RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/REG20/N/1
18October 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3145)
Original: English
EFTA-SLOVENIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Joint Communication bySwitzerland onbehalf ofthe
EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway andSwitzerland) andofSlovenia
Thefollowing jointcommunication, dated 27September 1995, hasbeenreceived from the
Permanent Mission ofSwitzerland onbehalf oftheGovernments oftheEFTA States (Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway andSwitzerland), andofSlovenia withtherequest thatitbedistributed tothe
Members oftheWTO.
_____________________
Onbehalf oftheGovernments oftheEFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and
Switzerland), andoftheSlovenia, andwithreference toArticle XXIV:7(a) oftheGeneral Agreement
onTariffs andTrade 1994, Ienclose thetextoftheFreeTrade Agreement between theEFTA States
andSlovenia withitsAnnexes, ListsandProtocols which formanintegral partthereof.1Thebilateral
arrangements ontrade inagricultural products between eachEFTA State andSlovenia, which have
beenconcludedwithintheframeworkoftheFreeTradeAgreement,arealsotransmittedforconsultation.
TheAgreement wassigned on13June1995. TheAgreement hasbeenapplied onaprovisional
basis asof1July1995, pending theratification bytheParties totheAgreement.
Theobjective oftheAgreement, inaccordance withArticle XXIV, istoabolish tariffs and
other restrictions forindustrial products, fishandother marine products andprocessed agricultural
products between theEFTA States andSlovenia. Within theframework ofthisAgreement, theabove
mentioned bilateral arrangements provide formeasures tofacilitate trade inagricultural products.
Attheentry intoforce oftheFreeTrade Agreement, theEFTA States willeliminate allduties
andrestrictions onproducts, falling within thescope oftheAgreement andoriginating inSlovenia,
except forsome products forwhich atransition period willapply. Slovenia will,attheentry intoforce
oftheAgreement eliminate duties andother restrictions onawiderange ofproducts, falling within
thescope oftheAgreement andoriginating intheEFTA States, whereas theelimination onremaining
duties andcharges willtakeplace overatransition period ending by31December 2001.
TheFreeTrade Agreement between theEFTA States andSlovenia alsocontains provisions
dealing with, interalia,public procurement, intellectual property rights, statemonopolies, stateaid
andcompetition. Anevolutionary clause willgivethepossibility ofdeveloping theexisting provisions
andextending therelations toareas notcovered bytheAgreement.
1ThetextoftheAgreement iscirculated indocument WT/REG20/1.