Ph-Efta Free Trade Agreement

Other ASEAN free trade agreements have concluded a preferential agreement with China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Visit www.dti.gov.ph/15-main-content/dummy-article/682-free-trade-agreements and tariffcommission.gov.ph/finder/ for a list of Philippine trade agreements and tariff plans and related commitments. More information on trade is also available on the Philippine National Trade Repository website pntr.gov.ph/. a. Text – The trade provisions of the free trade agreement1 include existing WTO rules and obligations in areas governed by trade in goods. However, the two sides agreed on export duties, quantitative restrictions, subsidies and countervailing measures, global safeguards and concession changes. Philippines – European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement The Philippines and EFTA countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – signed a free trade agreement in 2016, which is expected to enter into force in 2018. The Philippines-EFTA covers trade in goods, trade in services, investment, competition, intellectual property, government procurement, trade and sustainable development. On the other hand, the Philippines will grant all EFTA Member States duty-free access (on the basis of different time frames for the removal of tariffs) for most industrial products and fisheries. A number of tariff lines for fisheries and industry have been excluded from any obligation to liberalise customs. ASEAN Merchandise Trade Agreement The 2010 ASEAN Goods Trade Agreement (ATIGA) consolidated all commitments of the ASEAN Effective Customs Free Trade Area (CEPT/AFTA) for merchandise trade.

It aims to create an internal market and a production base with the free movement of goods in the ASEAN region, an important part of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). ATIGA includes tariff liberalization, initiatives to facilitate trade, simplification of rules of origin and the creation of an ASEAN trade register. Visit investasean.asean.org/ for up-to-date information on ASEAN trade. The parties reaffirm their commitments in multilateral agreements to which the Philippines and EFTA Member States are parties. The contracting parties also comply with the substantive provisions of a number of relevant international agreements. Philippines – Japan Economic Partnership Agreement The Philippines and Japan concluded a free trade agreement in 2008. The VPA is the Philippines` only bilateral free trade agreement covering, among other things, trade in goods, trade in services, investment, personal transport, intellectual property, customs procedures, improving the business environment and public procurement. On 28 April 2016, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland signed a free trade agreement with the Philippines.