To reach the definition of small economies, different objective socio-economic indicators must be taken into account, such as:

• Development Level: income (per capita GDP adjusted to the purchasing power), income distribution, poverty level (basic needs not met), health (life expectancy, infant mortality), education (literacy rate, school attendance level).
   

• Competitiveness: degree of openness, share in the international trade (with special attention to the intra-hemispheric trade), foreign debt level in relation to exports, exports per inhabitant, infrastructure (road, ports, airports, telecommunications), exports diversification (products and destinations)

With these suggestions, the final classification of small economies based on socio-economic indicators will be delegated to the Tripartite Committee.

Regarding small companies, their promotion is the policy of each one of the States.

The definition of specific terms is subject to what was negotiated by other working groups (Market Access, Investments, Services, Subsidies, Antidumping and Countervailing Duties, etc.).

Request for preferential treatment in trade: anticipated access to developed markets and delayed tariff elimination to the imports of products coming from the rest of the FTAA economies.

Discussion of several areas where technical and financial assistance is required. With special attention to facilitating trade and the modernization of the productive apparatus (companies) and the state’s ones. Special mention was made to the assistance to training, coordinated by the business chambers.

To harmonize technical standards and institutes that certify the quality, to avoid this becoming a non-tariff barrier.

The business chambers would participate in the granting of the quality certificates (as a complement to ISO standards).

The multilateral agencies were quoted as possible source of financing for the technical assistance. The case of an agency under the OAS, available for this purpose, was mentioned, such as the willingness of the United States Government to provide counsel.

Need to promote the university-company link.

To accelerate the work to integrate a hemispheric information network, gathering individual efforts, today dispersed in the business chambers.

To establish parameters to define business opportunities.

To spread information by electronic means (web page), linked to the FTAA official page and fed by the information from the business chambers.

The asymmetry requested is not restricted to a terms issue. It is also applied to issues such as the origin norms, safeguards, subsidies, defense mechanisms, etc.

It is important to underline the transversal nature of the subjects discussed in this workshop, with those of other negotiation groups.

Outside the workshop’s subject, a Declaration of ethical and transparency principles was presented, that must characterize the businessmen.

Another alternative is to apply quantitative indicators in the definition of small economies (such as GDP and population) as a previous step to the application of qualitative development indicators.

Economies classifications recognized as “small” in other integration processes could also taken into account.

Vice-Chairman: Martín Redrado (Argentina)
Rapporteur: Idelfonso Recalde (Argentina)
Vice-Rapporteur: Fernando Carrera (Ecuador)
Assistant: María Gabriela Chichizola