WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/REG151/N/1
8 April 2003
(03-1926)
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements Original:  English
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN BULGARIA AND LATVIA
Notification from the Parties to the Agreement
The following joint communication, dated 31 March 2003, has been received from the
Permanent Mission of Bulgaria with the request that it be distributed to WTO Members.
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The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria to the World Trade Organization, and the
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Latvia to the WTO pursuant of Article XXIV:7(a) of GATT
1994 and the Understanding on the Interpretation of Article XXIV of GATT 1994, have the honour to
inform the Members of the WTO that a Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Bulgaria and
the Republic of Latvia was signed on 16 October 2002 and will enter into force on 1 April 2003.1
The Agreement contains provisions relating to trade in goods that are of relevance to the
Members of the World Trade Organization.
The Agreement provides for the establishment of a free-trade area between the Republic of
Bulgaria and the Republic of Latvia, in the sense of Article XXIV of the GATT 1994 and the
Understanding on the Interpretation of Article XXIV of GATT 1994. As of date of entry into force ofthe Agreement, duties and other restrictive regulations of commerce will be eliminated on
substantially all trade between the signatories.
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1 The text of the Agreement will be circulated in document WT/REG151/1. The Annexes and Protocols
have been submitted to the Secretariat for co nsultation by interested Members (office 1174).