METHODOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT ASSESSMENTS OF PROPOSALS FOR NEW TRADE AGREEMENTS

2001 ◽  
Vol 03 (03) ◽  
pp. 395-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
NORMAN LEE ◽  
COLIN KIRKPATRICK
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
World Trade Organisation ◽  
Social Effects ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
Sustainability Impact Assessment

In the build-up to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Meeting in November 1999, and its aftermath, considerable interest has been expressed in the likely economic, environmental and social effects of trade liberalisation on sustainable development. This article explores the methodological challenges which are faced when undertaking a sustainability impact assessment (SIA) at different stages in multilateral trade negotiations. The article draws upon the authors' experiences when undertaking a preliminary SIA in advance of the proposed WTO New Round, and explores how the methodology used might need to be elaborated for use in later stages of the negotiating process. Given existing methodological deficiencies and data shortages, it points to some of the dangers in being over-ambitious and proposes, as an interim solution, the more detailed and specific application of "simpler" methods already in use.

scholarly journals Free Trade Agreements: WTO and ASEAN Implications

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 95-111
Author(s):  
Jose L. Tongzon
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
World Trade Organization ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
Asean Countries

The World Trade Organization (WTO) (formerly GATT) was established primarily to achieve free trade across the globe based on the principle of non-discrimination and the process of multilateral trade negotiations. The fact that most countries are members of WTO reflects the worldwide belief in the benefits of a global free trade. Despite its achievements since the first round of multilateral trade negotiations was held, the effectiveness of the process has been called into question. Most WTO members are now proposing new regional trading arrangements (RTAs), such as free trade agreements (FTAs). What implication does these RTAs have for the WTO and ASEAN countries? Should ASEAN countries give regionalism priority over the WTO-based multilateral approach? To answer this questions, this paper will first summarize the motivations behind the formation of RTAs before presenting the merits and demerits of RTAs as an approach to achieve universal free trade and maximize developing countries' welfare. It is argued that despite its inherent limitations it is important for ASEAN countries to remain primarily committed to the principles of WTO and the process of multilateral trade negotiations.

Anti-Dumping Policy after the Uruguay Round—an Appraisal

1996 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 98-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Grimwade
Keyword(s):  
World Trade ◽  
Uruguay Round ◽  
World Trade Organisation ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
Final Agreement ◽  
Heads Of State ◽  
Similar Basis

In December, 1993, the round of multilateral trade negotiations known as the Uruguay Round was at last successfully concluded, seven years after it was launched at Punta del Este in Uruguay and three years later than it was scheduled to finish. This was the eighth and, almost certainly, the last round of GATT which is likely to take place on a similar basis. Up until the last minutes, it was uncertain whether any agreement would emerge. The final agreement was formally signed by the contracting parties at a gathering of Heads of State at Marrakech, Morocco and amidst great fanfare in April 1994. On January lst, 1995, the provisions of the Agreement took effect, including the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as the successor to the GATT.

Challenged in Geneva: WTO Litigation Experience and the Design of Preferential Trade Agreements

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Simon Wüthrich ◽  
Manfred Elsig
Keyword(s):  
World Trade Organization ◽  
World Trade ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Preferential Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Disputes ◽  
Preferential Trade ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
Track Record ◽  
The World

Abstract What explains the design of international institutions? Existing research has largely neglected how experience in cooperation in one set of international institutions impacts on design choices made by states in other globally-oriented institutions. We contribute to this evolving debate by analyzing spillovers in experience in international trade. We argue that countries' track record of interaction in multilateral trade disputes affects the design of their preferential trade agreements (PTAs). If a country participates in a complaint against a prospective PTA partner at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the challenge in Geneva alerts the defendant's import-competing industries with respect to potential challenges under the planned PTA. As a result, these industries exert pressure on their government to preserve leeway under the future treaty, leading to increased flexibility and a lower level of enforcement in the PTA. We find support for our hypotheses in an empirical analysis of 347 PTAs concluded post 1990.

scholarly journals Glossary on free trade agreements and health part 1: the shift from multilateralism and the rise of ‘WTO-Plus’ provisions

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-215104
Author(s):  
Courtney L McNamara ◽  
Ronald Labonte ◽  
Ashley Schram ◽  
Belinda Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Key Terms

The global trading system has undergone a shift away from multilateral trade negotiations to a ‘spaghetti-bowl’ of regional and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). In this two-part glossary, we discuss why this shift has occurred, focusing on how it poses new challenges for public health. Specifically, we introduce key terms that shape this new trading environment and explain them through a public health lens. Part 1 of this glossary focuses on provisions in FTAs that build on previous agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO). These provisions are commonly designated as ‘WTO-Plus’. This approach continues into part 2 of the glossary, which also considers components of FTAs that have no precedent within WTO treaties. Following a broader discussion of how the current political context and the COVID-19 pandemic shape the contemporary trade environment, part 2 considers the main areas of trade and health policy incoherence as well as recommendations to address them.

The Decisions Bridging the GATT 1947 and the WTO Agreement

1996 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick M. Moore
Keyword(s):  
World Trade Organization ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Uruguay Round ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
Gatt 1947

On September 20, 1986, the contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1947 (GATT 1947) agreed to launch an eighth round of multilateral trade negotiations known as the Uruguay Round. More than seven years later they concluded the round, not with an amended version of the GATT 1947, but with an entirely new treaty, the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.

scholarly journals Agriculture in the WTO: A European Union Perspective

2000 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-202
Author(s):  
Tassos Haniotis
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
World Trade Organization ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Essential Questions

The failure of the Seattle Ministerial to launch a new Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations raised a series of essential questions concerning the future of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is only natural, considering the expectations that were raised before the Ministerial, the unprecedented extent of public discontent (albeit of various, often opposing tendencies), and the at-this-stage uncertain follow-up.

scholarly journals MULTILATERALISM OR BILATERALISM: THE EU TRADE POLICY IN AN AGE OF THE WTO CRISIS

Ekonomika ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Anna Wróbel
Keyword(s):  
Trade Policy ◽  
World Trade ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
World Trade Organisation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Trade Relations ◽  
The World ◽  
The Eu

Abstract. The aim of the study is to analyze the EU trade policy in the age of the World Trade Organization (WTO) crisis. In addition to the WTO membership and a number of international agreements within this organisation, the EU is a party to many bilateral trade agreements and negotiating further. It is the side effect of the protracted negotiations in the WTO under the Doha Development Round. The paper discusses the process of proliferation of bilateral trade agreements in the world economy and its importance for the EU. The article is divided into three parts. Part One identifies the determinants of the WTO crisis. Part Two discusses the process of proliferation of bilateral trade agreements in the world economy. Part Three analyzes the EU trade policy and the system of the EU preferential trade agreements. It also examines trade relations of the EU with the Republic of Korea, India, and the United States of America as an illustration of the new EU trade strategy.Key words: bilateralism, European Union, common commercial policy, World Trade Organisation

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document