WORLD TRADE WT/REG46/N/1
13November 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4972)
Original: English Committee onRegional Trade Agreements
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
AND THE REPUBLIC OFLITHUANIA
Communication from theCzech Republic
Thefollowing communication, dated 23October 1997, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission oftheCzech Republic withtherequest thatitbedistributed toWTO Members.
________________
Thedelegation oftheCzech Republic hasthehonour totransmit herewith, inaccordance with
Article XXIV:7(a) oftheGeneral Agreement, thetextofaFreeTrade Agreement between theCzech
Republic andtheRepublic ofLithuania withtheannexes andprotocols which form anintegral part
thereof.1
TheFreeTradeAgreementwassignedon14October1996andenteredintoforceon1July1997
without having beenapplied provisionally.
TheAgreement aimsattheprogressive establishment ofafree-trade areabetween theParties
inthesense ofArticle XXIV oftheGeneral Agreement. Thefree-trade areawillbeestablished over
atransitionalperiodendingon1January1998,whendutiesandotherrestrictiveregulationsofcommerce
willhavebeenabolished onsubstantially allthetrade between thesignatories.
TheFreeTrade Agreement between theCzech Republic andtheRepublic ofLithuania also
contains provisions dealing with, interalia,stateaid,competition, public procurement andintellectual
property rights. Anevolutionary clause offers thepossibility ofextending theAgreement toareas
notcovered byit.
1ThetextoftheAgreement iscirculated indocument WT/REG46/1.