Competition provisions in regional trade agreements: How to assure development gains
UNCTAD | October 2005
COMPETITION PROVISIONS IN REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS: HOW TO ASSURE DEVELOPMENT GAINS
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Book information
UN Symbol: UNCTAD/DITC/CLP/2005/1
Date of publication: 13/10/05
No. of pages: 518
Highlights
During the last decade, Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) containing competition policy provisions have proliferated. These are part of a trend for ’deeper’ RTAs which often include articles for liberalizing trade in services, investment, labour and other trade-related provisions.
Interestingly, developing countries negotiate about as many RTAs among themselves as with developed countries and about 65% of the South-South RTAs completed since 1995 contain provisions related to competition policy.
This publication explores cross-cutting issues applicable to all RTAs as well as the experiences specific of developing countries. The main issues addressed in this publication include:
– Proliferation of bilateral and regional trade agreements containing provisions on Competition Law and Policies. Lessons for negotiation and enforcement;
– Operationalising special and differential treatment in cooperation agreements on competition law and policy;
– Implementation costs and burden of international competition law and policy agreements;
– Consumer protection, competition and RTAs: some lessons for developing countries; and
– Establishing competition enforcement networks at regional level (e.g. The European Competition Network - ECN: a model for developing countries?)
