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The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) was born out of the common interest of Chile,
New Zealand and Singapore to harness the potential of the Digital Economy to target smaller economies
and provide more opportunities to include more people and MSMEs in the global economy.
The main objective of this agreement is to establish basic rules to promote these countries as platforms
for the digital economy. This includes not only having a friendly framework for companies, where they
can export their digital services and products, but also exploring new subjects in the technological
context that serve society in general through inclusive economic development.
Chile, New Zealand and Singapore signed the agreement in a virtual ceremony on June 12, 2020. The
Digital Economy Partnership Agreement entered into force in Chile on November 23, 2021.
On May 22, 2022 the Ministry of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development,
announced that Canada has submitted a formal request to launch negotiations for Canada’s accession to the Digital
Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA).
On August 18, 2022, the Vice Ministers of Commerce of Singapore, New Zealand and Chile decided to create the Accession Working Group (or AWG for its acronym in English), a formal instance of technical work which will evaluate compliance with the regulatory standards of the applicant country in relation to the DEPA.
On June 8, 2023, the members of the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) Chile, New Zealand and Singapore met with their South Korean counterparts in Paris, in the framework of the Ministerial Meeting of the OECD, and announced the substantive closure of the negotiations for the entry of South Korea to the agreement.
On Friday, October 6, 2023, the DEPA Members agreed to establish the Working Group for the accession of Costa Rica, which will be coordinated by New Zealand.
On February 28, 2024, within the framework of the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Government of El Salvador made official its interest in being part of the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement.
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