WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/REG91/N/1
18 February 2000
(00-0603)
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements Original:  English
FREE-TRADE AREA BETWEEN EFTA AND MOROCCO
Notification from the Parties to the Agreement
The following communication, dated 20 January 2000, has been received from the EFTA
States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerl and) concerning the Agreement establishing a
Free-Trade Area between the EFTA States and the Kingdom of Morocco with the request that it be
circulated to WTO Members.
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The EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), with reference to
Article XXIV:7(a) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, herewith transmit the text of
the Agreement establishing a Free-Trade Area between the EFTA States and the Kingdom of
Morocco together with its Annexes and Protocols.1  The bilateral arrangements on trade in agricultural
products, which have been concluded between the Parties, are also transmitted herewith.2  They form
part of the instruments creating the Free-Trade Area.
The Agreement and the bilateral agricultural arrangements between Morocco, Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, respectively, were signed on 19 June 1997 and entered into
force on 1 December 1999.
In accordance with Article XXIV of GATT 1994, the objective of the Agreement is to
eliminate duties and other restrictions for industrial products, fish and other marine products and
processed agricultural products in trade betwee n the EFTA States and Morocco.  Within the
framework of the Agreement, the bilateral agricultural arrangements provide for measures to liberalise
trade in agricultural products.
Upon the entry into force of the Agreement, th e EFTA States will eliminate all duties and
restrictions on originating products falling with in the scope of the Agreement.  Morocco will
eliminate all duties and restrictions on originating products over a transitional period.
The Agreement also contained provisions on, inter alia , intellectual property rights, state
monopolies, state aid and competition.  An evolutionary clause provides for the possibility of
developing the existing provisions and extending the relations to areas not covered by the Agreement.
The EFTA States will submit separately more detailed background information on the
Agreement on the basis of the Standard Format for Information.  The text of the Agreement together
with its Annexes and Protocols is also avai lable on the EFTA website (http://www.efta.int).
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1 The text of the Agreement is being circulated in document WT/REG91/1.
2 The agricultural arrangements have been submitted to the Secretariat for consultation by interested
Members (office 3006).