UNITED STATES – MOROCCO FREE TRADE AGREEMENT The Government of the United States ...

UNITED STATES – MOROCCO FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

The Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco (the “Parties”): Recognizing the longstanding friendship between them, and wishing to strengthen their partnership and promote mutually advantageous economic relations; Recognizing Morocco’s commitment to reform to improve the lives of its people; Desiring to raise living standards, promote economic growth and stability, create new employment opportunities, and improve the general welfare in their territories by liberalizing and expanding trade and investment between them; Seeking to enhance the competitiveness of their enterprises in global markets; Desiring to establish clear rules governing their trade and investment that reflect the interests of both Parties and thereby foster a predictable and mutually advantageous commercial environment; Committed to foster bilateral cooperation while recognizing the differences in their level of development and the size of their economies; Affirming their commitment to facilitate trade between them by eliminating barriers to bilateral trade; Building on their rights and obligations under the WTO Agreement and other agreements to which they are both parties; Desiring to liberalize and expand bilateral agricultural trade and investment and thereby make their agricultural sectors more competitive, foster rural development, and increase prosperity in their territories; Desiring to protect human, animal, and plant health conditions in the Parties’ territories, enhance the Parties’ implementation of the SPS Agreement, and provide a forum to address sanitary and phytosanitary matters between the Parties, thereby expanding trade opportunities;

Affirming their commitment to transparency and their desire to eliminate corruption in international trade and investment; Seeking to foster creativity and innovation and to promote trade in goods and services that are the subject of intellectual property rights; Desiring to strengthen the development and enforcement of labor and environmental laws and policies, promote basic workers’ rights and sustainable development, and implement this Agreement in a manner consistent with environmental protection and conservation; Affirming their desire to establish a free trade area of the United States, Middle East, and North Africa and thereby contribute to regional integration and economic development; Have agreed as follows:

CHAPTER ONE INITIAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS Section A: Initial Provisions ARTICLE 1.1: ESTABLISHMENT OF A FREE TRADE AREA Consistent with Article XXIV of GATT 1994 and Article V of GATS, the Parties hereby establish a free trade area in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. ARTICLE 1.2: RELATION TO OTHER AGREEMENTS 1. Except as provided in paragraphs three through five, each Party affirms its existing rights and obligations with respect to each other under existing bilateral and multilateral agreements to which the Parties are party, including the WTO Agreement. 2. This Agreement shall not be construed to derogate from any legal obligation between the Parties that entitles goods or services, or suppliers of goods or services, to treatment more favorable than that accorded by this Agreement. 3. Articles VI and VII of the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco Concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, with Protocol, signed at Washington on July 22, 1985 (the “Treaty”) shall be suspended on the date of entry into force of this Agreement. 4. Notwithstanding paragraph 3, for a period of ten years beginning on the date of entry into force of this Agreement, Articles VI and VII of the Treaty shall not be suspended: (a)

in the case of investments covered by the Treaty as of the date of entry into force of this Agreement; or

(b)

in the case of disputes that arose prior to the date of entry into force of this Agreement and that are otherwise eligible to be submitted for settlement under Article VI or VII.

5. In the event either Party terminates this Agreement in accordance with Article 22.6 (Entry into Force and Termination), Articles VI and VII of the Treaty, to the extent suspended, shall automatically resume operation and shall continue in full force and effect as provided therein.

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Section B: General Definitions ARTICLE 1.3: DEFINITIONS For purposes of this Agreement, unless otherwise specified: Agreement on Textiles and Clothing means the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, contained in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement; central level of government means: (a)

for the United States, the federal level of government; and

(b)

for Morocco, the national level of government;

covered investment means, with respect to a Party, an investment (as defined in Article 10.27 (Investment – Definitions)) in its territory of an investor of the other Party in existence on the date of entry into force of this Agreement or established, acquired, or expanded thereafter; customs duty includes any customs or import duty and a charge of any kind imposed in connection with the importation of a good, including any form of surtax or surcharge in connection with importation, but does not include any: (a)

charge equivalent to an internal tax imposed consistently with Article III:2 of GATT 1994 in respect of like, directly competitive, or substitutable goods of the Party or in respect of goods from which the imported good has been manufactured or produced in whole or in part;

(b)

antidumping or countervailing duty; and

(c)

fee or other charge in connection with importation commensurate with the cost of services rendered;

Customs Valuation Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, contained in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement; days means calendar days;

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enterprise means any entity constituted or organized under applicable law, whether or not for profit, and whether privately owned or governmentally owned, including any corporation, trust, partnership, sole proprietorship, joint venture, or other association; enterprise of a Party means an enterprise constituted or organized under the law of a Party; existing means in effect on the date of entry into force of this Agreement; GATS means the General Agreement on Trade in Services, contained in Annex 1B to the WTO Agreement; GATT 1994 means the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, contained in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement; goods of a Party means domestic products as these are understood in GATT 1994 or such goods as the Parties may agree, and includes originating goods of that Party; government procurement or procurement means the process by which a government obtains the use of or acquires goods or services, or any combination thereof, for governmental purposes and not with a view to commercial sale or resale, or use in the production or supply of goods or services for commercial sale or resale; Harmonized System (HS) means the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, including its General Rules of Interpretation, Section Notes, and Chapter Notes, as adopted and implemented by the Parties in their respective tariff laws; measure includes any law, regulation, procedure, requirement, or practice; national means: (a)

with respect to Morocco, “national of the Kingdom of Morocco” in accordance with Dahir No. 1-58-250 of 21 Safar 1378 (September 6, 1958) enacting the Code of Moroccan Nationality; and

(b)

with respect to the United States, “national of the United States” as defined in Title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

originating good means a good qualifying under the rules of origin set out in Chapter Five (Rules of Origin) or Chapter Four (Textiles and Apparel); person means a natural person or enterprise; 1-3

person of a Party means a national or an enterprise of a Party; preferential tariff treatment means the duty rate applicable under this Agreement to an originating good; regional level of government means: (a)

for the United States, a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico; and

(b)

for Morocco, “regional level of government” is not applicable;

Safeguards Agreement means the Agreement on Safeguards, contained in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement; SPS Agreement means the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, contained in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement; state enterprise means an enterprise owned, or controlled through ownership interests, by a Party; TBT Agreement means the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, contained in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement; territory means, with respect to the United States: (a)

the customs territory of the United States, which includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico;

(b)

the foreign trade zones located in the United States and Puerto Rico; and

(c)

any areas beyond the territorial seas of the United States within which, in accordance with international law and its domestic law, the United States may exercise rights with respect to the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources;

TRIPS Agreement means the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, contained in Annex 1C to the WTO Agreement; WTO means the World Trade Organization; and

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WTO Agreement means the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, done on April 15, 1994.

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CHAPTER TWO NATIONAL TREATMENT AND MARKET ACCESS FOR GOODS ARTICLE 2.1: SCOPE AND COVERAGE Except as otherwise provided, this Chapter applies to trade in goods of a Party. Section A: National Treatment ARTICLE 2.2: NATIONAL TREATMENT 1. Each Party shall accord national treatment to the goods of the other Party in accordance with Article III of GATT 1994, including its interpretive notes, and to this end Article III of GATT 1994 and its interpretative notes are incorporated into and made a part of this Agreement, mutatis mutandis. 2. The treatment to be accorded by a Party under paragraph 1 means, with respect to a regional level of government, treatment no less favorable than the most favorable treatment that regional level government accords to any like, directly competitive, or substitutable goods, as the case may be, of the Party of which it forms a part. 3.

Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the measures set out in Annex 2-A. Section B: Tariff Elimination

ARTICLE 2.3: TARIFF ELIMINATION 1. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, neither Party may increase any existing customs duty, or adopt any new customs duty, on an originating good. 2. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, each Party shall progressively eliminate its customs duties on originating goods, in accordance with its schedule to Annex IV (Tariff Elimination).

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3. On the request of either Party, the Parties shall consult to consider accelerating the elimination of customs duties set out in their Schedules to Annex IV. An agreement by the Parties to accelerate the elimination of a customs duty on a good shall supercede any duty rate or staging category determined pursuant to their Schedules to Annex IV for that good when approved by each Party in accordance with its applicable legal procedures. 4.

For greater certainty, a Party may: (a)

raise a customs duty back to the level established in its Schedule to Annex IV following a unilateral reduction; or

(b)

maintain or increase a customs duty as authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO. Section C: Special Regimes

ARTICLE 2.4: WAIVER OF CUSTOMS DUTIES 1. Neither Party may adopt any new waiver of customs duties, or expand with respect to existing recipients or extend to any new recipient the application of an existing waiver of customs duties, where the waiver is conditioned, explicitly or implicitly, on the fulfillment of a performance requirement. 2. Neither Party may, explicitly or implicitly, condition on the fulfillment of a performance requirement the continuation of any existing waiver of customs duties, except as provided in Annex 2-B. ARTICLE 2.5: TEMPORARY ADMISSION OF GOODS 1.

Each Party shall grant duty-free temporary admission for: (a)

professional equipment, including equipment for the press or television, software and broadcasting and cinematographic equipment, necessary for carrying out the business activity, trade, or profession of a business person who qualifies for temporary entry pursuant to the laws of the importing Party; 2-2

(b)

goods intended for display or demonstration;

(c)

commercial samples and advertising films and recordings; and

(d)

goods imported for sports purposes,

regardless of their origin. 2. Each Party shall, at the request of the person concerned and for reasons its customs authority considers valid, extend the time limit for temporary admission beyond the period initially fixed. 3. Neither Party may condition the duty-free temporary admission of a good referred to in paragraph 1, other than to require that the good: (a)

be used solely by or under the personal supervision of a national or resident of the other Party in the exercise of the business activity, trade, profession, or sport of that person;

(b)

not be sold or leased while in its territory;

(c)

be accompanied by a security in an amount no greater than the charges that would otherwise be owed on entry or final importation, releasable on exportation of the good;

(d)

be capable of identification when exported;

(e)

be exported on the departure of the person referenced in subparagraph (a), or within such other period related to the purpose of the temporary admission as the Party may establish;

(f)

be imported in no greater quantity than is reasonable for its intended use; and

(g)

be otherwise admissible into the Party’s territory under its laws.

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4. If any condition that a Party imposes under paragraph 3 has not been fulfilled, the Party may apply the customs duty and any other charge that would normally be owed on the good. 5. Each Party, through its customs authority, shall adopt procedures providing for the expeditious release of goods admitted under this Article. To the extent possible, these procedures shall provide that when such goods accompany a national or resident of the other Party who is seeking temporary entry, the goods shall be released simultaneously with the entry of that national or resident. 6. Each Party shall permit a good temporarily admitted under this Article to be exported through a customs port other than that through which it was admitted. 7. Each Party, through its customs authority, shall relieve the importer or other person responsible for a good admitted under this Article from any liability for failure to export the good on destruction of the good in the presence of the Party’s customs authority or presentation of satisfactory proof to its customs authority, in accordance with its laws, that the good has been destroyed within the original period fixed for temporary admission or any lawful extension. 8.

Subject to Chapters Ten (Investment) and Eleven (Cross-Border Trade in Services): (a)

each Party shall allow a container used in international traffic that enters its territory from the territory of the other Party to exit its territory on any route that is reasonably related to the economic and prompt departure of such container;

(b)

neither Party may require any bond or impose any penalty or charge solely because of any difference between the port of entry and the port of departure of a container;

(c)

neither Party may condition the release of any obligation, including any bond, that it imposes in respect of the entry of a container into its territory on its exit through any particular port of departure; and

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(d)

neither Party may require that the carrier bringing a container from the territory of the other Party into its territory be the same carrier that takes such container to the territory of the other Party.

ARTICLE 2.6: GOODS RE-ENTERED AFTER REPAIR OR ALTERATION 1. Neither Party may apply a customs duty to a good, regardless of its origin, that reenters its territory after that good has been exported from its territory to the territory of the other Party for repair or alteration, regardless of whether such repair or alteration could be performed in its territory. 2. Neither Party may apply a customs duty to a good, regardless of its origin, imported temporarily from the territory of the other Party for repair or alteration. 3. For purposes of this Article, repair or alteration means restoration, renovation, cleaning, resterilizing, or other operation or process that does not: (a)

destroy a good’s essential characteristics or creates a new or commercially different good; or

(b)

transform an unfinished good into a finished good.

ARTICLE 2.7: DUTY-FREE ENTRY OF COMMERCIAL SAMPLES AND PRINTED ADVERTISING MATERIALS OF NEGLIGIBLE VALUE Each Party shall grant duty-free entry to commercial samples of negligible value and to printed advertising materials of negligible value, imported from the territory of the other Party, regardless of their origin, but may require that: (a)

such samples be imported solely for the solicitation of orders for goods, or services provided from the territory, of the other Party or a non-Party; or

(b)

such advertising materials be imported in packets that each contain no more than one copy of each such material and that neither such materials nor packets form part of a larger consignment.

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Section D: Non-Tariff Measures ARTICLE 2.8: IMPORT AND EXPORT RESTRICTIONS 1. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, neither Party may adopt or maintain any prohibition or restriction on the importation of any good of the other Party or on the exportation or sale for export of any good destined for the territory of the other Party, except in accordance with Article XI of GATT 1994 and its interpretative notes, and to this end Article XI of GATT 1994 and its interpretive notes are incorporated into and made a part of this Agreement, mutatis mutandis.1 2. The Parties understand that GATT 1994 rights and obligations incorporated by paragraph 1 prohibit, in any circumstances in which any other form of restriction is prohibited, a Party from adopting or maintaining: (a)

export and import price requirements, except as permitted in enforcement of countervailing and antidumping duty orders and undertakings;

(b)

measures conditioning the grant of an import license on the fulfillment of a performance requirement; or

(c)

voluntary export restraints inconsistent with Article VI of GATT 1994, as implemented under Article 18 of the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and Article 8.1 of the WTO Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of GATT 1994.

3. In the event that a Party adopts or maintains a prohibition or restriction on the importation from or exportation to a non-Party of a good, no provision of this Agreement shall be construed to prevent the Party from: (a)

limiting or prohibiting the importation of the good of the non-Party from the territory of the other Party; or

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For greater certainty, paragraph 1 applies to prohibitions or restrictions on the importation of remanufactured products.

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(b)

requiring as a condition for exporting the good of the Party to the territory of the other Party, that the good not be re-exported to the non-Party, directly or indirectly, without being consumed in the territory of the other Party.

4. In the event that a Party adopts or maintains a prohibition or restriction on the importation of a good from a non-Party, the Parties, on the request of either Party, shall consult with a view to avoiding undue interference with or distortion of pricing, marketing, and distribution arrangements in the other Party. 5.

Paragraphs 1 through 4 shall not apply to the measures set out in Annex 2-A.

ARTICLE 2.9: ADMINISTRATIVE FEES AND FORMALITIES 1. Each Party shall ensure, in accordance with Article VIII:1 of GATT 1994 and its interpretive notes, that all fees and charges of whatever character (other than import and export duties, charges equivalent to an internal tax or other internal charges applied consistently with Article III:2 of GATT 1994, and antidumping and countervailing duties applied pursuant to a Party’s law) imposed on, or in connection with, importation or exportation are limited in amount to the approximate cost of services rendered and do not represent an indirect protection to domestic goods or a taxation of imports or exports for fiscal purposes. 2. Neither Party may require consular transactions, including related fees and charges, in connection with the importation of any good of the other Party. 3. Each Party shall make available on the Internet a current list of the fees and charges it imposes in connection with importation or exportation. ARTICLE 2.10: EXPORT TAXES Except as provided in Annex 2-C, neither Party may adopt or maintain any tax, duty, or other charge on the export of any good to the territory of other Party, unless the tax, duty, or charge is also adopted or maintained on the good when destined for domestic consumption.

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Section E: Definitions ARTICLE 2.11: DEFINITIONS For purposes of this Chapter: advertising films and recordings means recorded visual media or audio materials, consisting essentially of images and/or sound, showing the nature or operation of goods or services offered for sale or lease by a person established or resident in the territory of a Party, provided that such materials are of a kind suitable for exhibition to prospective customers but not for broadcast to the general public; commercial samples of negligible value means commercial samples having a value, individually or in the aggregate as shipped, of not more than one U.S. dollar, or the equivalent amount in Moroccan currency, or so marked, torn, perforated, or otherwise treated that they are unsuitable for sale or use except as commercial samples; consular transactions means requirements that goods of a Party intended for export to the territory of the other Party must first be submitted to the supervision of the consul of the importing Party in the territory of the exporting Party for the purpose of obtaining consular invoices or consular visas for commercial invoices, certificates of origin, manifests, shippers’ export declarations, or any other customs documentation required on, or in connection with, importation; consumed means (a)

actually consumed; or

(b)

further processed or manufactured so as to result in a substantial change in value, form, or use of the good or in the production of another good;

duty-free means free of customs duty; goods imported for sports purposes means sports requisites for use in sports contests, demonstrations, or training in the territory of the importing Party; 2-8

goods intended for display or demonstration includes their component parts, ancillary apparatus, and accessories; import license means a license issued by a Party pursuant to an administrative procedure requiring the submission of an application or other documentation (other than that generally required for customs clearance purposes) to the relevant administrative body as a prior condition for importation into the territory of the Party; performance requirement means a requirement that: (a)

a given level or percentage of goods or services be exported;

(b)

domestic goods or services of the Party granting a waiver of customs duties or an import license be substituted for imported goods or services;

(c)

a person benefiting from a waiver of customs duties or an import license purchase other goods or services in the territory of the Party granting the waiver of customs duties or the import license, or accord a preference to domestically produced goods;

(d)

a person benefiting from a waiver of customs duties or an import license produce goods or supply services, in the territory of the Party granting the waiver of customs duties or the import license, with a given level or percentage of domestic content; or

(e)

relates in any way the volume or value of imports to the volume or value of exports or to the amount of foreign exchange inflows;

but does not include a requirement that: (f)

an imported good be subsequently exported;

(g)

an imported good be used as a material in the production of another good that is subsequently exported;

(h)

an imported good be substituted by an identical or similar good used as a material in the production of another good that is subsequently exported; or 2-9

(i)

an imported good be substituted by an identical or similar good that is subsequently exported; and

printed advertising materials of negligible value means those goods classified in Chapter 49 of the Harmonized System, including brochures, pamphlets, leaflets, trade catalogues, yearbooks published by trade associations, tourist promotional materials, and posters, that are used to promote, publicize, or advertise a good or service, are essentially intended to advertise a good or service, and are supplied free of charge, having a value, individually or in the aggregate as shipped, of not more than one U.S. dollar, or the equivalent amount in Moroccan currency.

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ANNEX 2-A NATIONAL TREATMENT AND IMPORT AND EXPORT RESTRICTIONS Section A: Measures of the United States Articles 2.2 and 2.8 shall not apply to: (a)

controls on the export of logs of all species;

(b)

(i)

measures under existing provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, 46 App. U.S.C. § 883; the Passenger Vessel Act, 46 App. U.S.C. §§ 289, 292, and 316; and 46 U.S.C. § 12108, to the extent that such measures were mandatory legislation at the time the United States acceded to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1947 (“GATT 1947”) and have not been amended so as to decrease their conformity with Part II of GATT 1947;

(ii)

the continuation or prompt renewal of a non-conforming provision of any statute referred to in clause (i); and

(iii)

the amendment to a non-conforming provision of any statute referred to in clause (i) to the extent that the amendment does not decrease the conformity of the provision with Articles 2.2 and 2.8;

(c)

actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO; and

(d)

actions authorized by the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing. Section B: Measures of Morocco

Articles 2.2 and 2.8 shall not apply to actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

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ANNEX 2-B WAIVER OF CUSTOMS DUTIES Measures of Morocco Article 2.4 shall not apply to the waiver of customs duties, pursuant to Morocco’s existing contracts, on imports of complete-knocked-down (CKD) parts (subheadings 8703.22.10; 8703.32.10; 8704.21.11.90; 8704.31.10.19; 8711.10.93.00; and 8712.00.10.00 of the Harmonized System), for the assembly of motor vehicles (subheadings 8703.22.83.00 and 8703.32.43.00 of the Harmonized System), light utility vehicles for cargo transport (subheadings 8704.21.99.51 and 8704.31.90.51 of the Harmonized System), bicycles (subheading 8712.00.90.90 of the Harmonized System), and motorcycles (subheading 8711.10.91.00 of the Harmonized System) until five years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

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ANNEX 2-C EXPORT TAXES Measures of Morocco Article 2.10 shall not apply to a tax on exports of processed or unprocessed phosphates, provided that the tax rate is no higher than 34 dirhams per ton of unprocessed phosphates, for five years beginning on the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

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CHAPTER THREE AGRICULTURE AND SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES Section A: Agriculture ARTICLE 3.1: SCOPE AND COVERAGE This Section applies to measures adopted or maintained by a Party relating to agricultural trade. ARTICLE 3.2: ADMINISTRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TARIFF-RATE QUOTAS 1. Each Party shall implement and administer the tariff-rate quotas for agricultural goods set out in Annex 1 to the General Notes to its Schedule to Annex IV (Tariff Elimination) (“TRQs”), in accordance with Article XIII of GATT 1994, including its interpretive notes, and the WTO Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures. 2.

Each Party shall ensure that: (a)

its procedures for administering its TRQs are transparent, made available to the public, timely, nondiscriminatory, responsive to market conditions, and minimally burdensome to trade;

(b)

any person of a Party that fulfills the Party’s legal and administrative requirements shall be eligible to apply and to be considered for an allocation under the Party’s TRQs;

(c)

it does not allocate any portion of an in-quota quantity to producer groups or other non-governmental organizations, except as otherwise provided in Annex 3-C (Wheat Auction System);

(d)

solely government authorities administer its TRQs and, to that end, that the government authorities do not delegate administration of its TRQs to producer groups or other non-governmental organizations; and

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(e)

it allocates in-quota quantities under its TRQs in commercially viable shipping quantities and, to the maximum extent possible, in the amounts that importers request.

3. Each Party shall make every effort to administer its TRQs in a manner that allows importers to fully utilize them. 4. Neither Party may condition application for, or use of, an import license or an allocation under a TRQ on the re-export of an agricultural good. 5. Neither Party may count food aid or other non-commercial shipments in determining whether an in-quota quantity under a TRQ has been filled. 6. On request of either Party, the importing Party shall consult with the other Party regarding administration of the importing Party’s TRQs. ARTICLE 3.3: AGRICULTURAL EXPORT SUBSIDIES 1. The Parties share the objective of the multilateral elimination of export subsidies for agricultural goods and shall work together toward an agreement in the WTO to eliminate those subsidies and prevent their reintroduction in any form. 2. Except as provided in paragraph 3, neither Party may introduce or maintain any export subsidy on any agricultural good destined for the territory of the other Party. 3. Where an exporting Party considers that a non-Party is exporting an agricultural good to the territory of the other Party with the benefit of export subsidies, the importing Party shall, on written request of the exporting Party, consult with the exporting Party with a view to agreeing on specific measures that the importing Party may adopt to counter the effect of such subsidized imports. If the importing Party adopts the agreed-on measures, the exporting Party shall refrain from applying any export subsidy to exports of such good to the territory of the importing Party.

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ARTICLE 3.4: EXPORT STATE TRADING ENTERPRISES The Parties shall work together toward an agreement on export state trading enterprises in the WTO that: (a)

eliminates restrictions on the right to export;

(b)

eliminates any special financing granted directly or indirectly to state trading enterprises that export for sale a significant share of their country’s total exports of an agricultural good; and

(c)

ensures greater transparency regarding the operation and maintenance of export state trading enterprises.

ARTICLE 3.5: AGRICULTURAL SAFEGUARD MEASURES 1. Notwithstanding Article 2.3 (Tariff Elimination), a Party may apply a measure in the form of an additional duty on an originating agricultural good listed in that Party’s Schedule to Annex 3-A (Agricultural Safeguard Measures), provided that the conditions in paragraphs 2 through 5 are met. The sum of any such additional duty and any other customs duty on such good shall not exceed the lesser of: (a)

the prevailing most-favored-nation (“MFN”) applied rate of duty; or

(b)

the MFN applied rate of duty in effect on the day immediately preceding the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

2. The additional duty under paragraph 1 shall be set according to each Party’s Schedule to Annex 3-A. 3. Neither Party may apply or maintain an agricultural safeguard measure and at the same time apply or maintain, with respect to the same good:

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4.

(a)

a safeguard measure under Chapter Eight (Safeguards); or

(b)

a measure under Article XIX of GATT 1994 and the Safeguards Agreement.

Neither Party may apply or maintain an agricultural safeguard measure on a good: (a)

on or after the date that the good is subject to duty-free treatment under the Party’s Schedule to Annex IV (Tariff Elimination), except as otherwise provided in Annex 3-A; or

(b)

that increases the in-quota duty on a good that is subject to a TRQ.

5. A Party shall implement an agricultural safeguard measure in a transparent manner. Within 60 days after applying a measure, the Party applying the measure shall notify the Party whose good is subject to the measure, in writing, and shall provide it relevant data concerning the measure. On request, the Party applying the measure shall consult with the Party whose good is subject to the measure regarding the application of the measure. 6. The operation of this Article may be the subject of discussion and review in the Joint Committee or any subcommittee on agriculture established pursuant to Article 19.2 (Joint Committee). ARTICLE 3.6: AGRICULTURAL TRADE FORUM The Parties affirm their desire to provide a forum, through the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 19.2 or a subcommittee established thereunder, for addressing agricultural trade matters under this Section. ARTICLE 3.7: DEFINITIONS For purposes of this Section: agricultural goods means those goods referred to in Article 2 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture; and 3-4

agricultural safeguard measure means a measure described in Article 3.5.1. Section B: Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures ARTICLE 3.8: SCOPE AND COVERAGE This Section applies to all sanitary and phytosanitary measures of a Party that may, directly or indirectly, affect trade between the Parties. ARTICLE 3.9: GENERAL PROVISIONS 1. The Parties affirm their existing rights and obligations with respect to each other under the SPS Agreement. 2. Neither Party may have recourse to dispute settlement under this Agreement for any matter arising under this Section. 3. The Parties affirm their desire to provide a forum, through the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 19.2 or a subcommittee on sanitary and phytosanitary matters established thereunder, for addressing sanitary and phytosanitary matters affecting trade between the Parties. the Parties. ARTICLE 3.10: DEFINITION For purposes of this Section, sanitary or phytosanitary measure means any measure referred to in Annex A, paragraph 1, of the SPS Agreement.

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ANNEX 3-A AGRICULTURAL SAFEGUARD MEASURES

Schedule of the United States 1. The United States may apply a price-based agricultural safeguard measure, pursuant to Article 3.5 (Agricultural Safeguard Measures), on an originating agricultural good listed in Table A if the good enters the customs territory of the United States at a unit import price below the trigger price set out in Table A for that good. (a)

The unit import price shall be determined on the basis of the F.O.B. import price of the good in U.S. dollars (“import price”).

(b)

The trigger prices reflect historic unit import values for the products concerned. The Parties may mutually agree to periodically evaluate and update the trigger prices.

2. For purposes of Article 3.5.2, the United States shall set the additional duty according to the following schedule: (a)

if the difference between the import price of the good and the trigger price listed in Table A (“trigger price”) is less than or equal to 10 percent of the trigger price, no additional duty shall be applied;

(b)

if the difference between the import price and the trigger price is greater than 10 percent but less than or equal to 40 percent of the trigger price, the additional duty shall equal 30 percent of the difference between the MFN rate for the good as determined under Article 3.5.1 and the applicable tariff rate specified for the good in the U.S. Schedule to Annex IV (Tariff Elimination);

(c)

if the difference between the import price and the trigger price is greater than 40 percent but less than or equal to 60 percent of the trigger price, the additional duty shall equal 50 percent of the difference between the MFN rate for the good as determined under Article 3.5.1 and the applicable tariff rate specified for the good in the U.S. Schedule to Annex IV; 3-6

(d)

if the difference between the import price and the trigger price is greater than 60 percent but less than or equal to 75 percent of the trigger price, the additional duty shall equal 70 percent of the difference between the MFN rate for the good as determined under Article 3.5.1 and the applicable tariff rate specified for the good in the U.S. Schedule to Annex IV; and

(e)

if the difference between the import price and the trigger price is greater than 75 percent of the trigger price, the additional duty shall equal 100 percent of the difference between the MFN rate for the good as determined under Article 3.5.1 and the applicable tariff rate specified for the good in the U.S. Schedule to Annex IV.

3-7

TABLE A – U.S. Agricultural Safeguard List HS

Product Description

0712.20.2000 DRIED ONION POWDER OR FLOUR 0712.20.4000 DRIED ONIONS WHOLE, CUT, SLICED OR BROKEN, BUT NOT FURTHER PREPARED 0712.90.4020 GARLIC POWDER OR FLOUR 0712.90.4040 GARLIC, DRIED 2002.10.0020 TOMATOES WHOLE OR IN PIECES, PREPARED OR PRESERVED NESOI, IN CONTAINERS HOLDING LESS THAN 1.4 KG 2002.10.0080 TOMATOES WHOLE OR IN PIECES, PREPARED OR PRESERVED NESOI, IN CONTAINERS HOLDING 1.4 KG OR MORE 2002.90.8010 TOMATO PASTE IN CONTAINERS HOLDING LESS THAN 1.4 KG. 2002.90.8020 TOMATO PASTE IN CONTAINERS HOLDING 1.4 KG. OR MORE 2002.90.8030 TOMATO PUREE IN CONTAINERS HOLDING LESS THAN 1.4 KG. 2002.90.8040 TOMATO PUREE IN CONTAINERS HOLDING 1.4 KG. OR MORE 2002.90.8050 TOMATOES NESOI PREPARED OR PRESERVED 2005.60.0000 ASPARAGUS, PREPARED OR PRESERVED NESOI, NOT FROZEN 2005.70.6020 OLIVES (NOT GREEN), WHOLE, PITTED, CANNED, OVER .3KG, IN SALINE 2005.70.6030 OLIVES (NOT GREEN), WHOLE, PITTED, CANNED, LESS THAN .3 KG, IN SALINE

3-8

Trigger Price (US$/Kilogram or US$/Liter) 0.77/kilogram 1.26/kilogram 0.53/kilogram 0.48/kilogram 0.52/kilogram

0.43/kilogram 0.64/kilogram 0.56/kilogram 0.46/kilogram 0.31/kilogram 0.69/kilogram 1.59/kilogram 1.61/kilogram 1.56/kilogram

TABLE A – U.S. Agricultural Safeguard List HS

Product Description

2005.70.6050 OLIVES (NOT GREEN), SLICED, CANNED, IN SALINE SOLUTION 2005.70.6060 OLIVES (NOT GREEN), CHOPPED/MINCED, CANNED, IN SALINE 2005.70.6070 OLIVES (NOT GREEN), WEDGED OR BROKEN, CANNED, IN SALINE 2008.40.0020 PEARS, PREPARED OR PRESERVED, NESOI, IN CONTAINERS HOLDING LESS THAN 1.4 KG 2008.40.0040 PEARS, PREPARED OR PRESERVED, NESOI, IN CONTAINERS 1.4 KG OR MORE 2008.50.4000 APRICOTS, OTHER THAN PULP, OTHERWISE PREPARED OR PRESERVED, NESI 2008.70.1020 NECTARINES, PREPARED OR PRESERVED, NESOI IN CONTAINERS HOLDING LESS THAN 1.4 KG 2008.70.1040 NECTARINES, PREPARED OR PRESERVED, NESOI IN CONTAINERS 1.4 KG OR MORE 2008.70.2020 PEACHES, PREPARED OR PRESERVED, NESOI IN CONTAINERS HOLDING LESS THAN 1.4 KG 2008.70.2040 PEACHES, PREPARED OR PRESERVED, NESOI IN CONTAINERS 1.4 KG OR MORE 2008.92.9030 FRUIT MXTRS WITH PEACH/PEAR PACKD IN LIQ LT 1.4K 2008.92.9035 FRUIT MIXTURES WITH PEACHES OR PEARS PACKED IN LIQUID, IN CONTAINTERS HOLDING MORE THAN 1.4 KG

3-9

Trigger Price (US$/Kilogram or US$/Liter) 1.79/kilogram 0.97/kilogram 1.50/kilogram 0.65/kilogram 0.63/kilogram 0.98/kilogram 0.58/kilogram 0.55/kilogram 0.58/kilogram 0.55/kilogram 0.83/kilogram 0.75/kilogram

TABLE A – U.S. Agricultural Safeguard List HS

Product Description

2008.92.9040 FRUIT MIXTURES CONTAINING ORANGES OR GRAPEFRUIT 2008.92.9050 FRUIT MIXTURES NESOI 2009.11.0020 ORANGE JUICE UNFERMENTED FROZEN CONTAINERS UNDER .946 LITER 2009.11.0040 ORANGE JUICE UNFERMENTED FROZEN CONTAINERS .946-3.785L IN LITERS 2009.11.0060 ORANGE JUICE UNFERMENTED FROZEN CONTAINERS OVER 3.785L IN LITERS 2009.12.4500 ORANGE JUICE, UNFERMENTED, N/FROZEN, NESOI,