DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - CENTRAL AMERICA- UNITED STATES FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

Chapters 1-5

[ Chapters 6-12 > 13-22 >]

PREAMBLE

The Government of the Republic of Costa Rica, the Government of the Dominican Republic, the Government of the Republic of El Salvador, the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, the Government of the Republic of Honduras, the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua, and the Government of the United States of America, resolved to:

STRENGTHEN the special bonds of friendship and cooperation among their nations and promote regional economic integration;

CONTRIBUTE to the harmonious development and expansion of world trade and provide a catalyst to broader international cooperation;

CREATE an expanded and secure market for the goods and services produced in their territories while recognizing the differences in their levels of development and the size of their economies;

AVOID distortions to their reciprocal trade;

ESTABLISH clear and mutually advantageous rules governing their trade;

ENSURE a predictable commercial framework for business planning and investment;

BUILD on their respective rights and obligations under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization and other multilateral and bilateral instruments of cooperation;

SEEK to facilitate regional trade by promoting efficient and transparent customs procedures that reduce costs and ensure predictability for their importers and exporters;

ENHANCE the competitiveness of their firms in global markets;

FOSTER creativity and innovation, and promote trade in goods and services that are the subject of intellectual property rights;

PROMOTE transparency and eliminate bribery and corruption in international trade and investment;

CREATE new opportunities for economic and social development in the region;

PROTECT, enhance, and enforce basic workers’ rights and strengthen their cooperation on labor matters;

CREATE new employment opportunities and improve working conditions and living standards in their respective territories;

BUILD on their respective international commitments on labor matters;

IMPLEMENT this Agreement in a manner consistent with environmental protection and conservation, promote sustainable development, and strengthen their cooperation on environmental matters;

PROTECT and preserve the environment and enhance the means for doing so, including through the conservation of natural resources in their respective territories;

PRESERVE their flexibility to safeguard the public welfare;

RECOGNIZE the interest of the Central American Parties in strengthening and deepening their regional economic integration; and

CONTRIBUTE to hemispheric integration and provide an impetus toward establishing the Free Trade Area of the Americas;

HAVE AGREED as follows:

Chapter One

Initial Provisions

Article 1.1: Establishment of a Free Trade Area

The Parties to this Agreement, consistent with Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 and Article V of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, hereby establish a free trade area.

Article 1.2: Objectives

1. The objectives of this Agreement, as elaborated more specifically through its principles and rules, including national treatment, most-favored-nation treatment, and transparency, are to:

(a) encourage expansion and diversification of trade between the Parties;

(b) eliminate barriers to trade in, and facilitate the cross-border movement of, goods and services between the territories of the Parties;

(c) promote conditions of fair competition in the free trade area;

(d) substantially increase investment opportunities in the territories of the Parties;

(e) provide adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in each Party’s territory;

(f) create effective procedures for the implementation and application of this Agreement, for its joint administration, and for the resolution of disputes; and

(g) establish a framework for further bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation to expand and enhance the benefits of this Agreement.

2. The Parties shall interpret and apply the provisions of this Agreement in the light of its objectives set out in paragraph 1 and in accordance with applicable rules of international law.

Article 1.3: Relation to Other Agreements

1. The Parties affirm their existing rights and obligations with respect to each other under the WTO Agreement and other agreements to which such Parties are party.

2. For greater certainty, nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Central American Parties from maintaining their existing legal instruments of Central American integration, adopting new legal instruments of integration, or adopting measures to strengthen and deepen these instruments, provided that such instruments and measures are not inconsistent with this Agreement.

Article 1.4: Extent of Obligations

The Parties shall ensure that all necessary measures are taken in order to give effect to the provisions of this Agreement, including their observance, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, by state governments.

Chapter Two

General Definitions

Article 2.1: Definitions of General Application

For purposes of this Agreement, unless otherwise specified:

Central America means the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua;

central level of government means:

(a) for Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, the national level of government; and

(b) for the United States, the federal level of government;

Commission means the Free Trade Commission established under Article 19.1 (The Free Trade Commission);

covered investment means, with respect to a Party, an investment, as defined in Article 10.28 (Definitions), in its territory of an investor of another Party in existence as of the date of entry into force of this Agreement or established, acquired, or expanded thereafter;

customs authority means the competent authority that is responsible under the law of a Party for the administration of customs laws and regulations;

customs duty includes any customs or import duty and a charge of any kind imposed in connection with the importation of a good, including any form of surtax or surcharge in connection with such importation, but does not include any:

(a) charge equivalent to an internal tax imposed consistently with Article III:2 of the GATT 1994, in respect of like, directly competitive, or substitutable goods of the Party, or in respect of goods from which the imported good has been manufactured or produced in whole or in part;

(b) antidumping or countervailing duty that is applied pursuant to a Party’s domestic law; or

(c) fee or other charge in connection with importation commensurate with the cost of services rendered;

Customs Valuation Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994;

days means calendar days;

enterprise means any entity constituted or organized under applicable law, whether or not for profit, and whether privately-owned or governmentally-owned, including any corporation, trust, partnership, sole proprietorship, joint venture, or other association;

enterprise of a Party means an enterprise constituted or organized under the law of a Party;

existing means in effect on the date of entry into force of this Agreement;

GATS means the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services;

GATT 1994 means the WTO General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994;

goods of a Party means domestic products as these are understood in the GATT 1994 or such goods as the Parties may agree, and includes originating goods of that Party;

Harmonized System (HS) means the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, including its General Rules of Interpretation, Section Notes, and Chapter Notes, as adopted and implemented by the Parties in their respective tariff laws;

heading means the first four digits in the tariff classification number under the Harmonized System;

measure includes any law, regulation, procedure, requirement, or practice;

national means a natural person who has the nationality of a Party according to Annex 2.1 or a permanent resident of a Party;

originating means qualifying under the rules of origin set out in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures);

Party means any State for which this Agreement is in force;

person means a natural person or an enterprise;

person of a Party means a national or an enterprise of a Party;

preferential tariff treatment means the duty rate applicable under this Agreement to an originating good;

procurement means the process by which a government obtains the use of or acquires goods or services, or any combination thereof, for governmental purposes and not with a view to commercial sale or resale or with a view to use in the production or supply of goods or services for commercial sale or resale;

regional level of government means, for the United States, a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico. For Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, “regional level of government” is not applicable;

Safeguards Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Safeguards;

sanitary or phytosanitary measure means any measure referred to in Annex A, paragraph 1 of the SPS Agreement;

SPS Agreement means the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures;

state enterprise means an enterprise that is owned, or controlled through ownership interests, by a Party;

subheading means the first six digits in the tariff classification number under the Harmonized System;

territory means for a Party the territory of that Party as set out in Annex 2.1;

TRIPS Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights;

WTO means the World Trade Organization; and

WTO Agreement means the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, done on April 15, 1994.

Annex 2.1

Country-Specific Definitions

For purposes of this Agreement, unless otherwise specified:

natural person who has the nationality of a Party means:

(a) with respect to Costa Rica, a costarricense as defined in Articles 13 and 14 of the Constitución Política de la República de Costa Rica;

(b) with respect to the Dominican Republic, a dominicano as defined in Article 11 of the Constitución de la República Dominicana;

(c) with respect to El Salvador, a salvadoreño as defined in Articles 90 and 92 of the Constitución de la República de El Salvador;

(d) with respect to Guatemala, a guatemalteco as defined in Articles 144, 145 and 146 of the Constitución de la República de Guatemala;

(e) with respect to Honduras, a hondureño as defined in Articles 23 and 24 of the Constitución de la República de Honduras;

(f) with respect to Nicaragua, a nicaragüense as defined in Article 15 of the Constitución Política de la República de Nicaragua; and

(g) with respect to the United States, “national of the United States” as defined in the existing provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act; and

territory means:

(a) with respect to Costa Rica, the land, maritime, and air space under its sovereignty¹ and the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf within which it exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law and its domestic law;

(b) with respect to the Dominican Republic, the land, maritime, and air space under its sovereignty and the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf within which it exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law and its domestic law;

(c) with respect to El Salvador, the land, maritime, and air space under its sovereignty and the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf within which it exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law and its domestic law;

(d) with respect to Guatemala, the land, maritime, and air space under its sovereignty and the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf within which it exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law and its domestic law;

(e) with respect to Honduras, the land, maritime, and air space under its sovereignty and the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf within which it exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law and its domestic law;

(f) with respect to Nicaragua, the land, maritime, and air space under its sovereignty and the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf within which it exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law and its domestic law; and

(g) with respect to the United States,

(i) the customs territory of the United States, which includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico,

(ii) the foreign trade zones located in the United States and Puerto Rico, and

(iii) any areas beyond the territorial seas of the United States within which, in accordance with international law and its domestic law, the United States may exercise rights with respect to the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources.

Article 3.1: Scope and Coverage

Except as otherwise provided, this Chapter applies to trade in goods of a Party.

Section A: National Treatment

Article 3.2: National Treatment

1. Each Party shall accord national treatment to the goods of another Party in accordance with Article III of the GATT 1994, including its interpretive notes, and to this end Article III of the GATT 1994 and its interpretative notes are incorporated into and made part of this Agreement, mutatis mutandis.

2. The provisions of paragraph 1 regarding national treatment shall mean, with respect to a regional level of government, treatment no less favorable than the most favorable treatment that regional level of government accords to any like, directly competitive, or substitutable goods, as the case may be, of the Party of which it forms a part.

3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to the measures set out in Annex 3.2.

Section B: Tariff Elimination

Article 3.3: Tariff Elimination

1. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, no Party may increase any existing customs duty, or adopt any new customs duty, on an originating good.

2. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, each Party shall progressively eliminate its customs duties on originating goods, in accordance with Annex 3.3.¹

3. For greater certainty, paragraph 2 shall not prevent a Central American Party from providing identical or more favorable tariff treatment to a good as provided for under the legal instruments of Central American integration, provided that the good meets the rules of origin under those instruments.

4. On the request of any Party, the Parties shall consult to consider accelerating the elimination of customs duties set out in their Schedules to Annex 3.3. Notwithstanding Article 19.1.3(b) (The Free Trade Commission), an agreement between two or more Parties to accelerate the elimination of a customs duty on a good shall supercede any duty rate or staging category determined pursuant to their Schedules to Annex 3.3 for such good when approved by each such Party in accordance with its applicable legal procedures. Promptly after two or more Parties conclude an agreement under this paragraph they shall notify the other Parties of the terms of that agreement.

5. For greater certainty, a Party may:

(a) raise a customs duty back to the level established in its Schedule to Annex 3.3 following a unilateral reduction; or

(b) maintain or increase a customs duty as authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

6. Annex 3.3.6 applies to the Parties specified in that Annex.

Section C: Special Regimes

Article 3.4: Waiver of Customs Duties

1. No Party may adopt any new waiver of customs duties, or expand with respect to existing recipients or extend to any new recipient the application of an existing waiver of customs duties, where the waiver is conditioned, explicitly or implicitly, on the fulfillment of a performance requirement.

2. No Party may, explicitly or implicitly, condition on the fulfillment of a performance requirement the continuation of any existing waiver of customs duties.

3. Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Guatemala may each maintain existing measures inconsistent with paragraphs 1 and 2, provided it maintains such measures in accordance with Article 27.4 of the SCM Agreement. Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Guatemala may not maintain any such measures after December 31, 2009.

4. Nicaragua and Honduras may each maintain measures inconsistent with paragraphs 1 and 2 for such time as it is an Annex VII country for purposes of the SCM Agreement. Thereafter, Nicaragua and Honduras shall maintain any such measures in accordance with Article 27.4 of the SCM Agreement.

Article 3.5: Temporary Admission of Goods

1. Each Party shall grant duty-free temporary admission for the following goods, regardless of their origin:

(a) professional equipment, including equipment for the press or television, software and broadcasting and cinematographic equipment, necessary for carrying out the business activity, trade, or profession of a business person who qualifies for temporary entry pursuant to the laws of the importing Party;

(b) goods intended for display or demonstration;

(c) commercial samples and advertising films and recordings; and

(d) goods admitted for sports purposes.

2. Each Party shall, at the request of the person concerned and for reasons its customs authority considers valid, extend the time limit for temporary admission beyond the period initially fixed.

3. No Party may condition the duty-free temporary admission of a good referred to in paragraph 1, other than to require that such good:

(a) be used solely by or under the personal supervision of a national or resident of another Party in the exercise of the business activity, trade, profession, or sport of that person;

(b) not be sold or leased while in its territory;

(c) be accompanied by a security in an amount no greater than the charges that would otherwise be owed on entry or final importation, releasable on exportation of the good;

(d) be capable of identification when exported;

(e) be exported on the departure of the person referenced in subparagraph (a), or within such other period related to the purpose of the temporary admission as the Party may establish, or within one year, unless extended;

(f) be admitted in no greater quantity than is reasonable for its intended use; and

(g) be otherwise admissible into the Party’s territory under its law.

4. If any condition that a Party imposes under paragraph 3 has not been fulfilled, the Party may apply the customs duty and any other charge that would normally be owed on the good plus any other charges or penalties provided for under its law.

5. Each Party, through its customs authority, shall adopt procedures providing for the expeditious release of goods admitted under this Article. To the extent possible, such procedures shall provide that when such a good accompanies a national or resident of another Party who is seeking temporary entry, the good shall be released simultaneously with the entry of that national or resident.

6. Each Party shall permit a good temporarily admitted under this Article to be exported through a customs port other than that through which it was admitted.

7. Each Party shall provide that its customs authority or other competent authority shall relieve the importer or other person responsible for a good admitted under this Article from any liability for failure to export the good on presentation of satisfactory proof to the importing Party’s customs authority that the good has been destroyed within the original period fixed for temporary admission or any lawful extension.

8. Subject to Chapters Ten (Investment) and Eleven (Cross-Border Trade in Services):

(a) each Party shall allow a vehicle or container used in international traffic that enters its territory from the territory of another Party to exit its territory on any route that is reasonably related to the economic and prompt departure of such vehicle or container;

(b) no Party may require any bond or impose any penalty or charge solely by reason of any difference between the port of entry and the port of departure of a vehicle or container;

(c) no Party may condition the release of any obligation, including any bond, that it imposes in respect of the entry of a vehicle or container into its territory on its exit through any particular port of departure; and

(d) no Party may require that the vehicle or carrier bringing a container from the territory of another Party into its territory be the same vehicle or carrier that takes such container to the territory of another Party.

9. For purposes of paragraph 8, vehicle means a truck, a truck tractor, tractor, trailer unit or trailer, a locomotive, or a railway car or other railroad equipment.

Article 3.6: Goods Re-entered after Repair or Alteration

1. No Party may apply a customs duty to a good, regardless of its origin, that re-enters its territory after that good has been temporarily exported from its territory to the territory of another Party for repair or alteration, regardless of whether such repair or alteration could be performed in the territory of the Party from which the good was exported for repair or alteration.

2. No Party may apply a customs duty to a good, regardless of its origin, admitted temporarily from the territory of another Party for repair or alteration.

3. For purposes of this Article, repair or alteration does not include an operation or process that:

(a) destroys a good’s essential characteristics or creates a new or commercially different good; or

(b) transforms an unfinished good into a finished good.

Article 3.7: Duty-Free Entry of Commercial Samples of Negligible Value and Printed Advertising Materials

Each Party shall grant duty-free entry to commercial samples of negligible value and to printed advertising materials, imported from the territory of another Party, regardless of their origin, but may require that:

(a) such samples be imported solely for the solicitation of orders for goods, or services provided from the territory, of another Party or a non-Party; or

(b) such advertising materials be imported in packets that each contain no more than one copy of each such material and that neither such materials nor packets form part of a larger consignment.

Section D: Non-Tariff Measures

Article 3.8: Import and Export Restrictions

1. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, no Party may adopt or maintain any prohibition or restriction on the importation of any good of another Party or on the exportation or sale for export of any good destined for the territory of another Party, except in accordance with Article XI of the GATT 1994 and its interpretative notes, and to this end Article XI of the GATT 1994 and its interpretative notes are incorporated into and made a part of this Agreement, mutatis mutandis.²

2. The Parties understand that the GATT 1994 rights and obligations incorporated by paragraph 1 prohibit, in any circumstances in which any other form of restriction is prohibited, a Party from adopting or maintaining:

(a) export and import price requirements, except as permitted in enforcement of countervailing and antidumping duty orders and undertakings;

(b) import licensing conditioned on the fulfillment of a performance requirement, except as provided in a Party’s Schedule to Annex 3.3; or

(c) voluntary export restraints inconsistent with Article VI of the GATT 1994, as implemented under Article 18 of the SCM Agreement and Article 8.1 of the AD Agreement.

3. In the event that a Party adopts or maintains a prohibition or restriction on the importation from or exportation to a non-Party of a good, nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent the Party from:

(a) limiting or prohibiting the importation from the territory of another Party of such good of that non-Party; or

(b) requiring as a condition of export of such good of the Party to the territory of another Party, that the good not be re-exported to the non-Party, directly or indirectly, without being consumed in the territory of the other Party.

4. In the event that a Party adopts or maintains a prohibition or restriction on the importation of a good from a non-Party, the Parties, on the request of any Party, shall consult with a view to avoiding undue interference with or distortion of pricing, marketing, or distribution arrangements in another Party.

5. Paragraphs 1 through 4 shall not apply to the measures set out in Annex 3.2.

6. Neither a Central American Party nor the Dominican Republic may, as a condition for engaging in importation or for the import of a good, require a person of another Party to establish or maintain a contractual or other relationship with a dealer in its territory.

7. Neither a Central American Party nor the Dominican Republic may remedy a violation or alleged violation of any law, regulation, or other measure regulating or otherwise relating to the relationship between any dealer in its territory and any person of another Party, by prohibiting or restricting the importation of any good of another Party.

8. For purposes of this Article:

dealer means a person of a Party who is responsible for the distribution, agency, concession, or representation in the territory of that Party of goods of another Party; and

remedy means to obtain redress or impose a penalty, including through a provisional, precautionary, or permanent measure.

Article 3.9: Import Licensing

1. No Party may adopt or maintain a measure that is inconsistent with the Import Licensing Agreement.

2. Promptly after entry into force of this Agreement, each Party shall notify the other Parties of any existing import licensing procedures, and thereafter shall notify the other Parties of any new import licensing procedure and any modification to its existing import licensing procedures, within 60 days before it takes effect. A notification provided under this Article shall:

(a) include the information specified in Article 5 of the Import Licensing Agreement; and

(b) be without prejudice as to whether the import licensing procedure is consistent with this Agreement.

3. No Party may apply an import licensing procedure to a good of another Party unless it has provided notification in accordance with paragraph 2.

Article 3.10: Administrative Fees and Formalities

1. Each Party shall ensure, in accordance with Article VIII:1 of the GATT 1994 and its interpretive notes, that all fees and charges of whatever character (other than customs duties, charges equivalent to an internal tax or other internal charge applied consistently with Article III:2 of the GATT 1994, and antidumping and countervailing duties) imposed on or in connection with importation or exportation are limited in amount to the approximate cost of services rendered and do not represent an indirect protection to domestic products or a taxation of imports or exports for fiscal purposes.

2. No Party may require consular transactions, including related fees and charges, in connection with the importation of any good of another Party.

3. Each Party shall make available and maintain through the Internet a current list of the fees and charges it imposes in connection with importation or exportation.

4. The United States shall eliminate its merchandise processing fee on originating goods.

Article 3.11: Export Taxes

Except as provided in Annex 3.11, no Party may adopt or maintain any duty, tax, or other charge on the export of any good to the territory of another Party, unless such duty, tax, or charge is adopted or maintained on any such good:

(a) when exported to the territories of all other Parties; and

(b) when destined for domestic consumption.

Article 3.12: Distinctive Products

1. Each Central American Party and the Dominican Republic shall recognize Bourbon Whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey, which is a straight Bourbon Whiskey authorized to be produced only in the State of Tennessee, as distinctive products of the United States. Accordingly, those Parties shall not permit the sale of any product as Bourbon Whiskey or Tennessee Whiskey, unless it has been manufactured in the United States in accordance with the laws and regulations of the United States governing the manufacture of Bourbon Whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey.

2. At the request of a Party, the Committee on Trade in Goods shall consider whether to recommend that the Parties amend the Agreement to designate a good as a distinctive product for purposes of this Article.

Section F: Agriculture

Article 3.13: Administration and Implementation of Tariff-Rate Quotas

1. Each Party shall implement and administer the tariff-rate quotas for agricultural goods set out in Appendix I or, if applicable, Appendix II or III to its Schedule to Annex 3.3 (hereafter “TRQs”) in accordance with Article XIII of the GATT 1994, including its interpretive notes, and the Import Licensing Agreement.

2. Each Party shall ensure that:

(a) its procedures for administering its TRQs are transparent, made available to the public, timely, nondiscriminatory, responsive to market conditions, minimally burdensome to trade, and reflect end user preferences;

(b) any person of a Party that fulfills the Party’s legal and administrative requirements shall be eligible to apply and to be considered for an import license or quota allocation under the Party’s TRQs;

(c) it does not allocate any portion of a quota to an industry association or nongovernmental organization, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement;

(d) solely government authorities administer its TRQs, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement; and

(e) it allocates quotas under its TRQs in commercially viable shipping quantities and, to the maximum extent possible, in the amounts that importers request.

3. Each Party shall strive to administer its TRQs in a manner that allows importers to fully utilize import quotas.

4. No Party may condition application for, or utilization of, import licenses or quota allocations under its TRQs on the re-export of an agricultural good.

5. No Party may count food aid or other non-commercial shipments in determining whether an import quota under its TRQs has been filled.

6. On request of any Party, an importing Party shall consult with the requesting Party regarding the administration of its TRQs.

Article 3.14: Agricultural Export Subsidies

1. The Parties share the objective of the multilateral elimination of export subsidies for agricultural goods and shall work together toward an agreement in the WTO to eliminate those subsidies and prevent their reintroduction in any form.

2. Except as provided in paragraph 3, no Party may introduce or maintain any export subsidy on any agricultural good destined for the territory of another Party.

3. Where an exporting Party considers that a non-Party is exporting an agricultural good to the territory of another Party with the benefit of export subsidies, the importing Party shall, on written request of the exporting Party, consult with the exporting Party with a view to agreeing on specific measures that the importing Party may adopt to counter the effect of such subsidized imports. If the importing Party adopts the agreed-on measures, the exporting Party shall refrain from applying any subsidy to its exports of the good to the territory of the importing Party. If the importing Party does not adopt the agreed-on measures, the exporting Party may apply an export subsidy on its exports of the good to the territory of the importing Party only to the extent necessary to counter the trade-distorting effect of subsidized exports of the good from the non-Party to the importing Party’s territory.

Article 3.15: Agricultural Safeguard Measures

1. Notwithstanding Article 3.3, each Party may apply a measure in the form of an additional import duty on an agricultural good listed in that Party’s Schedule to Annex 3.15, provided that the conditions in paragraphs 2 through 7 are met. The sum of any such additional import duty and any other customs duty on such good shall not exceed the lesser of:

(a) the prevailing most-favored-nation (MFN) applied rate of duty; or (b) the MFN applied rate of duty in effect on the day immediately preceding the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

2. A Party may apply an agricultural safeguard measure during any calendar year if the quantity of imports of the good during such year exceeds the trigger level for that good set out in its Schedule to Annex 3.15.

3. The additional duty under paragraph 1 shall be set according to each Party’s Schedule to Annex 3.15.

4. No Party may apply an agricultural safeguard measure and at the same time apply or maintain:

(a) a safeguard measure under Chapter Eight (Trade Remedies); or

(b) a measure under Article XIX of the GATT 1994 and the Safeguards Agreement; with respect to the same good.

5. No Party may apply or maintain an agricultural safeguard measure:

(a) on or after the date that a good is subject to duty-free treatment under the Party’s Schedule to Annex 3.3; or

(b) that increases the in-quota duty on a good subject to a TRQ.

6. Each Party shall implement an agricultural safeguard measure in a transparent manner. Within 60 days after applying a measure, a Party shall notify any Party whose good is subject to the measure, in writing, and shall provide it relevant data concerning the measure. On request, the Party applying the measure shall consult with any Party whose good is subject to the measure regarding application of the measure.

7. A Party may maintain an agricultural safeguard measure only until the end of the calendar year in which the Party applies the measure.

8. The Commission and the Committee on Agricultural Trade may review the implementation and operation of this Article.

9. For purposes of this Article and Annex 3.15, agricultural safeguard measure means a measure described in paragraph 1.

Article 3.16: Sugar Compensation Mechanism

1. In any year, the United States may, at its option, apply a mechanism that results in compensation to a Party’s exporters of sugar goods in lieu of according duty-free treatment to some or all of the duty-free quantity of sugar goods established for that Party in Appendix I to the Schedule of the United States to Annex 3.3. Such compensation shall be equivalent to the estimated economic rents that the Party’s exporters would have obtained on exports to the United States of any such amounts of sugar goods and shall be provided within 30 days after the United States exercises this option. The United States shall notify the Party at least 90 days before it exercises this option and, on request, shall enter into consultations with the Party regarding application of the mechanism.

2. For purposes of this Article, sugar good means a good provided for in the subheadings listed in subparagraph 3(c) of Appendix I to the Schedule of the United States to Annex 3.3.

Article 3.17: Consultations on Trade in Chicken

The Parties shall consult on, and review the implementation and operation of the Agreement as it relates to, trade in chicken in the ninth year after the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

Article 3.18: Agriculture Review Commission

The Parties shall establish an Agriculture Review Commission in the ^14th year after the date of entry into force of this Agreement to review the implementation and operation of the Agreement as it relates to trade in agricultural goods. The Agriculture Review Commission shall evaluate the effects of trade liberalization under the Agreement, the operation of Article 3.15 and possible extension of agricultural safeguard measures under that Article, progress toward global agricultural trade reform in the WTO, and developments in world agricultural markets. The Agriculture Review Commission shall report its findings and any recommendations to the Commission.

Article 3.19: Committee on Agricultural Trade

1. Not later than 90 days after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the Parties shall establish a Committee on Agricultural Trade, comprising representatives of each Party.

2. The Committee shall provide a forum for:

(a) monitoring and promoting cooperation on the implementation and administration of this Section;

(b) consultation between the Parties on matters related to this Section in coordination with other committees, subcommittees, working groups, or other bodies established under this Agreement; and

(c) undertaking any additional work that the Commission may assign.

3. The Committee shall meet at least once a year unless it decides otherwise. Meetings of the Committee shall be chaired by the representatives of the Party hosting the meeting.

4. All decisions of the Committee shall be taken by consensus, unless the Committee otherwise decides.

Section G: Textiles and Apparel

Article 3.20: Refund of Customs Duties

1. On request of an importer, a Party shall refund any excess customs duties paid in connection with the importation into its territory of an originating textile or apparel good between January 1, 2004 and the date of entry into force of this Agreement for that Party. For purposes of applying this Article, the importing Party shall consider a good to be originating if the Party would have considered the good to be originating had it been imported into its territory on the date of entry into force of this Agreement for that Party.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply with respect to textile or apparel goods imported into, or imported from, the territory of a Party if it provides written notice to the other Parties by no later than 90 days before the date of entry into force of this Agreement for that Party that it will not comply with paragraph 1.

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, paragraph 1 shall apply with respect to textile or apparel goods imported from the territory of a Party if it provides written notice to the other Parties by no later than 90 days before the date of entry into force of this Agreement for that Party that it shall provide a benefit for textile or apparel goods imported into its territory that the importing and exporting Parties have agreed is equivalent to the benefit provided in paragraph 1.

4. This Article shall not apply to a textile or apparel good that qualifies for preferential tariff treatment under Article 3.21, 3.27, or 3.28.

Article 3.21: Duty-Free Treatment for Certain Goods

1. An importing and an exporting Party may identify at any time particular textile or apparel goods of the exporting Party that they mutually agree fall within:

(a) hand-loomed fabrics of a cottage industry;

(b) hand-made cottage industry goods made of such hand-loomed fabrics; or

(c) traditional folklore handicraft goods.

2. The importing Party shall grant duty-free treatment to goods so identified, if certified by the competent authority of the exporting Party.

Article 3.22: Elimination of Existing Quantitative Restrictions

Not later than the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the United States shall eliminate the existing quantitative restrictions it maintains under the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing as set out in Annex 3.22.

Article 3.23: Textile Safeguard Measures

1. Subject to the following paragraphs, and during the transition period only, if, as a result of the reduction or elimination of a duty provided for in this Agreement, a textile or apparel good of another Party is being imported into the territory of a Party in such increased quantities, in absolute terms or relative to the domestic market for that good, and under such conditions as to cause serious damage, or actual threat thereof, to a domestic industry producing a like or directly competitive good, the importing Party may, to the extent necessary to prevent or remedy such damage and to facilitate adjustment, apply a textile safeguard measure to that good, consisting of an increase in the rate of duty on the good to a level not to exceed the lesser of:

(a) the most-favored-nation (MFN) applied rate of duty in effect at the time the measure is applied; and

(b) the MFN applied rate of duty in effect on the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

2. In determining serious damage, or actual threat thereof, the importing Party:

(a) shall examine the effect of increased imports of the good of the other Party on the particular industry, as reflected in changes in such relevant economic variables as output, productivity, utilization of capacity, inventories, market share, exports, wages, employment, domestic prices, profits, and investment, none of which, either alone or combined with other factors, shall necessarily be decisive; and

(b) shall not consider changes in technology or consumer preference as factors supporting a determination of serious damage or actual threat thereof.

3. The importing Party may apply a textile safeguard measure only following an investigation by its competent authority.

4. If, on the basis of the results of the investigation under paragraph 3, the importing Party intends to apply a textile safeguard measure, the importing Party shall promptly provide written notice to the exporting Party of its intent to apply a textile safeguard measure, and on request shall enter into consultations with that Party. The importing Party and the exporting Party shall begin the consultations without delay and shall complete them within 60 days of the date of receipt of the request. The importing Party shall make a decision on whether to apply a safeguard measure within 30 days of completion of the consultations.

5. The following conditions and limitations apply to any textile safeguard measure:

(a) no Party may maintain a textile safeguard measure for a period exceeding three years;

(b) no Party may apply a textile safeguard measure to the same good of another Party more than once;

(c) on termination of the textile safeguard measure, the Party applying the measure shall apply the rate of duty set out in its Schedule to Annex 3.3, as if the measure had never been applied; and

(d) no Party may maintain a textile safeguard measure beyond the transition period.

6. The Party applying a textile safeguard measure shall provide to the Party against whose good the measure is taken mutually agreed trade liberalizing compensation in the form of concessions having substantially equivalent trade effects or equivalent to the value of the additional duties expected to result from the textile safeguard measure. Such concessions shall be limited to textile or apparel goods, unless the consulting Parties otherwise agree. If the consulting Parties are unable to agree on compensation within 30 days of application of a textile safeguard measure, the Party against whose good the measure is taken may take tariff action having trade effects substantially equivalent to the trade effects of the textile safeguard measure. Such tariff action may be taken against any goods of the Party applying the measure. The Party taking the tariff action shall apply such action only for the minimum period necessary to achieve the substantially equivalent trade effects. The importing Party’s obligation to provide trade compensation and the exporting Party’s right to take tariff action shall terminate when the textile safeguard measure terminates.

7.

(a) Each Party retains its rights and obligations under Article XIX of the GATT 1994 and the Safeguards Agreement.

(b) No Party may apply, with respect to the same good at the same time, a textile safeguard measure and:

(i) a safeguard measure under Chapter Eight (Trade Remedies); or

(ii) a measure under Article XIX of the GATT 1994 and the Safeguards Agreement.

Article 3.24: Customs Cooperation³

1. The customs authorities of the Parties shall cooperate for purposes of:

(a) enforcing or assisting in the enforcement of their respective laws, regulations, and procedures affecting trade in textile or apparel goods;

(b) ensuring the accuracy of claims of origin for textile or apparel goods; and (c) deterring circumvention of laws, regulations, and procedures of any Party or international agreements affecting trade in textile or apparel goods.

2.

(a) On the written request of an importing Party, an exporting Party shall conduct a verification for purposes of enabling the importing Party to determine:

(i) that a claim of origin for a textile or apparel good is accurate, or

(ii) that the exporter or producer is complying with applicable customs laws, regulations, and procedures regarding trade in textile or apparel goods, including:

(A) laws, regulations, and procedures that the exporting Party adopts and maintains pursuant to this Agreement; and

(B) laws, regulations, and procedures of the importing Party and the exporting Party implementing other international agreements regarding trade in textile or apparel goods.

(b) A request under subparagraph (a) shall include specific information regarding the reason the importing Party is requesting the verification and the determination the importing Party is seeking to make.

(c) The exporting Party shall conduct a verification under subparagraph (a)(i), regardless of whether an importer claims preferential tariff treatment for the textile or apparel good for which a claim of origin has been made.

3. The importing Party, through its competent authority, may assist in a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), or, at the request of the exporting Party, undertake such a verification, including by conducting, along with the competent authority of the exporting Party, visits in the territory of the exporting Party to the premises of an exporter, producer, or any other enterprise involved in the movement of textile or apparel goods from the territory of the exporting Party to the territory of the importing Party.

4.

(a) The competent authority of the importing Party shall provide a written request to the competent authority of the exporting Party 20 days before the proposed date of a visit under paragraph 3. The request shall identify the competent authority making the request, the names and titles of the authorized personnel that will conduct the visit, the reason for the visit, including a description of the type of goods that are the subject of the verification, and the proposed dates of the visit.

(b) The competent authority of the exporting Party shall respond within 10 days of receipt of the request, and shall indicate the date on which authorized personnel of the importing Party may perform the visit. The exporting Party shall seek, in accordance with its laws, regulations, and procedures, permission from the enterprise to conduct the visit. If consent is not provided, the importing Party may deny preferential tariff treatment to the type of goods of the enterprise that would have been the subject of the verification, except that the importing Party may not deny preferential tariff treatment to such goods based solely on a postponement of the visit, if there is adequate reason for such postponement.

(c) Authorized personnel of the importing and exporting Parties shall conduct the visit in accordance with the laws, regulations, and procedures of the exporting Party.

(d) On completion of a visit, the importing Party shall provide the exporting Party with an oral summary of the results of the visit and provide it with a written report of the results of the visit within approximately 45 days of the visit. The written report shall include:

(i) the name of the enterprise visited;

(ii) particulars of the shipments that were checked;

(iii) observations made at the enterprise relating to circumvention; and

(iv) an assessment of whether the enterprise’s production records and other documents support its claims for preferential tariff treatment for:

(A) a textile or apparel good subject to a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a)(i); or

(B) in the case of a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a)(ii), any textile or apparel good exported or produced by the enterprise.

5. On request of a Party conducting a verification under paragraph 2(a), a Party shall provide, consistent with its laws, regulations, and procedures, production, trade, and transit documents and other information necessary to conduct the verification. Where the providing Party designates the information as confidential, Article 5.6 (Confidentiality) shall apply. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Party may publish the name of an enterprise that:

(a) the Party has determined to be engaged in intentional circumvention of laws, regulations, and procedures of any Party or international agreements affecting trade in textile or apparel goods; or

(b) has failed to demonstrate that it produces, or is capable of producing, textile or apparel goods.

6.

(a)

(i) During a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), if there is insufficient information to support a claim for preferential tariff treatment, the importing Party may take appropriate action, which may include suspending the application of such treatment to:

(A) in the case of a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a)(i), the textile or apparel good for which a claim for preferential tariff treatment has been made; and

(B) in the case of a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a)(ii), any textile or apparel good exported or produced by the enterprise subject to that verification for which a claim for preferential tariff treatment has been made.

(ii) On completion of a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), if there is insufficient information to support a claim for preferential tariff treatment, the importing Party may take appropriate action, which may include denying the application of such treatment to any textile or apparel good described in clauses (i)(A) and (B).

(iii) During or on completion of a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), if the importing Party discovers that an enterprise has provided incorrect information to support a claim for preferential tariff treatment, the importing Party may take appropriate action, which may include denying the application of such treatment to any textile or apparel good described in clauses (i)(A) and (B).

(b)

(i) During a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), if there is insufficient information to determine the country of origin, the importing Party may take appropriate action, which may include detention of any textile or apparel good exported or produced by the enterprise subject to the verification, but for no longer than the period permitted under its law.

(ii) On completion of a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), if there is insufficient information to determine the country of origin, the importing Party may take appropriate action, which may include denying entry to any textile or apparel good exported or produced by the enterprise subject to the verification.

(iii) During or on completion of a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), if the importing Party discovers that an enterprise has provided incorrect information as to the country of origin, the importing Party may take appropriate action, which may include denying entry to any textile or apparel good exported or produced by the enterprise subject to the verification.

(c) The importing Party may continue to take appropriate action under any provision of this paragraph only until it receives information sufficient to enable it to make the determination in paragraph 2(a)(i) or (ii), as the case may be, but in any event for no longer than the period permitted under its law.

(d) The importing Party may deny preferential tariff treatment or entry under this paragraph only after providing a written determination to the importer of the reason for the denial.

7. Not later than 45 days after it completes a verification conducted under paragraph 2(a), the exporting Party shall provide the importing Party a written report on the results of the verification. The report shall include all documents and facts supporting any conclusion that the exporting Party reaches. After receiving the report, the importing Party shall notify the exporting Party of any action it will take under paragraph 6(a)(ii) or (iii) or 6(b)(ii) or (iii), based on the information provided in the report.

8. On the written request of a Party, two or more Parties shall enter into consultations to resolve any technical or interpretive difficulties that may arise, or to discuss ways to improve customs cooperation, regarding the application of this Article. Unless the consulting Parties otherwise agree, consultations shall begin within 30 days after delivery of the request, and conclude within 90 days after delivery.

9. A Party may request technical or other assistance from any other Party in implementing this Article. The Party receiving such a request shall make every effort to respond favorably and promptly to it.

Article 3.25: Rules of Origin and Related Matters

Consultations on Rules of Origin

1. On request of a Party, the Parties shall, within 30 days after the request is delivered, consult on whether the rules of origin applicable to a particular textile or apparel good should be modified.

2. In the consultations referred to in paragraph 1, each Party shall consider all data that a Party presents demonstrating substantial production in its territory of the good. The Parties shall consider that there is substantial production if a Party demonstrates that its domestic producers are capable of supplying commercial quantities of the good in a timely manner.

3. The Parties shall endeavor to conclude the consultations within 90 days after delivery of the request. If the Parties reach an agreement to modify a rule of origin for a particular good, the agreement shall supersede that rule of origin when approved by the Parties in accordance with Article 19.1.3(b) (The Free Trade Commission).

Fabrics, Yarns, and Fibers Not Available in Commercial Quantities

4.

(a) At the request of an interested entity, the United States shall, within 30 business days of receiving the request, add a fabric, fiber, or yarn in an unrestricted or restricted quantity to the list in Annex 3.25, if the United States determines, based on information supplied by interested entities, that the fabric, fiber, or yarn is not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in the territory of any Party, or if no interested entity objects to the request.

(b) If there is insufficient information to make the determination in subparagraph (a), the United States may extend the period within which it must make that determination by no more than 14 business days, in order to meet with interested entities to substantiate the information.

(c) If the United States does not make the determination in subparagraph (a) within 15 business days of the expiration of the period within which it must make that determination, as specified in subparagraph (a) or (b), the United States shall grant the request.

(d) The United States may, within six months after adding a restricted quantity of a fabric, fiber, or yarn to the list in Annex 3.25 pursuant to subparagraph (a), eliminate the restriction.

(e) If the United States determines before the date of entry into force of this Agreement that any fabrics or yarns not listed in Annex 3.25 are not available in commercial quantities in the United States pursuant to section 112(b)(5)(B) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. § 3721(b)), section 204(b)(3)(B)(ii) of the Andean Trade Preference Act (19 U.S.C. § 3203(b)(3)(B)(ii)), or section 213(b)(2)(A)(v)(II) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. § 2703(b)(2)(A)(v)(II)), the United States shall add such fabrics or yarns in an unrestricted quantity to the list in Annex 3.25.

5. At the request of an interested entity made no earlier than six months after the United States has added a fabric, yarn, or fiber in an unrestricted quantity to Annex 3.25 pursuant to paragraph 4, the United States may, within 30 business days after it receives the request:

(a) delete the fabric, yarn, or fiber from the list in Annex 3.25; or

(b) introduce a restriction on the quantity of the fabric, yarn, or fiber added to Annex 3.25, if the United States determines, based on the information supplied by interested entities, that the fabric, yarn, or fiber is available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in the territory of any Party. Such deletion or restriction shall not take effect until six months after the United States publishes its determination.

6. Promptly after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the United States shall publish the procedures it will follow in considering requests under paragraphs 4 and 5.

De Minimis

7. A textile or apparel good that is not an originating good because certain fibers or yarns used in the production of the component of the good that determines the tariff classification of the good do not undergo an applicable change in tariff classification set out in Annex 4.1 (Specific Rules of Origin), shall nonetheless be considered to be an originating good if the total weight of all such fibers or yarns in that component is not more than ten percent of the total weight of that component.⁴

8. Notwithstanding paragraph 7, a good containing elastomeric yarns⁵ in the component of the good that determines the tariff classification of the good shall originate only if such yarns are wholly formed in the territory of a Party.⁶

Treatment of Sets

9. Notwithstanding the specific rules of origin in Annex 4.1 (Specific Rules of Origin), textile or apparel goods classifiable as goods put up in sets for retail sale as provided for in General Rule of Interpretation 3 of the Harmonized System, shall not be regarded as originating goods unless each of the products in the set is an originating good or the total value of the nonoriginating goods in the set does not exceed ten percent of the adjusted value of the set.

Treatment of Nylon Filament Yarn

10. A textile or apparel good that is not an originating good because certain yarns used in the production of the component of the good that determines the tariff classification of the good do not undergo an applicable change in tariff classification set out in Annex 4.1 (Specific Rules of Origin), shall nonetheless be considered to be an originating good if the yarns are those described in section 204(b)(3)(B)(vi)(IV) of the Andean Trade Preference Act (19 U.S.C. § 3203(b)(3)(B)(vi)(IV)).

Article 3.26: Most-Favored-Nation Rates of Duty on Certain Goods

For a textile or apparel good provided for in chapters 61 through 63 of the Harmonized System that is not an originating good, the United States shall apply its MFN rate of duty only on the value of the assembled good minus the value of fabrics formed in the United States, components knit-to-shape in the United States, and any other materials of U.S. origin used in the production of such a good, provided that the good is sewn or otherwise assembled in the territory of another Party or Parties with thread wholly formed in the United States, from fabrics wholly formed in the United States and cut in one or more Parties, or from components knit-to-shape in the United States, or both.⁷

Article 3.27: Preferential Tariff Treatment for Wool Apparel Goods Assembled in Costa Rica

Annex 3.27 sets out provisions applicable to certain apparel goods of Costa Rica.

Article 3.28: Preferential Tariff Treatment for Non-Originating Apparel Goods of Nicaragua

Annex 3.28 sets out provisions applicable to certain apparel goods of Nicaragua.

Article 3.29: Definitions

For purposes of this Section:

claim of origin means a claim that a textile or apparel good is an originating good or a good of a Party;

exporting Party means the Party from whose territory a textile or apparel good is exported;

importing Party means the Party into whose territory a textile or apparel good is imported;

interested entity means a Party, a potential or actual purchaser of a textile or apparel good, or a potential or actual supplier of a textile or apparel good;

textile or apparel good means a good listed in the Annex to the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, except for those goods listed in Annex 3.29;

textile safeguard measure means a measure applied under Article 3.23.1; and transition period means the five-year period beginning on the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

Section H: Institutional Provisions

Article 3.30: Committee on Trade in Goods

1. The Parties hereby establish a Committee on Trade in Goods, comprising representatives of each Party.

2. The Committee shall meet on the request of a Party or the Commission to consider any matter arising under this Chapter, Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures), or Chapter Five (Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation).

3. The Committee’s functions shall include:

(a) promoting trade in goods between the Parties, including through consultations on accelerating tariff elimination under this Agreement and other issues as appropriate;

(b) addressing barriers to trade in goods between the Parties, especially those related to the application of non-tariff measures, and, if appropriate, referring such matters to the Commission for its consideration; and

(c) providing to the Committee on Trade Capacity Building advice and recommendations on technical assistance needs regarding matters relating to this Chapter, Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures), or Chapter Five (Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation).

Section I: Definitions

Article 3.31: Definitions

For purposes of this Chapter:

AD Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994;

advertising films and recordings means recorded visual media or audio materials, consisting essentially of images and/or sound, showing the nature or operation of goods or services offered for sale or lease by a person established or resident in the territory of a Party, provided that such materials are of a kind suitable for exhibition to prospective customers, but not for broadcast to the general public;

Agreement on Textiles and Clothing means the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing;

agricultural goods means those goods referred to in Article 2 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture;

commercial samples of negligible value means commercial samples having a value, individually or in the aggregate as shipped, of not more than one U.S. dollar, or the equivalent amount in the currency of another Party, or so marked, torn, perforated, or otherwise treated that they are unsuitable for sale or for use except as commercial samples;

consular transactions means requirements that goods of a Party intended for export to the territory of another Party must first be submitted to the supervision of the consul of the importing Party in the territory of the exporting Party for the purpose of obtaining consular invoices or consular visas for commercial invoices, certificates of origin, manifests, shippers’ export declarations, or any other customs documentation required on or in connection with importation;

consumed means

(a) actually consumed; or

(b) further processed or manufactured so as to result in a substantial change in value, form, or use of the good or in the production of another good;

duty-free means free of customs duty;

export subsidies shall have the meaning assigned to that term in Article 1(e) of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, including any amendment of that article;

goods intended for display or demonstration includes their component parts, ancillary apparatus, and accessories;

goods temporarily admitted for sports purposes means sports requisites for use in sports contests, demonstrations, or training in the territory of the Party into whose territory such goods are admitted;

import licensing means an administrative procedure requiring the submission of an application or other documentation (other than that generally required for customs clearance purposes) to the relevant administrative body as a prior condition for importation into the territory of the importing Party;

Import Licensing Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures;

performance requirement means a requirement that:

(a) a given level or percentage of goods or services be exported;

(b) domestic goods or services of the Party granting a waiver of customs duties or import license be substituted for imported goods;

(c) a person benefiting from a waiver of customs duties or an import license purchase other goods or services in the territory of the Party granting the waiver of customs duties or the import license, or accord a preference to domestically produced goods;

(d) a person benefiting from a waiver of customs duties or an import license produce goods or supply services, in the territory of the Party granting the waiver of customs duties or the import license, with a given level or percentage of domestic content; or

(e) relates in any way the volume or value of imports to the volume or value of exports or to the amount of foreign exchange inflows, but does not include a requirement that:

(f) an imported good be subsequently exported;

(g) an imported good be used as a material in the production of another good that is subsequently exported;

(h) an imported good be substituted by an identical or similar good used as a material in the production of another good that is subsequently exported; or

(i) an imported good be substituted by an identical or similar good that is subsequently exported;

printed advertising materials means those goods classified in Chapter 49 of the Harmonized System, including brochures, pamphlets, leaflets, trade catalogues, yearbooks published by trade associations, tourist promotional materials, and posters, that are used to promote, publicize, or advertise a good or service, are essentially intended to advertise a good or service, and are supplied free of charge; and

SCM Agreement means the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.

Annex 3.2

National Treatment and Import and Export Restrictions

Section A: Measures of Costa Rica

Articles 3.2 and 3.8 shall not apply to:

(a) controls on the import of crude oil, its fuel, derivatives, asphalt, and gasoline pursuant to Law No. 7356 of September 6, 1993;

(b) controls on the export of wood in logs and boards from forests pursuant to Law No. 7575 of April 16, 1996;

(c) controls on the export of hydrocarbons pursuant to Law No. 7399 of May 3, 1994;

(d) controls on the export of coffee pursuant to Law No. 2762 of June 21, 1961;

(e) controls on the import and export of ethanol and crude rums pursuant to Law No. 8 of October 31, 1885;

(f) controls to establish a minimum export price for bananas, pursuant to Law No. 7472 of January 19, 1995; and

(g) actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

Section B: Measures of the Dominican Republic

Articles 3.2 and 3.8 shall not apply to:

(a) controls on the importation of motor vehicles and motorcycles older than five years, and vehicles greater or equal to five tons older than 15 years, pursuant to Law No. 147 of December 27, 2000, and Law No. 12-01 of January 17, 2001;⁸

(b) controls on the importation of used household appliances, pursuant to Law No. 147 of December 27, 2000;⁹

(c) controls on the importation of used clothes, pursuant to Law No. 458 of January 3,

(d) controls on the importation of motor vehicles not suitable for operation, pursuant to Decree No. 671-02 of August 27, 2002;¹⁰ and

(e) actions by the Dominican Republic authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

Section C: Measures of El Salvador

Articles 3.2 and 3.8 shall not apply to:

(a) controls on the importation of arms and ammunition, parts, and accessories included in HS Chapter 93, pursuant to Decree No. 655 of July 26, 1999 and its amendment pursuant to Decree No. 1035 of November 13, 2002;

(b) controls on the importation of motor vehicles older than eight years, and on buses and trucks older than 15 years, pursuant to Article 1 of Decree No. 357 of April 6, 2001;¹¹

(c) controls on the importation of sacks and bags made out of jute and other similar textile fibers in subheading 6305.10 pursuant to Article 1 of Decree No. 1097 of July 10, 1953. El Salvador shall eliminate the controls identified in this subparagraph ten years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement; and

(d) actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

Section D: Measures of Guatemala

Articles 3.2 and 3.8 shall not apply to:

(a) controls on the exportation of timber in round logs or worked logs and sawn timber measuring more than 11centimeters in thickness, pursuant to the Ley de Bosques Legislative Decree No. 101-96 of October 31, 1996;

(b) controls on the exportation of coffee pursuant to the Ley del Café, Legislative Decree No. 19-69 of April 22, 1969;

(c) controls on the importation of weapons pursuant to the Ley de Armas y Municiones, Legislative Decree No. 39-89 of June 29, 1989; and

(d) actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

Section E: Measures of Honduras

Articles 3.2 and 3.8 shall not apply to:

(a) controls on the exportation of wood from broadleaved forests pursuant to Decree No. 323-98 of December 29, 1998;

(b) controls on the importation of arms and ammunitions pursuant to Article 292 of Decree No. 131 of January 11, 1982;

(c) controls on the importation of motor vehicles older than seven years and buses older than ten years pursuant to Article 7 of Decree No. 194-2002 of May 15, 2002;¹² and

(d) actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

Section F: Measures of Nicaragua

1. Articles 3.2 and 3.8 shall not apply to:

(a) controls on the exportation of basic foodstuffs provided that these controls are used to temporarily alleviate a critical shortage of that particular food item. For the purposes of this subparagraph, “temporarily” means up to one year, or such longer period as the United States and Nicaragua may agree;

(b) controls on the importation of motor vehicles older than seven years pursuant to Article 112 of Decree No. 453 of May 6, 2003;¹³ and

(c) actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO.

2. For purposes of paragraph 1, “basic foodstuffs” include the following:

Beans
Brown sugar
Chicken meat
Coffee
Corn
Corn flour
Corn tortillas
Powdered milk
Rice
Salt
Vegetable oil

3. Notwithstanding Articles 3.2 and 3.8, for the first ten years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, Nicaragua may maintain its existing prohibitions or restrictions on the importation of the used goods set out below:

Tariff Classification	Description
Subheading 4012.10	Used retreaded tires14
Subheading 4012.20	Used pneumatic tires15
Heading 63.09	Used clothing
Heading 63.10	Rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope, and cable, and worn out or unusable articles of twine, cordage, rope, or cables, of textile materials

(Note: Descriptions are provided for reference purposes only. To the extent of a conflict between the tariff classification and the description, the tariff classification governs.)

Section G: Measures of the United States

Articles 3.2 and 3.8 shall not apply to:

(a) controls on the export of logs of all species;

(b)

(i) measures under existing provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, 46 App. U.S.C. § 883; the Passenger Vessel Act, 46 App. U.S.C. §§ 289, 292, and 316; and 46 U.S.C. § 12108, to the extent that such measures were mandatory legislation at the time of the accession of the United States to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1947 (GATT 1947) and have not been amended so as to decrease their conformity with Part II of the GATT 1947;

(ii) the continuation or prompt renewal of a non-conforming provision of any statute referred to in clause (i); and

(iii) the amendment to a non-conforming provision of any statute referred to in clause (i) to the extent that the amendment does not decrease the conformity of the provision with Articles 3.2 and 3.8;

(c) actions authorized by the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO; and

(d) actions authorized by the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing.

Tariff Elimination

1. Except as otherwise provided in a Party’s Schedule to this Annex, the following staging categories apply to the elimination of customs duties by each Party pursuant to Article 3.3.2:

(a) duties on goods provided for in the items in staging category A in a Party’s Schedule shall be eliminated entirely and such goods shall be duty-free:

(i) for textile or apparel goods:

(A) as of January 1, 2004, with respect to those goods to which Article 3.20.1 applies; or

(B) with respect to any other such goods, on the date this Agreement enters into force; and

(ii) for all other goods, on the date this Agreement enters into force;

(b) duties on goods provided for in the items in staging category B in a Party’s Schedule shall be removed in five equal annual stages beginning on the date this Agreement enters into force, and such goods shall be duty-free, effective January 1 of year five;

(c) duties on goods provided for in the items in staging category C in a Party’s Schedule shall be removed in ten equal annual stages beginning on the date this Agreement enters into force, and such goods shall be duty-free, effective January 1 of year ten;

(d) duties on goods provided for in the items in staging category D in a Party’s Schedule shall be removed in 15 equal annual stages beginning on the date this Agreement enters into force, and such goods shall be duty-free, effective January 1 of year 15;

(e) duties on goods provided for in the items in staging category E in a Party’s Schedule shall remain at base rates for years one through six. Duties on these goods shall be reduced by 8.25 percent of the base rate on January 1 of year seven, and by an additional 8.25 percent of the base rate each year thereafter through year ten. Beginning on January 1 of year 11, duties shall be reduced by an additional 13.4 percent of the base rate annually through year 15, and such goods shall be duty-free effective January 1 of year 15;

(f) duties on goods provided for in the items in staging category F in a Party’s Schedule shall remain at base rates for years one through ten. Beginning January 1 of year 11, duties shall be reduced in ten equal annual stages, and such goods shall be duty-free effective January 1 of year 20;

(g) goods provided for in the items in staging category G in a Party’s Schedule shall continue to receive duty-free treatment; and

(h) goods provided for in the items in staging category H in a Party’s Schedule shall continue to receive most-favored-nation treatment.

2. The base rate of customs duty and staging category for determining the interim rate of customs duty at each stage of reduction for an item are indicated for the item in each Party’s Schedule.

3. For the purpose of the elimination of customs duties in accordance with Article 3.3, interim staged rates shall be rounded down, at least to the nearest tenth of a percentage point or, if the rate of duty is expressed in monetary units, at least to the nearest 0.001 of the official monetary unit of the Party.

4. If this Agreement enters into force for a Central American Party or the Dominican Republic as provided in Article 22.5.2 (Entry into Force), the Party shall apply the rates of duty set out in its Schedule as if the Agreement had entered into force for that Party on the date the Agreement entered into force as provided in Article 22.5.1 (Entry into Force).

5. For purposes of this Annex and a Party’s Schedule, year one means the year the Agreement enters into force as provided in Article 22.5.1 (Entry into Force).

6. Notwithstanding paragraph 5, for purposes of the tariff treatment of textile or apparel goods to which Article 3.20.1 applies, year one shall be the year beginning January 1, 2004. Any Party that provides written notice under Article 3.20.2 shall apply the rates of duty set out in its Schedule for textile or apparel goods as if the Agreement had entered into force for that Party on January 1, 2004.

7. For purposes of this Annex and a Party’s Schedule, beginning in year two, each annual stage of tariff reduction shall take effect on January 1 of the relevant year.

Implementation of Modifications Approved by the Parties
to Accelerate the Elimination of Customs Duties

In the case of Costa Rica, agreements of the Parties under Article 3.3.4 will be equivalent to the instrument referred to in Article 121.4, third paragraph (protocolo de menor rango) of the Constitución Política de la República de Costa Rica.

Annex 3.3.6¹⁶

1. Except as otherwise provided in this Annex:

(a) each Central American Party shall provide duty-free treatment to any good imported directly from the territory of the Dominican Republic that meets the rules of origin for the good set out in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures); and

(b) the Dominican Republic shall provide duty-free treatment to any good imported directly from the territory of a Central American Party that meets the rules of origin for the good set out in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures).

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1:

(a) each Central American Party may assess a duty of up to 15 percent ad valorem on any good classified under tariff items 1507.90.00, 1508.90.00, 1509.90.00, 1510.00.00, 1511.90.90 (except palm stearin), 1512.19.00, 1512.29.00, 1513.19.00, 1513.29.00, 1514.19.00, 1514.99.00, 1515.19.00, 1515.29.00, 1515.30.00, 1515.40.00, 1515.50.00, 1515.90.10, 1515.90.20, 1515.90.90, 1516.10.00, 1516.20.10, 1516.20.90, 1517.10.00, 1517.90.10, 1517.90.20, 1517.90.90, or 1518.00.00 that is imported directly from the territory of the Dominican Republic and that meets the rules of origin for the good set out in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures); and

(b) the Dominican Republic may assess a duty of up to 15 percent ad valorem on any good classified under tariff items 1507.90.00, 1508.90.00, 1509.90.00, 1510.00.00, 1511.90.00 (except palm stearin), 1512.19.00, 1512.29.00, 1513.19.00, 1513.29.10, 1513.29.20, 1514.91.00, 1514.99.00, 1515.19.00, 1515.29.00, 1515.30.00, 1515.40.00, 1515.50.00, 1515.90.90, 1516.10.00, 1516.20.00, 1517.10.00, 1517.90.00, 1518.00.10, or 1518.00.90 that is imported directly from the territory of a Central American Party and that meets the rules of origin for the good set out in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures).

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, for any good classified under heading 2710, except mineral solvents, 2712, 2713, except subheading 2713.20, or 2715 that meets the rules of origin for the good set out in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures):

(a) each Central American Party shall eliminate duties on any such good imported directly from the territory of the Dominican Republic as follows: Duties on such goods shall remain at base rates for years one through five. Beginning on January 1 of year six, duties shall be reduced by eight percent of the base rate annually through year ten. Beginning on January 1 of year 11, duties shall be reduced by an additional 12 percent of the base rate annually through year 14, and such goods shall be duty-free effective January 1 of year 15; and

(b) the Dominican Republic shall eliminate duties on any such good imported directly from the territory of a Central American Party as follows: Duties on such goods shall remain at base rates for years one through five. Beginning on January 1 of year six, duties shall be reduced by eight percent of the base rate annually through year ten. Beginning on January 1 of year 11, duties shall be reduced by an additional 12 percent of the base rate annually through year 14, and such goods shall be duty-free effective January 1 of year 15.

4. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to any good listed in Appendix 3.3.6.4 that meets the rules of origin for the good set out in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures).¹⁷

5. An importing Party may deny the preferential tariff treatment provided for in paragraphs 1 through 3 of this Annex if the good is produced in a duty-free zone or under another special tax or customs regime in the territory of a Central American Party or the Dominican Republic, as the case may be, provided however that the importing Party shall provide to any such good tariff treatment that is no less favorable than the tariff treatment it applies to the good when produced in its own duty-free zones or other special tax or customs regimes and entered into its territory.

6. The Central American Parties and the Dominican Republic may agree to modify the rules of origin set out in Appendix 3.3.6 (Special Rules of Origin), provided that they notify the United States and provide an opportunity for consultations regarding the proposed modifications at least 60 days before concluding any such agreement.

7. For purposes of this Annex:

(a) any reference in Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures) to:

(i) a “Party” shall be understood to mean a Central American Party or the Dominican Republic; and

(ii) “Annex 4.1” shall be understood to mean Appendix 3.3.6;

(b) each Central American Party shall provide that a good shall not be considered to be imported directly from the territory of the Dominican Republic if the good:

(i) undergoes subsequent production or any other operation outside the territory of the Dominican Republic, other than unloading, reloading, or any other operation necessary to preserve the good in good condition or to transport the good to its territory; or

(ii) does not remain under the control of customs authorities in the territory of the United States or a non-Party; and

(c) The Dominican Republic shall provide that a good shall not be considered to be imported directly from the territory of a Central American Party if the good:

(i) undergoes subsequent production or any other operation outside the territory of the Central American Party, other than unloading, reloading, or any other operation necessary to preserve the good in good condition or to transport the good to its territory; or

(ii) does not remain under the control of customs authorities in the territory of the United States or a non-Party.

Appendix 3.3.6.4

Exceptions from Preferential Tariff Treatment

HS No.	Description
0207.11	Chicken
0207.12	Chicken
0207.13	Chicken
0207.14	Chicken
0402.10	Milk powder
0402.21	Milk powder
0402.29	Milk powder
0703.10	Onions
0703.20	Garlic
0713.31	Beans
0713.32	Beans
0713.33	Beans
0901.11	Coffee
0901.12	Coffee
0901.21	Coffee
0901.22	Coffee
1006.10	Rice
1006.20	Rice
1006.30	Rice
1006.40	Rice
1101.00	Wheat flour
1701.11	Sugar
1701.91	Sugar
1701.99	Sugar
2203	Beer
2207	Alcohol
2208	Alcohol
2401.20	Tobacco
2402.20	Tobacco (only goods containing rubio)
2403.10	Tobacco

Note: The descriptions provided in this Appendix are for reference purposes only.

Annex 3.11

Export Taxes

Costa Rica may maintain its existing taxes on the export of the following goods:

(a) bananas, pursuant to Law No. 5515 of April 19, 1974 and its amendment (Law No. 5538 of June 18, 1974), and Law No. 4895 of November 16, 1971 and its amendments (Law No. 7147 of April 30, 1990 and Law No. 7277 of December 17, 1991);

(b) coffee, pursuant to Law No. 2762 of June 21, 1961 and its amendment (Law No. 7551 of September 22, 1995); and

(c) meat, pursuant to Law No. 6247 of May 2, 1978 and Law No. 7837 of October 5, 1998.

General Notes

1. For each good listed in a Party’s Schedule to this Annex for which the agricultural safeguard trigger level is set out in that Schedule as a percentage of the applicable tariff-rate quota (TRQ), the trigger level in any year shall be determined by multiplying the in-quota quantity for that good for that year, as set out in Appendix I or, if applicable, Appendix II or III to the Party’s Schedule to Annex 3.3, by the applicable percentage. For each good listed in a Party’s Schedule to this Annex for which the trigger level is set out as a fixed initial amount in the Party’s Schedule, the trigger level set out in the Schedule shall be the trigger level in year one. The trigger level in any subsequent year shall be determined by adding to that amount the quantity derived by applying the applicable simple annual trigger growth rate to that amount. For purposes of this Annex, the term “year one” shall have the meaning given to that term in Annex 3.3.

2. For purposes of this Annex, prime and choice beef shall mean prime and choice grades of beef as defined in the United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef, promulgated pursuant to the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. §§ 1621-1627), as amended.

3.

(a) Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic shall conclude negotiations on the agricultural safeguard trigger levels to be applied to originating goods classified under tariff items 0207.13.91 and 0207.14.91 and subheadings 0402.10, 0402.21, and 0402.29 that are imported directly into the territory of Costa Rica from the territory of the Dominican Republic no later than one year after the date on which this Agreement enters into force with respect to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic and any agreed trigger levels shall form part of this Annex.¹⁸

(b) At the expiration of the one-year period, if Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have not reached an agreement with respect to the agricultural safeguard trigger levels for goods classified under the tariff items and subheadings listed in subparagraph (a), Costa Rica may apply an agricultural safeguard trigger level for such goods in an amount equivalent to 130 percent of the in-quota quantity of the applicable tariff-rate quota set out in Appendix II of Costa Rica’s General Notes to Annex 3.3.

4.

(a) Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic shall conclude negotiations on the agricultural safeguard trigger levels to be applied to originating goods classified under tariff items 0207.13.91 and 0207.14.91 and subheadings 0402.10, 0402.21, and 0402.29 that are imported directly into the territory of the Dominican Republic from the territory of Costa Rica no later than one year after the date on which this Agreement enters into force with respect to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic and any agreed trigger levels shall form part of this Annex.¹⁹

(b) At the expiration of the one-year period, if Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have not reached an agreement with respect to the agricultural safeguard trigger levels for goods classified under the tariff items and subheadings listed in subparagraph (a), the Dominican Republic may apply an agricultural safeguard trigger level for such goods in an amount equivalent to 130 percent of the in-quota quantity of the applicable tariff-rate quota set out in Appendix II of the Dominican Republic’s General Notes to Annex 3.3.

5.

(a) The Dominican Republic and Nicaragua shall conclude negotiations on the agricultural safeguard trigger levels to be applied to originating goods classified under tariff items 0207.13.91 and 0207.14.91 that are imported directly into the territory of Nicaragua from the territory of the Dominican Republic no later than one year after the date on which this Agreement enters into force with respect to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua and any agreed trigger levels shall form part of this Annex.²⁰

(b) At the expiration of the one-year period, if the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua have not reached an agreement with respect to the agricultural safeguard trigger levels for goods classified under the tariff items listed in subparagraph (a), Nicaragua may apply an agricultural safeguard trigger level for such goods in an amount equivalent to 130 percent of the in-quota quantity of the applicable tariff-rate quota set out in Appendix II of Nicaragua’s General Notes to Annex 3.3.

6.

(a) The Dominican Republic and Nicaragua shall conclude negotiations on the agricultural safeguard trigger levels to be applied to originating goods classified under tariff items 0207.13.91 and 0207.14.91 that are imported directly into the territory of the Dominican Republic from the territory of Nicaragua no later than one year after the date on which this Agreement enters into force with respect to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua and any agreed trigger levels shall form part of this Annex.²¹

(b) At the expiration of the one-year period, if the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua have not reached an agreement with respect to the agricultural safeguard trigger levels for goods classified under the tariff items listed in subparagraph (a), the Dominican Republic may apply an agricultural safeguard trigger level for such goods in an amount equivalent to 130 percent of the in-quota quantity of the applicable tariff-rate quota set out in Appendix III of the Dominican Republic’s General Notes to Annex 3.3.

7. For purposes of this Annex:

Central America or Dominican Republic good shall mean a good that satisfies the requirements of Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures), except that operations performed in or material obtained from the United States shall be considered as if the operations were performed in a non-Party and the material was obtained from a non-Party; and United States good shall mean a good that satisfies the requirements of Chapter Four (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures), except a good produced entirely in and exclusively of materials obtained from the territory of a Central American Party, the Dominican Republic, or a non-Party.

Schedule of Costa Rica

Subject Goods and Trigger Levels

1. For purposes of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 3.15, United States goods that may be subject to an agricultural safeguard measure and the trigger level for each such good are set out below:

Additional Import Duty

2. For purposes of paragraph 3 of Article 3.15, the additional import duty shall be:

(a) For sweet peppers as listed in this Schedule:

(i) in years one through four, less than or equal to 100 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3;

(ii) in years five through eight, less than or equal to 75 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3; and

(iii) in years nine through 11, less than or equal to 50 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3.

(b) For vegetable oil and pork as listed in this Schedule: (i) in years one through nine, less than or equal to 100 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3;

(ii) in years ten through 12, less than or equal to 75 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3; and

(iii) in years 13 and 14, less than or equal to 50 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3.

(c) For beef other than prime and choice beef as listed in this Schedule:

(i) in years one through eight, less than or equal to 100 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3;

(ii) in years nine through 11, less than or equal to 75 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3; and

(iii) in years 12 through 14, less than or equal to 50 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3.

(d) For chicken leg quarters as listed in this Schedule:

(i) in years one through 13, less than or equal to 100 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3;

(ii) in years 14 and 15, less than or equal to 75 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3; and

(iii) in year 16, less than or equal to 50 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3.

(e) For rice as listed in this Schedule:

(i) in years one through 13, less than or equal to 100 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3;

(ii) in years 14 through 16, less than or equal to 75 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3; and

(iii) in years 17 through 19, less than or equal to 50 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3.

(f) For liquid dairy, cheese, butter, milk powder, ice cream, and other dairy goods as listed in this Schedule:

(i) in years one through 14, less than or equal to 100 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3;

(ii) in years 15 through 17, less than or equal to 75 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3; and

(iii) in years 18 and 19, less than or equal to 50 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3.

(g) For goods listed in this Schedule and not specified in subparagraphs (a) through (f):

(i) in years one through five, less than or equal to 100 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3;

(ii) in years six through ten, less than or equal to 75 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate of duty as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3; and

(iii) in years 11 through 14, less than or equal to 50 percent of the difference between the appropriate MFN rate as determined under Article 3.15.1 and the applicable tariff rate in the Schedule of Costa Rica to Annex 3.3.

Schedule of the Dominican Republic

Subject Goods and Trigger Levels

1. For purposes of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 3.15, United States goods that may be subject to an agricultural safeguard measure and the trigger level for each such good are set out below: