Article N-01 of
the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) establishes a Free Trade Commission, made up of
cabinet-level representatives, to meet yearly to supervise the implementation of the Agreement,
oversee its further elaboration, seek to resolve disputes about the interpretation of the Agreement,
supervise the work of the committees and working groups, and consider any other matters that may
affect the operation of the Agreement.
The first meeting of the Free Trade Commission took place in Santiago de Chile in January 1998.
As agreed in Annex O-03.1 a bilateral double taxation
agreement was concluded. At the second meeting, in November 1999, Ministers agreed to accelerate tariff
elimination on a range of products. This was done through the First Additional Protocol to the Free
Trade Agreement, signed on 4 November 1999, which sets out a list of goods for each Party whose tariff
elimination would be accelerated, and would be free of customs duties as of January 1, 2000. Goods
listed for tariff acceleration included turkey poults, turkey hatching eggs, feed peas, fresh or
chilled tomatoes, peaches, plums, sloes, certain colour pigments, certain articles of plastic and a
number of textile products. Tariff acceleration is provided for in
Article C-02(3). The Commission also agreed upon Model
Rules of Procedure for Chapter N (Institutional Arrangements and Dispute Settlement Procedures).
The third Free Trade Commission meeting took place on 10 May, 2001. At this meeting, the Parties
agreed upon appropriate compensation for a safeguard measure that had been imposed on Canadian wheat
by Chile. This was formalized by a second additional protocol to the free trade agreement, signed
on 4 January 2002, which provides for compensatory tariff acceleration on imports of Canadian French
fried potatoes, dried beans and peas, and pet food.
At the Commission's fourth meeting, held in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2002, the Parties issued
notes of interpretation of certain provisions of the Investment Chapter. Through these notes, the
Parties commit to openness and transparency in the investor-state dispute settlement process and
clarify the interpretation of the provision governing the minimum standard of treatment to be accorded
to foreign investors. The Commission also established a bilateral Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures, and instructed officials to continue exploratory analysis, on the margins of the FTAA, of
the potential benefits of addressing issues relating to Government procurement in the CCFTA Customs
Subcommittee. The Parties also reaffirmed their commitment to work together in the negotiations of
the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
On 8 November 2004 the Third Additional Protocol to the FTA was signed, amending Chile's tariff
reduction list. The fifth meeting of the Free Trade Commission took place in November 2004. Ministers
encouraged further progress on the negotiation of a Government procurement chapter to be added to the
Free Trade Agreement and also encouraged officials to continue working on a basis for addressing
financial services disciplines within the CCFTA. They agreed on a number of technical rectifications
to the rules of origin reflecting amendments to Parties' tariff schedules as a result of the
implementation of the HS 2002.
On 14 June 2007, on the Sixth Meeting of the Commission, Canada and Chile noted the conclusion and
signature of the bilateral Government procurement chapter to be added to the Canada-Chile Free Trade
Agreement. During the Seventh Meeting of the Canada-Chile Free Trade Commission, held on 22 April 2009,
the parties welcomed the conclusion of negotiations toward a new financial services chapter and took
note of the entry into force of the FTA Chapter on Government Procurement on September 5, 2008.
| Documents relating to the
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPM) |
| 22 November 2010 |
Fifth meeting of the Committee on Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures (SPM) under the FTA between Canada and Chile
 |
| Source:
Dirección General de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales, Chile (DIRECON) |
A number of additional protocols to the Free Trade Agreement have been issued, the first at the
second meeting of the Free Trade Commission; the second in January 2002, and the third in November 2004
The Canada-Chile Free Trade Commission is also mandated to recommend rectifications to the rules of
origin annexes and regulations. Both Parties implemented the technical rectifications to the rules of
origin and regulations on 1 January 2005.
Canada and Chile have negotiated an additional chapter on Government
Procurement that entered into force on September 5, 2008.
Additional Chapters to the Agreement |
| Chapter on Government
Procurement |
| |
Part Three bis -
Government Procurement
Chapter K bis - Government Procurement
|
| Source: Foreign Affairs
and International Trade Canada |
|
