WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/REG117/N/1
31 January 2001
(01-0493)
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements Original:  English
FREE TRADE AREA BETWEEN THE EFTA STATES AND
THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Notification by the EFTA States
The following communication, dated 11 December 2000, has been received from the
EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) with the request that it be circulated to
the WTO Members.
_______________
The EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), with reference to
Article XXIV:7(a) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, herewith transmit the text of
the Agreement establishing a Free-Trade Area between the EFTA States and the Republic of
Macedonia1 with its Annexes, Lists and Protocols.  The bilateral arrangements on trade in agricultural
products, which have been concluded between the Parties, are also transmitted herewith.2  They form
part of the instruments creating the Free-Trade Area.
The Agreement and the bilateral agricultural agreements were signed on 19 June 2000, and
the Agreement is foreseen to enter into force on 1 January 2001.
In accordance with Article XXIV of GATT 1994, the objective of the Agreement is to
eliminate duties and other restrictions on trade in industrial products, fish and other marine products,
and processed agricultural products in trade between the EFTA States and the Republic of Macedonia.
Within the framework of the Agreement, bilateral agricultural arrangements have been concluded
which provided for liberalized trade in agricultural products.
Upon the entry into force of the Agreement, th e EFTA States will eliminate all duties and
restrictions on originating products falling within the scope of the Agreement, while the Republic of
Macedonia will gradually eliminate its duties over a nine year period.  The Agreement also contains
provisions, inter alia , on intellectual property rights, state monopolies, subsidies and competition.
__________
                                                     
1 The text of the Agreement will be circulated in document WT/REG117/1.
2 The agricultural arrangements have been submitted to the Secretariat for consultation by interested
Members (office 3006).  The text of the Agreement together with its Annexes and Protocols is also available on
the EFTA website (http://secretariat.efta.int/library/legal/fta/macedonia/).