REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND REGIONAL COOPERATION
stagnant situation in the multilateral trade liberalization process. Stagnation is protruded
from 2001 due to stand still situation regarding the process of agreement based on Doha
Development Agenda (Doha…).
Development of a number of new RTAs or broader of EIAs in past decade or so could
be partially at least contributed to the stagnation in the process of multilateral trade
negotiations.
Chart 1: Explosion of the RTAs number after 1990s (1948- 2008)*
* Chart 1 shows all RTAs notified to the GATT/WTO (1948-2008), including inactive RTAs, by year
of entry into force
Source: WTO Secretariat
Other reason stimulating RTAs number growth, especial the reasons for their number
explosion after 1994 are result of new global economic and technological changes and
developments. Befor explaining such reasons let us observe that process of RTAs number
growth and concept of multilateral trade liberalization are closely interlinked. The evidence
of their interdependence is seen from formal obligation that all WTO members have.
They have to report RTAs establishment to WTO. In the period 1948-1994, the GATT
received 124 notifications of RTAs (relating to trade in goods), and since the creation of
the WTO in 1995, almost 300 additional arrangements covering trade in goods or services
have been notified. WTO members (as, previously, GATT contracting parties) are bound
to notify the regional trade agreements (RTAs) in which they participate. Nearly all of
the WTO’s Members have notified participation in one or more RTAs (some Members
are party to twenty or more). Notifications may also refer to the accession of new parties
to an agreement that already exists, e.g. the notification of the accession of Bulgaria and
Romania to the European Union Customs Union.
Reasons for RTAs accelerated number growth after 1994 is partially based on fast and in
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