1994: First Summit of the Americas -- Miami, USA

• 34 Nations participated
• Agreement to work towards creating a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)

GOAL: to provide free market access for goods and services to the entire continent by 2005.

1995-1998: yearly trade ministerial meetings, resulting in the establishment of nine working groups:

• market access
• investment
• services
• government procurement
• dispute settlement
• agriculture
• intellectual property rights
• subsidies: antidumping and countervailing duties
• competition policy

Created a committee of Government Representation on Participation of Civil Society -- to allow public participation -- ineffective

1998: Fourth Trade Ministerial Meeting: San Jose, Costa Rica

Green light for negotiating FTAA: Declared they are committed to trade liberalization that encompasses alll areas covered by the WTO and will expand to new areas including common investment regimes, government procured ment and competition policy.

1998: Second Summit of the Americas: Santiago, Chile

Countries agreed to work on developing a draft text to be completed in Dec. 2000. It has been completed, but not released to the public.

2001: Third Summit of the Americas: Quebec City, Canada

Member Nations will start negotiating the final text to be completed by 2005.