. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/RTA/1/3 
10 November 2008 
 (08-5418) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements Original:   English 
 
 
 
EGYPT-TURKEY FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (GOODS) 
 
Questions and Replies  
 
 
 The following communication, dated 6 November 2008, is being circulated at the request of the delegations of Egypt and Turkey.   This document reproduces the follow-up
 questions addressed to the Parties following the 
Committee on Trade and Development's 1st Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements, and 
the responses submitted.  
_______________ 
 
 
Follow-up Questions from the Delegation of the United States
 
 Follow-up to question 13
 
 
1. Given that Article 1.5 of the TBT Agreement specifically excludes from the scope of the 
TBT Agreement provisions any "SPS measure" as  defined in Annex A of the SPS Agreement, 
how are Parties expected to en sure, under Article 11 of the RTA, that their SPS measures are 
consistent with the rules and procedures of the TBT Agreement? 
 In the Article 1.3 of the TBT Agreement, it is  stated, "all products, including industrial and 
agricultural products, shall be subject to the provision s of this Agreement".  However, the Article 1.5 
of the same agreement makes a separation betw een the scope of TBT Agreement provisions and 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures as defined in  Annex A of the SPS Agreement.  Therefore, in 
order to emphasize the non-applicability of the TBT Agreement provisions to the SPS measures 
(Article 1.5 of the TBT Agreemen t) we deemed necessary to state TBT Agreement in our answer.  
 
Follow-up to question 16  
 
2. We appreciate the Parties' reply to questio n 16.  However, we would appreciate any 
further elaboration on how this agreement cove rs substantially all trade without agriculture 
being covered and how the use of diagonal cumulation meets Article XXIV requirements? 
 In the framework of the Turkey-Egypt FTA  which was notified under the Enabling Clause, 
the Parties agreed to eliminate all customs duti es and charges having equivalent effect on products 
classified under HS Heading 25-97, with the excepti on of Annex I to the Agreement.  Regarding 
agricultural products, the Parties agreed to exchan ge concessions on selected products mostly in the 
form of in quota tariff reduction or in quota tariff elimination.  The agricultural products on which the 
Parties provided concessions were determined accord ing to the mutual needs and potential utility to 
the bilateral trade between Turkey and Egypt.  On the other hand, in accordance with Article 10.3 of WT/COMTD/RTA/1/3 
Page 2  
 
  the agreement, the Parties will progressively estab lish a greater liberalization of their trade in 
agricultural products of interest to both Parties.  In terms of trade liberalization, Turkey-Egypt FTA 
brings about a high rate of liberalization in the im ports of Turkey and Egypt from each other, nearly 
85 per cent and 90 per cent respectively.  
 Indeed, as for the diagonal cumulation, Prot ocol III to Turkey-Egypt FTA is drafted as 
exactly the same as the model origin protocol  of Pan-Euro-Med system.  The reference to 
Article XXIV of GATT 1994 in Article 3.5.a of Pr otocol III of the Free Trade Agreement constitutes 
a broad framework.  
__________