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FTAA.ngag/com/19/Rev.1
July 26, 2002
Original: English-Spanish
Translation: non FTAA Secretariat
FTAA - NEGOTIATING GROUP ON AGRICULTURE
Nineteenth Meeting
Panama, July 22-26, 2002
PRESS COMMUNIQUE
The Nineteenth Meeting of the Negotiating Group on Agriculture (NGAG) took place
from July 22-26, 2002 in Panama. The following delegations attended: Argentina,
Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,
Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The NGAG agreed on an Agenda, which is attached to this press
communiqué. All the items on the agenda were covered.
In accordance with the instructions given to the NGAG by the Trade Negotiations Committee
(TNC) and the Ministers Responsible for Trade, the work of the Group centered on drafting
recommendations concerning market access for agricultural products, the scope of and
methodology for the elimination of export subsidies affecting trade in agricultural
products in the hemisphere, and the types of measures and the methodology for developing
the disciplines to be adopted for the treatment of all the other practices that distort
trade in agricultural products, including those that have an effect equivalent to
agricultural export subsidies. The NGAG additionally worked on new text on sanitary
and phytosanitary measures for the chapter on Agriculture of the FTAA Agreement.
The Tripartite Committee reported to the Group on the status of, and inputs to, the
Hemispheric Data Base (HDB) and informed that the information submitted will be compiled
and incorporated into a new version of the HDB-PC CD-ROM, for distribution in the near
future. The Committee also reported on subregional technical workshops that are being
held on the Hemispheric Data Base System and the upcoming presentation of an HDB user’s
manual.
The Group acknowledged receipt of the civil society contributions forwarded by the
Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society to the
NGAG. The delegations agreed to give all due attention to these contributions.
The Group’s next meeting will be held in Panama City from August 12-16, 2002.
FTAA – NEGOTIATING GROUP ON AGRICULTURE
Nineteenth Meeting
Panama, July 22-26, 2002
AGENDA
Monday* – Tuesday* July 22-23:
1) Recommendations to establish a process of notification and counter-notification
of sanitary and phytosanitary measures in order to prevent these measures from
becoming unjustified obstacles to trade in the Hemisphere (Instruction 6).
2) Recommendations on developing mechanisms to facilitate the full implementation
of the WTO SPS Agreement in the Hemisphere (Instruction 7).
3) Section V, Text of the Chapter: Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
Wednesday July 24:
4) General Issues:
i. NGMA report of the last meeting
ii. Follow up of List of Tasks
iii. Notifications and counter-notifications of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary measures
iv. Identification of non-tariff measures
5) Methods for determining tariff concessions
Thursday July 25:
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM:
Continuation: Methods for determining tariff concessions
6) Recommendations on the scope and methodology for eliminating
export subsidies affecting trade in agricultural products in the
Hemisphere (Instruction 2)
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Continuation: Recommendations on the scope and methodology for
eliminating export subsidies affecting trade in agricultural
products in the Hemisphere (Instruction 2)
Friday July 26:
7) Recommendations on the types of measures and the methodology for the
development of disciplines to be adopted for the treatment of all the
other practices that distort trade in agricultural products, including
those which have an equivalent effect to agricultural export subsidies
(Instruction 3).
8) Report to the TNC
9) General topics:
i. Summary Report from the Nineteenth meeting
ii. Agenda for the 20th meeting
iii. Other items
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