Gulf Cooperation Council

(GCC)

Submitted to
Dr. James Manalel

Presented By,
Sudeep Peter (25)
Yuben Joseph (30)
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also known as the Cooperation Council
for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG) is a political and economic union
involving the six Arab states of the Persian Gulf with many economic and
social objectives.

The six Arab States are:

1. United Arab Emirates
2. Kuwait
3. Bahrain
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Oman
6. Qatar

Formation
Created on May 25, 1981, the 630-million-acre (2500000 km2) Council
comprises the Persian Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The unified economic
agreement between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was
signed on November 11, 1981 in Riyadh. These countries are often
referred to as The GCC States. Iran and Iraq are currently excluded
although both nations have a coastline on the Persian Gulf. The
associate membership of Iraq in certain GCC-related institutions was
discontinued after the invasion of Kuwait. The GCC States have
announced that they support the Document of The International
Compact with Iraq that was adopted at Sharm El-Sheikh on 4-5 May
2007. It calls for regional economic integration with the neighbouring
states but there is no prospect of Iraqi accession to the GCC. Yemen is
(currently) in negotiations for GCC membership, and hopes to join by
2016.

A GCC common market was launched on January 1, 2008. The common

market grants national treatment to all GCC firms and citizens in any
other GCC country, and in doing so removes all barriers to cross country
investment and services trade. A customs union was declared in 2003,
but practical implementation has lagged behind. Indeed, shortly
afterwards, Bahrain concluded a separate Free Trade Agreement with
the USA, in effect cutting through the GCC's agreement, and causing
much friction. The GCC members and Yemen are also members of the
Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). However, this is unlikely to
significantly affect the agenda of the GCC as it has a more aggressive
timetable than GAFTA and is seeking greater integration.

Main objectives
Among the stated objectives are:
• formulating similar regulations in various fields such as economy,
finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, and administration;
• fostering scientific and technical progress in industry, mining,
agriculture, water and animal resources;
• establishing scientific research centers;
• setting up joint ventures;
• unified military presence The Peninsula Shield
• encouraging cooperation of the private sector;
• strengthening ties between their peoples; and
• establishing a common currency by 2010;
However, Oman had announced in December 2006 it will not be able to
meet the target date and the UAE have announced their withdrawal
from the monetary union project in May 2009. This happened
immediately after it was announced that the central bank for the
monetary union would be located in Riyadh and not in the UAE. The
name Khaleeji has been proposed as a name for this currency.

Economy
This area has some of the fastest growing economies in the world,
mostly due to a boom in oil and natural gas revenues coupled with a
building and investment boom backed by decades of saved petroleum
revenues. In an effort to build a tax base and economic foundation
before the reserves run out, the UAE's investment arms, including Abu
Dhabi Investment Authority, retain over $900 billion in assets. Other
regional funds also have several hundred billion dollars.
The region is also an emerging hotspot for events, including the 2006
Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Doha also submitted an application for the
2016 Summer Olympic Games, although this bid was unsuccessful
having recently been dropped from the list of candidate cities. In 2006,
its GDP (nominal) was $717.8 billion (IMF April 2007), led by spectacular
growth in United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In 2007, its GDP (nominal)
was $1,022.62 billion (IMF April 2008). IMF predicts its GDP to reach
$1,112.076 billion at end of 2008 and $1,210.112 billion at end of 2009.
Qatar is expected to overtake top ranked Luxembourg in GDP (nominal)
per capita next year for the world's top spot. See List of countries by
GDP (nominal) per capita.
Recently, the leaders of the Council have come under fire for doing too
little to combat the economic downturn. While GCC countries were
among the first hit - and the first to respond to the crisis - their programs
have been prone to disparities, and they have placed their region on the
brink of even deeper crises. Recovery plans have been criticized for
crowding out the private sector, failing to set clear priorities for growth,
failing to restore weak consumer and investor confidence, and
undermining long-term stability.

THE UNIFIED ECONOMIC AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE COUNTRIES OF THE GULF COOPERATION
COUNCIL
The Governments of the Member States of the Arab Gulf Cooperation
Council; In accordance with the Charter thereof, which calls for closer
relations and stronger links; and , desiring to develop extend and
enhance their economic ties on solid foundations, in the best interest of
their peoples and for the sake of working to coordinate and standardize
their economic, financial and monetary policies, as well as their
commercial and industrial legislation, and Customs regulations have
agreed as follows:
CHAPTER ONE
TRADE EXCHANGE
ARTICLE 1
a. The Member States shall permit the importation and exportation of
agricultural, animal, industrial and natural resource products that are of
national origin. Also, they shall permit exportation thereof to other
Member States.
b. All agricultural, animal, industrial and natural resource products that
are from Member States shall receive the same treatment as national
products.
ARTICLE 2
1. All agricultural, animal, industrial and natural resource products that
are of national origin shall be exempted from reciprocal charges.
2. Fees charged for specific services such as demurrage, storage,
transportation, freight or unloading, shall not be considered as customs
duties when they are levied on domestic products.
ARTICLE 3
1. For products of national origin to qualify as national manufactured
products, the value added ensuing from their production in Member
States shall not be less than 40% of their final value as at the
termination of the production phase. In addition Member States citizens'
share in the ownership of the producing plant shall not be less than
51%.
2. Every item enjoying exemption hereby shall be accompanied by a
certificate of origin duly authenticated by the appropriate government
agency concerned.
ARTICLE 4
1. Member States shall established uniform minimum Customs tariff
applicable to the products of countries other than G.C.C. Member States.
2. One of the objectives of the uniform Customs tariff shall be the
protection of national products from foreign competition.
3. The uniform Customs tariff shall be implemented gradually within five
years from the date on which this agreement becomes effective.
Arrangements for its gradual implementation shall be agreed upon
within one year from the said date.
ARTICLE 5
Member States shall grant all facilities for the transit of any Member
State's goods to other Member States, exempting them from all duties
and taxes whoever, without prejudice to the provisions of Paragraph 2 of
Article 2.
ARTICLE 6
Transit shall be denied to any goods that are barred from entry into the
territory of a Member State by its local regulations. Lists of such goods
shall be exchanged between the Customs authorities of the Member
States.
ARTICLE 7
Member states shall coordinate their commercial policies and relations
with other states and regional economic groupings and blocs with a view
to creating balanced trade relations and equitable circumstances and
terms of trade therewith. To achieve this goal, the Member States shall
make the following arrangements:
1. Coordination of import / export policies and regulations.
2. Coordination of policies for building up strategic food stocks.
3. Conclusion of collective economic agreements in cases where joint
benefits to Member States would be realized.
4. Taking of action for the creation of collective negotiating power to
strengthen their negotiating position vis-à-vis foreign parties in the field
of importation of basic needs and exportation of major products.

CHAPTER TWO
THE MOVEMENT OF CAPITAL AND INDIVIDUALS AND THE EXERCISE OF
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
ARTICLE 8
The Member States shall agree on executive principles to ensure that
each Member State shall grant the citizens of all other Member States
the same treatment as is granted to its own citizens without any
discrimination of differentiation in the following fields:
1. Freedom of movement, work and residence.
2. Right of ownership, inheritance and bequest.
3. Freedom of exercising economic activity.
4. Free movement of capital. ARTICLE 9
The Member States shall encourage their respective private sectors to
establish joint ventures in order to link their citizen's economic interests
in various spheres of activity.
CHAPTER THREE
COORDINATION OF DEVELOPMENT
ARTICLE 10
The Member States shall endeavour to achieve the coordination and
harmonization of their respective plans with a view to achieving
integration in economic affairs:
ARTICLE 11
1. The Member States shall endeavour to coordinate their policies with
regard to all aspects of the oil industry including extraction, refining,
marketing, processing, pricing, the exploitation of natural gas, and
development of energy sources.
2. The Member States shall endeavor to formulate united oil policies and
adopt common positions vis-à-vis the outside world, and in international
and specialized organizations.
ARTICLE 12
To achieve the objectives specified in this Agreement, the Member
States shall
1. Coordinate industrial activities, formulate policies and mechanism
which will lead to industrial development and the diversification of their
products on an integrated basis.
2. Standardize their industrial legislation and regulations and guide their
local production units to meet their needs.
3. Allocate industries between Member States according to relative
advantages and economic feasibility, and encourage the establishment
of basic as well as ancillary industries.
ARTICLE 13
Within the framework of their coordinating activities, the Member States
shall pay special attention to the establishment of joint ventures in the
fields of industry, agriculture and services, and shall support them with
public, private or mixed capital in order to achieve economic integration,
productive interface, and common development on sound economic
bases.

CHAPTER FOUR
TECHNICAL COOPERATION
ARTICLE 14
The Member States shall collaborate in finding spheres for common
technical cooperation aimed at building a genuine local base founded on
encouragement and support of research and applied sciences and
technology as well as adapting imported technology to meet the needs
of the region and to achieve the objectives of progress and
development.
ARTICLE 15
Member States shall establish procedures, make arrangement and lay
down terms for the transfer of technology, selecting the most suitable or
introducing such changes thereto as would serve their various needs.
Member States shall also, whenever feasible, conclude uniform
agreements with foreign governments and scientific or commercial
organizations to achieve these objectives.
ARTICLE 1 6
Members States shall formulate policies and implement coordinated
programs for technical, vocational and professional training and
qualification at all levels and stages. They shall also develop educational
curricula at all levels to link education and technology with the
development needs of the Member States.
ARTICLE 17
Member States shall coordinate their manpower policies and shall
formulate uniform and standardized criteria and classifications for the
various categories of occupations and crafts in different sectors in order
to avoid harmful competition among themselves and to optimize the
utilization of available human resources.

CHAPTER FIVE
TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS
ARTICLE 18
Member States shall accord passenger and cargo transportation
belonging to citizens of the other Member States, when transiting or
entering its territory, the same treatment they accord to the means of
passenger and cargo transportation belonging to their own citizens,
including exemption from all duties and taxes, whatsoever. However,
local means of transportation are excluded.
ARTICLE 19
1. Member States shall cooperate in the fields of land and sea
transportation, and communications. They shall also coordinate and
establish infrastructure projects such as seaports, airports, water and
power stations and roads, with a view to realizing joint economic
development and the linking of their economic activities with each
other.
2. The contracting states shall coordinate aviation and air transport
policies among them and promote all areas of joint action at various
levels.
ARTICLE 20
Member States shall allow steamers, ships and boats and their cargoes,
belonging to any Member State freely to use the various port facilities
and grant them the same treatment and privileges granted to their own
in docking or calling at the ports as concerns fees, pilotage and docking
services, freight, loading and unloading, maintenance, repair, storage of
goods and other similar services.
CHAPTER SIX
FINANCIAL AND MONETARY COOPERATION
ARTICLE 21
Member States shall seek to unify investment rules and regulations in
order to achieve a joint investment policy aimed at directing their
domestic and foreign investments towards serving their interest, and
realizing their peoples' aspirations for development and progress.
ARTICLE 22
Member States shall seek to coordinate their financial, monetary and
banking policies and enhance cooperation between monetary agencies
and central banks, including the endevour to establish a joint currency in
order to further their desired economic.
ARTICLE 23
Member States shall seek to coordinate their external policies in the
sphere of international and regional development aid.
CHAPTER SEVEN
CLOSING PROVISIONS
ARTICLE 24
In the execution of the Agreement and determination of the procedures
resulting therefrom, consideration shall be given to differences in the
levels of development as between Member States and the local
development priorities of each. Any Member States may be temporarily
exempted from applying such provisions of this Agreement as may be
necessitated by temporary local situations in that state of specific
circumstances faced by it. Such exemption shall be for a specified period
and shall be the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council of the Arab
States of the Gulf.
ARTICLE 25
No Member State shall grant any non-member state any preferential
privilege exceeding that granted herein.
ARTICLE 26
a. This Agreement shall enter into force four months after its approval
by the Supreme Council.
b. This Agreement may be amended by consent of the Supreme Council.
ARTICLE 27
In case of conflict with local laws and regulations of Member States,
execution of the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail.
ARTICLE 28
Provisions herein shall supersede any similar provisions contained in
bilateral agreements. Drawn up at Riyadh on 15 Muharram 1402,
corresponding to 11 November 1981.