Regional trade agreements
Cross- cutting issues in regional trade agreements: Sanitary and phytosanitary measures
There has been a proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) since the early 1990s. As of 1 December 2014 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)/ WTO members had notified nearly 600 RTAs counting goods and services notifications separately to the WTO. Out of these RTAs 256 are currently in force. Many of the RTAs contain provisions regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures that conform to provisions contained in the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (hereafter “SPS Agreement”). Other RTAs currently in force to determine provisions go beyond the SPS Agreement requirements. This chapter summarizes whether the key provisions of the SPS Agreement are incorporated into RTAs and highlights trends where the RTAs provisions go beyond the provisions in the SPS Agreement.
Introduction
The World Tariff Profiles is a joint publication of the WTO ITC and UNCTAD devoted to market access for goods. This statistical yearbook contains a comprehensive compilation of the main tariff parameters for each of the 159 WTO members plus other countries and customs territories where data is available. Each country profile presents information on tariffs imposed by each economy on its imports complemented with an analysis of the market access conditions it faces in its major export markets.
Introduction
Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferated around the world in the past decade. Some 200 RTAs currently in force have been notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the number will continue to rise given the many RTAs being proposed and negotiated. It is estimated that if one takes into account RTAs which are in force but have not been notified signed but not yet in force currently being negotiated and in the proposal stage close to 400 RTAs are scheduled to be implemented by 2010 (Fiorentino Verdeja and Toqueboeuf 2006).