Panama

Panama's Timeline

I. Overview
GATT application received	16/08/1991	L/6912
GATT accession Working Party established	08/10/1991	C/M/252
GATT terms of reference & accession Working Party membership	15/10/1991	L/6920 (+ revisions 1; 2)
WTO application received & WTO accession Working Party established	31/01/1995	On 19 December 1995, the Government of Panama advised that it had decided to negotiate the terms of accession of Panama to the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization under Article XII of the Agreement. Pursuant to the decision of the General Council of 31 January 1995, the Working Party on the Accession of Panama to the GATT 1947 continued as a WTO accession Working Party.
WTO terms of reference & accession Working Party membership	10/02/1995	WT/L/37
~ updated	22/03/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/11
Chairperson of the Accession Working Party
1st	09/1993-09/1996	Ambassador Ernesto Tironi BARRIOS (Chile)
Formal Meetings of the Working Party	Date of the meeting	Convening notice	Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation	Statement(s) by Working Party members	Delegation list	Other documents for the meeting	News item
1st	20/04/1994	GATT/AIR/3567	_	—	—	—	—
2nd	07/02/1994	GATT/AIR/3668	SPEC(95)7	—	—	—	—
3rd	10/07/1995		—	—	—	—	—
4th	05/03/1996		WT/SPEC/21	—	—	—	—
5th	19/09/1996		_	—	—	—	—
Informal Meetings of the Working Party	Date of the meeting	Convening fax	Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation
	—	—	—
Plurilateral Meetings	Date of the meeting	Convening fax	Statement(s) by the Head of the Delegation
	—	—	—
II. Multilateral Negotiations
Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR)	18/06/1993	L/7228
~updated	16/10/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/8
Initial cycle(s) of Questions and Replies, following the circulation of the MFTR	30/03/1994	L/7426
	20/04/1994	L/7426/Add.1
	19/08/1994	L/7426/Add.2
Factual Summary of Points Raised	—	—
Additional Questions & Replies	19/06/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/5
	16/10/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/8
	10/04/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/14
	10/04/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/15
Elements of a Draft Report of the Working Party	—	—
Draft Report of the Working Party	10/05/1996	WT/SPEC/33  (+  revisions)
	20/09/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/19   (+  corrigendum)
Agriculture (WT/ACC/22/Add.1), including Questions and Replies	—	—
SPS Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	—	—
TBT Checklist (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	—	—
TRIPS Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	—	—
Import Licensing Procedures Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions)	09/08/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/6
Customs Valuation Checklist (WT/ACC/22 + revisions)	—	—
State-Trading Questionnaire (WT/ACC/22 + revisions)	—	—
Draft Subsidies Notification (WT/ACC/22/Add.2)	—	—
Comprehensive Legislative Action Plan (LAP)	—	—
Rule-specific Action Plans	—	—
Legislation and implementing regulations	Click for details Hide details	Legislation notice		Notified legislation
	07/02/1995	L/7624		Draft Law on "Defence of Free Competition and Consumer Protection", which contains provisions governing anti-dumping, countervailing measures and safeguards. This draft law also provides for the total abolition of price controls.  Preliminary draft law on protection of animal health  Preliminary draft law on plant health  Preliminary draft law setting out measures covering the regulation of and procedures for import licences  Official Journal No. 22706 of 19 January 1995 containing Cabinet Decree No. 2 of 10 January 1995 amending the import tariff
	26/04/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/2		Draft Law amending some provisions of the Tax Code relating to the documents that must accompany goods imported into the country, customs services fees and the elimination of the consular invoice  Draft Cabinet Decree establishing the system of valuation of goods for customs purposes
	19/06/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/5		Project Law on Valuation
	01/08/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/7		Law No. 28 of 20 June 1995 on the Universalization of Tax Incentives to Production  Summary of Law No. 28 mentioned above  Draft Industrial Property Law  Law No. 15 of 1994 approving the Law on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights  Law No. 36 of 6 July 1995, amending and abrogating articles of the Tax Code and adopting other provisions  Draft Law No. 92, abrogating the whole of Title VI and Title XXI of Book IV of the Tax Code and Cabinet Decrees No. 35 of 12 February 1970 and No. 22 of 1 February 1972 and other provisions, and establishing the Selective Consumption Tax on Aerated and Alcoholic Beverages and Cigarettes
	15/12/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/10		Cabinet Decree No. 23 (2 October 1995) "Amending the Import Tariff"  Cabinet Decree No. 24 (12 October 1995) "Amending the Import Tariff and enacting other measures"
	10/04/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/12		Extracts from Law No. 29 of 1 February 1996 with a description of the implementation of safeguard, anti-dumping and subsidy measures  Law No. 29 of 1 February 1996 enacting rules to protect competition and adopting other measures  Unofficial translation into English of the extracts of Law No. 29 of 1 February 1996 enacting rules to protect competition and adopting other measures  Unofficial translation into English of the draft Plant Health and Animal Health Laws
	10/04/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/13		Free trade and preferential trade treaties: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic  Partial-scope agreements: Mexico and Colombia
Consultation documents	Click for details Hide details	Consultation notice		Notified consultation document
	07/02/1995	L/7624		A table of Panama's tariff structure correlating the Harmonized System with the CCCN (Customs Cooperation Council Nomenclature)
	14/02/1995	WT/SPEC/2		Statements on the Implementation and Administration of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
	17/02/1995	WT/SPEC/1 (for more information, see also WT/ACC/PAN/4)		Schedule of Specific Commitments
	24/04/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/1		Checklist of Documents
	09/05/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/3		Summary of the Draft Law on Defense of Free Competition and Consumer Protection  Summary of the Draft Cabinet Decree on Valuation Procedures for Customs Purposes  Summary of the Draft Law on Regulation of Import Licensing Procedures  Summary of the Draft Law amending certain articles of the Fiscal Code and eliminating the Consular Invoice  Summary of the Draft Law on Phytosanitary Measures  Summary of the Draft Law on Zoosanitary Measures
	09/05/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/4		Memorandum on Services Regime
	19/06/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/5		Panama's reply to the questions submitted by Members  Charts on Panama's Current Products under Non-Tariff Measures  Panama's Regime on Intellectual Property
	01/08/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/7		Informal communication on domestic support and export subsidies in conformity with the Agreement on Agriculture  Informal communication on industrial subsidies (Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures)
	29/09/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/7/Add.1		Notification of fiscal exemptions granted by Panama to industry
	21/11/1995	WT/ACC/PAN/9		Intellectual and Industrial Property Regime
	23/01/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/19		Proposal by the Government of Panama - Possible Elements of the Protocol of Accession to the World Trade Organization
	10/04/1996	WT/SPEC/25		Further Proposals by Panama (Protocol of Accession)
	22/04/1996	WT/SPEC/27 (+  corrigenda)		Agriculture Schedule of Panama
	22/04/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/16		Notification of Fiscal Incentives Granted by Panama to Industry
	22/04/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/17		Database on general sanitary requirements for agricultural products
	28/06/1998	WT/ACC/PAN/16/Add.1		Addendum to the notification of industrial subsidies
	26/07/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/18		Requirements for the import of certain industrial products into the republic of panama
	30/06/1997	WT/ACC/PAN/22		Information on the initial offer of Panama for its Accession to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement
	03/07/1997	WT/ACC/PAN/23		Extension of time-limit for acceptance of the Protocol of Accession
III. Bilateral Market Access Negotiations
Goods Offer(s)		Go to the 'Consultation Document' section for related negotiating inputs.
Services Offer(s)		Go to the 'Consultation Document' section for related negotiating inputs.
Register of Bilateral Market Access Agreements
Draft Goods Schedule	26/06/1996	WT/SPEC/33/Add.1 (+  corrigenda)
Draft Services Schedule	10/04/1996	WT/SPEC/24
Goods and Services Technical Verification Meetings	_	_
IV. Summary of Final Meeting of the Working Party
—	—	—
V. Accession Package (“Terms of Accession”, de-restricted)
Ministerial Conference/General Council Decision on the Accession	02/10/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/20
Protocol of Accession	02/10/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/21
Report of the Working Party	20/09/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/19   (+  corrigendum)
Goods Schedule (Schedule of Concessions and Commitments Annexed to the GATT 1994)	20/09/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/19/Add.1
Services Schedule (Schedule of Specific Commitments Annexed to the GATS)	20/09/1996	WT/ACC/PAN/19/Add.2
VI. Accessions Commitments Database (ACDB)
Specific Accession Commitments	http://acdb.wto.org/ click on “Report by Member”, select “Panama” in drop down list then click on “View Report”
VII. Instrument of Acceptance
Notification of Acceptance and Entry Into Force of the Protocol of Accession	07/08/1997	WT/LET/161
VIII. Date of Membership
	06/09/1997	132nd Member
IX. Since 1995, this is the…
4th economy that joined the WTO pursuant to Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement.

Note:
The de-restriction of documents is a key component of the transparency obligations of the Multilateral Trading System.  Paragraphs 1 and 2(e) of the Ministerial Council Decision WT/L/452 of 14 May 2002 provide that “documents relating to working parties on accession shall be restricted and shall be automatically de-restricted upon the adoption of the report of the working party” by the Ministerial Conference/General Council.  The time of completion of the de-restriction process depends on the amount and complexities of the documents involved.  Prior to 2002, the de-restriction of accession-related documents was governed by a different set of rules (i.e. General Council Decision WT/L/160/Rev.1 of 26 July 1996), which only affect documents circulated prior to 2002.