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G.C.C. Economic Agreement 2002
Gulf Cooperation Council
General Secretariat of economic agreement between GCC States - 2002 Introduction
This bulletin includes the economic agreement between the GCC countries statement that was signed by their Majesties and Highnesses, leaders of GCC states on Shawwal 16, 1422 AH (December 21, 2001) during the twenty-second session of the Supreme Council in Muscat city in the Sultanate of Oman.
The new economic agreement includes a comprehensive development of the economic agreement that was signed in the month of Muharram 1402 AH (November 1981), which based the rules of economic relations between member states and established free trade zones for GCC states. Just as the agreement came in 1981 because of the economic conditions at that time, as it was signed only months after the council establishment, the new agreement reflects the current conditions of GCC states, which is a continuation of 1981 agreement achievements of development and consolidation of economic ties among GCC states, and tiding their economic policies, financial, monetary, commercial and industrial legislations and customs regulations applied therein.
Over the past two decades, GCC states have succeeded in developing their economic relationship with what brings them closer to economic integration and unity. Additionally, during its annual meetings, the Supreme Council adopted many important decisions in the economic field that pushed joint economic a great step forward, and among the most important of these decisions were those related to the customs union, Gulf Common Market and Development Integration.
In order to create the necessary legal environment to keep pace with these developments, the Supreme Council issued in its twentieth session (Riyadh, November 1999) decision to develop the economic agreement that suits the development of cooperative work and to complete requirements of economic integration between GCC states, taking into account the international changes in the economic field.
A first draft was prepared and presented to member states for their review and opinion. Considering this, a technical team was formed from member states and general secretariat to study the project, the team held intensive meetings for this purpose in February and March 2001, during which the member states assessments were discussed, and the draft agreement was amended accordingly. The Committee of Undersecretaries of Ministries of Finance & Economy in GCC States reviewed the amended draft in two meetings in April and September 2001, and the Committee of Financial & Economic Cooperation reviewed it at their fifty-fifth meeting (October 2001) in addition to an extraordinary meeting of the Committee held in December 2001, the final draft was adopted, which The Ministerial Council, in its supplementary eighty-first session (December 2001), submitted it to the Supreme Council for approval, and it was signed by their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC states on December 31, 2001, during the Muscat Summit, as previously mentioned. Currently, the ratification of the Convention by Member States and its implementation is under process.
The preparation of the new economic agreement was an honorable example of joint work, as many specialists from various government sectors and General Secretariat sectors in GCC states, contributed in preparing and reviewing it. The technical team and other specialized committees working within the framework of the council made great efforts to develop the agreement and to reach a text that reflects the joint Gulf work targets and the future aspirations of GCC states citizens.
The new agreement includes new or radically developed texts that reflect the decisions and directives of the Supreme Council and developments in joint work, such as the customs union (Chapter One), the Gulf Common Market (Chapter Two), the Economic and Monetary Union (Chapter Three). The new agreement dedicates a separate chapter on development integration among GCC states (Chapter IV), human resource development (Chapter V), and a chapter on cooperation in scientific & technical research field (Chapter VI), transport, and transport communications and infrastructure (Chapter VII).
The new agreement conveys the method of joint work a qualitative leap, as it is not limited to urging cooperation and coordination among member states but goes beyond that to clearly stipulating economic integration among GCC states by adopting of specific programs and mechanisms that can be implemented. The working committees within the framework of the Council and the General Secretariat will follow up the implementation within specific work programs, chapter eight deals with the mechanisms of implementation, follow-up, and settlement of disputes that may arise when applying of provisions.