Sanitary and Phytosanitary. (SPS) measures. Dispute Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons. Telecom, Customs Procedures. Pharmaceutical products, and Cooperation in other Areas. ECTA provides for an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries. The ECTA between India and Australia covers almost all the tariff lines dealt in by India and Australia respectively. India will benefit from preferential market access provided by Australia on 100% of its tariff lines. This includes all the labour-intensive sectors of export interest to India such as Gems and Jewellery, Textiles, leather, footwear, furniture etc. On the other hand, India will be offering preferential access to Australia on over 70% of its tariff lines, including lines of export interest to Australia which are primarily raw materials and intermediaries such as coal, mineral ores and wines etc. Under the agreement, Indian graduates from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) will be granted extended post-study work visas. Australia will also set up a programme to grant visas to young Indians looking to pursue working holidays in Australia. What is the Significance of the Agreement? It will provide zero-duty access to 96% of India’s exports to Australia including shipments from key sectors such as engineering goods, gems and jewellery, textiles, apparel and leather. It will boost bilateral trade in goods and services to USD 45-50 billion over five years, up from around USD 27 billion, and generate over one million jobs in India, according to a government estimate. It will also give about 85% of Australia’s exports zero-duty access to the Indian market, including coal, sheep meat and wool, and lower duty access on Australian wines, almonds, lentils, and certain fruits. What are Free Trade Agreements? It is a pact between two or more nations to reduce barriers to imports and exports among them. Under a free trade policy, goods and services can be bought and sold across international borders with little or no government tariffs, quotas, subsidies, or prohibitions to inhibit their exchange. The concept of free trade is the opposite of trade protectionism or economic isolationism. FTAs can be categorised as Preferential Trade Agreement, Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). How has been the India- Australia Trade Relation so far? India and Australia enjoy excellent bilateral relations that have undergone transform...
Sanitary and Phytosanitary. (SPS) measures
Sanitary and Phytosanitary. 1. The Parties shall cooperate on sanitary and phytosanitary (“SPS”) matters to protect human, animal or plant life or health in the territory of the Parties.
Sanitary and Phytosanitary. (SPS) measures AANZFTA will complement the existing SPS agreements that New Zealand has with its partners under the Thailand CEP, the Trans-Pacific SEP and the China FTA, as all of those agreements are underpinned by the WTO’s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). AANZFTA provides for the development of mechanisms to allow parties to enhance implementation of the SPS Agreement, including strengthening cooperation on equivalence of each Party’s SPS measures (Chapter 5, Article 5). It also provides for Parties to cooperate on “regionalisation” (the adaptation to regional conditions), in accordance with the SPS Agreement (Chapter 5, Article 8). Recognition of the outcomes of cooperation will occur under the authority of the Sub-Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Matters (SPS Sub-Committee) made up of all members of the AANZFTA (Chapter 5, Article 10). AANZFTA emphasises communication between the competent authorities of all Parties, including through the SPS Sub-Committee and subsidiary working groups. There are specific procedures for informing relevant SPS-related changes by both importing and exporting members (Chapter 5, Article 7). Decisions on matters affecting biosecurity and food safety will continue to be made and enforced in accordance with New Zealand’s existing regulatory regime. The right of New Zealand to determine its appropriate level of sanitary and phytosanitary protection in accordance with the SPS Agreement is preserved.
Sanitary and Phytosanitary. (SPS) Measures Imports, particularly primary products, can face measures designed to protect human, animal or plant life or health against pests, diseases and food-borne risks (referred to collectively as SPS measures: sanitary, human and animal health; and phytosanitary, plant health). For example, imported fruit may require treatments and inspections to ensure absence of pests, and food may be required to have pesticide levels below certain maximum residue limits. All CPTPP Parties are members of the WTO SPS Agreement, which allows countries to determine their own level of protection for health and safety, but also requires that any restrictions on trade need to be non- discriminatory, transparent and scientifically justified. CPTPP provisions build on the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and provide a solid framework for CPTPP Parties to practically implement their WTO- related SPS commitments (in relation to both new and existing SPS measures). CPTPP encourages better and more consistent SPS regulatory practice, with a view to potentially benefiting exporters and importers across the region. The chapter is focused on establishing frameworks that help address future regulatory issues. CPTPP equals or exceeds the commitments found in other SPS chapters in New Zealand’s existing FTAs. Advantages of entering CPTPP, SPS CPTPP provides additional mechanisms to minimise the potential negative trade effects of restrictive or unfair SPS measures on New Zealand exports, for example by providing scope for Parties to facilitate and record agreements on such issues as equivalence (recognising another Party’s systems as “equivalent” and therefore meeting import requirements) and regionalisation (targeting SPS measures to an affected region, rather than applying to a whole country). These mechanisms are important ways the New Zealand Government negotiates access for our primary products to be exported to markets. In developing SPS measures, CPTPP Parties will be obligated to undertake transparent decisions and either conform to internationally agreed SPS standards or provide a documented scientific risk assessment where their requirements do not conform to the standards. CPTPP will require increased transparency around import checks and restrictions based on adverse results of import checks, as well as requiring the import programme be risk based. These requirements should enable New Zealand exporters to clearly understand the...
