  
  
WT/REG 414/N/1  
 
 
7 January 2021  
(21-0249) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements  Original:  English   
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENT  
1. Member(s) notifying:  United Kingdom  
2. Date of notification:  31 December  2020  
3. Notification pursuant to  
[X] Article XXIV:7(a) of GATT 1994  
[ ] Article V:7(a) of GATS  
[ ] Paragraph 4(a) of the Enabling Clause  
4. Parties to the Agreement:  The United  Kingdom  of the one part ;  
and Samoa  of the other part  
5. Date of signature:  22 December 2020  
6. Date(s) of entry into Force:  01 January 2021  
7. Brief description of the Agreement:   
The U nited Kingdom 's previous preferential trading relationship with  Samoa  was governed 
by the Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, 
and the Pacific States, of the other part , and its associated Agreements and Protocols 
including the accessions of Samoa and the Solo mon Islands ("the EU-Pacific States iEPA ," 
see document series : WT/REG302 , WT/REG/408 and WT/REG/409 ). 
Samoa  has presented its request to  accede  to the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement 
between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the one part, and 
the Pacific States, of the other part  ("the UK-Pacific States iEPA, " as notified separately to 
the Membership ).  
Therefore, pending a decision on Samoa 's accession , as of 1 January 2021 the United  
Kingdom and Samoa  have agreed to bring into effect the same preferences contained 
within the UK -Pacific  States  iEPA on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding. The 
bilateral liberalisation between the United Kingdom and Samoa , taking place by virtue of 
that arrangement  under the  Memorandum of Understanding , establishes a fre e trade area 
for trade in goods  within the meaning of Article XXIV of the GATT 1994.  As well as 
provisions on tariffs, quotas and rules of origin, the arrangement contains provisions on 
customs and tr ade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary 
measures, development cooperation, and institutional provisions.  
 
This arrangement under the Memorandum of Understanding will provide  time for the 
discussions on  Samoa 's accession  to the UK -Pacific States iEPA.  Members will be updated 
if Samoa  completes its accession  to the UK -Pacific  States  iEPA, when the current 
arrangement under the Memorandum  of Understanding  would cease  to apply  and 
preferential trading under the  UK-Pacific States iEPA would come into effect . WT/REG 414/N/1   
 
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  8. Text and related schedules, annexes and protocols are:  
[ ] submitted to the WTO Secretariat (electronic format)  
[X] available from the following official Internet link(s):  
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ms -no152019 -interim -economic -
partnership -agreement -between -the-united -kingdom -of-great -britain -and-northern -
ireland -and-the-pacific -states  
 