A free trade agreement is a pact between two or more nations to reduce barriers to trade between imports and exports. Under a free trade policy, goods and services can be bought and sold across international borders without government tariffs, quotas, subsidies or bans. The market access card was developed by the International Trade Centre (ITC) to support companies, governments and market access researchers. The database, which is visible through the market access map online tool, contains information on tariff and non-tariff barriers in all active trade agreements that are not limited to those that are officially notified to the WTO. It also documents data on non-preferential trade agreements (for example. B generalized preference regimes). Until 2019, Market Access Map has provided downloadable links to text contracts and their rules of origin. [27] The new version of the Market Access Map, which will be released this year, will provide direct web links to relevant contract sites and connect to other ITC tools, particularly the rules of the original intermediary. It is expected to become a multi-purpose instrument to help companies understand free trade agreements and qualify for the original requirements under these agreements.
[28] Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA) are three free trade zones established between the European Union and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The CCFTA is part of each country`s EU Association Agreement. They allow Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to access the European single market in certain sectors and to give European investors in these sectors the same regulatory environment in the associated country as in the EU. [1] The agreements with the Republic of Moldova and Georgia were ratified and officially entered into force in July 2016, although some of them have already been provisionally implemented. The agreement with Ukraine has been implemented on an interim basis since 1 January 2016 and officially entered into force on 1 September 2017. The creation of free trade zones is seen as an exception to the most privileged principle of the World Trade Organization (WTO), since the preferences of the parties to the exclusive granting of a free trade area go beyond their accession obligations. [9] Although GATT Article XXIV authorizes WTO members to establish free trade zones or to conclude interim agreements necessary for their establishment, there are several conditions relating to free trade zones or interim agreements leading to the creation of free trade zones.