Public
FTAA.sme/com/20
May 7, 2003
Original: English
FTAA - CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON
SMALLER ECONOMIES
Twentieth Meeting
Puebla, April 14-15, 2003
PRESS COMMUNIQUE
- The Twentieth Meeting of the Consultative Group on Smaller Economies
(CGSE) was held in Puebla, Mexico, from 14-15 April 2003. In attendance were
delegates of the following countries: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent & The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, and Venezuela.
- The CGSE agreed on an
agenda, which is attached hereto.
- The CGSE was instructed by the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) to
develop and submit to the next meeting of the TNC a Plan of Action for
convening Roundtable Meetings to discuss financing and implementation of the
Hemispheric Cooperation Plan. The first such meeting should be held
sufficiently in advance of the Miami Ministerial meeting to permit
consideration of the results of the Roundtable by the Ministers. The CGSE
discussed the plan of action which will be finalized at the next meeting.
- The CGSE discussed the status of the National Strategies to Strengthen
Trade-Related Capacities of FTAA Countries.
- The CGSE received the Vice Chair of the Negotiating Group on Subsidies,
Antidumping and Countervailing Duties, who responded to specific questions
from delegations on the treatment of differences in levels of development
and size of economies in that specific group.
- The Twenty First Meeting of the CGSE will be held in Puebla, Mexico,
the 16th and 17th of June 2003.
FTAA - CONSULTATIVE GROUP
ON SMALLER ECONOMIES
Twentieth Meeting
Puebla, Mexico, April 14-16, 2003
AGENDA
- Approval of the agenda
- Report on the Thirteenth TNC Meeting
- Follow-up on the implementation of the Hemispheric Cooperation Program
-
The process for the completion of pending strategies
-
Discussion and approval of the mechanism for the roundtable meetings and
setting of a calendar
-
Follow-up on the implementation of immediate technical assistance needs,
including the revision of the updated matrix of project profiles
-
Trade-related technical assistance database in light of the national
strategies
- Follow-up on the treatment of differences in levels of development and
size of economies
-
Individual reports from negotiating group chairs
-
Discussion of document “Proposal for Guidelines or Directives for the
Treatment of the Differences in the Levels of Development and Size of FTAA
Economies”
-
Discussion of document “Consolidation of Proposals on the Treatment of
Differences in Levels of Development and Size of Economies
- Follow-up on the implementation of Business Facilitation Measures
- Studies
- Contributions by Civil Society
- Request to the Tripartite Committee to report to each FTAA negotiating
group on mandates of the CGSE and the Hemispheric Cooperation Program
- Other business
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