 
  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/REG167/N/1 
31 March 2004 
 
 (04-1450) 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements Original:   English 
  
 
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ALBANIA AND BULGARIA 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 12 March 2004, is being circulated at the request of the Delegations of the Republic of Alba nia and the Republic of Bulgaria. 
 
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Notification from the Parties to the Agreement
 
 
 The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Alba nia to the United Nations at Geneva and the 
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria to the World Trade Organization 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 th e WTO that a Free Trade Agreement between the 
Republic of Albania and the Republic of Bulgar ia was signed on 26 Marc h 2003 and entered into 
force on 1 September 2003.1 
 
 The Free Trade Agreement contains provisions re lating to trade in goods that are of relevance 
to the Members of the WTO.   The Agreement provides for the gradual est ablishment of a free-trade area between the 
Republic of Albania and the Republic of Bulgaria , in the sense of Article XXIV of the GATT 1994 
and the Understanding on the Interpretation of Article XXIV of GATT 1994, over a transitional 
period, ending on 1 January 2007. At the end of the transitional period, all duties and other restrictive 
regulations of commerce will be eliminated on s ubstantially all trade between the signatories. 
  Both Parties wish to express their willingness to  contribute to the process of examination in 
accordance with the procedures agreed upon in the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements. 
  
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1 The text of the Agreement will be circulated in document WT/REG167/1. 