Slovak Republic WT/TPR/S/7
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II. TRADE POLICY: FRAMEWORK AND OBJECTIVES
(1) Institutional Aspects
1. TheSlovak Republic became asovereign State on1January 1993, upon thedissolution of
theCzechandSlovakFederalRepublic.TheconstitutionofSlovakiawasadoptedbytheSlovakNational
Council in1993 andestablished asystem withaPresident, aPrime Minister, andadirectly elected
unicameral legislature, theNational Council. Theconstitution canbeamended byathree-fifths majority
ofallNational Council deputies. Among theimportant economic principles enshrined intheSlovak
constitutionaretheprotectionofandsupportforfreeeconomiccompetition,theestablishmentofSlovakia
asasingle customs territory, andtherightofemployees tonegotiate collectively andtostrike.
(i) ThePresident
2. ThePresident oftheSlovak Republic isHead ofState. ThePresident iselected toafive-year
termbyaminimum ofthree fifths ofthedeputies oftheNational Council andmayberemoved avote
ofthree fifths ofallNational Council deputies. Inexecuting hisduties, thePresident isresponsible
totheNational Council.
3. Thekeypowers ofthePresidency include theappointment andremoval ofthePrime Minister
andother Ministers oftheGovernment, therighttoattend sessions oftheNational Council, theright
toattend andchairsessions oftheGovernment (seethenextsub-section) andtherighttodemand reports
from theGovernment orfrom itsmembers. ThePresident maydissolve theNational Council ifit
rejects theGovernment Programme onthree consecutive votes within sixmonths oftheelection.
(ii) TheGovernment
4. TheGovernment isthesupreme executive body. Itisheaded bythePrime Minister, whois
appointed bythePresident; other Ministers areappointed bythePresident upon theproposal ofthe
Prime Minister. Aconfidence votemayberequested bytheGovernment intheNational Council and
theGovernment issubject toremoval bythePresident following avoteofno-confidence. Thepowers
oftheGovernment include thepreparation ofbillsandtheirsubmission totheNational Council; the
issuance ofregulations; thedrafting oftheState budget; thepreparation oftheProgramme ofthe
Government;1andtheauthority todecide andtoconclude international agreements. Ministers may,
within thelimits ofthelaw,issue decrees toimplement legislation.2
(iii) TheSlovak National Council
5. TheNational Council, consisting of150deputies directly elected byuniversal suffrage to
four-year terms, istheconstitution- andlaw-making bodyoftheSlovak Republic. Besides itspower
overtheconstitution, theNational Council hasthepower to:
- adopt constitutional laws(requiring athree-fifths majority ofalldeputies);
- electandrecall thePresident (requiring athree-fifths majority ofalldeputies);
1TheProgramme oftheGovernment isadocument thatindicates theGovernment 'sgoals andintentions for
itsperiod inoffice.
2Theduration ofdecrees andgovernment regulations isunlimited; such instruments serve toclarify and
implement laws.WT/TPR/S/7
Page 14Trade Policy Review
- adopt aconstitutional lawonjoining aunion ofStates;
- prior totheirratification, adopt international agreements;
- discuss theProgramme oftheGovernment andsupervise itsactivities;
- passavoteofconfidence orcensure oftheGovernment;
- approve theState budget;
- propose orapprove judges.
6. Billsarenormally submitted totheNational Council bytheGovernment, butmayalsobe
submitted byindividual deputies orcommittees oftheNational Council. Upon passage, billsrequire
thesignatures ofthePresident, thePrime Minister andtheChairman oftheNational Council.3The
President mayreturn billswithcomment buttheNational Council, following further discussion, may
grantfinalapproval tothebillovertheobjection ofthePresident. TheChairman oftheNational Council
iselected by,andresponsible solely to,theNational Council.
7. Areferendum mustbecalled toconfirm aconstitutional lawontheSlovak Republic joining
aunion withanother Stateoronitswithdrawal fromsuchaunion.4TheNational Council mayalso
callareferendum onanyissueother thanbasicrights andfreedoms, taxes, andthegovernment budget,
andthePresident isrequired tocallareferendum when sopetitioned byatleast350,000 Slovak citizens.
Areferendum issuccessful ifmore thanhalftheeligible voters takepartinitandmore thanhalfof
those taking partcastvotes infavour. TheNational Council may, however, legally amend orabolish
thereferendum results within three years.
8. TheConstitution isthehighest lawinSlovakia. Nolaw,actorinternational treaty thatis
inconsistent withitmaybeapplied inSlovakia.5International treaties entered intobySlovakia require
thesignature ofthePresident andtheapproval ofasimple majority intheNational Council. Laws
arepassed byasimple majority ofdeputies intheNational Council. Decrees maybeissued bythe
Government toadminister laws; theyarelimited inscope bythelegislation under which theyareissued
andmaynotbeinconsistent withanyotherlegislation. Review ofdecrees, lawsandtreaties isperformed
bytheSlovak judiciary.
(iv) Thejudiciary
9. TheSlovak judiciary consists oftheConstitutional Court andasystem ofCourts ofJustice.
TheConstitutional Court isanindependent judicial bodyfortheprotection oftheSlovak Constitution;
itiscomprised oftenjudges whoserve seven-year terms upon theirselection bythePresident, who
mustchoose fromamong 20nominees proposed bytheNational Council. Itsjudges canberemoved
bythePresident onlyforhaving committed adeliberate criminal offence. TheConstitutional Court
decides whether laws, decrees andotherlegally binding regulations areconsistent withtheConstitution,
constitutional laws, andotherlaws; itsdecisions maynotbeappealed. Italsodecides whether generally
binding legalregulations arecompatible withlegally enacted international treaties. Laws andregulations
found tobeincompatible cease tohaveeffect. Proceedings before theConstitutional Court maybe
initiated byonefifthofthedeputies oftheNational Council, bytheGovernment, byaCourt ofJustice,
orbytheGeneral Prosecutor.
3Thebillisnotreturned tothesponsoring Ministry following passage bytheNational Council.
4Article 93.
5Theauthorities indicate, however, thatinternational treaties onhuman rights andbasic freedoms, approved
bytheNational Council andpublished intheCollection ofLaws, takepriority over theConstitution.Slovak Republic WT/TPR/S/7
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10. Slovak Courts ofJustice hearcases involving civil, commercial (including competition law)
andcriminal matters, andtheyruleonthelegality ofdecisions made byadministrative bodies. These
courts maysettle lawsuits regarding international trade relations. Judges areelected bytheNational
Council upontheproposal oftheGovernment; theyserve aninitial four-year termthatmaybefollowed
byanappointment ofindefinite duration. Judges mayberemoved onlybytheNational Council for
having committed adeliberate criminal offence. TheSupreme Court isthehighest Court ofJustice
andhears appeals from theCourts ofJustice.
(v) Other features
11. TheAntimonopoly Office (AO), aStateadministrative body, wasestablished in1990. Itshares
withthecourts theresponsibility forcompetition policy. Appeals against thedecisions oftheChairman
oftheAntimonopoly Office maybemade totheSupreme Court.6Consumers maybring action in
theCourts ofJustice seeking anorder thatafirminviolation ofthelawrefrains fromanti-competitive
behaviour,orseekingtorestorepreviousconditions.Claimsbyconsumersorentrepreneursfordamages
or"unjustified material gains" mayalsobepursued incivilcourt. Stateprosecutors maybring criminal
action against offenders ofcertain provisions ofcompetition law.
(2) Trade Policy Formulation
(i) Institutions
12. Trade policy inSlovakia isformulated inthecontext oftheinstitutional setting described in
thepreceding section. Keytrade-related legislation anddecrees arelisted inTable II.1.7
13. Thebroad framework forinternational trade isprovided bytheCustoms Actof1992. New
customs legislation, submitted bytheMinistry ofFinance totheGovernment inMarch 1995, isexpected
tobeimplementedinearly1996.ThenewlegislationclarifiestheorganizationalstructureoftheCustoms
Administration andclearly delineates therelationship oftheCustoms Administration totheMinistry
ofFinance bylinking theDirector ofCustoms directly totheMinister ofFinance. ThenewActalso
gives greater powers toCustoms inorder toimprove itsenforcement abilities. Other keylegislation
relates totheprotection ofeffective economic competition intheProtection ofEconomic Competition
Act,theregulation offoreign exchange intheForeign Exchange Act,andtheestablishment ofthe
Central Bank intheNational Bank ofSlovakia Act. Especially important decrees aretheDecree on
Import andExport Licensing, issued bytheMinister ofEconomy, andtheDecree ontheImport
Surcharge, issued bytheMinister ofFinance.
14. Several government ministries orindividual agencies haveresponsibilities fortradeandtrade-
related policy formulation orfortheadministration oftrade-related policies. TheMinistry ofEconomy
hasresponsibility formany industrial andservice sectors oftheSlovak economy and,intheareaof
multilateral andbilateral trade affairs, co-operates withtheMinistries ofForeign Affairs, Finance,
andAgriculture, aswellasother government agencies. TheCustoms Administration, responsible for
suchareas ascustoms control andenforcement, investigations, andthecollection anddevelopment
ofdata,isdirectly subordinate totheMinistry ofFinance, which isalsoresponsible foradministration
oftheimport surcharge. TheMinistry ofAgriculture plays acentral rôleinmaking agricultural trade
6TheAOalsoanalysesandcommen tsongovernmentmeasuresthatrestrictinternationaltrade,suchascustoms
duties, quotas andother restrictive measures.
7Legislation onintellectual property rights islisted inTable IV.14.WT/TPR/S/7
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policy, particularly withregard totheState Market Regulation Fund, which isadministered bya
committee thatalsoincludes representatives from theAntimonopoly Office, theMinistry ofFinance
andtheMinistry ofEconomy. TheAntimonopoly Office ensures theeffectiveness ofeconomic
competition inSlovakia; itcomments ontheeffects ofrelevant proposed legislation anddecrees and,
along withthecourts, enforces Slovak competition law.TheNational BankofSlovakia hasjurisdiction
overforeign exchange matters. TheIndustrial Property Office administers thelawonintellectual
propertyprotection,withtheexceptionofcopyrights,whichareadministeredbytheMinistryofCulture.
TheMinistry ofTransportation, Telecommunications andPublic Works hasresponsibilities regarding
some ofthekeyservice sectors oftheSlovak economy andforoverseeing government procurement.
TheMinistry ofPrivatization co-ordinates andoversees theprivatization ofState enterprises, while
theNational Property Fund (NPF) implements theprivatization plan. TheSlovak Office ofStandards
isresponsible forstandards policy, inwhich theMinistry ofHealth alsoplays acentral rôle.TheSlovak
National Agency forForeign Investment andDevelopment (SNAZIR), ajoint-stock company wholly
owned bytheNPF, promotes foreign direct investment intoSlovakia.
Table II.1
Keylegislation andregulations oftheSlovak Republic relating tointernational trade
Name Authority Date
issuedSelected topics Comments
Customs Act
(No.618/1992)National
Council1992 Customs procedures; rules oforigin;
customs valuation; dutydraw back;
harmonization withtheEUinsome areas.AnewActthatclarifies
organizational structure is
under consideration.
Protection of
Economic Competion
Act(No.188/1994)National
Council1994 Restriction ofcompetition through price fixing,
production control, orother means. Licensing
ofintellectual property. Abuse ofadominant
position inamarket. Industrial concentration.Applies toactivities taking
place abroad iftheyleadto
arestriction ofcompetition
inthedomestic market.
Foreign Exchange
Act(No.528/1990)National
Council1990 International financial transactions; foreign
exchange restrictions andreporting
requirements, foreign property interests.
National Bank of
Slovakia (NBS) ActNational
Council1992 Establishes theNBS, giving ittheprimary task
ofensuring thestability oftheSlovak currency.
Gives theNBSjurisdiction overforeign
exchange matters andprudential oversight ofthe
banking system.
Decree No.167/1994
onImport and
Export LicensingMinister of
Economy1994 Goods subject to(i)non-automatic import
licensing andtheirannual volume ofimports
allowed, (ii)automatic import licensing,
(iii)non-automatic export licensing,
(iv)non-automatic licensing ifexported to
certain countries (textiles andagricultural goods
toNorway, Canada, U.S. andEU), (v)import
andexport licensing forhealth andsafety
reasons, and(vi)goods andservices subject to
import andexport licensing fornational security
reasons. Licensing application requirements.Licences granted bythe
Ministry ofEconomy.
Decree ontheImport
SurchargeMinister of
Finance1994 Implements import surcharge; specifies
surcharge rateandproducts covered; specified
exemption forgoods usedinfurther production.
Note: Legislation covering intellectual property protection isdescribed inChapter IV.
Source: WTO Secretariat, based oninformation provided bytheSlovak Government.Slovak Republic WT/TPR/S/7
Page 17
15. Twoorganizations areofparticular importance inproviding economic policy advice tothe
Government: TheSlovak Academy ofSciences, which conducts economic studies ofpublic policy
interest; andtheSlovak Chamber ofCommerce, which wascreated bylegislation andisastatutory
body independent from, andnotfunded by,theGovernment. Itisoften invited bytheGovernment
tocomment onpolicy proposals, although theGovernment isunder nolegalobligation torequest the
advice.
(ii) Process
16. Trade policy initiatives normally begin withaproposal from oneormore oftheministries
oragencies. Proposals areconsidered bytheGovernment andinput from other relevant ministries
andoutside organizations issought. Thisprocess mayleadtheGovernment toaccept, amend, orreject
theproposal. TheGovernment nextproposes thelegislation totheNational Council, where committees
havebeencreated withexpertise in,andresponsibilities for,trade andother economic matters.8The
legislation maythenbeamended bytheNational Council and,ifpassed, requires thesignature ofthe
President, thePrime Minister, andtheChairman oftheNational Council. Legislation isbrought into
force byadecree oftheGovernment.
17. TheMinistry ofEconomy leadsandco-ordinates thenegotiation ofregional tradeagreements,
withtheco-operation oftheMinistries ofFinance andAgriculture. Before eachnegotiation, and
following consultations withtheCzech authorities, amemorandum ontrade liberalization isprepared
containing themain principles forthenegotiations. Thefinalagreement isapproved atameeting of
theGovernment. Intheframework oftheCzech-Slovak Customs Union, theregional freetrade
agreements arenegotiated together withtheCzech Republic, andtheCustoms Union Secretariat
participates inthenegotiations asanobserver.
18. TheUruguay Round Agreement wasformally approved bySlovakia inDecember 1994. The
Agreement required theapproval oftheGovernment andthePresident, andasimple majority ofvotes
intheNational Council. Theauthorities believe itisnecessary toimplement legislation inthefields
ofanti-dumping andcountervailing duties andsafeguards, where nolegislation nowexists, andexpect
suchlegislation tobeadopted byearly 1996.
(3) Trade Policy Objectives
19. Slovakia 'soverriding economic objective istoattain, by2010, astandard ofliving comparable
tothatoftheadvanced European countries; itconsiders thatprogress toward thisgoalwillfacilitate
itsintegration intoEuropean structures "asanequal partner".9Tomeetthisobjective, theGovernment
believes thateconomic transformation mustbeaccelerated inorder tomore effectively utilize domestic
resources.
20. Trade policy isviewed asanimportant toolinachieving efficient resource allocation. Inthis
light,Slovakiamaintainsfewnon-tariffmeasuresanditstariffsaremoderate,althoughthetariffstructure
8These include theCommittees onEconomy, Privatization andBusiness; Agriculture; Finance, StateBudget
andCurrency; andForeign Affairs.
9Programme oftheGovernment oftheSlovak Republic, January 1995.WT/TPR/S/7
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issomewhat unbalanced andescalatory (Chapter IV(2)). Slovakia aimsforabalanced geographic
expansion oftrade supported byitsown, anditspartners ',trade liberalization. Whether bilateral or
multilateral, Slovakia iscommitted toundertaking suchliberalization incompliance withWTO rules.
Sectoral policies thatwould distort theallocation ofproductive resources inthedomestic economy
havelargely beenavoided, although there areexceptions inareas suchasagriculture (Chapter V(2)).
(4) Multilateral Trade Relations
21. Czechoslovakia wasanoriginal member oftheGATT. Following dissolution oftheCzech
andSlovak Federal Republic, Slovakia acceded totheGATT under normal market economy conditions
inApril 1993.10According toadecision thathadbeentaken inDecember 1992, theGeneral Agreement
andrelevant instruments wereapplied toSlovakia bytheCONTRACTING PARTIES onaninterim
basispriortotheformal accession. Slovakia signed theMarrakesh Agreement and,inDecember 1994,
accomplished domestic ratification oftheUruguay Round, becoming anoriginal member oftheWorld
Trade Organization.
22. According totheauthorities, itispossible toinvoke Slovakia 'sGATT andWTO commitments
inadministrative proceedings andbefore Slovak courts.
(i) Slovakia andtheUruguay Round
23. Slovakia wasactive during theUruguay Round instressing theimportance ofimproved
multilateral rulesandthemultilateral liberalization oftradepolicies, recognizing bothaskeyingredients
initsprocess ofeconomic transformation. Slovakia 'smajor concerns intheUruguay Round were
theestablishment oftheWTO; theenhanced effectiveness ofthedispute settlement system; the
re-integration oftextiles andclothing trade under multilateral disciplines; theestablishment offair
andmarket-oriented agricultural trade; andtheintroduction ofmultilateral rules forservices trade.
Slovakia views theoverall results oftheUruguay Round positively andexpects thattheUruguay Round,
through theimprovements inrules andincreased tariff bindings, willleadtogreater stability in
international economic relations andenhanced multilateral market access. Theincreased stability will
especially benefit Slovakia during itscontinuing transition process, while substantial tariff reductions
inproduct categories suchasmetals andchemicals willincrease market access forsome ofSlovakia 's
keyexports.11
24. Slovakia shares acommon external tariff withitscustoms union partner, theCzech Republic
(Chapter IV(2)). Asaresult oftheUruguay Round, all8-digit linesofthecommon tariff arenow
bound andallbindings areatcurrently applied rates.12Many non-tariff policies ofthetwocountries
areeither harmonized orco-ordinated. Following thedissolution, during thelastyearoftheUruguay
Round thetwocountries closely co-ordinated theirnegotiating positions andoffers. Preparatory work
wasdonebytherelevant national ministries inseveral areas andaco-ordinating rôlewasplayed by
10TheProtocol iscontained inGATT document L/7183, March 1993. Thedateofentry intoforce is
1January 1993, thedateSlovakia became independent.
11AccordingtoastudybytheGATTSecretariat,theimplementationoftariffcommitmentsbythosedeveloped
countries included intheGATT Integrated DataBaseisleading toareduction intheaverage tariff rateformetals
from 3.7to1.5percent, andforchemicals andrelated items from 6.7to3.9percent(GATT, 1994).
12Thisincludes rates forthose agricultural products thatwere subject totariffication asaresult ofUruguay
Round commitments.Slovak Republic WT/TPR/S/7
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various bodies oftheCustoms Union. Thisco-operation isextending totheimplementation ofUruguay
Round results.
25. Slovakia alsoaccepted obligations withregard toservices andagriculture. Horizontal and
sector-specific commitments weremade inmany service industries, andSlovakia 'sArticle II(m.f.n.)
exemptions arelimited toaudio-visual services, transportation, andfinancial services (Chapter V(6)).
Inagriculture, Slovakia committed toreduce export subsidies on17products andtoreduce trade-
distorting domestic agricultural support (Chapter V(2)).
26. Where necessary, Slovakia istaking action toensure theconformity ofitstrade-related policies
withUruguay Round obligations. Thiscognizance alsoextends intoareas where nolegislation or
regulations currently exist, suchasanti-dumping. According tothestatement oftheMinister of
Economy attheMarrakesh Ministerial Meeting, Slovakia willconsider trade liberalization measures
thatwill"substantially exceed thescope ofconcessions being offered" under theUruguay Round.13
(5) Regional andBilateral Trade Relations
27. Slovakia maintains several agreements stipulating reciprocal m.f.n. treatment withcountries
thatareneither GATT contracting parties norWTO members. Itisalsoamember ofsixpreferential
trade agreements. Further details ofallpreferential agreements arespecified inChapter IV(2)(iii).
(i) Relations withtheCzech Republic
28. TheCustoms Union Agreement withtheCzech Republic came intoeffect inJanuary 1993,
uponthedissolution oftheCzech andSlovak Federal Republic. TheAgreement establishes theCouncil
oftheCustoms Union. Theduties oftheCouncil include thefollowing:
- toensure theco-ordination offoreign commercial andcustoms policies;
- toactonbehalf oftheCustoms Union inforeign relations inallmatters provided for
intheAgreement;
- topromulgate thecommon customs tariff andother trade policy measures;
- toprepare anannual report ontheimplementation oftheAgreement.
TheCouncil consists ofanequal number ofmembers oftheGovernments ofbothcountries. Itisdirected
byitsPresident, anoffice thatrotates every six-months between aCzech representative andaSlovak
representative. TheCouncil meets atleastevery three months andthePresident convenes asession
oftheCouncil upon therequest ofeither country.
29. ThePermanent Secretariat, based inBratislava, isanexecutive body oftheCouncil. An
Arbitration Commission, established onanadhocbasis, istosettle disputes thatariseunder thecustoms
13Statement bytheMinister ofEconomy oftheSlovak Republic, Uruguay Round document
MTN.TNC/MIN(94)/ST/49, April 1994. Thefullrelevant textisasfollows: "Wearecommitted tocontinue
withtheeconomic transformation process from centrally planned economy towards amarket oriented one. This
processisconductedbyliberalizationinallsectorsofoursociety.Thiswouldconsequentlymean theestablishment
ofsuchanenvironment forthetrade, which willsubstantially exceed thescope ofconcessions being offered by
theSlovak Republic".WT/TPR/S/7
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union, andopens proceedings uponrequest either fromtheCouncil orfromoneofthecountries. An
Arbitration Commission includes onearbitrator fromtheCzech Republic, onefromtheSlovak Republic
andaChairman (whomaybeanational ofathirdcountry) agreed uponbythetwoappointed arbitrators.
ArbitrationCommissiondecisionsarebinding.TheAgreementonCo-operationinAgricultureestablishes
theCommittee ontheCo-ordination ofEconomic Policy inAgriculture, apermanent working body
ofthePermanent Secretariat oftheCouncil oftheCustoms Union. Disputes involving agriculture
comefirsttotheCommitteebeforegoingtotheCounciland,ifnecessary,toanArbitrationCommission.
30. Proposals tochange thecommon tariff areconsidered byateamthatincludes representatives
fromthePermanent Secretariat oftheCustoms Union andfromthefollowing ministries oragencies
ofeachofthetwocountries: Ministry ofFinance; Customs Administration; Ministry ofEconomy
(Ministry ofIndustry andTrade intheCzech Republic); andMinistry ofAgriculture. Informing
arecommendation, theteamanalyses thecurrent conditions inthemarket concerned, considers the
requests ofindividual producers, traders andassociations, andtakesnoteofthesuggestions ofministries
andother Stateauthorities. Theteamsubmits arecommendation totheCustoms Union Council, which
issues aproposal. InSlovakia, thisProposal ontheCustoms Tariff issubmitted totheGovernment
bytheMinister ofFinance andisgiven force byagovernment decree. Following asimilar process,
itispossible foronecountry, withtheapproval oftheother, totemporarily reduce atariffonaproduct.
Slovakia recently hasusedthisprovision in1995totemporarily reduce itstariffs onlivebovine animals,
some potatoes, sunflower seeds, caneandbeetsugar, andwine.
31. Apayments clearance arrangement, begun inFebruary 1993 when monetary union ended, is
inoperation fortrade between thetwocountries, butisscheduled tobeeliminated inSeptember 1995
(Chapter I).
(ii) Relations withtheEuropean Union
32. Slovakia 'sAssociation Agreement withtheEuropean Union (EU) entered intoforce on
1February 1995; itsignals theprospect offullEUmembership forSlovakia, which theSlovak
Government hassetasagoal.14Slovakia made formal application fortheEUinJune1995.
33. TheAssociationAgreementincludestheInterimAgreementonTradeandTrade-RelatedMatters,
which hasbeeninforce sinceMarch 1992.15TheAssociation Agreement alsocommits thesignatories
totheprogressive liberalization ofthesupply ofservices across national borders16,although Slovakia
mayretain some national treatment exemptions inbanking andfinancial services temporarily.17
According totheauthorities, theextent ofliberalization inservices trade doesnotexceed Slovakia 's
m.f.n. concessions. Theauthorities donotfeelthattheassociation agreement needs tobenotified
totheWTO Council forTrade inServices. TheAssociation Agreement alsoleads tobilateral
liberalization ofthepublic procurement markets oftheEUandSlovakia. Slovakia hasbegun toadopt
EUrules oncompetition, State aidandother areas asaresult oftheAssociation Agreement. The
Government hasestablished aninstitute, under theGovernment Administration Office, thatistomonitor
14Inpreparation formembership, EUlaws, regulations andstandards arebeing adopted inmany areas.
15Keyprovisions aredescribed inChapter IV(2)(iii).
16WTO (1995).
17East-West (Fortnightly Bulletin), 23December 1994.Slovak Republic WT/TPR/S/7
Page 21
andsupervise Slovakia 'sinternal progress toward theharmonization ofitslawsandregulations with
those oftheEU.18
(iii) Other relations
34. Slovakia alsomaintains preferential regional agreements withcountries oftheEuropean Free
Trade Area (EFTA), theCentral European Free Trade Area (CEFTA), Romania andSlovenia
(ChapterIV(2)(iii)).Severalnewinitiativesarebeingconsidered,includingtheexpansionoftheCEFTA
(Slovenia hasmetallsubstantial conditions foraccession) andtheconclusion offree-trade agreements
withIsrael, Turkey, andsome countries oftheformer Soviet Union.
35. Agreements ontradeandeconomic relations containing m.f.n. treatment andother provisions
havebeenconcluded bySlovakia withmany countries, principally those oftheformer Soviet Union.
Agreements areinforce withAlbania, Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia,
Tadzhikistan,Turkmenistan,andUzbekistan.NonewtradeagreementhasbeenagreedbetweenSlovakia
andtheformer Yugoslavia; a1991 agreement between theCSFR andtheSocialist Federal Republic
ofYugoslavia remains inforce. TheProgramme oftheSlovak Government notes itsgeneral interest
inextending thesystem ofbilateral treaties covering trade ingoods andservices tocountries ofthe
Middle East, Africa andAsia.
18East-West (Fortnightly Bulletin), 23December 1994.