated, at the latest 3 years af ter the entry into force of the Agreement. EFTA: total elimina tion of duties upon entry 
into force, except Switzerland  
and Liechtenstein may maintain duties on some products. Agricultural products: Jordan:  one tariff line will be dismantled over seven years after the entry into force of the agreement.  
All the other commitments were valid directly  upon entry into force of the agreement.  
 
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