Trade Facilitation Measures in South Asian FTAs : An Overview of Initiatives and Policy Approaches

Several South Asian countries have joined the current wave of bilateral and sub-regional free trade agreements (FTA) in the region. The dynamics of regional cooperation is supported by the rapid economic expansion which is creating complementarities for trade expansion. Though the intra-regional trade has expanded over the years but is far below its potential as not enough attention is being paid on the launching of trade facilitation (TF) measures. In this paper we have made an effort to take a stock of various FTAs in South Asia from the point of view of incorporation of TF measures in the text of FTAs. We also look into the individual initiatives being made by the South Asian countries for advancement of trade facilitation especially in context of Articles V, VIII and X.