WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/REG104/R/B/3 
G/L/783 14 August 2006 
 
(06-3894) 
 Original:  English 
  
 
COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE  
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND SYRIA 
 
Biennial Report on the Operation of the Agreement
 
  
 The following communication, dated 24 July 2006, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the European Communities.  It is or ganized in accordance to the Standard Format for 
Information on Regional Trade Agreements (WT/REG/W/6). 
 
_______________ 
 
 This report covers the period 2001-2005. The previo us biennial report submitted by the EC on 
the operation of the cooperation Ag reement between the EC and Syria was circulated as WTO document 
WT/REG104/R/B/2, G/L/ 546 of 13 May 2002.  
 
 
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE AGREEMENT 
1. Membership And Dates Of Signature, Ratification And Entry Into Force 
 The Co-operation Agreement between the Eu ropean Communities and Syria was signed on 
18 January 1977. Since the last biennial report, issued in April 2002 (WT/REG104/R/B/2, G/L/546), 
no changes have been made to the provisions of the Co-operation Agreement, exception that Cyprus, 
the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithua nia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia have 
become parties to the Agreement, following thei r accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004.  
  Negotiations for the conclusion of a new and st rengthened agreement, th e Euro Mediterranean 
Association Agreement, which would replace the ex isting Co-operation Agreement, were launched in 
May 1998 and concluded in October 2004 with the initialling of the Association Agreement. 
However, the signature has not yet taken place.   
4. Trade Data 
  Total bilateral trade between the EU and Syria amounted to €5.7 billion in 2005 (EU25), 
around 16 per cent less than 2004.  In 2005, the main trading sectors remain mineral products, with a share of 86 per cent of imports from Syria and 52 per cent of total trade, followed by machinery 
(30 per cent of exports to Syria and 15 per cent of  total trade). Further statistical information is 
provided in the annex. 
 
 
II. TRADE PROVISIONS 
1. Import Restrictions  
2. Export Restrictions  WT/REG104/R/B/3 
G/L/783 Page 2 
 
 
  3. Rules Of Origin  
4. Standards  5. Safeguards  6. Anti-Dumping And Countervailing Measures  
   
 The trade provisions of the Co-operation Agreement remain unchanged, according to which industrial products (other than those in Annex II to the Treaty establishing the EEC) originating in 
Syria may be imported into the European Communi ty without quantitative restrictions or measures 
having an equivalent effect. 
 
 The Agreement does not contain specific provi sions relating to standards. Other trade 
provisions of the Agreement (rules of origin and tr ade defence) have not been modified during the 
reporting period.  7. Subsidies And State-Aid 
 
 The Agreement does not include any provisi ons concerning State aid or subsidies.  
 
8. Sector-Specific Provisions 
  The situation remains as described in the last biennial report. 
  The Agreement continues to contain preferen tial measures pertaining to agricultural and 
processed agricultural products (including reduction of customs duties).  
 
III. GENERAL PROVISIONS OF THE AGREEMENT & 
IV. OTHER 
 
 The Agreement does not cover services, intell ectual property rights or other trade related 
provisions. 
   WT/REG104/R/B/3
 G/L/783
 Page 3ANNEX 
 
EU25-Syria Imports/Exports, 2005 and comparison with extra-EU25 
  
 World excluding Intra-EU trade and European Union:  25 members. 
 Source:  EUROSTAT (Comext, Statistical regime 4)  
 
__________ EU25 trade 2005 with Syria EU25 trade 2005 with the World (extra-EU) Syria 
imports exports balance imports exports balance market shares Syria / Total 
M  
Euro %  
Total M  
Euro %  
Total M  
Euro M  
Euro %  
Total M  
Euro %  
Total M  
Euro imports exports Exp-Imp 
ratio 
               
TOTAL 2,913 100.0 2,773 100.0 -140 1,176,055 100.0 1,061,836 100.0 -114,219 0.2 0.3 1.0 
of which                           
I. Live animals; animal products………… 18 0.6 28 1.0 10 17,041 1.4 12,370 1.2 -4,671 0.1 0.2 1.5 
II. Vegetable products………… 30 1.0 22 0.8 -8 27,449 2.3 10,472 1.0 -16,976 0.1 0.2 0.7 
III. Animal or vegetable fats and oils………… 75 2.6 7 0.2 -68 3,924 0.3 2,492 0.2 -1,432 1.9 0.3 0.1 
IV. Prep foodstuffs; beverages, tobacco …… 4 0.1 211 7.6 207 25,766 2.2 33,623 3.2 7,857 0.0 0.6 59.3 
V. Mineral Products……………… 2,519 86.5 452 16.3 -2,067 285,197 24.3 42,712 4.0 -242,486 0.9 1.1 0.2 
VI. Products of the chemical……………… 5 0.2 290 10.5 285 86,790 7.4 147,203 13.9 60,413 0.0 0.2 60.9 
VII. Plastics; rubber………………… 8 0.3 104 3.8 96 29,488 2.5 41,346 3.9 11,858 0.0 0.3 12.5 
VIII. Raw hides and skins, leather ………… 34 1.2 1 0.0 -33 10,007 0.9 8,829 0.8 -1,178 0.3 0.0 0.0 
IX. Wood and articles of wood; cork……… 1 0.0 14 0.5 13 11,619 1.0 8,387 0.8 -3,233 0.0 0.2 15.4 
X. Paper or paperboard……… 4 0.1 93 3.4 89 13,670 1.2 24,110 2.3 10,440 0.0 0.4 23.5 
XI. Textiles and textile articles……… 166 5.7 61 2.2 -104 73,056 6.2 36,315 3.4 -36,741 0.2 0.2 0.4 
XII. Footwear………… 1 0.0 1 0.0 0 13,910 1.2 5,824 0.5 -8,085 0.0 0.0 0.8 
XIII. art of stone plaster cement………… 7 0.2 23 0.8 16 8,220 0.7 15,228 1.4 7,008 0.1 0.1 3.3 
XIV. Pearls; precious stones and metals……… 1 0.0 10 0.4 9 29,696 2.5 28,397 2.7 -1,300 0.0 0.0 15.6 
XV. Iron and steel, base metals and art.…… 4 0.1 225 8.1 221 68,868 5.9 70,977 6.7 2,109 0.0 0.3 63.9 
XVI. Mach., elect.equip……… 20 0.7 829 29.9 809 286,987 24.4 324,117 30.5 37,130 0.0 0.3 40.9 
XVII. Transport equip, aircraft, ship…… 4 0.1 251 9.1 247 95,253 8.1 161,947 15.3 66,694 0.0 0.2 61.1 
XVIII. Optic photo cine precision instr………… 5 0.2 84 3.0 79 45,014 3.8 51,712 4.9 6,698 0.0 0.2 18.3 
XIX. Arms and ammunition…………… 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 705 0.1 1,704 0.2 999 0.0 0.0 1,371.7 
XX. Miscellaneous manufactured articles…… 4 0.2 14 0.5 9 29,314 2.5 18,219 1.7 -11,095 0.0 0.1 3.0 
XXI. Works of art, collectors’  pieces………… 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 3,119 0.3 4,279 0.4 1,160 0.0 0.0 3.7 
other…………………… 4 0 53 2 49 10,962 1 11,574 1 612 0.0 0.5 13.0