ASEAN: Regional Trends in Economic Integration, Export ... - USITC

lines to over 54,000, or 99.11 percent of all lines. 27 About 70 percent of ASEAN-4
intraregional tariff lines are now free of duty. 28
ASEAN rules governing the free flow of goods are largely contained in the ASEAN
Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), which consolidates and builds on existing
initiatives related to trade in goods to provide a comprehensive legal framework (box
2.4). ATIGA entered into force on May 17, 2010, and by strengthening the rules
governing the liberalization and facilitation of goods trade, it provides an important
foundation for more rapidly achieving the AEC.
Services trade liberalization among ASEAN countries has been conducted through
successive rounds of negotiations aimed at progressively higher-level commitments, as
mandated under the 1995 AFAS. 29 Services liberalization is undertaken according to the
“ASEAN minus X” principle. Under this approach, two or more ASEAN countries that
are ready may proceed to liberalize a services sector, while others can join at a later
time. 30 To date, seven packages (or schedules) of commitments have been concluded,
covering trade in a wide variety of services, including business and professional services
(e.g., accounting, auditing, architecture, and engineering), construction, distribution,
education, environment, healthcare, maritime transport, telecommunications, and tourism
services. Negotiations to liberalize financial services and air transport services are
conducted separately and have resulted in separate packages of commitments for each. 31
To facilitate the flow of foreign professionals in ASEAN, member countries have signed
seven MRAs on architectural, accountancy, engineering, dental practitioner, medical
practitioner, nursing, and surveying qualifications. 32
27 Government official, interview by Commission staff, Singapore, March 1, 2010.
28 Ibid.
29 ASEAN, “ASEAN Integration in Services,” August 2009.
30 ASEAN, “ASEAN Integration in Services,” August 2009, 10; Thangavelu, “Non-Tariff Barriers,
Integration and Export Growth in ASEAN,” January 2010, 15.
31 ASEAN, “ASEAN Integration in Services,” August 2009, 13–14. Also, for all general services
information, see ASEAN Secretariat, “Fact Sheet: ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services,”
February 26, 2009.
32 “AEC Scorecard,” March 2010, 7.
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