Article One

The Parties hereby establish the United States-Uruguay Joint Commission on Trade and Investment, hereinafter "the Commission".

Article Two

The Commission shall consist of representatives of both Parties. The United States will be represented by the United States Trade Representative or designee and Uruguay will be represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or designee .

Article Three

Except as otherwise agreed, the Commission shall meet at least once a year, and the location of the meeting will alternate between the two countries.

Article Four

The objectives of the Commission are as follows:

1. To provide a distinct forum for policy discussions, designed to strengthen trade and investment relations between the United States of America and Uruguay;
2. To promote discussion and cooperation between both countries in matters related to trade and investment;
3. To develop and implement a bilateral work agenda to address topics of mutual interest including the full range of trade and investment issues and measures, as well as the restrictions that affect them;
4. To review work done under the auspices of trade and investment arrangements between the Parties in order to facilitate their implementation and to enhance their effectiveness, in coordination with pertinent ministries and agencies;
5. To exchange points of view on discussions and initiatives underway in regional or multilateral organizations or fora in which both countries participate, in order to foster concerted action;
6. To identify methods of cooperation for addressing common trade problems in third markets;
7. To pursue the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by 2005;
8. To exchange information on economic integration efforts and their effects;
9. To identify areas of common interest in which the Parties may agree to take joint or individual actions to facilitate bilateral trade and investment, which may be drawn into the FTAA negotiations;
10. To consult on proposals that might affect bilateral trade and investment relations.

Article Five

1. The Commission shall begin by preparing a Work Plan on matters of mutual interest related to trade and investment. The Parties shall endeavor to complete the Work Plan within a period of 60 days following the signature of this Agreement. This Plan shall be submitted to the Ministers for their approval.
2. The Commission may establish ad-hoc working groups, composed of officials from the appropriate ministries and agencies, to address specific issues of mutual interest. Conclusions or recommendations reached by the Working Groups shall be submitted to the Commission for agreement of future actions.

Article Six

Each Party is encouraged to consult with the appropriate elements of its respective civil society, such as business, labor, consumer, environmental and academic groups, on matters related to the work of the Commission and to endeavor to build public support for trade and investment initiatives between the Parties.

Article Seven

1. Each Party may ask for consultations to be held on any trade or investment matter deemed of interest. All requests for consultation shall be accompanied by written explanation of the issues to be discussed and consultations shall be held within a period of 30 days following the submission of such a request, unless the requesting party is willing to hold the consultations at a later date.
2. Consultations shall initially be held in the country whose measure or practice is under discussion, unless mutually agreed upon by the Parties.

This Article shall apply without prejudice to any current or future rights under domestic law of either Party or other international agreements, including the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization.

Article Eight

This Agreement will become effective on the date of its signature. Either Party may withdraw from this Agreement by providing written notice of withdrawal to the other Party six months in advance.

In witness whereof, the undersigned, being duly authorized by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

DONE in the City of Montevideo, Uruguay, on the eleventh day of April of two thousand two. In duplicate, in the Spanish and English languages, both texts being equally authentic.