Date: 2013
Type: Working Paper
WTO ‘à la carte’ or WTO ‘menu du jour’? : assessing the case for plurilateral agreements
Working Paper, EUI RSCAS, 2013/58, Global Governance Programme-57, [Global Economics]
HOEKMAN, Bernard M., MAVROIDIS, Petros C., WTO ‘à la carte’ or WTO ‘menu du jour’? : assessing the case for plurilateral agreements, EUI RSCAS, 2013/58, Global Governance Programme-57, [Global Economics] - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/27611
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
Plurilateral agreements in the WTO context allow sub-sets of countries to agree to commitments in specific policy areas that only apply to signatories, and thus allow for ‘variable geometry’ in the WTO. Plurilateral agreements share a number of features with preferential trade agreements (PTAs) that are increasingly used by governments to liberalize trade in goods and services. This paper discusses the current institutional framework that governs these two alternatives, and that distinguishes them from the general, nondiscriminatory agreements that are negotiated among—and apply to—all WTO Members. Current WTO rules make it much more difficult to pursue the plurilateral route than to negotiate a PTA. We review the arguments for and against making it easier for “issue-specific” clubs to form in the WTO, and discuss how concerns raised by some WTO Members regarding the potential negative impact of plurilateral agreements on the multilateral trading system might be addressed. We take the view that action to facilitate the negotiation of plurilateral agreements in the WTO should be considered and that the potential downsides for the multilateral trading system can be managed.
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/27611
ISSN: 1028-3625
Series/Number: EUI RSCAS; 2013/58; Global Governance Programme-57; [Global Economics]
Keyword(s): WTO Plurilateral Trade agreements Doha round Clubs F13 K32
Other topic(s): Institutions and policy-making