 
 RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/REG135/M/2 
5 January 2004 
 
 (04-0010) 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements 
Thirty-Fifth Session  
 
 
 
EXAMINATION OF THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT 
BETWEEN TURKEY AND SLOVENIA 
 
Note on the Meeting of 2 December 2003  
 
Chairman:  Mr. S. Dalela (India) 
  
1. The meeting was convened in document WTO/AIR/2217/Rev.1. 
2. Under Agenda Item D.VI of its Thirty-Fifth Session, the Committee on Regional Trade 
Agreements took up the examination of the Fr ee Trade Agreement (FTA) between Turkey and 
Slovenia. 
3. The Chairman
 noted that this was the second round of examination of the FTA between 
Turkey and Slovenia.  The proceedings of the first round (April 2003) had been distributed in document WT/REG135/M/1, and the recent exchange of questions and replies had been circulated as 
document WT/REG135/4. 
4. The representative of Turkey, speaking also on behalf of Slovenia
, recalled some points raised 
by the representative of the United States at the prev ious meeting.  The representative of the United 
States had noted that the less-than-MFN rate on Turk ey's agricultural imports from Slovenia was zero, 
while the less-than-MFN rate app lied to approximately half of Slovenia's total agricultural imports 
from Turkey in 2002; she had also expressed he r delegation’s concern about the existence of 
preferential tariffs and asked whether the situation would remain a permanent feature of the FTA.  In 
reply to the first point, the representative of Turk ey said that considering the equally balanced 
structure of the bilateral concessions exchanged with in the scope of the FTA, such a situation could 
only be explained by the exporting capacities and inclina tions of the Parties.  She pointed out that the 
choices and interests of economic operators (exporters  and importers) in each country determined the 
course of trade, adding that the share of the agri cultural sector differed widely both in the Parties' 
overall economic structure and in the composition of their exports.  Within the scope of the 
Agreement, the two countries' economic operators were free to benefit from the concessions granted 
by the other Party.  Turning to the question of wh ether preferential tariffs would remain a permanent 
feature of the FTA, she said that no major changes in  the trade between the Parties were foreseen, at 
least not until Slovenia integrated the EU; at that point a new legal framework would apply to mutual 
trade relations, which would presumably have implic ations on bilateral trade in agricultural products. 
5. Noting that no additional questions had been posed, the Chairman  stated that it appeared that 
the Committee had exhausted the factual examination.  He requested the Secretariat to begin drafting 
the report for this examination. 
6. The Committee took note  of the comments made. 
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