ISLAMABAD, April 24: Pakistan and the European Union will identify non-tariff barriers along with cooperation to develop and diversify a two-way trade to improve market access for their products under the new trade pact.
Well-placed sources told Dawn on Monday that the commerce ministry had sent an agreement on cooperation and development between Pakistan and the EU to the federal cabinet for formal ratification. The EU parliament has recently ratified the pact with Pakistan.
Pakistan and the EU had started negotiations on the pact in April 1996, which concluded in the year 1998. The accord was initialled in April 1998 but was signed in October 2001.
The most striking conditionality of the agreement was that by the end of the fifth year following the coming into force of the agreement, Pakistan should accede to the four multilateral conventions on intellectual, industrial and commercial property rights to which member states were parties or which were de facto applied by member states, according to the relevant provisions contained in these conventions.
These conventions are: the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property; the Madrid Agreement concerning the International Registration of Marks; the Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement concerning the International Registration of Marks and Patent Cooperation Treaty.
Pakistan was also bound under the agreement to take all necessary steps to improve the conditions for adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual, industrial and commercial property rights in conformity with international standards.
According to the agreement, a copy of which was made available to Dawn, it focussed on trade and commercial relations; development cooperation; environmental cooperation; economic cooperation; industry and services; agriculture, livestock and fisheries; tourism; energy; regional cooperation; cooperation in science and technology; drug precursor chemicals and money laundering; human resource development; information, culture and communication and institutional aspects.
Under the pact, the parties agreed to promote within the framework of their current legislation, the expansion and diversification of trade between them. The objective of cooperation in this field was to develop and diversify two-way trade by seeking ways and means to improve market access.
The pact says the parties should seek to work towards the elimination of barriers to trade and to implement measures toimprove transparency, in particular through timely removal of non-tariff barriers in accordance with work done in this connection by the WTO.
Within the limits of their respective competence, to improve cooperation in customs matter between the respective authorities, especially in professional training, the simplification and harmonization of customs procedures and the prevention, investigation and penalisation of customs offences, including fraudulent practices, consistent with work done by the World Customs Organization (WCO).
The parties would also pursue the consideration of transit/re-export matters; to exchange information about mutually beneficial market opportunities, statistical cooperation and competition matters; and to work towards suitable protection of personal data.
Under the pact, both the parties agreed to conduct according to the agreements under the World Trade Organization regime. However, it was agreed to inform the other party of the initiation of anti-dumping procedures against products of the other party.
According to the pact, in full respect of the WTO agreements on anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, the parties should afford sympathetic consideration to and adequate opportunity for consultation regarding representation made by either party with respect to anti-dumping procedures and anti-subsidy procedures.
