The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) is a sector-specific, plurilateral trade liberalization agreement, concluded in the framework of the WTO and has been effective since 1 July 1997. The 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 boundaries of ITA’s product coverage as result of the process of technological convergence among Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products. Economic operators currently face the challenge of assessing whether new multifunctional and sophisticated devices are subject to customs duties, or on the contrary, benefit from a dutyfree 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