Mitte Juni 2013 wollen die USA und die Europäische Union Verhandlungen über ein Freihandelsabkommen aufnehmen. Gabriel Felbermayr, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und ifo Institut, und Mario Larch, Universität Bayreuth, betonen, dass jedes Abkommen, das Wachstums- und...

The paper discusses the pros and cons of a Transatlantic free trade area (TAFTA) against the concept of an informal trade-facilitating marketplace between Europe and the US. It finds considerably more cons expecially since TAFTA would be expected to have ever more discriminatory effects to the...

Die Ergebnisse der Uruguay-Runde lassen sich in drei Kategorien einteilen: Erleichterungen des Marktzugangs, Einbindung "alter" Ausnahmesektoren in die GATT-Disziplin und Ausdehnung der GATT-Regeln auf neue Bereiche. In der ersten Kategorie ist neben dem Abbau der Zölle für Industrieprodukte...

Die multilaterale Handelsordnung befindet sich seit Jahren in einem Erosionsprozess. Die Verpflichtung der Partner auf das Kernziel der Ordnung – Nichtdiskriminierung – gelingt nicht mehr. Verteilungsziele führen zur Diskriminierung zwischen Ländern, Sektoren und Produktionsfaktoren. Das...

The Third WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle in November 1999 is expected to pave the way to the ninth multilateral round of trade negotiations, labelled Millennium Round (MR). Like the preceding Uruguay Round (UR), it will have the twin targets of preventing domestic measures from...

This paper discusses the issue whether developing countries forego chances in world manufactured markets by protecting intermediate services against market entry of new suppliers. By scanning the empirical literature on effective rates of protection (ERP), the evidence is supportive. Yet, it...

The paper discusses the costs and benefits to be expected by least-developed and low-income (‘vulnerable’) economies if they accede to the WTO, the impact of current debates about WTO reform on vulnerable economies, and measures to make it easier for vulnerable economies to accede to and...

The paper discusses the costs and benefits to be expected by least-developed and low-income (‘vulnerable’) economies if they accede to the WTO, the impact of current debates about WTO reform on vulnerable economies, and measures to make it easier for vulnerable economies to accede to and...

The paper discusses similarities and differences between past EU binding internal liberalization „across the board“ in the industrial sector and present so-called voluntary sectoral liberalization of member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). While both approaches are...

While the EU is a customs union in merchandise trade (goods), it has not yet reached this stage of integration in service trade. How far the EU is from a customs union in service trade is very difficult to assess because of the nonquantitative nature of trade restrictions in this sector. The...