FTA

The United States - Panama Trade Promotion Agreement

11/01/2011    50

The United States and Panama signed a trade promotion agreement, sometimes called a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)on June 28, 2007. Panama approved the TPA on July 11, 2007. The United States has not yet approved the TPA.U.S.-Panama FTA is a comprehensive free trade agreement that can result in significant liberalization of trade in goodsand services, including financial services. It 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 Panama's services sector than it provides to other WTO Members under the General Agreement on Tarrifs in Services. All services sectors are covered under the agreement except where Panama has made specific exceptions. Moreover, Panama agreed to become a full participant in the WTO Information Technology Agreement.
Panama has also entered into a bilateral agreement with the United States resolving a number of regulatory barriers to trade in agricultural goods ranging from meat and poultry to processed products, including dairy and rice. USTR is currently working to address outstanding issues regarding the Panama FTA, including labor and tax policies.
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preamble
 
1. Initial Provisions
 
2. General Definitions
 
3. National Treatment and Market Access for Goods
 
4. Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures
 
5. Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation
 
6. Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
 
7. Technical Barriers to Trade
 
8. Trade Remedies

9. Government Procurement

  •  Annex 9.1

10. Investment
 
11. Cross-Border Trade In Services
 
12. Financial Services
 
13. Telecommunications
 
14. Electronic Commerce
 
15. Intellectual Property Rights
 
16. Labor
 
17. Environment
 
18. Transparency
 
19. Administration of the Agreement and Trade Capacity Building
 
20. Dispute Settlement
 
21. Exceptions
 
22. Final Provisions
 
Annex 4.1 - Specific Rules of Origin
 
Annex I: Non-Conforming Measures for Services and Investment

  • Formatting Note
  • US Annex I
  • Panama Annex I

Annex II: Non-Conforming Measures for Services and Investment

  • Formatting Note
  • US Annex II
  • Panama Annex II

Annex III: Non-Conforming Measures for Financial Services

  • US Annex III
  • Panama Annex III

General Notes and Tariff Schedules

  • US General Notes and Appendix I
  • US Agricultural Tariff Schedule
  • US Industrial & Textile Tariff Schedule
  • Panama General Notes and Appendix I
  • Panama Agricultural Tariff Schedule
  • Panama Industrial & Textile Tariff Schedule

Side Letters

  • Letter on Autos
  • Letter on Ship Repairs
  • Letter on the ITA
  • Letter on Panama Free Zones
  • Letter on Article 9.15
  • Letter on Investment in Specified Sectors
  • Letter on Retail Sales
  • Letter on Cross-Border Financial Services
  • Letter on Insurance
  • Letter on Pensions
  • Letter on Traditional Knowledge
  • Letter on Taxation

 
Download the Agreement at the link: http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-
agreements/panama-tpa/final-text

More stories