Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
Current FTAA Negotiations
Launch of Canada-Mercosur Trade and Investment Dialogue
Delegations from MERCOSUR and CANADA held preliminary discussions
on February 7-8, 2005 to follow up on the commitment made by Prime
Minister Martin and President Lula da Silva, subsequently endorsed
by Mercosur Foreign Ministers, for the negotiation of enhanced market
access in the areas of goods, services and investment, in the context
of the creation of a future Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
The meeting was opened by Minister of International Trade, Jim
Peterson and Foreign Minister of Paraguay, Leila Rachid, currently
acting as MERCOSUR`s Pro Tempore Chair.
Both parties are hopeful that working towards the expansion of
trade and investment relations between Mercosur and Canada would
also contribute towards the creation of the FTAA.
Both parties agreed to meet again in Asunción next April.
Canada-Mercosur Trade and Investment Dialogue
On the occasion of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s meeting
with President
'Lula' da Silva of Brazil on November 23, 2004, a Joint
Declaration was issued that included a commitment “...to
promote the expansion of trade relations between Mercosur [Brazil,
Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay] and Canada, by negotiating enhanced
market access in the areas of goods, services and investment, in
the context of the creation of a future Free Trade Area of the Americas
(FTAA)”.
The Leaders’ Joint Declaration serves to demonstrate that
Canada and Brazil, along with its Mercosur partners, are committed
to helping the FTAA negotiations move forward. Bilateral market
access negotiations are a regular part of broader plurilateral negotiations
like the FTAA and Canada remains committed to concluding a comprehensive
and high quality FTAA agreement. At the same time, we anticipate
that this initiative can help foster a dialogue that will contribute
in other ways to the shared objective of enhancing trade and investment
relations between Canada and Mercosur.
Preliminary steps are being taken to operationalize this commitment.
As a follow-up to the Leader’s Joint Declaration, an initial
exploratory meeting has been scheduled for February 7-8, 2005 in
Ottawa, coinciding with the visit to Ottawa by Minister Leila Rachid
de Cowles of Paraguay, the current Pro Tempore Chair of
Mercosur.
Contact Point
If you have questions or comments about this initiative we would
like to hear from you. Please contact Foreign Affairs & International
Trade Canada at:
Regional Trade Policy Division (TBB)
Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 promenade Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2
Fax: 613-944-3489
E-mail : consultations@international.gc.ca
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