ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA
Subscriber Update
Update 6 - February 2006
Inter-sessional Negotiations
Lead negotiators met in Jakarta from 8-9 February 2006 to take stock of progress on the work program since their last meeting in October 2005 and to prepare the way for substantive negotiations at the next round to be held in April.
Discussion focused on threshold issues relating to the negotiations on goods, services, investment and economic cooperation, with officials developing options to progress negotiations for the April round in key areas. Further work will be undertaken on the principles and approaches for the negotiations on both goods and services at the next negotiating round. Considerable detailed and technical work will also begin on approaches to rules of origin.
Legal and institutional issues, including possible dispute settlement provisions, were discussed by negotiators in a separate Working Group meeting in Jakarta on 7 February.
Investment negotiators met separately in Singapore from 17-18 February to review their work plans ahead of the April meeting. An AusAID-sponsored workshop on investment provisions in FTAs, held prior to the meeting, helped prepare ASEAN negotiators for their deliberations on the core components of an investment chapter. Australia and New Zealand have also agreed to prepare explanatory notes and, where appropriate, draft text in order to assist in moving the April negotiations forward.
Rules of origin workshops were held in Cambodia and Vietnam. Australian officials delivered technical workshops to ASEAN customs and trade policy officials, with local industry participation. Supported by AusAID, the workshops enhanced understanding of the “change in tariff classification” approach to rules of origin and the potential benefits of this approach to industry.
The next negotiating round will be held in New Zealand from 4-7 April.
More information on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA