Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement text and Side Letters released

8 minute read
01 November 2015

Today the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada posted a link to the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. At the same time, the Office of the United States Trade Representative also published a link to the text of the TPP. The 12 country members of the TPP are: Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, United States, Vietnam, Chile, Brunei, Singapore, and New Zealand.

The Parties to the TPP have agreed to a comprehensive agreement that contains the following 30 chapters:

Preamble

Chapter 1. Initial Provisions and General Definitions

Chapter 2. National Treatment and Market Access for Goods

Chapter 3. Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures

Chapter 4. Textiles and Apparel

Chpater 5. Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation

Chapter 6. Trade Remedies

Chapter 7. Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

Chapter 8. Technical Barriers to Trade

Chapter 9. Investment

Chapter 10. Cross-Border Trade in Services

Chapter 11. Financial Services

Chapter 12. Temporary Entry for Business Persons

Chapter 13. Telecommunications

Chapter 14. Electronic Commerce

Chapter 15. Government Procurement

Chapter 16. Competition Policy

Chapter 17. State-Owned Enterprises and Designated Monopolies

Chapter 18. Intellectual Property

Chapter 19. Labour

Chapter 20. Environment

Chapter 21. Cooperation and Capacity Building

Chapter 22. Competitiveness and Business Facilitation

Chapter 23. Development

Chapter 24. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Chapter 25. Regulatory Coherence

Chapter 26. Transparency and Anti-Corruption

Chapter 27. Administrative and Institutional Provisions

Chapter 28. Dispute Settlement

Chapter 29. Exceptions and General Provisions

Chapter 30. Final Provisions

The publication of the TPP text was accompanied by the release of the Side Letters, agreements meant to complement and clarify the position between the Parties to the TPP on specific issues. Canada has entered into a total of 23 Side Letters with the TPP Parties on the following topics: national treatment and market access for goods, financial services, government procurement, intellectual property and environment. The United States has entered into 58 Side Letters with the TPP Parties.

The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development noted that the TPP text was negotiated in English and it is currently being translated into French. The text will also continue to undergo legal review and will be translated into Spanish as well prior to signature.


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