This monograph compares two trade agreements among three important economic regions, namely, the Korea–EU free trade agree (FTA) and the Japan–EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The two new types of agreements came into effect in the 2010s. They not only create more favorable trade and economic conditions in these regions but also produce spillover effects to bring about more comprehensive conditions in other area. First, the quantitative research for both agreements using the CGE model and a tentative analysis of the Japan–EU EPA in the analysis show that both have already created positive impacts on all three economies by lifting or reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers. Such positive impacts are also expected to be felt by SMEs in these countries that are involved. Additionally, the high level of tariff and non-tariff liberalization in the two current agreements will make positive impacts on the negotiation of other FTAs and on WTO reform. The advantages of the FTA and EPA dealt with in this book are not restricted to these economic effects. As the agreements are comprehensive, they will create more favorable social conditions not only in these economic regions but in other areas of Asia as well.
This monograph compares two trade agreements among three important economic regions, namely, the Korea-EU free trade agree (FTA) and the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The two new types of agreements came into effect in the 2010s. They not only create more favorable trade and economic conditions in these regions but also produce spillover effects to bring about more comprehensive conditions in other area. First, the quantitative research for both agreements using the CGE model and a tentative analysis of the Japan-EU EPA in the analysis show that both have already created positive impacts on all three economies by lifting or reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers. Such positive impacts are also expected to be felt by SMEs in these countries that are involved. Additionally, the high level of tariff and non-tariff liberalization in the two current agreements will make positive impacts on the negotiation of other FTAs and on WTO reform. The advantages of the FTA and EPA dealt with in this book are not restricted to these economic effects. As the agreements are comprehensive, they will create more favorable social conditions not only in these economic regions but in other areas of Asia as well.
This publication displays the menu for choice of available methods to evaluate the impact of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). It caters mainly to policy makers from developing countries and aims to equip them with some economic knowledge and techniques that will enable them to conduct their own economic evaluation studies on existing or future FTAs, or to critically re-examine the results of impact assessment studies conducted by others, at the very least.
This book examines the perception of European Union’s identity by the main actors in international relations. Analysing issues related to public discourse in third countries as demonstrated by, amongst others, their political elites, civil society, and think-tanks, the book highlights a ‘normative gap’ with regards to the European Union's self-definition/perception and its perception in the international environment. It also shows that the European Union’s perception of normative power in international relations is not shared consistently by the main principal actor yet is differentiated relative to geographical area and scope of activities undertaken by the EU. It demonstrates that the perception of the EU’s normative identity is a source of the crisis of the European Union as an effective and significant player in the international arena. This book will be of key interest to scholar and students of European Union politics, European politics/studies, European integration, identity politics, and international relations.
Deep trade agreements (DTAs) cover not just trade but additional policy areas, such as international flows of investment and labor and the protection of intellectual property rights and the environment. Their goal is integration beyond trade or deep integration. These agreements matter for economic development. Their rules influence how countries (and hence, the people and firms that live and operate within them) transact, invest, work, and ultimately, develop. Trade and investment regimes determine the extent of economic integration, competition rules affect economic efficiency, intellectual property rights matter for innovation, and environmental and labor rules contribute to environmental and social outcomes. This Handbook provides the tools and data needed to analyze these new dimensions of integration and to assess the content and consequences of DTAs. The Handbook and the accompanying database are the result of collaboration between experts in different policy areas from academia and other international organizations, including the International Trade Centre (ITC), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and World Trade Organization (WTO).
East Asia is the region of the world that is changing fastest in terms of trade arrangements. Dozens of free-trade agreements are signed every year, turning a complex situation into the East Asian noodle bowl of FTAs. This book addresses the crucial question posed by these new agreements how do they affect business? While many studies have focused on government-to-government issues, this book gets to the heart of the matter, studying what it means for the firms actually doing the trade and investment. I recommend this book to any serious student of trade, particularly those interested in understanding the rapidly evolving landscape in this most dynamic part of the world. Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics, Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland The pursuit of more than one hundred Free Trade Agreements in East Asia is quietly producing a fundamental change in the global economic architecture. This path-breaking new volume provides an indispensable guide to the practical effect of such agreements on commercial transactions in the region. It is a must-read for businessmen and policymakers who seek to both understand the impact of FTAs in the real world and expand their contributions to economic growth and development. C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics, US [East Asia] needs to think about appropriate measures to overcome the Asian FTA noodle bowl in the future. In this vein, the study suggests several practical measures including encouraging rationalization and flexibility of rules of origin, upgrading origin administration, improving business participation in FTA consultations, and strengthening institutional support systems for SMEs. . . It is hoped that this study will contribute to strengthening regional trade policies in Asia and compatibilities with global trade rules. Haruhiko Kuroda, President, Asian Development Bank This is a valuable contribution in a crowded field. Kawai and Wignaraja have gone beyond familiar arguments about the relative merits of regionalism and multilateralism to ask businesses what it all means to them. Policymakers should take note. Patrick Low, Chief Economist, WTO For policymakers in the region, the debate is no longer between regionalism and multilateralism. The real question is how we should create the model for regionalism that will become the building blocks to a multilateral trading system and avoid raising costs of doing business from the noodle bowl effect. Therefore the comparative and micro-level research found in this book provides valuable insights on the impact of FTAs on businesses. These insights will be relevant input as policymakers forge ahead in implementing regional FTAs, thinking of ways to amend and improve on them and, most importantly, harmonize or consolidate between existing regional FTAs in East Asia. Mari Pangestu, Minister of Trade, Indonesia The spread of Asia s free trade agreements (FTAs) has sparked an important debate on the impact of such agreements on business activity. This pioneering study uses new evidence from surveys of East Asian exporters including Japan, the People s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea and three ASEAN economies of the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to shed light on the FTA debate. Critics are concerned that FTAs erode the multilateral trading process and foster an alarming noodle bowl of overlapping regulations and rules of origin requirements which may be costly to business. Asia s Free Trade Agreements makes key recommendations for improving business use of FTA preferences, reducing costs of FTAs and creating a region-wide FTA. This well-researched and documented book will appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students in international business, international economics, economic development, public administration and public policy. Academics, researchers and members of think-tanks around the world will also benefit from this book as will trad
This book provides a critical and updated analysis of the nature of the EU’s strategic partnership diplomacy, and of the partnerships themselves, in times of power shift and contestation. It links with key aspects of the EU’s Global Strategy; it brings together a strong list of experts who work within a clear framework for analysis; and it deals not only with the substance of the policy but also with the ways in which the policy as a whole has emerged, is conducted and might develop in the future. In offering an inclusive set of case studies and diverse perspectives, this book aims to advance both conceptualization and analysis of the implementation of the established EU partnerships. The book highlights the notion of strategic partnership as a foreign policy instrument to support EU external action in a context of multilevel change and crisis; its policy dimension as a gradually separated, but not separable policy within the Union’s external action; the institutional component given the emergence of SPs as a sort of self-preserving institutional platform allowing for denser and deeper cooperation in various policy areas; and the implications for the EU’s self-conception as an international actor with a global identity and role.
The CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement is a sui generis North-South trade and development agreement. The C-EPA is a bi-regional agreement, signed in Bridgetown, Barbados in October 2008, with the specific aim of supporting the sustainable development of the Caribbean. As a paradigm changer in the ACP-EU trade relationship, the C-EPA has unsurprisingly attracted considerable attention. The long process of ratification by twenty-seven EU Member States and fifteen Caribbean countries has begun, and implementation is advancing after an initial delay. This book is the first detailed analysis of the Agreement's provisions, including its negotiating history and prognosis of its future potential. It is written by fifteen Caribbean and European practitioners, most of whom actively contributed to the crafting of the Agreement as CARIFORUM or EU negotiators. The contributions cover the following: ; charting a dual approach to CARIFORUM commitments at both regional and national levels; establishing an architecture of commitments that seeks to support CARIFORUM regional integration; safeguarding Caribbean preferential access to the EU market; broadening the ambit of the Caribbean-EU relationship, as reflected in the Cotonou Agreement, into new trade disciplines; highlighting key drivers in the negotiations; addressing the CARICOM-Dominican Republic economic relationship; examining the special treatment of Haiti; and reviewing the C-EPA's compatibility with WTO rules.
Northeast Asia is one of the most important regions of the world both economically and in terms of its historical heritage. The region poses significant challenges for international law whilst international law can unleash cooperative endeavours which can place the region in a formidable location in the new multi-polar world order. This work sets out a contextual regional approach to international law focusing on the relations as between China, South Korea and Japan. In particular the author deliberates on the historical development of international law in the region, the relationship of international law with the Chinese, Korean and Japanese legal systems; historical disputes as between the three States; and the respective practices in the sphere of monetary and trade relations. This work will be of interest to international law scholars, practitioners and policy makers.
