This customs notice is to inform you of the July 1, 2009 implementation of the Canada-European Free Trade Association Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). The CEFTA consists of a main Free Trade Agreement, which deals with industrial products and selected processed agricultural products, and three bilateral agreements on agriculture signed with Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, respectively, which deal with selected agricultural products. Switzerland and Liechtenstein have a customs union, and the agreement with Switzerland covers both countries. These four agreements are to operate together to eliminate duties on all non-agricultural goods and eliminate or reduce tariffs on selected agricultural products.
Information regarding the CEFTA and the text of the agreements can be found on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) website .
The CEFTA implementing legislation Bill C-2 received royal assent on April 29, 2009 and is scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2009. The legislation (Bill C-2) can be found at the Parliament of Canada website .
Proposed regulatory amendments and new regulations under the Customs Act will be announced in a separate customs notice.
The complete Customs Notice is available on the CBSA website at: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/cn-ad/cn09-007-eng.pdf.
