The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) is a sector-specific and plurilateral trade liberalization agreement, which was concluded in the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and has been effective since 1 July 1997. The European Union (EU) was one of the driving forces behind and first signatories of the agreement. This article discusses the interplay between the ITA and the EU’s Schedules of Concession under GATT 1994. It also addresses some limitations of ITA’s product coverage following the process of technological convergence among Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products. Thus, economic operators are today challenged to assess whether new multifunctional and sophisticated devices are subject to customs duties, or on the contrary, benefit from a duty-free treatment. The tariff treatment that the EU accords to mobile phones with increased functionality further illustrates the boundaries of ITA’s product coverage.
Global Trade and Customs Journal