Public
FTAA.ngcp/com/16
March 27, 2002
Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat
FTAA - NEGOTIATING GROUP ON COMPETITION POLICY
Sixteenth Meeting
Panama, March 25-27, 2002
PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ
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The Sixteenth Meeting of the Negotiating Group on Competition Policy (NGCP) was
held in Panama on March 25-27, 2002. Representatives of 21 countries of the
Hemisphere were in attendance:
Argentina | |
Guatemala |
Bahamas | |
Jamaica |
Bolivia | |
México |
Brazil | |
Panamá |
Canada | |
Paraguay |
Chile | |
Perú |
Colombia | |
Trinidad and Tobago |
Costa Rica | |
United States |
Dominican Republic | |
Uruguay |
Ecuador | |
Venezuela |
El Salvador | |
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The discussions in the meeting followed the approved agenda.
Some of the topics addressed were:
- Preparation of the Report to the TNC, in fulfillment of the mandate set out in
Annex I, Section E, paragraph 2 of the Buenos Aires Ministerial Declaration,
related to the identification of any areas that merit further consideration by
the Trade Negotiations Committee, based on the Study on Antidumping and Regional
Trade Agreements.
- Preparation of the Report to the TNC, based on the Group’s work between May
2001 and March 2002 in carrying out all the instructions laid down in the Buenos
Aires Ministerial Declaration. The Group will append to the Report a Draft Text
of the Chapter on Competition Policy, on which the Group focused its efforts to
further reduce the number of brackets.
- Discussion of Draft Terms of Reference for the Study by the Tripartite
Committee on Special and Differential Treatment, including Transitional
Measures.
- Time was allotted for reviewing those contributions from civil society that
the delegations believed should be evaluated by the TNC
FTAA - NEGOTIATING GROUP ON COMPETITION POLICY Sixteenth
Meeting
Panama City, March 25-27, 2002
AGENDA
- Review of Article 1.6 and the definitions of “the principle of due process”
(Art. 9 definitions) in the Draft Chapter on Competition Policy. For discussion
of Art. 9, consideration will be given to the text proposal submitted by the
Guatemala delegation. The proposal presented at the Fifteenth Meeting of the
NGCP by the Andean Community and Mercosur will also be reviewed.
- Preparation and discussion of the NGCP Report to the TNC, in fulfillment of
the mandate set out in paragraph 2 of section E of Annex I to the Buenos Aires
Ministerial Declaration, related to the identification of issues that merit
greater consideration by the Trade Negotiations Committee, based on the Study on
Antidumping and Regional Trade Agreements.
- Discussion of the Draft Terms of Reference for Study by the Tripartite
Committee on Special and Differential Treatment, including Transitional
Measures, presented by the Canadian delegation.
- Discussion of civil society contributions that the delegations believe should
be evaluated.
- Discussion of the Draft Report to the TNC, prepared by the Chair, in which
the results of the NGCP’s work from May 2001 to January 2002 are presented.
- Other business.
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