Regional trade agreements: Recent developments

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have increased rapidly in recent years and have become a key feature of trade policy for all WTO members. As at 15 October 2015, 265 RTAs had been notified to the WTO and were in force; the estimate is that around a hundred RTAs are in force but have not been notified to the WTO, and that an equal number are currently being negotiated . In addition to increasing in number, modern RTAs are becoming more sophisticated in their content and coverage. Not only do most include market access commitments in goods and services, as well as accompanying provisions on rules of origin, trade remedies (anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguards), but, increasingly, provisions on investment, intellectual property rights, competition and labour and environment, are found in many RTAs notified to the WTO in recent years.