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Under the auspices of the Trade Working Group, the countries of SEE significantly improved the trade environment in the region. Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Trade Liberalisation and Facilitation in June 2001, they negotiated and ratified a network of 32 bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).  In 2006 they took a significant step in terms of regional economic co-operation when they negotiated and signed an Agreement that simultaneously enlarged and amended the Central European Free Trade Agreement  - the so-called CEFTA 2006.

The Group also saw considerable work in the area of non-tariff barriers and trade in services.

The combination of senior trade policy officials from South Eastern Europe as well as from the international community allowed the Group to develop and implement a regional strategy that benefited from best international practice but that was tailored to the political and economic realities of the region.

Recent Trade Group Meetings

25th Meeting: Brussels, April 2008

 Final Trade Working Group Meeting - Report

24th Meeting: Sarajevo 17-18 July 2007

• Executive Summary

23rd Meeting: Durres 27-28 March 2007

• Executive Summary

22nd Meeting: Ljubljana 19th July, 2006

• Executive Summary

      21^st Stability Pact Working Group on Trade Meeting on 14 and 15 February 2006 , Berlin

• Executive Summary

      20^th Meeting : London , 5-6 December 2005

• Executive Summary

     19^th Meeting : Turkey , 29 – 30 September 2005

• Executive Summary
  

Free Trade Agreements in SEE

• CEFTA
• FTA Matrix as of 31 December 2006
• Full text of the Free Trade Agreements

Trade Working Group's Strategy and Action Plans

• Strategy and Action Plan 2005
• Strategy and Action Plan 2004

Ministerial Meetings of the Trade Working Group

• SEE Prime Ministers Summit, Bucharest 6 April 2006 

• Sofia, 10 June 2005
  • Ministerial Statement on Trade Liberalisation in SEE    -    Joint Business Statement

  • Statements:  Albania - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia  -FYRo Macedonia - Moldova -  Romania - Serbia and Montenegro - EC
    

• Rome, 13 November 2003

• • Ministerial Statement

  • Statements: 

    • Bulgaria - FYRo Macedonia - Moldova -   Serbia-Serbia and Montenegro - UNMIK

    • EC -France -  OECD -  SP -  Turkey -  UK -  WB -  WTO

• Sofia, 20 June 2002

  • Ministerial Statement on Priorities

  • Statements: 

    • Albania -  Bosnia and Herzegovina -  Bulgaria -  FRY -  Moldova - Romania

    • EC -  EU Presidency -Switzerland - Turkey - WB

• Brussels,  27 June 2001

  • Memorandum of Understanding on Trade Liberalisation and Facilitation

  • Moldova Statement of Intent

  • Statements:

    • FYRo Macedonia -  Romania

    • Slovenia -  Switzerland -  WB - WTO

Previous Trade Working Group Members 2006

• List of Members of the SP Working Group on Trade 

Trade Working Group Meetings

• 18th Meeting: Chisinau, 4 May 2005
  • Executive Summary
• 17th Meeting: Vienna, 3 March 2005
  • Executive Summary
• 16th Meeting: Belgrade, 7 October 2004
  • Executive Summary
• 15th Meeting: Brussels, 2 July 2004
  • Executive Summary
• 14th Meeting: Budapest, 4-5 March 2004
  • Executive Summary
• 13th Meeting: Tirana, 25-26 September 2003
• 12th Meeting: Dubrovnik, 23 May 2003
• 11th Meeting: Paris, 26-27 March 2003
• 10th Metting: Skopje, 10-11 September 2002
• 9th Meeting: Washington D.C., 13-15 May 2002
• 8th Meeting: London, 23-24 January 2002
• 7th Meeting: Sarajevo, 18-19 September 2001
• 6th Meeting: Tirana, 21-22 May 2001
• 5th Meeting: Brussels, 2-3 May 2001
• 4th Meeting: Belgrade, 2-3 April 2001
• 3rd Meeting: Zagreb, 1-2 March 2001
• 2nd Meeting: Geneva, 19 January 2001
• 1st Meeting: Istanbul, 16 October 2000