The development process can advance more rapidly than ever before in the new global economy. While opening their economies to trade and investment is a necessary condition for developing countries to achieve sustained high growth and reduce poverty, it is by no means a sufficient condition....

The trade liberalisation agreements signed between the European Union and the southern Mediterranean countries carry risks as well as benefits. They reveal structural weaknesses in the partner countries, including continued rent seeking, market segmentation, a weak modern private sector and...

Land links between Europe and Asia can offer a viable alternative to sea transport. However, the provision of efficient land links between Europe and Asia requires appropriate policy decisions on issues such as the development of adequate infrastructure and the removal of regulatory or...

The path towards Arab and Euro-Mediterranean integration is challenging for all countries involved but the potential long term benefits are substantial. Multilateral trade initiatives which run parallel to "open" regional integration with the European Union and among Arab states can generate...

The central issue of trade by enterprise characteristics is to disaggregate trade flows according the characteristics of the enterprises engaged in cross-border transactions. The feasibility of doing so largely depends on the possibility of using or developing common identifiers between the...

Electric power in OECD countries is mostly produced by large central generating stations, then transmitted along high voltage lines to local distribution systems that carry it to final consumers. Distributed generation plants are different. They produce power on an electricity consumer’s own...

Over the last few years, much progress has been made in developing rail charges to ensure non-discriminatory access to, and efficient use of national rail networks. But in Europe the international dimension is still missing, particularly in terms of the freight market. Integration of European...

Hard-core cartels are the most egregious violations of competition law. What are the most appropriate tools to fight them? In this book, the OECD identifies an increasingly successful "carrot-and-stick" approach – applying stiffer punishment for cartel operators and enhancing programmes aimed...