scholarly journals African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement and the Mega-Regional Trade Agreements (MRTAs): what are the underlying challenges and prospects for Africa-South-South trade?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 413-432
Author(s):  
Anayochukwu Basil Chukwu ◽  
Tobechi Agbanike ◽  
Lasbrey Anochiwa
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Regional Trade Agreements ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Trade Share ◽  
Almost All

This study examines the possible challenges and prospects of the recent signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement on South-South trade. The recent ratification of the agreement by the African Union (AU) Heads of Government and the establishment of the mega-regional trade agreements (MRTAs) by the major global trading economies are the biggest since the establishment of the WTO. One of these regional and continental agreements' principal objectives is to further strengthen trade terms and balance of trade statistics between member nations. Whereas almost all the regional and continental blocs have to a large extent, achieved the purpose of their trade agreements, Africa stands out as the only region whose intra-trade value still constitutes less than 15% of global trade share. Many reasons have been adduced to be responsible for the weak trade performance, one of which is weak regional integration. This study, therefore, concludes that for Africa to achieve significant improvement in global trade, the region needs to encourage regional trade, which will act as a catalyst for transforming the domestic economies and lay a robust foundation for healthy regional competition and integration

Government Procurement in the WTO: A Case for Greater Integration

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-670
Author(s):  
KAMALA DAWAR
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Government Procurement ◽  
Regional Trade Agreements ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
The North

This article assesses the regulation of government procurement in the WTO, specifically under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA), the General Agreement on Tariffs in Trade (GATT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM). It compares these findings from leading regional trade agreements (RTAs) with government procurement regulation, most notably the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

scholarly journals The Southern African Development Community Trade Legal Instruments Compliance with Certain Criteria of GATT Article XXIV

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 286
Author(s):  
A Saurombe
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Regional Trade Agreements ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Legal Principles ◽  
Customs Unions ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Multilateral Trading System

Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) lays down the legal principles with which regional trade agreements have to conform.  Based on these principles, WTO members have the mandate to determine the legality of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) under the GATT.  Article XXIV permits both regional and bilateral preferential trade agreements leading to the formation of customs unions and free trade areas, and seeks to integrate them in the multilateral trading system envisioned for the world.  SADC is an RTA created under this Article. Notwithstanding the controversies surrounding the provisions and interpretation of Article XXIV, this paper seeks to establish the extent to which the SADC Protocol on Trade and free trade area comply with WTO rules. An analysis of selected Article XXIV provisions and the SADC Trade Protocol provisions will be undertaken in trying to establish this compliance.

New Regionalism in East Asia and its Relationship with the WTO and APEC

2002 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Hoon Lee ◽  
Peter J. Lloyd ◽  
Chung-Mo Koo
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Regional Trade Agreements ◽  
New Regionalism ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Future Evolution ◽  
Trade Area

Since the 1997–98 financial crisis, the countries of East Asia have been giving more attention to ways of expanding intra regional trade that include: the establishment of regional trade agreements (RTAs) such as ASEAN+3; plans to establish a free trade area involving the economies of ASEAN and China; as well as moves towards bilateral trade agreements. The trend towards this new regionalism, the reasons for it, its impact upon the region, its future evolution and prospects are of profound regional, and indeed global, significance This paper reviews the new regionalism in East Asia in recent years, and discusses how it relates with the WTO and APEC.

scholarly journals Eliminating ‘Thick’ Borders: Analysing the Legal Framework on Non-Tariff Barriers in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-194
Author(s):  
Catherine Penda
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Global Marketplace ◽  
Trade Area

African countries have long recognised that regional integration is vital if Africa is to optimise its growth potential and boost its bargaining power in the global marketplace. This explains the proliferation of several Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) across the continent culminating in the conclusion of the landmark African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). However, despite the concerted efforts to boost intra-trade among African countries, African borders remain ‘thick’ because of the continued existence of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) that reverse gains made from initiatives of trade liberalisation. Accordingly, if the landmark Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is to be successful, it must strive to address and eliminate Africa’s NTBs. It is argued in this paper that while the AfCFTA makes some important strides in reducing NTBs in intra-African trade, there are still some significant gaps in the AfCFTA’s provisions on NTBs that need to be addressed. Some of these gaps include: the lack of a comprehensive legal framework that adequately addresses all the categories of NTBs and the lack of clear guidelines on how to promote harmonisation among conflicting measures among RTAs. This article singles out and analyses provisions on NTBs under the AfCFTA with the aim of determining whether the AfCFTA addresses the challenges currently facing other RTAs in tackling NTBs. The author will identify shortcomings in the legal framework of the AfCFTA with the aim of making proposals to address them.

The Changing Anatomy of Regional Trade Agreements in East Asia

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kati Suominen
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Regional Trade Agreements ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
The Political ◽  
Rules Of Origin ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
East Asian Region ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Tariff Liberalization

The recent proliferation of regional trade agreements in the East Asian region can be seen as the most notable development in the region's trading panorama in recent years. Yet, very little is as yet understood about the anatomy of these agreements and, consequently, their full implications to the regional economy. This article strives to fill this gap by analyzing the structure of four dozen RTAs by their various key component parts, including tariff liberalization schedules, rules of origin, and competition policy, customs, investment, and services provisions. The results reveal that intra-Asian RTAs are generally quite rapidly liberalizing, with the exception of agriculture, but they are also quite thin in trade-related disciplines when compared with the more legalistic US trans-Pacific RTAs and those of Mexico and Chile. The proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific would inherently be a construct of the political economy interests of these various constituent RTAs.

scholarly journals South Asian Free Trade Area and Indo-Pakistan Trade

2004 ◽  
Vol 43 (4II) ◽  
pp. 943-958
Author(s):  
Indra Nath Mukherji
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Liberalisation ◽  
Trade Restrictions ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Common External Tariff ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Preferential Trading ◽  
The Impact

Preferential trading is one of the mildest forms of an integrative arrangement. Under the arrangement, the Contracting States (CS) offer a preferential margin with respect to trade barriers in relation to their MFN rates. CS having disparate levels of development as well as trade regimes, find this an acceptable instrument for initiating regional trade liberalisation. Such an arrangement nevertheless provides the building blocks towards accelerated regional trade liberalisation culminating in a free trade area within a defined time frame. Under a free trade area the CS eliminate all trade restrictions on their mutual trade, while maintaining restrictions in their trade with non-CS at a level they deem appropriate. When all CS decide on a common external tariff, then the arrangement translates itself in a more cohesive customs union. The arrangement translates to a common market when all CS agree not only to allow free movement of goods and services, but all the factors of production including capital and labour. Finally, the most comprehensive form of an integrative arrangement results from an economic union, which integrates national economic policies of CS and leads to the adoption of a common currency. The Agreement on South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA), which became operational since December 7th, 1995 thus, symbolises the beginnings of the very first stage of an integrative arrangement among the member countries of SAARC. The decision made at the Twelfth SAARC Summit at Islamabad in January 2004 to launch South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) from January 2006 would mark the second stage of the process of integration in the region. The main focus of this paper is to assess the impact of SAPTA on Indo-Pak trade.

Trade Blocks and the Gravity Model: Evidence from Western Hemispheric Countries

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-156
Author(s):  
E.M. Ekanayake ◽  
Amit Mukherjee ◽  
Bala Veeramacheneni
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Model ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Flows ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Regional Trade ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Model Evidence ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Trade Blocks

We analyze the major trade blocks in Western Hemisphere and their effects on intra-regional trade flows using data for the period 1980-2006. We use an augmented gravity model to estimate the effect of various trade blocks on trade flows within and across membership other Western Hemispheric countries. The findings of this study are consistent with findings of previous studies on Western Hemisphere trade flows and shed some light on whether the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas is beneficial or not for Western Hemispheric countries.

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