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...

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows record the value of cross-border transactions related to direct investment during a given period of time, usually a quarter or a year. Financial flows consist of equity transactions, reinvestment of earnings, and intercompany debt transactions. Outward flows...

Total fixed investment, also called gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), in real terms. It is defined as the outlays (purchases and own-account production) of industries, producers of government services and producers of private non-profit services to households, on additions of new durable...