Regional trade agreements (ATRs) have multiplied over the years and have achieved, including a significant increase in major multilateral agreements being negotiated. Non-discrimination between trading partners is one of the fundamental principles of the WTO; However, reciprocal preferential agreements between two or more partners are one of the exceptions and are allowed by the WTO subject to a number of provisions. Information on WTO-notified ATRs is available in the RTA database. Online Research Documents General documents relating to regional trade agreements carry the WT/REG document code. As part of the Doha Agenda trade negotiations mandate, they use TN/RL/O (additional values needed). These links open a new window: Allow a moment for the results to appear. A regional trade agreement (RTA) is a treaty between two or more governments that sets the trade rules for all signatories. Examples of regional trade agreements include the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central American-Dominican Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), the European Union (EU) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Deep trade agreements are an important institutional infrastructure for regional integration. They reduce business costs and set many rules in which economies are active. If designed effectively, they can improve political cooperation between countries and thus promote international trade and international investment, economic growth and social well-being.
World Bank Group Survey: Report on the Treatment of Medical Devices in Regional Trade Agreements (ATR) In collaboration with partners such as the WTO and the OECD, the World Bank`s client group informs and supports countries wishing to sign or deepen regional trade agreements. In practical terms, the WBG`s work focuses on the number of regional trade agreements that change their nature. In 1990, 50 trade agreements were in force. In 2017, there were more than 280. In many trade agreements, negotiations today go beyond tariffs and cover several policy areas relating to trade and investment in goods and services, including rules that go beyond borders, such as competition policy, public procurement rules and intellectual property rights. ATRs, which cover tariffs and other border measures, are “flat” agreements; THE RTAs, which cover more policy areas at the border and at the back of the border, are “deep” agreements. Ruta, M. 2017. “Preferential Trade Agreements and Global Value Chains: Theory, Evidence, and Open Questions.” Policy Research Working Paper Serie 8190. World Bank, Washington, DC.
Negotiations to clarify and improve WTO disciplines with respect to ATRs are covered by the work of the Internal Settlement Negotiating Group, which reports to the Trade Negotiations Committee. The search criteria are cumulative, i.e. if several criteria are used, the research finds reports in which all criteria are identical. In 2006, WTO members agreed to put in place an interim mechanism to increase the transparency of ATRs and to understand their impact on the multilateral system. As part of this process, WTO members inform the WTO of their ATRs and these are discussed as broadly wto membership, based on a substantive presentation drawn up by the WTO secretariat. Osnago, A., N. Rocha and M. Ruta. 2017.
“Do deep trade agreements directly promote vertical trade agreements for this?” World Bank Economic Review 30 (supplement): 119-125. Mulabdic, A., A. Osnago and M. Ruta. “Deep Integration and UK-EU Trade Relations.” In The Economics of UK-EU Relations, published by Nauro F.