Following the 5th Round of negotiations, held in Buenos Aires on 25-26 September, Argentina and Chile concluded the negotiation of a bilateral trade agreement, which is expected to be signed in October, after completion of the legal review of the text.
Through this Agreement, Argentina and Chile hope to expand and strengthen the legal instruments that currently govern them in trade matters, containing provisions relating to various areas such as Investment, Services, Government Procurement, Telecommunications and E-commerce. Furthermore, the Agreement improves and complements the technical, sanitary and phytosanitary rules, as well as the current customs procedures. Finally, it includes novel chapters on topics such as the Environment, Work, Gender issues, SMEs, Cooperation, and Competition Policy, thus creating a modern and comprehensive regulatory framework.
In addition to reflecting the excellent status of bilateral relations, the Agreement will provide concrete benefits to both countries, such as new trade opportunities in services and government procurement, the commitment to eliminating roaming in telecommunications, a more modern and balanced legal framework for development and the protection of investment, greater speed and predictability for bilateral trade in goods and the creation of a cooperation space in the novel field of e-commerce, within which an agreement on mutual recognition of digital signatures is being discussed.