Trade Policy Review - European Communities 2009


Book Description

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism, a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is designed to contribute to improving adherence by all WTO members to rules, disciplines, and commitments made under the Multilateral Trade Agreement. This volume in the series provides information on the trade policies, practices, and macroeconomic situations of the European Communities. Each Trade Policy Review is expertly prepared after in-depth analysis of an individual nation by the WTO s Trade Policy Review Board."




The External Action of the European Union


Book Description

This groundbreaking new textbook offers extensive coverage of EU External Action studies, from its major concepts to the key theories in the field. Over the past decades, the European Union has progressively developed into a significant global actor in an increasing number of policy fields. This long-awaited volume looks into different ways of conceptualizing the EU as a global actor, the processes and impact of EU external action, explanations offered by IR and integration theories, the discursive, normative, practice and gender 'turns', and the 'decentring agenda' for EU external action. The book offers a reader-friendly guidance on these various ways in which to study the EU as a global actor: each chapter introduces one concept, approach or theory and illustrates its application by a case study of EU external action. In drawing the different perspectives together, the book underscores that 'EU External Action Studies' is becoming an academic speciality in its own right. Written by leading experts, the volume will make essential reading for students, scholars and practitioners of EU external action. EU External Action Studies nowadays attract attention from scholars and students in International Relations (IR), Foreign Policy Analysis and (interdisciplinary) EU Studies, as well as from practitioners.




The Trade Policy Review Mechanism


Book Description

The WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism, which reviews the trade policies and practices of each WTO member at regular intervals, is generally considered to function well. In this day and age, complacency is unwise. Examining trade policy reviews throughout the lifetime of the TPRM, this book details its evolution from Article X of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to the proposed modifications resulting from the mechanism's latest appraisal, examining the budgetary capabilities and technical performance of all the main entities who participate in the reviews. On the basis of these considerations, the author concludes that in order to remain relevant, especially in times of increased global protectionism, the TPRM could, and should do better, and provides unique and timely suggestions for reform.




A Practical Guide to Trade Policy Analysis


Book Description

Trade flows and trade policies need to be properly quantified to describe, compare, or follow the evolution of policies between sectors or countries or over time. This is essential to ensure that policy choices are made with an appropriate knowledge of the real conditions. This practical guide introduces the main techniques of trade and trade policy data analysis. It shows how to develop the main indexes used to analyze trade flows, tariff structures, and non-tariff measures. It presents the databases needed to construct these indexes as well as the challenges faced in collecting and processing these data, such as measurement errors or aggregation bias. Written by experts with practical experience in the field, A Practical Guide to Trade Policy Analysis has been developed to contribute to enhance developing countries' capacity to analyze and implement trade policy. It offers a hands-on introduction on how to estimate the distributional effects of trade policies on welfare, in particular on inequality and poverty. The guide is aimed at government experts engaged in trade negotiations, as well as students and researchers involved in trade-related study or research. An accompanying DVD contains data sets and program command files required for the exercises. Copublished by the WTO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development




The History and Future of the World Trade Organization


Book Description

The History and Future of the World Trade Organization is a comprehensive account of the economic, political and legal issues surrounding the creation of the WTO and its evolution. Fully illustrated with colour and black-and-white photos dating back to the early days of trade negotiations, the publication reviews the WTO's achievements as well as the challenges faced by the organisation, and identifies the key questions that WTO members need to address in the future. The book describes the intellectual roots of the trading system, membership of the WTO and the growth of the Geneva trade community, trade negotiations and the development of coalitions among the membership, and the WTO's relations with other international organisations and civil society. Also covered are the organisation's robust dispute settlement rules, the launch and evolution of the Doha Round, the rise of regional trade agreements, and the leadership and management of the WTO.




The Trade Policy of the European Union


Book Description

This comprehensive and clearly written textbook offers a long-awaited introduction to the trade policy of the European Union, the world's largest trading entity. Gstöhl and De Bièvre provide a comprehensive assessment of the common commercial policy, its relationship with other policies, like development policy, and of the EU's multi-level policy-making and international bargaining in this area. As well as providing a broad overview of the nature and development of the EU's trade policy, the authors analyse how relevant institutions and decision-making processes are organized and how this set-up fosters particular policy outcomes. Gstöhl and De Bièvre show how the thorough and critical study of EU trade policy can be conducted from an interdisciplinary viewpoint, enabling the student to tackle the ever-evolving political, economic, and legal questions that arise. Given the accessible writing, this book is recommended for both undergraduate and Master's students studying the EU and Europe in their Politics, International Relations, Economics or Law degrees, as well as those focusing on international trade policy.




World Trade Organization Annual Report 2009 (Annual Report Vol. 1)


Book Description

The new-look Annual Report 2009 of the WTO is split into two main sections. The first is a brief summary of the organisation and a review of 2008. The second section provides more in-depth information illustrated with charts, tables and photos. The Report also features a personal message from the Director-General who reflects on 2008 and the challenges that lie ahead.




Trade Policy Review


Book Description




Trading Voices


Book Description

The European Union, the world's foremost trader, is not an easy bargainer to deal with. Its twenty-five member states have relinquished most of their sovereignty in trade to the supranational level, and in international commercial negotiations, such as those conducted under the World Trade Organization, the EU speaks with a "single voice." This single voice has enabled the Brussels-based institution to impact the distributional outcomes of international trade negotiations and shape the global political economy. Trading Voices is the most comprehensive book about the politics of trade policy in the EU and the role of the EU as a central actor in international commercial negotiations. Sophie Meunier explores how this pooling of trade policy-making and external representation affects the EU's bargaining power in international trade talks. Using institutionalist analysis, she argues that its complex institutional procedures and multiple masters have, more than once, forced its trade partners to give in to an EU speaking with a single voice. Through analysis of four transatlantic commercial negotiations over agriculture, public procurement, and civil aviation, Trading Voices explores the politics of international trade bargaining. It also addresses the salient political question of whether efficiency at negotiating comes at the expense of democratic legitimacy. Finally, this book looks at how the EU, with its recent enlargement and proposed constitution, might become an even more formidable rival to the United States in shaping globalization.




Guide to International Anti-Dumping Practice


Book Description

This book is the first to bring together the actual practices and procedures in all the major users of anti-dumping. The countries surveyed include all the so-called ‘traditional’ users (Australia, Canada, the EU, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States) as well as the leading ‘new’ users (Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, and Turkey). The book provides not only an overview of each of the systems considered but also a detailed reference to the way different jurisdictions have handled specific issues. In addition, the structure for each chapter is virtually identical, allowing for a ready comparative analysis of various topics. These topics include the following: ; applicable legislation, regulations, prescribed guidelines and procedures; decision-making process and time-line; the likelihood of an investigation leading to the imposition of measures; statistics 1995–2011 with details of actual investigations and duties imposed; threshold of injury and calculation of non-injurious price; establishment of causal link; verification reports, hearings, access to information, and other procedural issues; reviews and refunds; and anti-circumvention measures. An introductory chapter provides a comparative statistical analysis of the use of anti-dumping by the thirteen countries, highlighting key features of anti-dumping systems in a comparative way. The introduction also assesses the important impacts of China’s accession to the WTO in 2001 and of the economic and financial crisis of 2008–2009, discusses the treatment of non-market economies, and notes emerging tendencies in anti-dumping reform. This is an invaluable work on a key area in trade (and competition) law, written by a team of well-known experts. With its comprehensive and practical format, the book will be of great interest to practitioners dealing with anti-dumping cases, including trade law practitioners who may have to defend anti-dumping cases in different jurisdictions, attorneys in international trade law and competition law, government officials, academics, and researchers.