Trade Facilitation and the WTO

Trade Facilitation and the WTO
Author: Sheela Rai
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2019-06-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1527536335

With efforts for further substantive liberalization of trade showing little signs of success, focus has shifted to the rationalization and simplification of procedural regulations in international trade. The Agreement on the Trade Facilitation in Goods came into force in 2017, and proposals for similar agreements for trade in services and foreign investment have been submitted and are under discussion. This book discusses both existing and proposed provisions on trade facilitation within the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It covers relevant General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provisions and jurisprudence, the negotiating history of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in Goods, provisions of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and their relevance for developing countries’ concerns, with special emphasis on India, and the prospects for a global digital trade facilitation platform. The book also discusses the desirability for trade facilitation agreements for services and investment and the possibility of success of the proposals submitted in this regard in the WTO.

Fostering Trade in Africa

Fostering Trade in Africa
Author: Gbadebo O.A. Odularu
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2020-03-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3030366324

This book discusses trade relations and facilitation issues at both the regional and the continental African level, highlighting the increasing business opportunities and challenges that confront Africa in the digital age. It also examines the effects of trade policies and other policy instruments on Africa’s economic development and presents workable policy measures for a more business-friendly ecosystem. Discussing various topics, including trade relations between African countries, African and international trade agreements, and trade liberalization policies, the book appeals to scholars of economics, business and management as well as professionals and policymakers interested in fostering free trade and sustainable business development in Africa.

Implementing a WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation

Implementing a WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation
Author: J. M. Finger
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2006
Genre: Commerce
ISBN:

"Contrary to the prevailing view that the Doha negotiations have achieved little, the authors find that on trade facilitation much progress has been made. This is particularly true in regard to action by development banks and bilateral development agencies to meet client demand for assistance in reform. Active private sector participation has been an important factor driving change. Many agencies have been involved in this work. The authors find that their roles have been consistent with their comparative advantages. As to how the international community can best support continued progress, the authors conclude in favor of a cautious approach to the imposition of new WTO obligations in the area of trade facilitation. On the whole, this is the approach the WTO has taken, for example, by limiting its negotiations on trade facilitation to several specific provisions of the GATT. The WTO can continue to function as a catalyst for reform. It is perhaps uniquely placed to relate the trade facilitation agenda to the overall trade agenda. On design and construction of the relevant infrastructures and capacities to spur development, the development institutions, including bilateral agencies, should continue to lead. The authors find little evidence to support the need for a comprehensive new "platform" or mechanism to channel trade-related aid as part of implementation of any new agreement at the WTO on trade facilitation. They recommend, however, that an innovative approach to using the well established, but under utilized Trade Policy Review Mechanism be considered to increase transparency on where new aid is going over time and to expand understanding of where and how country-based progress has been achieved."--World Bank web site.

Trade Facilitation in the Multilateral Trading System

Trade Facilitation in the Multilateral Trading System
Author: Hao Wu
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2018-07-11
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0429886748

Negotiations on trade facilitation were concluded at the WTO 9th Ministerial Conference in 2013, and the Agreements on Trade Facilitation (TFA), therefore, became the first fully multilateral agreement in WTO history. Since then, trade facilitation has been in the limelight on the stage of the world trading system. During recent years, the TFA has been consistently on the agenda of the summits of G20, G7, and APEC. The Agreement has come into force and shall be implemented on a global scale. As a result, the WTO members shall be prepared to translate the Agreement into their domestic legislation, which will involve a series of reforms in trade laws and policies. There are extensive voices demanding a comprehensive expatiation on trade facilitation and the TFA. It is essential to systematically delve into the genesis of trade facilitation, revisit the course where the TFA came into being, and analyse the well-turned legalese of the TFA. This book meets this demand. This book is path-breaking in these aspects: it expounds on the rationales for trade facilitation and the significance of constituting an international accord on trade facilitation; it restores the one-century track of the international community’s talks on trade facilitation, from the times of the League of Nations to the WTO era; it reveals how the WTO negotiating mechanisms enabled the TFA to be nailed down, which would be enlightening for trade diplomats engaged in other WTO negotiations; and it provides an in-depth commentary on the TFA articles, which will help stakeholders more accurately understand and implement the Agreement. This book will be especially valuable for government officials and policy-makers, trade practitioners, lawyers, advisers, and scholars interested in international economic law, WTO law, international trade, international relations, and international development studies.

The Trade Facilitation Agreement and Its Relationship with Other WTO Agreements

The Trade Facilitation Agreement and Its Relationship with Other WTO Agreements
Author: Nora Neufeld
Publisher: World Trade Organization
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020-07-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9789287041296

The Trade Facilitation Agreement is the first multilateral treaty adopted in the WTO since the organization was created. This book looks at how the Agreement is structured and how it relates to existing WTO agreements, such as the Customs Valuation Agreement, the Agreement on Rules of Origin, the Agreement on Import Licensing, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and the Agreement on Pre-Shipment Inspection. The publication includes the full text of the Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Asian Free Trade Agreements and WTO Compatibility

Asian Free Trade Agreements and WTO Compatibility
Author: Shintaro Hamanaka
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2014
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9814460419

This book investigates the appropriate relationship between regionalism and multilateralism, with a special reference to recent FTAs in Asia. It is undeniable that past trade multilateralism-regionalism debates centered on the trade-in-goods aspect.

Trade Facilitation

Trade Facilitation
Author: Patricia Sourdin
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 085793743X

'In the last decade trade costs have been a subject of intense study in the international trade literature. Richard Pomfret and Patricia Sourdin provide a timely and accessible summary of what we know so far. Their comprehensive review of what we have learned is paired here with important new research in the area of trade facilitation. This is important reading for policymakers interested in international trade and trade-related economic development.' Russell Hillberry, University of Melbourne, Australia 'Few topics are as important in international economics as trade costs. Surprisingly, there are few studies that explicitly address that issue in detail. This makes the book of great value to both professional economists and policy makers worldwide helping them to understand the different concepts of trade costs, their determinants and how to reduce them using trade facilitation measures. The book is very well written and a must read for any person that has an interest in trade costs!' Matthias Busse, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany This up-to-date and informative book provides a comprehensive treatment of the costs of trading across borders and of trade facilitation policies. While traditional tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade have been reduced, international trade continues to involve higher costs in money and time than domestic trade. These include not only transport costs, that are determined by distance and commodity characteristics, but also at-the-border and behind-the-border costs which can be reduced by appropriate policies. Research on trade costs has flourished since the turn of the century, and this book by Patricia Sourdin and Richard Pomfret, takes stock of our increased knowledge of the nature and magnitude of trade costs, analysing why they are high and how they can be reduced to increase the gains from trade. Trade Facilitation will appeal to economists and policymakers at the national level and in multinational institutions, researchers and postgraduate students interested in international trade and trade policy, as well as students in international business.

An Exploration of the Need for and Cost of Selected Trade Facilitation Measures in Asia and the Pacific in the Context of the WTO Negotiations

An Exploration of the Need for and Cost of Selected Trade Facilitation Measures in Asia and the Pacific in the Context of the WTO Negotiations
Author: United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Publisher: UN
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2006
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

"This publication presents the findings and results of an exploratory ARTNeT [Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade] study on the need for and cost of implementation of selected trade facilitation measures (TFMs) related to GATT Articles V, VIII and X. It is based on six ARTNeT working papers issued between January and April 2006."--P. vii.

Implementing a WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation

Implementing a WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation
Author: Joseph Michael Finger
Publisher:
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

Contrary to the prevailing view that the Doha negotiations have achieved little, the authors find that on trade facilitation much progress has been made. This is particularly true in regard to action by development banks and bilateral development agencies to meet client demand for assistance in reform. Active private sector participation has been an important factor driving change. Many agencies have been involved in this work. The authors find that their roles have been consistent with their comparative advantages. As to how the international community can best support continued progress, the authors conclude in favor of a cautious approach to the imposition of new WTO obligations in the area of trade facilitation. On the whole, this is the approach the WTO has taken, for example, by limiting its negotiations on trade facilitation to several specific provisions of the GATT. The WTO can continue to function as a catalyst for reform. It is perhaps uniquely placed to relate the trade facilitation agenda to the overall trade agenda. On design and construction of the relevant infrastructures and capacities to spur development, the development institutions, including bilateral agencies, should continue to lead. The authors find little evidence to support the need for a comprehensive newplatformor mechanism to channel trade-related aid as part of implementation of any new agreement at the WTO on trade facilitation. They recommend, however, that an innovative approach to using the well established, but under utilized Trade Policy Review Mechanism be considered to increase transparency on where new aid is going over time and to expand understanding of where and how country-based progress has been achieved.