Annex 1210.5: Professional Services
Section A General Provisions
Processing of Applications for Licenses and Certifications
1. Each Party shall ensure that its competent authorities, within
a reasonable time after the submission by a national of another
Party of an application for a license or certification:
(a) where the application is complete, make a determination on
the application and inform the applicant of that determination;
or
(b) where the application is not complete, inform the applicant
without undue delay of the status of the application and the additional
information that is required under the Party's law.
Development of Professional Standards
2. The Parties shall encourage the relevant bodies in their respective
territories to develop mutually acceptable standards and criteria
for licensing and certification of professional service providers
and to provide recommendations on mutual recognition to the Commission.
3. The standards and criteria referred to in paragraph 2 may be
developed with regard to the following matters:
(a) education - accreditation of schools or academic programs;
(b) examinations - qualifying examinations for licensing, including
alternative methods of assessment such as oral examinations and
interviews;
(c) experience length and nature of experience required for licensing;
(d) conduct and ethics - standards of professional conduct and
the nature of disciplinary action for non-conformity with those
standards;
(e) professional development and re-certification - continuing education
and ongoing requirements to maintain professional certification;
(f) scope of practice - extent of, or limitations on, permissible
activities;
(g) local knowledge - requirements for knowledge of such matters
as local laws, regulations, language, geography or climate; and
(h) consumer protection - alternatives to residency requirements,
including bonding, professional liability insurance and client
restitution funds, to provide for the protection of consumers.
4. On receipt of a recommendation referred to in paragraph 2,
the Commission shall review the recommendation within a reasonable
time to determine whether it is consistent with this Agreement.
Based on the Commission's review, each Party shall encourage its
respective competent authorities, where appropriate, to implement
the recommendation within a mutually agreed time.
Temporary Licensing
5. Where the Parties agree, each Party shall encourage the relevant
bodies in its territory to develop procedures for the temporary
licensing of professional service providers of another Party.
Review
6. The Commission shall periodically, and at least once every
three years, review the implementation of this Section.
Section B Foreign Legal Consultants
1. Each Party shall, in implementing its obligations and commitments
regarding foreign legal consultants as set out in its relevant
Schedules and subject to any reservations therein, ensure that
a national of another Party is permitted to practice or advise
on the law of any country in which that national is authorized
to practice as a lawyer.
Consultations With Professional Bodies
2. Each Party shall consult with its relevant professional bodies
to obtain their recommendations on:
(a) the form of association or partnership between lawyers authorized
to practice in its territory and foreign legal consultants;
(b) the development of standards and criteria for the authorization
of foreign legal consultants in conformity with Article 1210;
and
(c) other matters relating to the provision of foreign legal consultancy
services.
3. Prior to initiation of consultations under paragraph 7, each
Party shall encourage its relevant professional bodies to consult
with the relevant professional bodies designated by each of the
other Parties regarding the development of joint recommendations
on the matters referred to in paragraph 2.
Future Liberalization
4. Each Party shall establish a work program to develop common
procedures throughout its territory for the authorization of foreign
legal consultants.
5. Each Party shall promptly review any recommendation referred
to in paragraphs 2 and 3 to ensure its consistency with this Agreement.
If the recommendation is consistent with this Agreement, each
Party shall encourage its competent authorities to implement the
recommendation within one year.
6. Each Party shall report to the Commission within one year of
the date of entry into force of this Agreement, and each year
thereafter, on its progress in implementing the work program referred
to in paragraph 4.
7. The Parties shall meet within one year of the date of entry
into force of this Agreement with a view to:
(a) assessing the implementation of paragraphs 2 through 5;
(b) amending or removing, where appropriate, reservations on foreign
legal consultancy services; and
(c) assessing further work that may be appropriate regarding foreign
legal consultancy services.
Section C Temporary Licensing of Engineers
1. The Parties shall meet within one year of the date of entry
into force of this Agreement to establish a work program to be
undertaken by each Party, in conjunction with its relevant professional
bodies, to provide for the temporary licensing in its territory
of nationals of another Party who are licensed as engineers in
the territory of that other Party.
2. To this end, each Party shall consult with its relevant professional
bodies to obtain their recommendations on:
(a) the development of procedures for the temporary licensing
of such engineers to permit them to practice their engineering
specialties in each jurisdiction in its territory;
(b) the development of model procedures for adoption by the competent
authorities throughout its territory to facilitate the temporary
licensing of such engineers;
(c) the engineering specialties to which priority should be given
in developing temporary licensing procedures; and
(d) other matters relating to the temporary licensing of engineers
identified by the Party in such consultations.
3. Each Party shall request its relevant professional bodies to
make recommendations on the matters referred to in paragraph 2
within two years of the date of entry into force of this Agreement.
4. Each Party shall encourage its relevant professional bodies
to meet at the earliest opportunity with the relevant professional
bodies of the other Parties with a view to cooperating in the
development of joint recommendations on the matters referred to
in paragraph 2 within two years of the date of entry into force
of this Agreement. Each Party shall request an annual report from
its relevant professional bodies on the progress achieved in developing
those recommendations.
5. The Parties shall promptly review any recommendation referred
to in paragraphs 3 or 4 to ensure its consistency with this Agreement.
If the recommendation is consistent with this Agreement, each
Party shall encourage its competent authorities to implement the
recommendation within one year.
6. The Commission shall review the implementation of this Section
within two years of the date of entry into force of this Section.
7. Appendix 1210.5C applies to the Parties specified therein.
Appendix 1210.5-C: Civil Engineers
The rights and obligations of Section C of Annex 1210.5 apply
to Mexico with respect to civil engineers ("ingenieros civiles")
and to such other engineering specialties that Mexico may designate.
Annex 1212: Land Transportation
Contact Points
1. Further to Article 1801 (Contact Points), each Party shall
designate by January 1, 1994 contact points to provide information
published by that Party relating to land transportation services
regarding operating authority, safety requirements, taxation,
data, studies and technology, and to provide assistance in contacting
its relevant government agencies.
Review Process
2. The Commission shall, during the fifth year after the date
of entry into force of this Agreement and during every second
year thereafter until the liberalization for bus and truck transportation
set out in the Parties' Schedules to Annex I is complete, receive
and consider a report from the Parties that assesses progress
respecting liberalization, including:
(a) the effectiveness of the liberalization;
(b) specific problems for, or unanticipated effects on, each Party's
bus and truck transportation industries arising from liberalization;
and
(c) modifications to the period for liberalization.
The Commission shall endeavor to resolve any matter arising from
its consideration of a report.
3. The Parties shall consult, no later than seven years after
the date of entry into force of this Agreement, to consider further
liberalization commitments.
Continue on to Chapter 13: Telecommunications