RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/REG29/N/1
25July1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2911)
Original: English
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE EFTA STATES AND LATVIA
Communication from Iceland onbehalf ofthe
EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) andofLatvia
Thefollowing communication, dated 28June1996, hasbeenreceived fromIceland, onbehalf
oftheGovernments ofEFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway andSwitzerland) andofLatvia
withtherequest thatitbedistributed toWTO Members.
_________________________
Onbehalf oftheGovernments oftheEFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and
Switzerland), andofLatvia, andwithreference toArticle XXIV:7(a) oftheGeneral Agreement on
Tariffs andTrade 1994, Ienclose thetextoftheFreeTrade Agreement between theEFTA States and
Latvia withtheAnnexes, Lists andProtocols which form anintegral partthereof.1Thebilateral
arrangements ontradeinagricultural products between eachEFTA StateandLatvia, which havebeen
concluded within theframework oftheFreeTrade Agreement, arealsotransmitted forconsultation.
TheAgreement wassigned on7December 1995 andentered intoforce/is applied ona
provisional basisasof1June1996, pending ratification bytheParties totheAgreement. Thebilateral
freetrade agreements between Norway andLatvia andSwitzerland andLatvia willbeterminated at
theentry intoforce oftheFreeTrade Agreement between theEFTA States andLatvia.
Theobjective oftheAgreement, inaccordance withArticle XXIV ofGATT 1994, isto
abolish tariffs andother restrictions forindustrial products, fishandother marine products and
processed agricultural products between theEFTA States andLatvia. Within theframework ofthis
Agreement, theabove mentioned bilateral arrangements provide formeasures tofacilitate trade in
agricultural products.
Attheentry intoforce oftheFreeTrade Agreement, theEFTA States willeliminate allduties
andrestrictions onproducts falling within thescope oftheAgreement andoriginating inLatvia.
Latvia will,attheentry intoforce oftheAgreement, eliminate allduties andother restrictions on
products falling within thescope oftheAgreement andoriginating intheEFTA States.
TheFreeTrade Agreement between theEFTA States andLatvia alsocontains provisions
dealing with, interalia,public procurement, intellectual property rights, statemonopolies, stateaid
1ThetextoftheAgreement iscirculated indocument WT/REG29/1.WT/REG29/N/1
Page2
andcompetition. Anevolutionary clause willgivethepossibility ofdeveloping theexisting provisions
andextending therelations toareas notcovered bytheAgreement.