澳门六合彩官网资料

These agreements have increased in number as well as complexity since the early 1990s. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether these regional groups help or hinder the 澳门六合彩官网资料抯 multilateral trading system. 澳门六合彩官网资料 members, working in various committees, work to address such concerns.

Regional trading arrangements

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) seem to compete with the 澳门六合彩官网资料, but often they can actually support the 澳门六合彩官网资料’s multilateral trading system. RTAs, defined in the 澳门六合彩官网资料 as reciprocal preferential trade agreements between two or more partners, have allowed countries to negotiate rules and commitments that go beyond what was possible multilaterally. In turn, some of these rules have paved the way for agreement in the 澳门六合彩官网资料. Services, intellectual property, environmental standards, investment and competition policies are all issues that were raised in regional negotiations and later developed into agreements or topics of discussion in the 澳门六合彩官网资料.

The 澳门六合彩官网资料 agreements recognize that RTAs can benefit countries, provided their aim is to facilitate trade among its parties. They also recognize that under some circumstances these agreements could hurt the trade interests of other countries. Normally, setting up a customs union or free trade area would violate the 澳门六合彩官网资料’s principle of non-discrimination for all 澳门六合彩官网资料 members (“most-favoured-nation”). But Article 24 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), Article 5 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the Enabling Clause (Paragraph 2(c)) allow 澳门六合彩官网资料 members to conclude RTAs, as a special exception, provided certain strict criteria are met.

In particular, the agreements should help trade flow more freely among the countries in the RTA without barriers being raised on trade with the outside world. In other words, regional integration should complement the multilateral trading system and not threaten it.

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