. /. RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/REG148/M/3 
27 July 2006 
 
 (06-3629) 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements 
Forty-Third Session  
 
 
 
EXAMINATION OF THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT 
BETWEEN THE EFTA STATES AND SINGAPORE, GOODS AND SERVICES 
 
Note on the Meeting of 4 July 2006  
 
Chairman:  Mr.  O.  Camara (Senegal) 
  
1. The meeting was convened in document WTO/AIR/2850. 
2. Under Agenda Item B.VI of its 43
rd Session, the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements 
(hereinafter CRTA or the Committee) took up the third round of examination of the Free Trade 
Agreement between the EFTA States and Singapor e, Goods and Services, (hereinafter the 
Agreement). 
3. The Chairman  noted that the proceedings of the first and second rounds of examination, 
which had taken place in October 2004 and July 2005 , had been distributed respectively in documents 
WT/REG148/M/1-2.  Since then, the Parties had pr ovided replies to questions put by delegations 
which had been circulated in document WT/REG148/6. 
A. GOODS ASPECTS  
4. Given the advanced stage of the examination, the Chairman  asked delegations wishing to 
comment or ask questions on the Agreement to iden tify the relevant section of the Standard Format 
contained in document WT/REG148/3. 
5. The representative of the United States  appreciated the data contained in document 
WT/REG148/6, under Background Information, and specifi cally in page five of the Annex.  She noted 
that in the chart recording trade coverage there were  three categories of trade liberalization:  DF (Duty 
Free);  RD (Reduced Duties);  and NC (No change).   Tariff line liberalization was shown only in two 
categories – DF and RD - and she assumed that all the remaining tariff lines were NC – No Change.  
In the case of Switzerland, looking at the entire product coverage, there were 8,501 tariff lines, of 
which 6,612 were reported as duty-free and 176 were  reported as having a reduced duty.  By her 
calculations, that left 1,713 lines unchanged, abou t 20 per cent of the tariff schedule, and she 
wondered if 80 per cent liberalizat ion  constituted "substantially all the trade" (SAT).  The 
representative of Switzerland  replied that SAT was not defined in GATT Article XXIV:8(b), although 
it was clear that it meant less than all the trade.  It was also important to note that it referred to 
"substantially all the trade" and not to trade in "substantially all the products" or trade in "substantially 
all sectors".  In his view the obligation was not define d in terms of products or sectors but in trade as a 
whole.  Therefore, trade in agriculture should be seen as part of the total trade, covering both agricultural and industrial products.  Th e representative of the United States
 sought confirmation that 
the tariff lines that were not "duty free" (DF) or "reduced duty" (RD) were "no change" (NC).  The 
representative of Switzerland  confirmed that point and corroborated that it represented 20 per cent.   WT/REG148/M/3 
Page 2  
 
  6. The Chairman
 observed that the Committee seemed to have exhausted the factual inquiry and 
proposed that the Secretariat begin drafting the re port for this examination.  It was so agreed . 
B. SERVICES ASPECTS  
7. Given the advanced stage of the examination, the Chairman  asked delegations wishing to 
comment or ask questions on the Agreement to iden tify the relevant section of the Standard Format 
contained in document WT/REG148/4.  In the absence of questions by Members, the Chairman 
observed that the Committee seemed to have exhaus ted the factual inquiry and proposed that the 
Secretariat begin drafting the report for this examination.  It was so agreed . 
8. The Committee took note  of the comments made.   
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