CEFTA Trade Facilitation AgendaMarket Access, Additional Protocol 5,Transparency
TFA Training for CEFTA PartiesGeneva, 14 March 2016
Umut ErgezerActing Director
INTRODUCTION
CEFTASECRETARIAT
POSITIONING OF CEFTA
CEFTASECRETARIAT
WTO TradeFacilitationAgreement
EU Acquis
POSITIONING OF CEFTA PARTIES
CEFTASECRETARIAT
EU Acquis
EC (9)1973
EC (10)(1981)
EC (12)(1986)
EC (15)(1995)
EU (25)(2004)
EU (27)(2007)
EU (28)(2013)
Europe Norway (1973)Iceland (1973)Switzerland(1973)
Albania (2009)
Macedonia(2004)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (2008) Montenegro (2010)Serbia (2010)
Ukraine(2014)Georgia (2014)Moldova (2014)
Mediterranean Syria (1977) PalestinianAuthority (1997)Tunisia (1998)Morocco (2000)Israel (2000)Jordan (2002)Lebanon(2003)
Egypt (2004)Algeria (2005)
POSITIONING OF CEFTA PARTIES
CEFTASECRETARIAT
EU Acquis
EC (9)1973
EC (10)(1981)
EC (12)(1986)
EC (15)(1995)
EU (25)(2004)
EU (27)(2007)
EU (28)(2013)
Other Mexico (2000)South Africa (2000)Chile (2003)
CARIFORUMStates (2008)Madagascar , Mauritius, Seychelles, and Zimbabwe (2009)Cameroon (2009)South Korea (2010)Papua New Guinea and Fiji (2011)Iraq (2012)Columbia (2012)Peru (2012)Central America (2012)
Ecuador(2015)
POSITIONING OF CEFTA PARTIES
• As a country? (Bi‐lateral FTAs with EU, EFTA, Turkey, Russia etc)• As a country in the Region? ( PEM Convention, SAP + cumulation, Western Balkans cumulation– diagonal cumulation / prohibition of duty drawback)•As a Region? (CEFTA, full cumulation and duty drawback in the regional trade)
CEFTASECRETARIAT
EU Acquis
HOW TO DISTINGUISH CEFTA FROM OTHERS?
CEFTASECRETARIAT
Current Context in CEFTA
CEFTASECRETARIAT
• Trade in industrial and agricultural goods isliberalised (no tariff‐ no quota)
• Alignment to the EU acquis is in progress with variable levels – no action in CEFTA to contradict with the acquis
• All signed FTAs with the EU, and TR and with theEFTA states (except Moldova and Kosovo*)
• Overall commitment to respect WTO rule book in the implementation of CEFTA independent from the status of membership to WTO
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
Highlights of CEFTA Trade
EVOLUTION OF CEFTA PRIORITIES
CEFTASECRETARIAT
MAIN PILLARS of CEFTA TRADE FACILITATION AGENDA and THEIR EVOLUTION IN CEFTA PRIORITIES
CEFTASECRETARIAT
WTO TradeFacilitationAgreement
EU Acquis
UPDATE ON CEFTA STRUCTURES
CEFTASECRETARIAT
CEFTA Structures
CEFTA TRADE FACILITATION AGENDA
CEFTASECRETARIAT
Overall Policy Context of CEFTA Priorities
Economic Growth
Promote Trade and Investment
Trade Facilitation Liberalisation of Trade in Services
Interconnectivity
Capacity Building
Transparency
CEFTASECRETARIAT
General Principles of Trade Facilitation in CEFTA
Built upon the EU Acquis
(Acquis +)
No Region Specific Standards
All actions are to be in line with the Acquis
Additional legal instruments are to be created to utilise the Acquis for economic interest
of the Region
Private Sector Oriented
Public‐private sector dialogue is to be strengthened
Private Sector is to play advisory role
Attention of private sector to play a role of watchdog to the implementation of CEFTA
Specific and Result Oriented
Product Specific Measures
Most Trade Distortive Barriers
Facilitate Access to Markets
CEFTASECRETARIAT
Regional Actions in CEFTA always aim to create regional legal instruments
CEFTATrade
Facilitation
HarmonisationIdentifying and Eliminating NTBs(in all clearance stages)
SimplificationAdditional Protocol on
Trade Facilitation (pre‐clearance and
clearance) StandardisationElimination of overlapping and
redundant documentary requirements(pre‐clearance)
CEFTASECRETARIAT
UPDATE ON NEGOTIATIONS OF ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL 5
CEFTASECRETARIAT
Interaction of AP5 CEFTAwith other Agreements and Processes
CEFTASECRETARIAT
WTO TradeFacilitationAgreement
EU Acquis
Additional Protocol 5
Berlin Process
SEE 2020
EU AcquisCEFTA Agreement
WTO TFA
Structure of AP 5
CEFTASECRETARIAT
WTO TradeFacilitationAgreement
EU Acquis
Securing implementation by creating direct link to CEFTA dispute settlement
CEFTA specific obligations for the electronic exchange of information including all agencies
involved in the clearance of goods
EU bilateral agreements with EFTA States for trade facilitation and mutual recognition of
AEOs
WTO TFA +
WTO TFA (on the basis of self‐assessments of CEFTA Parties)
Update on the negotiations of CEFTA Additional Protocol 5on Trade Facilitation (1)
CEFTASECRETARIAT
When What Remarks
21 November 2014 Adoption of Ministerial Conclusions to launch negotiations on the Framework Agreement (Additional Protocol 5)
January 2015 to May 2015 Technical assistance financed by the CPFto support the negotiations
‐IT Consultancy for technical annexe of electronic exchange of data‐Workshop with the EU and WCO
27 May 2015 1st Round of Negotiations ‐Conclusions on the modus operandi ‐1st draft of Additional Protocol and Technical Annexe on Electronic Exchange of Information
26 June 2015 Circulation of follow‐up documents of the 1st Round
Update on the negotiations of CEFTA Additional Protocol 5 on Trade Facilitation (2)
CEFTASECRETARIAT
When What Remarks
June to September 2015 Appointing Chief Negotiators and Deputies
All CEFTA Parties appointed their Chief Negotiator
01 October 2015 Coordination meeting of Chief Negotiator ‐ 2nd draft text of AP 5‐Planning the upcoming rounds‐SEED +
13 November 2015 Invitation to the 2nd Round of negotiations
‐3rd draft of the Additional Protocol‐ Draft Action Plan‐Methodology to compile documentary requirements
20‐21 January 2016 2nd Round of Negotiations ‐ 3rd draft of the Additional Protocol (All text of AP 5 – 36 Articles‐reviewed) (based on WTO TFA SA, EU)‐ Agreed on the Action Plan
March‐June 3rd and 4th Rounds of negotiations ‐ 4th draft of AP 5 (WTO TFA+ and EU +)‐To conclude negotiations‐ To conclude the technical annexe on electronic exchange of data
Challenges• EU Acquis ‐ EU Accession Process
‐how to benefit / utilise the EU acquis? ‐ EU acquis – economic growth – competitiveness – trade facilitation ?
• High level commitment to mid‐level management ‐Who wants trade facilitation? Who want to facilitate trade? (Berlin Process, SEE 2020)
• Public‐ private sector dialogue?‐Capacity of private sector representatives ‐ How to reflect policy recommendations of private sector? How bottom‐up should be?
• Coordination?•Regional ( between regional organisations RCC‐CEFTA – SEETO – SEECEL – etc)• Regional to national (SEE 2020 and ERPs)• Intra‐national (Inter‐ministry and intra‐ministry)
CEFTASECRETARIAT
THANK YOU.