EU - Mexico Interim Trade Agreement (2025)
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(i)    inform the applicant that the application is incomplete;

(ii)    provide, at the request of the applicant, guidance on why the application is considered incomplete;

(iii)    provide the applicant with the opportunity 53 to submit the additional information that is required to complete the application; and

(iv)    where none of the above is practicable, and the application is rejected due to incompleteness, ensure that the applicant is informed within a reasonable period of time;

(l)    if an application is rejected, inform the applicant, to the extent possible, either on their own initiative or on request of the applicant, of the reasons for rejection and, where applicable, the procedures for resubmission of an application; and

(m)    ensure that authorisation, once granted, enters into effect without undue delay subject to the applicable terms and conditions.

ARTICLE 13.4

Limited Numbers of Licences

1.    If the number of licences available for a given activity is limited because of the scarcity of available natural resources or technical capacity, a Party shall apply a selection procedure to potential candidates which provides full guarantees of impartiality and transparency, including, in particular, adequate publicity about the launch, conduct and completion of the procedure.

2.    In establishing the rules for the selection procedure, a Party may take into account legitimate policy objectives, including considerations of health, safety, consumer protection, competition, the protection of the environment and the preservation of cultural heritage.

ARTICLE 13.5

Technical Standards

Each Party shall encourage its competent authorities, when adopting technical standards, to adopt technical standards developed through open and transparent processes, and shall encourage any body designated to develop technical standards to do so through open and transparent processes.

ARTICLE 13.6

Transparency

A Party that requires authorisation for the supply of a service or the pursuit of any other economic activity shall provide the information necessary for service suppliers or persons seeking to supply a service and persons pursuing or seeking to pursue any other economic activity to comply with the requirements and procedures for obtaining, maintaining, amending and renewing that authorisation. That information shall include, where it exists:

(a)    authorisation fees;

(b)    contact information of relevant competent authorities;

(c)    procedures for appeal or review of decisions concerning applications;

(d)    procedures for monitoring or enforcing compliance with the terms and conditions of licenses;

(e)    opportunities for public involvement, such as through hearings or comments;

(f)    indicative timeframes for the processing of an application;

(g)    requirements and procedures; and

(h)    applicable technical standards.

ARTICLE 13.7

Review

Following the entry into force of additional disciplines developed in accordance with paragraph 4 of Article VI of GATS, the Parties shall review those disciplines. If the review concludes that those disciplines would improve this Agreement, the Parties shall determine whether they should be incorporated into this Agreement.

Chapter 14. MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

ARTICLE 14.1

General Provisions

1.    Nothing in this Chapter shall prevent a Party from requiring that natural persons possess the necessary qualifications or professional experience specified in the territory where the service is supplied, for the sector of activity concerned.

2.    Each Party shall encourage the relevant professional bodies or authorities, as appropriate, in its respective territories to develop and provide joint recommendations on mutual recognition of professional qualifications, to the Sub-Committee on Services and Investment established pursuant to Article 33.4.1(h) (Sub-Committees and Other Bodies).

3.    The joint recommendations referred to in paragraph 2 shall be supported by evidence of:

(a)    the economic value of an envisaged agreement on mutual recognition of professional qualifications (hereinafter referred to as "Mutual Recognition Agreement"); and

(b)    the compatibility of the respective regimes, that is, the extent to which the criteria applied by each Party for the authorisation and licensing are compatible.

4.    The Sub-Committee shall review any joint recommendation within a reasonable period of time after its receipt.

5.    If the joint recommendation is consistent with this Agreement, the Parties shall take the necessary steps to negotiate a Mutual Recognition Agreement, if appropriate through their competent authorities or designees authorised by a Party. If appropriate, the Trade Council may adopt the arrangements for the mutual recognition of professional qualification by decision.

6.    When negotiating mutual recognition agreements or when developing joint recommendations, the Parties or the relevant professional bodies or authorities, respectively, are encouraged to follow the Guidelines for the negotiation of a Mutual Recognition Agreement set out in Annex 14-A.

Chapter 15. DELIVERY SERVICES

ARTICLE 15.1

Definitions

For the purposes of this Chapter:

(a)    "delivery services" means postal and courier or express services, which include the collection, sorting, transport and delivery of postal items;

(b)    "express delivery services" means the collection, sorting, transport and delivery of postal items at accelerated speed and enhanced reliability that may include value added elements such as collection from point of origin, personal delivery to the addressee, tracing, possibility of changing the destination and addressee in transit or confirmation of receipt;

(c)    "express mail services" means international express delivery services supplied through a voluntary association of designated postal operators under Universal Postal Union (UPU) such as the EMS Cooperative;

(d)    "license" means an authorisation granted to an individual supplier by a regulatory authority setting out procedures, obligations and requirements specific to the delivery services sector;

(e)    "postal item" means an item weighing up to 31.5 kg addressed in the final form in which it is to be carried by any type of supplier of delivery service, whether public or private, and that may include items such as a letter, parcel, newspaper and catalogue;

(f)    "postal monopoly" means the exclusive right to supply specified delivery services within the territory of a Party, pursuant to the law of that Party; and

(g)    "universal service" means the permanent provision of a delivery service of a specified quality pursuant to the law of a Party at all points in the territory of that Party at affordable prices for all users.

ARTICLE 15.2

Objective

This Chapter sets out the principles of the regulatory framework specific for all delivery services.

ARTICLE 15.3

Universal Service

1.    Each Party has the right to define the kind of universal service obligation it wishes to adopt or maintain and shall administer that obligation in a transparent, non-discriminatory and neutral manner with regard to all suppliers which are subject to the obligation.

2.    If a Party requires inbound express mail services to be supplied on a universal service basis, it shall not accord preferential treatment to this service over other international express delivery services.

ARTICLE 15.4

Universal Service Funding

1.    A Party shall not impose fees or other charges on the supply of a non-universal delivery service for the purpose of funding the supply of a universal service.

2.    Paragraph 1 does not apply to generally applicable taxation measures or administrative fees.

ARTICLE 15.5

Prevention of Market Distortive Practices

Each Party shall ensure that a supplier of delivery services subject to a universal service obligation or a postal monopoly does not engage in distortive practices for the market such as:

(a)    using revenues derived from the supply of such service to cross-subsidise the supply of an express delivery service or any non-universal delivery service; and

(b)    unjustifiably differentiating among customers such as businesses, large volume mailers or consolidators with respect to tariffs or other terms and conditions for the supply of a delivery service which is subject to a universal service obligation or a postal monopoly.

ARTICLE 15.6

Licenses

1.    A Party requiring a license for the provision of delivery services shall make publicly available:

(a)    all licensing requirements and the period of time required to reach a decision concerning an application for a license; and

(b)    the terms and conditions of licenses.

2.    The procedures, obligations and requirements of a license shall be transparent, non‑discriminatory and based on objective criteria.

3.    A Party shall ensure that the applicant is informed of the reasons for denial of a license in writing.

ARTICLE 15.7

Independence of the Regulatory Body

1.    Each Party shall establish or maintain regulatory bodies which shall be legally distinct and functionally independent from any supplier of delivery services. A Party retaining ownership or control of enterprises providing delivery services shall ensure effective structural separation of the regulatory function from activities associated with ownership or control.

2.    Each Party shall ensure that the regulatory bodies referred to in paragraph 1 perform their tasks in a transparent and timely manner, and that they have adequate financial and human resources to carry out the tasks assigned to them.

3.    The decisions of and the procedures used by the regulatory body shall be impartial with respect to all market participants.

(1)   For greater certainty, the definition of customs duty does not affect the rights and obligations of the Parties under Chapter 5 (Trade Remedies).(2)   Except the preparation of food.(3)   For greater certainty, "measure" includes failures to act.(4)   This definition applies for the purposes of Chapters 10 to 19.(5)   The definition of natural persons of the European Union also includes natural persons permanently residing in the Republic of Latvia who are not citizens of the Republic of Latvia or any other state but who are entitled, under the laws and regulations of the Republic of Latvia, to receive a non-citizen's passport.(6)   For greater certainty, following a unilateral reduction of a customs duty, a Party may raise that customs duty to the level determined for the respective year of the tariff elimination schedule in accordance with Annex 2-A.(7)   For greater certainty; that modification shall supersede any customs duty rate or staging category set out in Annex 2-A.(8)   For Mexico, the customs processing fee refers to the "Derecho de Trámite Aduanero".(9)   For greater certainty, the importing Party may require, the consularisation of documents by its consul with jurisdiction in the territory of the exporting Party:(a)    for investigation or audit purposes, or(b)    for the importation of household effects.(10)   In interpreting the term "measures with equivalent effect", for a specific case, the Parties may seek guidance in the relevant WTO rules as well as in the practice of the WTO membership.(11)   For greater certainty, "wine products" means wine and other wine products classified under headings 2204 and 2205 of the Harmonized System.(12)   For greater certainty, this is without prejudice to the laws and regulations of each Party for the marketing and commercialisation of those products.(13)   When the rules of origin for a material differ between the Parties, the origin of that material shall be determined in accordance with the rules of origin applicable to the exporting Party.(14)   Denaturation covers making alcohol unfit for human consumption by the addition of toxic or foul-tasting substances.(15)   Simple mixing of products covers mixing of sugar.(16)   These operations do not apply to mixing and blending in Chapters 27 to 30, 32 to 35 and 38.(17)   According to the Agreement on Rules of Origin of the WTO or Chapter 3 (Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures) of this Agreement.(18)   A Party may use the criteria provided for in Article 7.7.2 of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation.(19)   For greater certainty, this Article does not preclude preshipment inspections for sanitary and phytosanitary purposes.(20)   In that regard, the authorities may analyse aspects such as the physical characteristics of those products, their technical specifications, final uses and channels of distribution. That list of aspects is not exhaustive, nor can one or several of these factors necessarily give decisive guidance.(21)   For greater certainty, nothing in this Article prevents an importing Party from disposing of a consignment which is found to have an infectious pathogen or pest that can, if urgent action is not taken, spread and cause damage to human, animal or plant life or health in the territory of that Party.(22)   "One Health" as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is an approach combining policies in multiple sectors to achieve better public health outcomes.(23)   For greater certainty, these rights and remedies include those arising from Mexico's obligations pursuant to the provisions in Chapter 10 (Investment) and the related annexes.(24)   WTO Document G/TBT/1/Rev. 13, dated 8 March 2017, as may be revised.(25)   Contained in WTO Document G/TBT/1/Rev. 13, dated 8 March 2017, as may be revised.(26)   For greater certainty, a Party may comply with this obligation by ensuring that the proposed measures and their final versions are published on, or otherwise accessible through, the WTO's official website.(27)   For Mexico, a representative office shall not be considered as an enterprise, unless it is established as a branch.(28)   In line with its notification of the Treaty establishing the European Community to the WTO (WT/REG39/1), the European Union understands that the concept of an "effective and continuous link" with the economy of a Member State of the European Union enshrined in Article 54 of the TFEU is equivalent to the concept of "substantive business operations".(29)   For greater certainty, a branch or a representative office of an enterprise of a third country shall not be considered to be an enterprise of the European Union or an enterprise of Mexico.(30)   The term "acquisition" includes capital participation in an enterprise with a view to establishing or maintaining lasting economic links.(31)   For greater certainty, this Chapter covers measures by entities listed under subparagraphs (a) and (b), which are adopted or maintained either directly or indirectly by instructing, directing or controlling other entities with regard to those measures.(32)   For the European Union, without prejudice to the scope of activities which may be considered as cabotage under the relevant national legislation, national maritime cabotage under this Chapter covers transportation of passengers or goods between a port or point located in a Member State of the European Union and another port or point located in that same Member State of the European Union, including on its continental shelf, as provided in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and traffic originating and terminating in the same port or point located in a Member State of the European Union.For Mexico, national maritime cabotage under this Chapter covers the navigation that any vessel performs by sea, between ports or places located within the Mexican marine zones and Mexican shores.(33)   For greater certainty, "air services or related services in support of air services" also include the following services: rental of aircraft with crew, airport operation services and services provided by using an aircraft whose primary purpose is not the transportation of goods or passengers, such as aerial fire-fighting, flight training, sightseeing, spraying, surveying, mapping, photography, parachute jumping, glider towing, helicopter-lift for logging and construction, and other airborne agricultural, industrial and inspection services.(34)   For greater certainty, subsidies are covered under Chapter 24 (Subsidies).(35)   Subparagraphs 2(a), (b) and (c) do not cover measures adopted or maintained in order to limit the production of an agricultural or fishery product.(36)   For greater certainty, a condition for the receipt or continued receipt of an advantage referred to in paragraph 2 does not constitute a "commitment or undertaking" for the purposes of paragraph 1.(37)   In line with its notification of the Treaty establishing the European Community to the WTO (WT/REG39/1), the European Union understands that the concept of an "effective and continuous link" with the economy of a Member State of the European Union enshrined in Article 54 of the TFEU is equivalent to the concept of "substantive business operations".(38)   For greater certainty, a branch or a representative office of an enterprise of a third country shall not be considered to be an enterprise of the European Union or an enterprise of Mexico.(39)   For the European Union, without prejudice to the scope of activities which may be considered as cabotage under the relevant national legislation, national maritime cabotage under this Chapter covers transportation of passengers or goods between a port or point located in a Member State of the European Union and another port or point located in that same Member State of the European Union, including on its continental shelf, as provided in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; and traffic originating and terminating in the same port or point located in a Member State of the European Union.For Mexico, national maritime cabotage under this Chapter covers the navigation that any vessel performs by sea, between ports or places located within the Mexican marine zones and Mexican shores.(40)   For greater certainty, subsidies are covered under Chapter 24 (Subsidies).(41)   For greater certainty, air services or related services in support of air services also include: rental of aircraft with crew, airport operation services and services provided by using an aircraft whose primary purpose is not the transportation of goods or passengers, such as aerial fire-fighting flight training, sightseeing, spraying, surveying, mapping, photography, parachute jumping, glider towing, helicopter-lift for logging and construction, and other airborne agricultural, industrial and inspection services.(42)   The service contract referred to in subparagraph (c) shall comply with the requirements of the laws and regulations of the Party where the contract is executed.(43)   The service contract referred to in subparagraph (d) shall comply with the requirements of the laws and regulations of the Party where the contract is executed.(44)   For greater certainty, managers or executives and specialists may be required to demonstrate that they possess the professional qualifications and experience needed in the enterprise to which they are transferred.(45)   For greater certainty, while managers or executives do not directly perform tasks concerning the actual supply of the services, they may, in the course of executing their duties to primarily direct the management of the enterprise, perform tasks that may be necessary for the provision of the services.(46)   The recipient enterprise may be required to submit a training programme covering the duration of the stay for prior approval, demonstrating that the purpose of the stay is for training. For Czechia, Germany, Spain, France, Hungary Lithuania and Austria, training must be linked to the university degree which has been obtained.(47)   The length of stay for business visitors for purposes of establishment of an enterprise is without prejudice to the rights granted by a Party to nationals or citizens of the other Party under bilateral visa waivers.(48)   For greater certainty, as far as measures relating to technical standards are concerned, this Chapter only applies to such measures affecting trade in services.(49)   For greater certainty, competent authorities may assess the weight to be given to those criteria which may include competence, ability to supply a service or any other economic activity, and potential health or environmental impacts of an authorisation decision.(50)   For greater certainty, a Party may require multiple applications for authorisation if a service or other economic activity is within the jurisdiction of multiple competent authorities.(51)   Authorisation fees include licensing fees and fees relating to qualification procedures; they do not include fees for the use of natural resources, payments for auction, tendering or other non‑discriminatory means of awarding concessions, or mandated contributions to universal service provision.(52)   The competent authorities can meet this requirement by informing an applicant in advance in writing, including through a published measure, that lack of response after a specified period of time from the date of submission of the application indicates either acceptance or rejection of the application. For greater certainty, informing in writing may include information provided in electronic form.(53)   For greater certainty, such opportunity does not require a competent authority to provide extensions of deadlines.Top

Chapter 16. TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

ARTICLE 16.1

Definitions

For the purposes of this Chapter:

(a)    "associated facilities" means services, physical infrastructures and other facilities associated with a telecommunications network or service which enable or support the provision of services via that network or service or have the potential to do so;

(b)    "end user" means a final consumer of, or subscriber to, a public telecommunications service, including a service supplier other than a supplier of public telecommunications services;

(c)    "essential facilities" means facilities of a public telecommunications network or service that:

(i)    are exclusively or predominantly provided by a single or limited number of suppliers; and

(ii)    cannot feasibly be economically or technically substituted in order to provide a service;

(d)    "interconnection" means linking the public telecommunications networks of suppliers providing public telecommunications services in order to allow the users of one supplier to communicate with users of another supplier and to access services provided by any supplier that is either involved or has access to the network;

(e)    "intra-corporate communications" means telecommunications through which an enterprise communicates within the enterprise or with or among its subsidiaries, branches and, subject to the law of the Party concerned, affiliates, but does not include commercial or non‑commercial services that are supplied to enterprises that are not related subsidiaries, branches or affiliates, or that are offered to customers or potential customers; 1

(f)    "leased circuits" means telecommunications services or facilities, including those of a virtual or non-physical nature, between two or more designated points that are set aside for the dedicated use of, or availability to, a user;

(g)    "licence" means any authorisation that a Party may require of a natural person or an enterprise, in accordance with its law, in order to offer a telecommunications service, including but not limited to concessions, permits, registrations or notifications;

(h)    "major supplier" means a supplier of telecommunications networks or services which has the ability to materially affect the terms of participation, having regard to price and supply, in a relevant market for public telecommunications networks or services as a result of control over essential facilities or the use of its position in that market;

(i)    "network element" means a facility or equipment used in supplying a telecommunications service, including features, functions and capabilities provided by means of that facility or equipment;

(j)    "non-discriminatory" means complying with most-favoured-nation treatment as defined in Articles 10.8 (Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment) and 11.7 (Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment)and national treatment as defined in Articles 10.7 (National Treatment) and 11.6 (National Treatment), as well as according treatment no less favourable than that accorded to any other user of like public telecommunications services in like situations, including with respect to timeliness;

(k)    "number portability" means the ability of end users of public telecommunications services who so request to retain, at the same location in the case of a fixed line, the same telephone numbers when switching between the same category of suppliers of public telecommunications services.

(l)    "public telecommunications network" means a telecommunications network used for the provision of public telecommunications services between network termination points;

(m)    "public telecommunications service" means a telecommunications service that is offered to the public generally;

(n)    "reference interconnection offer" means an interconnection offer by a major supplier that is made publicly available, so that any supplier of public telecommunications services willing to accept the offer may obtain interconnection with the major supplier on that basis;

(o)    "telecommunications" means the transmission and reception of signals by wire, radio, optical or any other electromagnetic means;

(p)    "telecommunications network" means transmission systems and, where applicable, switching or routing equipment and other resources, including inactive network elements, which permit telecommunications;

(q)    "telecommunications regulatory authority" means the body or bodies responsible for the regulation of telecommunications networks and services covered by this Chapter;

(r)    "telecommunications service" means a service which consists wholly or mainly in the transmission and reception of signals over telecommunications networks, including over networks used for broadcasting, but does not include services providing, or exercising editorial control over, content transmitted using telecommunications networks and services;

(s)    "universal service" means the minimum set of services that must be made available to all users in the territory of a Party, the scope of which is defined by that Party; and

(t)    "user" means a consumer or a service supplier using a public telecommunications network or service.

ARTICLE 16.2

Scope and Principles of the Regulatory Framework

1.    This Chapter sets out principles of the regulatory framework for the provision of telecommunications networks and services, liberalised pursuant to Chapters 10 (Investment Liberalisation) and 11 (Cross-Border Trade in Services), and applies to measures adopted or maintained by a Party affecting trade in public telecommunications services.

2.    For greater certainty, this Chapter does not apply to measures adopted or maintained by a Party affecting services providing, or exercising editorial control over, content transmitted using telecommunications networks or services.

ARTICLE 16.3

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority

1.    Each Party shall ensure that its telecommunications regulatory authority is legally distinct and functionally independent from any supplier of public telecommunications networks or services, or telecommunications equipment. With a view to ensuring the independence and impartiality of telecommunications regulatory authorities, each Party shall ensure that its telecommunications regulatory authority does not hold a financial interest or maintain an operating or management role in any supplier of public telecommunications networks or services, or telecommunications equipment. A Party that retains ownership or control of suppliers of telecommunications networks or services shall ensure effective structural separation of the regulatory function from activities associated with ownership or control.

2.    Each Party shall ensure that regulatory decisions and procedures of its telecommunications regulatory authority, related to this Chapter, are impartial with respect to all market participants.

3.    Each Party shall ensure that its telecommunications regulatory authority acts independently and does not seek or take instructions from any other body in relation to the exercise of the tasks assigned to it under the law of a Party to enforce the obligations set out in Articles 16.5, 16.6, 16.7, 16.9 and 16.10.

4.    Each Party shall ensure that its telecommunications regulatory authority has the regulatory power, as well as adequate financial and human resources, to carry out the tasks assigned to it in order to enforce the obligations set out in this Chapter. Such power shall be exercised in a transparent and timely manner. The tasks of the telecommunications regulatory authority shall be made public in an easily accessible and clear form, in particular where those tasks are assigned to more than one body.

5.    Each Party shall provide its telecommunications regulatory authority with the power to ensure that suppliers of telecommunications networks or services provide it, promptly upon request, with all the information, including financial information, which is necessary to enable the telecommunications regulatory authority to carry out its tasks in accordance with this Chapter. Information received shall be treated in accordance with the applicable confidentiality requirements of the Parties.

6.    Each Party shall ensure that a user or supplier of telecommunications networks or services affected by a decision of the telecommunications regulatory authority has the right to challenge that decision before a body that is independent of the telecommunications regulatory authority and of the parties affected by the decision 2 . Pending the outcome of this procedure, the decision of the telecommunications regulatory authority shall stand, unless interim measures are granted in accordance with the law of the Party concerned.

ARTICLE 16.4

Licensing Procedures

1.    If a Party requires a supplier of public telecommunications networks or services to have a licence, it shall ensure that the following information is publicly available:

(a)    the types of telecommunications services requiring licences;

(b)    all the licensing criteria and procedures it applies;

(c)    the period of time it normally requires to reach a decision concerning an application for a licence if a decision is required; and

(d)    the terms and conditions generally applicable to a licence.

2.    A Party requiring a supplier of public telecommunications networks or services to have a licence shall decide upon the granting of the licence within a reasonable period of time so as to allow the supplier to start providing its telecommunications networks or services without undue delay.

3.    Any licensing criteria, applicable procedures and, if imposed, obligations or conditions, shall be related to the telecommunications services provided, objective, proportionate, transparent and non-discriminatory.

4.    Each Party shall ensure that an applicant or a licensee receives, as a procedural requirement or upon request, the written reasons for:

(a)    denial of a licence;

(b)    imposition of supplier-specific conditions or obligations on a licence;

(c)    revocation of the licence; or

(d)    refusal to renew a licence.

5.    Any administrative fees imposed on suppliers shall be objective, transparent, non‑discriminatory and proportionate to the administrative costs reasonably incurred in the management, control and enforcement of the obligations set out in this Chapter. 3

ARTICLE 16.5

Interconnection

Each Party shall ensure that a supplier of public telecommunications networks or services has the right and, when requested by another supplier of public telecommunications networks or services, the obligation to negotiate interconnection for the purposes of providing public telecommunications networks or services.

ARTICLE 16.6

Access to and Use of Public Telecommunications Networks and Services

1.    Each Party shall ensure that any service supplier of the other Party is accorded access to, and use of, public telecommunications networks or services, including leased circuits, offered in its territory or across its borders on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions, for the supply of a service liberalised pursuant to Chapters 10 (Investment Liberalisation) and 11 (Cross Border Trade in Services). This obligation shall be implemented, inter alia, by complying with paragraphs 2 to 6.

2.    Each Party shall ensure that a service supplier of the other Party is permitted to:

(a)    purchase or lease and attach terminal or other equipment which interfaces with a public telecommunications network;

(b)    provide services to individual or multiple end users over leased or owned circuits;

(c)    connect private leased or owned circuits with public telecommunications networks and services or with circuits leased or owned by another service supplier; and

(d)    use operating protocols of the service supplier's choice in the supply of any service, other than as necessary to ensure the availability of telecommunications services to the public generally.

3.    Each Party shall ensure that service suppliers of the other Party may use public telecommunications networks and services for the movement of information in its territory or across its borders, including for intra-corporate communications of such service suppliers, and for access to information contained in databases or otherwise stored in machine-readable form in the territory of either Party.

4.    Notwithstanding paragraph 3, a Party may adopt or maintain measures that are necessary to ensure the security and confidentiality of communications, subject to the requirement that those measures are not applied in a manner which would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade in services.

5.    Each Party shall ensure that no condition is imposed on access to and use of public telecommunications networks and services other than necessary to:

(a)    safeguard the public service responsibilities of suppliers of public telecommunications networks or services, in particular their ability to make their public telecommunication services available to the public generally; or

(b)    protect the technical integrity of public telecommunications networks or services;

6.    Provided that they satisfy the criteria set out in paragraph 5, the conditions for access to and use of public telecommunications networks and services may include:

(a)    restrictions on resale or shared use of those services;

(b)    a requirement to use specified technical interfaces, including interface protocols, for interconnection with those networks and services;

  • Chapter   1 GENERAL PROVISIONS 1
  • Chapter   2 TRADE IN GOODS 1
  • Chapter   3 RULES OF ORIGIN AND ORIGIN PROCEDURES 3
  • Chapter   4 CUSTOMS AND TRADE FACILITATION 5
  • Chapter   5 TRADE REMEDIES 6
  • Chapter   6 SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 7
  • Chapter   7 COOPERATION ON ANIMAL WELFARE AND ANTI-MICROBIAL RESISTANCE 8
  • Chapter   8 RECOGNITION OF THE PARTIES' RIGHT TO REGULATE THE ENERGY SECTOR 8
  • Chapter   9 TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE 8
  • Chapter   10 INVESTMENT LIBERALISATION 10
  • Article   10.1 Definitions 10
  • Article   10.2 Scope 10
  • Article   10.3 Right to Regulate 10
  • Article   10.4 Relation to other Chapters 10
  • Article   10.5 Scope 10
  • Article   10.6 Market Access 10
  • Article   10.7 National Treatment 10
  • Article   10.8 Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment 10
  • Article   10.9 Performance Requirements 10
  • Article   10.10 Senior Management and Board of Directors 10
  • Article   10.11 Formal Requirements 10
  • Article   10.12 Non-Conforming Measures and Exceptions 10
  • Article   10.13 Denial of Benefits 10
  • Article   10.14 Sub-Committee on Services and Investment 10
  • Chapter   11 CROSS-BORDER TRADE IN SERVICES 10
  • Chapter   12 TEMPORARY PRESENCE OF NATURAL PERSONS FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES 11
  • Chapter   13 DOMESTIC REGULATION 11
  • Chapter   14 MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS 12
  • Chapter   15 DELIVERY SERVICES 12
  • Chapter   16 TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES 12
  • Chapter   17 INTERNATIONAL MARITIME TRANSPORT SERVICES 13
  • Chapter   18 FINANCIAL SERVICES 13
  • Chapter   19 DIGITAL TRADE 14
  • Chapter   20 CAPITAL MOVEMENTS, PAYMENTS AND TRANSFERSAND TEMPORARY SAFEGUARD MEASURES 15
  • Chapter   21 PUBLIC PROCUREMENT 15
  • Chapter   22 STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES, ENTERPRISES GRANTED SPECIAL RIGHTS ORPRIVILEGES AND DESIGNATED MONOPOLIES 18
  • Chapter   23 COMPETITION POLICY 19
  • Chapter   24 SUBSIDIES 19
  • Chapter   25 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 19
  • Chapter   26 TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 22
  • Chapter   27 TRANSPARENCY 23
  • Article   28 GOOD REGULATORY PRACTICES 23
  • Chapter   29 SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES 24
  • Chapter   30 RAW MATERIALS 24
  • Chapter   31 DISPUTE SETTLEMENT 25
  • Chapter   32 EXCEPTIONS 26
  • Chapter   33 INSTITUTIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS 27