WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/REG/15 
3 November 2005 
 (05-5197) 
  
  
 
REPORT (2005) OF THE  
COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS  
TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL 
 
Chairman:  Mr. R. Saborío Soto (Costa Rica)
 
 
 
I. INTRODUCTION 
1. At the first meeting on 17-18 February 2005, the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements 
(hereinafter, the Committee or CRTA) re-elected Mr . Ronaldo Saborío Soto (Costa Rica) as Chairman 
of the Committee.  At its meeting on 26 July, th e CRTA elected Mr. Anton Egger (Switzerland) as 
Vice-Chairman. 
2. During 2005, the Committee held two sessions (in February and July).  The minutes of those 
meetings are listed in Attachment 1.  Due to the heavy schedule of meetings of the Negotiating 
Groups in advance of the Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting, the 41st Session of the Committee 
scheduled for 6-7 October was postponed to 23-24 Ja nuary 2006.  The Committee plans to hold three 
other meetings in 2006. 
II. OBSERVER STATUS 
3. The Committee agreed to continue the granti ng of observer status in the CRTA to the 
Latin American Integration Association (LAIA), on an ad hoc  basis.  No decision was taken with 
respect to the requests for observer status lis ted in document WT/REG/W/11/Add.3, pending the 
definition of guidelines by the General Council. 
III. EXAMINATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS 
4. As of 30 September 2005, 334 RTAs ha ve been notified to the GATT/WTO.1 Of these, 
273 agreements were notified under GATT Ar ticle XXIV;  22 under the Enabling Clause;2  and 39 
under GATS Article V.  Of the notified agreements, 183 are currently in force.  Of these RTAs, 130 
are GATT Article XXIV agreements;  22 are Enabling Clause agreements;  and 31 are GATS Article 
V agreements.  
5. The Committee has currently under examination a total of 141 agreements, of which 110 in 
the area of trade in goods and 31 in trade in servi ces.  Forty four RTAs are currently undergoing 
factual examination, while for 48 RTAs, the Commit tee has not yet started the factual examination.  
For the remaining 49 RTAs the factual examinati on has concluded (see Attachment 2); no progress 
was made, however, on the completion of the corresponding examination reports.  
 
                                                      
1 This figure corresponds to notifications of new RTAs, as well as accessions to existing RTAs. 
2 Differential and More Favourable Treatment, Reci procity and Fuller Partic ipation of Developing 
Countries , Decision of the GATT CONTRACTING PARTIES of 28 November 1979. WT/REG/15 
Page 2  
 
6. During its 40
th Session, in accordance with the modified  Chairman's Guidelines on Procedures 
to Improve and Facilitate the Examination Process3, the Committee for the first time made use of a 
factual presentation prepared by the Secretariat as the basis for the examination of an RTA.  On 
4 October at the invitation of the Chairman of the Negotiating Group on Rules, the Chairman of the CRTA presented an assessment of the exercise to  the Group.  He indicated that the factual 
presentation, which had been well received by dele gations, had significantly helped them in their 
review exercise and had made a positive contribution to the process of transparency.  
IV. REPORTING ON THE OPERATION OF AGREEMENTS 
7. In the course of 2005, three reports were r eceived on the operation of agreements, in 
accordance with the 2004 Schedule for Submission of  Reports, circulated as WT/REG/W/48.  These 
reports will be considered at the Committee's 41
st Session.  Nine biennial reports due in 2004 are still 
outstanding (see Attachment 3). 
V. PROCEDURES TO IMPROVE AND FACI LITATE THE EXAMINATION PROCESS 
8. No discussion took place on this item. 
VI. SYSTEMIC IMPLICATIONS OF RE GIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND 
INITIATIVES FOR THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM AND THE 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM 
9. No discussion took place on this item. 
VII. OTHER 
10. No discussion took place on this item. 
VIII.  FINAL REMARKS 
11. The Committee has pursued its f actual examination work and welcomed the introduction of 
the factual presentation as a positive st ep in improving transparency. 
                                                      
3 Document WT/REG/W/15/Add.1, dated 16 November 2004.  WT/REG/15 
 Page 3 
 
 
ATTACHMENT 1 
 
Minutes of the Meetings held in 2005  
  
Thirty-Ninth Session – 17-18 February 2005
 
  WT/REG/M/39   WT/REG142/M/2 European Communities – Croatia  
 WT/REG129/M/2 European Communities – FYROM  
 WT/REG112/M/3 European Communities – Morocco   WT/REG165/M/1 Chile – El Salvador, Goods and Services  WT/REG160/M/1 United States – Chile, Goods and Services  WT/REG161/M/1 United Status – Singapore, Goods and Services 
 WT/REG162/M/1 China – Hong Kong, China, Goods and Services 
 WT/REG163/M/1 China – Macao, China, Goods and Services  
Fortieth Session – 26 and 28 July 2005
 
  WT/REG/M/40 
 
 WT/REG170/M/1 Enlargement of the European Union  WT/REG132/M/3 EFTA States – Croatia  WT/REG133/M/3 EFTA States – Jordan  WT/REG148/M/2 EFTA States – Singapore, Goods and Services 
 WT/REG169/M/1 Korea – Chile, Goods and Services 
 WT/REG164/M/1 European Communities – Chile   WT/REG141/M/2 European Communities – Jordan  WT/REG109/M/4 European Communities – Mexico  WT/REG140/M/3 Japan – Singapore, Goods and Services  WT/REG158/M/2 Singapore – Australia, Goods and Services 
 WT/REG147/M/2 Canada – Costa Rica 
  WT/REG/15 
Page 4  
 
ATTACHMENT 2 
 
List of RTAs Under Examination
 
 
A. RTAs for which factual examination has been completed (49): 
 
ANZCERTA (S) EC-Mexico (G) Japan-Singapore (G&S) 
Canada-Chile (G&S) EC-Morocco  (G) Kyrgyz Rep.-Moldova (G) 
Canada-Costa Rica (G) EC-Romania (G) Mexico-Israel (G) 
Canada-Israel (G) EC-Tuni sia (G) NAFTA (G&S) 
CEFTA – Accession of Bulgaria (G) EFTA (S) New Zealand-Singapore (G&S) CEFTA – Accession of Romania (G) EFTA -Bulgaria (G) Norway-Faroe Isl. (G) 
Chile-Mexico (G&S) EFTA-Croatia  (G) Singapore-Australia (G&S) 
Chile-Costa Rica (G&S) EFTA-FYR OM (G) Switzerland-Faroe Isl. (G) 
EC-P. of Andorra (G) EFTA-I srael (G) Turkey-FYROM (G) 
EC-Bulgaria (G) EFTA-Jor dan (G) Turkey-Israel (G) 
EC-Croatia (G) EFTA-Mexico (G)  Turkey-Romania (G) 
EC Enlargement (15) (G&S) EFTA-Morocco (G)  EC-FYROM (G) EFTA-Romania (G)  EC-Israel (G) European Economic Area (S)  
EC-Jordan (G) Iceland-Faroe Isl. (G)  
 
B. RTAs under factual examination (44): 
 
CARICOM (S) EC (Treaty of Rome) (S)  Kyrgyz Rep.-Kazakhstan (G) 
Chile-El Salvador (G&S) EFTA-Mexico (S) Kyrgyz Rep.-Russian Fed. (G)  
Chile-Korea (G&S) EFTA-Singapore (G&S) Kyrgyz Rep.-Ukraine (G) 
China-Hong Kong, China (G&S) EU Enlar gement (25) (G) Kyrgyz Rep.-Armenia (G) 
China-Macao, China (G&S) Georgia-Armenia (G) Kyrgyz Rep.-Uzbekistan (G) 
EC-Bulgaria (S) Georgia-Azerbaijan (G) EAEC (G) 
EC-Chile (G) Georgia-Kazakhstan (G) MERCOSUR (G) 
EC-Faroe Isl. (G) Georgia-Russian Fed. (G)  Turkey-Croatia (G) 
EC-Mexico (S) Georgia-Turkmenistan (G) United States-Chile (G&S) EC-Romania (S) Georgia-Ukraine (G) United States-Jordan (G&S) 
EC-Turkey (G)
 CIS (G) United States-Singapore (G&S) 
Bulgaria-FYROM (G) Romania-Moldova (G) Turkey-Bulgaria (G) 
 
C. RTAs for which factual examin ation has not yet commenced (48): 
 
Albania-Bosnia & Herzegovina (G) CEFTA-Accession Cr oatia (G) Moldova-Bosnia & Herzegovina (G)  
Albania-Bulgaria (G) Croatia-Al bania (G) Moldova-Bulgaria (G) 
Albania-Moldova (G) Croatia-Bosnia & Herzegovina (G) Moldova-Croatia (G) 
Albania-Romania (G) Croatia-FYR OM (G) Moldova-FYROM (G) 
Albania-FYROM (G) EC-Egypt (G) Moldova-Servia & Montenegro (G)  
Albania-Serbia & Montenegro (G) EC- Lebanon (G) Panama-El Salvador (G&S) 
Albania-UNMIK (G) EC-Palestinian Author ity (G) Romania-Bosnia & Herzegovina (G)  
Armenia-Kazakhstan (G) EC-South Africa (G) Romania-Israel (G) 
Armenia-Moldova (G) EFTA-Ch ile (G&S) Romania-FYROM (G) 
Armenia-Russian Federation (G) EFTA-Palestinian Authority (G) Romania-Serbia & Montenegro (G) 
Armenia-Turkmenistan (G) EFTA-Tunisia (G) SADC (G) Armenia-Ukraine (G) EU Enlargement (25) (S) Thailand-Australia (G&S) 
Bulgaria-Israel (G) FYROM-Bosnia & Herzegovina (G)
  Turkey-Bosnia and Herzegovina (G) 
Bulgaria-Bosnia& Herzegovina (G)  Japan-Mexico (G&S) United States-Australia (G&S) 
Bulgaria-Serbia& Montenegro (G)     WT/REG/15 
 Page 5 
 
 
ATTACHMENT 3 
 
Schedule for the Submission of Biennial Reports on RTAs  
  A. Reports submitted in 2005 yet to be considered by the CRTA (3) 
 
 EC - Cyprus  EC - Malta  United States - Israel 
 
B. Reports not submitted under the 2004 schedule (9) 
 
 Australia-New Zealand Cl oser Economic Relations Tr ade Agreement (ANZCERTA) 
 Australia-Papua New Guinea Agreement (PATCRA) 
 Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) 
 Czech/Slovak Customs Union  European Communities (EC) - Algeria  EC - Egypt  EC - Syria  EFTA - Czech Republic 
 EFTA - Slovak Republic 
 
C. Reports not submitted under the 2001 schedule (2) 
 
Australia-Papua New Guinea Agreement (PATCRA) 
Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) 
 
__________