Trade liberalisation in South Asia: free trade area or customs union?*

2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahinda Siriwardana
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Liberalisation ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Trade Area

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.

THE ROLE OF SADC IN BOOSTING DOMESTIC, REGIONAL, CONTINENTAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-98
Author(s):  
Ghazala Begum Essop
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
The European Union ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Regional Economic ◽  
Trade Area

The role of regional economic communities in the development of trade in Africa is widely recognised. Currently, intra-African trade stands at 10 per cent. This is in sharp contrast to other developing regions of the world. In Asia and Latin America, the levels of intra-trade are 50 and 26 per cent, respectively. There are a number of reasons accounting for the low level of intra-African trade, including the weak mandate given to regional economic communities to monitor and enforce the commitments assumed by countries under regional trade agreements. The lack of integration has negatively impacted on African countries and affected their ability to attract foreign direct investment commensurate with their development needs. Had African countries been less exposed to external markets, they would have been minimally affected by the global financial crisis. The importance of boosting intra-African trade was highlighted by Africa’s Heads of State and Government when they devoted this year’s summit to this theme. In the run-up to the summit, the African Union Commission released a study that underscored the importance of regional economic communities in the process of economic integration in Africa. Currently, SADC member states are in the process of implementing the SADC Trade Protocol, which would create a fully-fledged free trade area and later a customs union, and at the same time engaged in tripartite negotiations aimed at merging the three (SADC, COMESA and the EAC) regional configurations. They are also engaged in the EPA negotiations with the European Union, which would create a free trade area and also the Doha negotiations under the auspices of the WTO. The main objective of this article is to estimate SADC countries’ bilateral trade potential, which may result in the improvements in trade facilitation.

The European Attempt to Topple Spain’s Industrial Protection

2021 ◽  
pp. 369-432
Author(s):  
Fernando Guirao
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Full Member ◽  
Trade Relations ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Council Of Ministers ◽  
West European

The 1970 Agreement was intended to regulate trade relations between the Six and Spain for six years. At the end of 1972, however, Chapter 8 shows, for the Six/Nine the question was no longer that of negotiating additional concessions for Spanish exports but of the inclusion of Spain into the pan-European Free-Trade Area, to begin by 1977. In the summer of 1975, the Spanish Council of Ministers, under the influence of the minister of commerce, refused to ratify the FTA with the EEC. The Spanish government wished to avoid a transformation into a customs union or inclusion in an FTA in which Spanish producers would face mounting competition by West-European producers. The 1970 Agreement remained in force until Spain became a full member of the three European Communities, on 1 January 1986, transforming it into a sort of pre-accession arrangement for which it was not prepared.

The Origin of Goods

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Lyons QC
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
International Agreements ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Court Of Justice

The ability to determine the origin of goods is obviously essential for the operation of the EU’s customs union and the application of the Tariff. Indeed, it is also essential for the operation of a free trade area and other preferential arrangements, and many of the international agreements which were considered in the previous chapter contain extensive provisions dealing with the determination and proof of the origin of goods. The determination of origin is important too not just for customs matters but for many activities concerned with the regulation of markets. The Court of Justice has highlighted this, saying:

scholarly journals The Effects of the Kazakhstan-Russia-Belarus Customs Union on Turkey’s Exports and on Turkish Investors in Kazakhstan

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osman Barak ◽  
Murat Doğanay
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
External Trade ◽  
Common External Tariff ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Set Up

The customs union is a model of economic integration which is composed of free trade area among the participant countries with a common external tariff. The participant countries generally set up common external trade policy. Main establishing purposes of customs union are increasing economic efficiency, improving the global competitiveness and establishing closer political and cultural ties between the member countries. This paper analyses the concept and effects of customs union, the agreement of Bel EurAsEC Customs Union and how this agreements effects Turkish investors in Kazakhstan and export of Turkey. In this contex, a survey is implemented to Turkish companies executives, according to the survey results, it is trying to reveal whether the Bel EurAsEC Customs Union have any effects on Turkey export. Also, in this paper, the effects of Bel EurAsEC Customs Union on Turkish investors which operates in Kazakhstan, investment attitude, behavior and decisions are being explored.

scholarly journals Trade Liberalisation in SADC and the Economic Benefits of belonging to an RTA: The case of Tanzania

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nzeyimana Dyegula ◽  
Francis - Lwesya
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Trade Liberalisation ◽  
Good Prospect ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Trade Regime ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Tariff Reductions

This paper examines the dynamics of trade liberalisation in the Southern Development Community (SADC), region and the economic benefits that Tanzania derives from SADC membership. The paper uses qualitative analysis and trade indices. The findings show that SADC is far behind its agreed schedule of transforming the region into a customs union and SADC intra-regional trade is very low, only South Africa and Mozambique seem to carry the potential to increase intraregional trade and benefit from SADC in the short run. On the other hand, Tanzania's economic benefits from SADC membership have remained trivial, though her exports and market share have been steadily increasing since the mid 1990s. However, Tanzania does not suffer adversely from the dual membership of EAC and SADC regions, despite its membership in the two overlapping RTAs making its trade regime complex because tariff reductions under EAC customs union are not compatible with SADC's hence resulting in problems in implementing the SADC Trade Protocol. However, the country may not need to withdraw  its membership from either EAC or SADC due to signs of good prospect in the long run under the proposed harmonisation of the EAC and SADC trade regime through the Tripartiite Free Trade Area arrangement (COMESA-EAC-SADC).

Concepts, Types and Forms of Eurasian and Latin-American Integration Associations (Comparative Analysis)

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
Максим Залоило ◽  
Maksim Zaloilo ◽  
Елена Рафалюк ◽  
Elena Rafalyuk
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Common Market ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
The Common ◽  
Economic Union

The article is devoted to the comparative analysis of the concept, types and forms of Eurasian and Latin-American integration associations. On the authors’ mind the integration association is the group of states united on the basis of an international treaty to achieve the integration goals. It is proposed to distinguish between the integration associations of the coordination and supranational types. According to the identified features of each of the indicated types of integration associations the authors conclude that the Organization of American States is the union of the coordination type, the MERCOSUR is in transition from coordination to supranational integration association, in the Andean Community the supranational model is implemented, and the Eurasian Economic Union tends to the supranational association. It is noted that integration associations can be also classified depending on the different forms of economic integration (free trade area, customs union, common market, economic union, etc.). The main forms of the Latin-American economic integration are free trade area and customs union, while the common market is still developing. The forms of the Eurasian economic integration are the customs union, the common economic space, forming common market. A trend of formation of new forms and types of inter-state integration associations and cooperation between them, particularly in the form of a mega-association (Union of South American Nations) is revealed. The ways of further development of the integration associations in Latin America and Eurasia are marked.

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