WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/BGR/7
11October 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4194)
ACCESSION OFBULGARIA
On2October 1996 theGeneral Council adopted aDecision (WT/ACC/BGR/6) totheeffect
thattheGovernment ofBulgaria mayaccede totheWTO Agreement ontheterms setoutintheProtocol
fortheAccession ofBulgaria, thetextofwhich wasapproved attheGeneral Council meeting on
2October 1996 (WT/GC/M/14). ThetextoftheProtocol isannexed hereto. TheSchedules of
Concessions onGoods andofSpecific Commitments inServices arereproduced indocuments
WT/ACC/BGR/5/Add.1 andAdd.2, respectively.
_______________
On2October 1996, theMinister forTrade andForeign Economic Cooperation ofBulgaria,
Mr.A.Paparizov, signed adreferendum theProtocol ofAccession.WT/ACC/BGR/7
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PROTOCOL FOR THE ACCESSION OFBULGARIA
TOTHE MARRAKESH AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING
THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
TheWorld Trade Organization (hereinafter referred toasthe"WTO"), pursuant totheapproval
oftheGeneral Council oftheWTO accorded under Article XIIoftheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing
theWorld Trade Organization (hereinafter referred toasthe"WTO Agreement"), andtheRepublic
ofBulgaria, (hereinafter referred toas"Bulgaria"),
Taking noteoftheReport oftheWorking Party ontheAccession ofBulgaria WTO Agreement
indocument WT/ACC/BGR/5 andAddenda 1and2(hereinafter referred toasthe"Working Party
Report"),
Having regard totheresults ofthenegotiations ontheAccession ofBulgaria WTO,
Agree asfollows:
PartI-General
1. Upon entry intoforce ofthisProtocol, Bulgaria accedes totheWTO Agreement pursuant to
Article XIIofthatAgreement andthereby becomes aMember oftheWTO.
2. TheWTO Agreement towhich Bulgaria accedes shallbetheWTO Agreement asrectified,
amended orotherwise modified bysuchlegalinstruments asmayhaveentered intoforce before the
dateofentry intoforce ofthisProtocol. ThisProtocol, including thecommitments referred toin
paragraph 92oftheWorking Party Report which arehereby incorporated intothisProtocol, shallbe
anintegral partoftheWTO Agreement.
3. Except asotherwise provided forintheparagraphs referred toinparagraph 92oftheWorking
Party Report, those obligations intheMultilateral Trade Agreements annexed totheWTO Agreement
thataretobeimplemented overaperiod oftimestarting withtheentry intoforce ofthatAgreement
shallbeimplemented byBulgaria asifithadaccepted thatAgreement onthedateofitsentry into
force.
4. Bulgaria maymaintain ameasure inconsistent withparagraph 1ofArticle IIoftheGATS
provided thatsuchameasure isrecorded intheListofArticle IIExemptions annexed tothisProtocol
andmeets theconditions oftheAnnex totheGATS onArticle IIExemptions.
PartII-Schedules
5. TheSchedules annexed tothisProtocol shall become theSchedule ofConcessions and
Commitments annexed totheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994 (hereinafter referred to
asthe"GATT 1994") andtheSchedule ofSpecific Commitments annexed totheGeneral Agreement
onTrade inServices (hereinafter referred toas"GATS") relating toBulgaria. Thestaging ofthe
concessions andcommitments listed intheSchedules shallbeimplemented asspecified intherelevant
parts oftherespective Schedules.
6. Forthepurpose ofthereference inparagraph 6(a)ofArticle IIoftheGATT 1994tothedate
ofthatAgreement, theapplicable dateinrespect oftheSchedules ofConcessions andCommitments
annexed tothisProtocol shallbethedateofentry intoforce ofthisProtocol.WT/ACC/BGR/7
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PartIII-Final Provisions
7. ThisProtocol shall beopen foracceptance, bysignature orotherwise, byBulgaria until
30April 1997.
8. ThisProtocol shallenter intoforce onthethirtieth dayfollowing thedayofitsacceptance.
9. ThisProtocol shallbedeposited withtheDirector-General oftheWTO. TheDirector-General
oftheWTO shallpromptly furnish acertified copyofthisProtocol andanotification ofacceptance
byBulgaria thereto pursuant toparagraph 7toeachMember oftheWTO andtoBulgaria.
10. ThisProtocol shallberegistered inaccordance withtheprovisions ofArticle 102oftheCharter
oftheUnited Nations.
Done atGeneva thissecond dayofOctober onethousand ninehundred andninety-six, ina
single copyintheEnglish, French andSpanish languages, eachtextbeing authentic.