OECD Trade Policy Papers

ISSN :
1816-6873 (online)
DOI :
10.1787/18166873
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This series is designed to make available to a wider readership selected trade policy studies prepared for use within the OECD.

NB. No. 1 to No. 139 were released under the previous series title OECD Trade Policy Working Papers.

 

Multilateralising Regionalism: Disciplines on Export Restrictions in Regional Trade Agreements You or your institution have access to this content

Authors:
Jane Korinek1, Jessica Bartos
Author Affiliations
  • 1: OECD, France

Publication Date
29 June 2012
Bibliographic information
No.:
139
Pages
63
DOI
10.1787/5k962hf7hfnr-en

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The proliferation of preferential trade agreements has posed challenges for the multilateral trading system. But regional trade agreements (RTAs) also allow countries to develop and strengthen trade disciplines beyond what is possible at the multilateral level. In some instances, RTAs explore policy areas that are the subject of few disciplines at the multilateral level. They may provide lessons and suggest good practices that could be used to inform discussions in a wider setting. One such policy area is export restrictions and taxes. Export restrictions and duties have not been given the same degree of attention in multilateral trade agreements and negotiations as the elimination of import tariffs and quantitative restrictions. The WTO provides a general prohibition on quantitative export restrictions but the broad and, at times, ambiguous exceptions somewhat vitiate the ban. Moreover, export taxes are not explicitly forbidden in the WTO. This study suggests that there are a number of ways by which WTO disciplines could benefit from the approaches found in some RTAs in the area of export restrictions.
Keywords:
GATT, minimum export prices, PTA,, export duties, WTO-plus, export tariffs, GATT Article XI, trade diverting, preferential trade agreements, WTO, multilateral trading system, export restrictions, export taxes, WTO provisions, quantitative export restrictions, export levies, trade disciplines, trade creation, export charges, export restraints, trade instruments, dispute settlement, export licensing, regional trade agreements, GATT Article XX, export fees, RTA
JEL Classification:
  • F1: International Economics / Trade
  • F10: International Economics / Trade / General
  • F13: International Economics / Trade / Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
  • F15: International Economics / Trade / Economic Integration