FTA

The United States - Colombia Free Trade Agreements

09/02/2011    43

The United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, sometimes called the Colombia Free Trade Agreement or FTA, was signed on November 22, 2006.

The Colombia FTA is a comprehensive free trade agreement.  When the Colombia FTA enters into force, Colombia will immediately eliminate most of its tariffs on U.S. exports, with all remaining tariffs phased out over defined time periods.

The Colombia FTA also includes important disciplines relating to customs administration and trade facilitation, 
technical barriers to trade, government procurement, investment, telecommunications, electronic commerce, 
intellectual property rights, and labor and environmental protection.

U.S. firms will have better access to Colombia's services sector than other WTO Members have under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.  All service sectors are covered under the Colombia FTA except where Colombia has made specific exceptions.

Colombia's Congress approved the agreement and a protocol of amendment in 2007.  Colombia's Constitutional Court completed its review in July 2008, and concluded that the Agreement conforms to Colombia's Constitution. President Obama tasked the U.S. Trade Representative with seeking a path to address outstanding issues surrounding the Colombia FTA. 
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Preamble 
1. Initial Provisions and General Definitions 
2. National Treatment and Market Access for Goods

  • United States General Notes
  • United States Appendix I
  • Colombia General Notes
  • Colombia Appendix I
  • US Tariff Schedule (Industrial and Textiles)
  • United States Tariff Schedule (Agricultural Goods)
  • Colombia Tariff Schedule (Industrial and Textiles)
  • Colombia Tariff Schedule (Agricultural Goods)
  • ITA Side Letter

3. Textiles and Apparel 
4. Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures

  • Annex - Product Specific Rules

5. Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation 
6. Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

  • February SPS Letter Exchange
  • August SPS Letter Exchange
  • Other SPS Letter Exchange

7. Technical Barriers to Trade 
8. Trade Remedies 
9. Government Procurement

  • Annex 9.1
  • Side Letter on 30-Day Tendering
  • Side Letter Regarding Interim Measures

10. Investment

11. Cross-Border Trade In Services

  • Side Letter on State Measures

12. Financial Services

  • Understanding Regarding Financial Services and Services

13. Competition Policy 
14. Telecommunications 
15. Electronic Commerce 
16. Intellectual Property Rights

  • ISP Side Letter
  • Retransmission Side Letter
  • Side Letter Concerning Patents and Certain Regulated Products

17. Labor 
18. Environment 
19. Transparency 
20. Administration of the Agreement and Trade Capacity Building 
21. Dispute Settlement 
22. Exceptions 
23. Final Provisions

Annex I: Non-Conforming Measures for Services and Investment

  • Formatting Note
  • US Annex I
  • Colombia Annex I

Annex II: Non-Conforming Measures for Services and Investment

  • Formatting Note
  • US Annex II
  • Colombia Annex II

Annex III: Non-Conforming Measur2es for Financial Service

  • US Annex III (with Formatting Note)
  • Colombia Annex III (with Formatting Note)

Biotechnology TK Understanding 
 
Download the Agreement at the link: http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-
agreements/colombia-fta/final-text

More stories