Public
FTAA.tci/com/12
July 3, 2003

Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat

FTAA - TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES

Twelfth Meeting

Puebla, Mexico, 23 and 24 June 2003

PRESS COMMUNIQUE

1. The Twelfth Meeting of the Technical Committee on Institutional Issues (TCI) was held in Puebla, Mexico, on 23 and 24 June 2003, under the chairmanship of Mr. Mario Matus, of Chile. In attendance were representatives from the following 16 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.

2. The approved agenda for the discussions is attached hereto as an annex.

3. All the items on the agenda were covered. The TCI focused its work on reviewing the documents referring to the design of the preliminary general structure of the FTAA Agreement and of the template for the individual chapters, in fulfillment of the mandate handed down to the TCI by the Trade Negotiations Committee following its meeting in Puebla from 8 to 10 April 2003, classified as document http://www.ftaa-alca.org/tn22s.doc  The TCI also prepared a document summarizing the institutional issues whose inclusion in the Agreement has been agreed to by the Committee. Furthermore, the TCI discussed the draft consolidated text to be submitted at the next TNC meeting, to be held in San Salvador, El Salvador. In response to the request made by the TCI at its most recent (Eleventh) meeting, the Tripartite Committee presented a document with a series of tables summarizing the relationships between possible funding criteria for the FTAA Secretariat and four budget scenarios identified previously by the TCI. The TCI discussed the proposals presented by some of the delegations. Finally, the TCI commented on each of the several civil society contributions received by the Committee. After an interesting discussion and, having verified the need to boost the profile of the FTAA in the Hemisphere, the TCI resolved to urge governments to improve the dissemination of information on the FTAA process in every participating country, at all levels of society, and in all spheres of public opinion.

4. The next meeting of the TCI will be held in Puebla, Mexico, on 28, 29, and 30 July 2003.

1. Approval of the agenda

2. Report on the informal meeting of ministers in Maryland and the meeting of Chairs with the Co-Chairs

3. Architecture and structure of the Agreement

4. Discussion of new contributions on the following topics: Preamble, Articles 1 to 28, and Annexes.

5. Contribution of ideas for the Chair’s report to TNC-El Salvador

6. Relations with other FTAA entities and civil society contributions

7. Other business