The aim of this study was to determine which strategy would be most appropriate to enhance regional trade integration in COMESA so that it can provide to its member states the benefits they expect to have from it.

This thesis examines the regulation of regionalism by the WTO and the formation and operation of regional trade agreements by developing countries. In particular, this work focuses on regional integration in Eastern and Southern Africa. The aim of the thesis is to assess the effectiveness of the relevant legal regimes and determine ways in which they can be made more effective, both in terms of their impact on state conduct and in terms of their impact on the economic welfare of the states concerned. The thesis argues that, with regard to the WTO legal regime, the exemption from the application of Article XXIV, GATT 1994 given to developing countries by the Enabling Clause has contributed to the lack of effectiveness of the WTO regime. For developing countries, on the other hand, the Enabling Clause has deprived them of the legal discipline required to establish effective free trade areas and customs unions. This latter argument is examined through a case study of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The thesis contends that for COMESA countries to engage in meaningful trade liberalisation, and to participate fully in the WTO, acceptance of greater legal discipline is critical. Such legal discipline can be obtained through compliance with Article XXIV.

Thesis (M.A.)--McGill University, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [149]-157).

Magister Legum - LLM

Thesis (doctoral)--Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Politik, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-246).

Thesis (Ph.D. (International Relations))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2016 / This thesis examines the efforts of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to promote regional integration between 1980 and 2015 in the areas of trade and security. The conceptual framework provides a focused review of general and specific literature on two key concepts of regional integration: divergence, and convergence. Throughout the thesis, the core focus is on the divergence and convergence of COMESA and SADC. The thesis articulates two analytical frameworks: the neoclassical economics approach, and the neoclassical realist approach. A historical account focuses on the history of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) of 1981 that evolved into COMESA by 1993. A history of Southern Africa’s Frontline States (FLS), which evolved into the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) in 1980, and later into SADC in 1992, is then provided. The thesis discusses apartheid South Africa’s involvement in the Eastern and Southern African regions. The thesis provides a discussion on the debate on the rationalisation processes of these two organisations: COMESA and SADC, between 1991 and 1997. The thesis next expands on the regionalisation processes of COMESA and SADC between 2008 and 2015. The main actors and factors assessed involve South Africa’s market-led regional approach, its regional developmental role and its economic impact on both regions since it joined SADC in 1994. The thesis expands on the two main regional integration approaches adopted by the COMESA–EAC (East African Community)–SADC Tripartite bloc (created in 2008) of variable geometry and trade liberalisation, as it moved towards its Tripartite Free Trade Area that was signed in June 2015. The thesis also provides definitions and assumptions of two new theories deployed to strengthen the research: i) neoclassical economic regional integration, and ii) neorealist security convergence, which are applied in the thesis. The thesis thus expands on how COMESA and SADC (as both institution and member states) manage multiple memberships. A central argument of the thesis is that multiple memberships have become a stumbling block for convergence. In furtherance of this argument, the thesis explains the benefits of regional integration schemes. Therefore assessed, is how developing countries are likely to be better served by “North–South” than by “South–South” free trade agreements. The analysis is expanded by a discussion of economic convergence in the neoclassical economic approach of open trade in regional trade agreements within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) – whose five members all belong to SADC - with the presence of a regional hegemonic state: South Africa. To further expand the concept of regionalism to encompass security cooperation, the thesis finally assesses COMESA and SADC’s managing of regional security since the 2008 Tripartite Agreement, by employing the concept of regional security complexes. / MT2017

Pagrindinis šio darbo tikslas- išsamiai ir kompleksiškai išanalizuoti ES bendrosios žemės ūkio politikos poveikį Lietuvos užsienio prekybai bei jos įgyvendinimo Lietuvos muitinėje teorinius ir praktinius aspektus. Lietuvos narystė ES - atsivėrusi bendroji rinka ir eksporto rėmimas - sudarė prielaidas sparčiam žemės ūkio produktų eksporto augimui, o suaktyvėjusi prekyba ir padidėjusi finansinė parama paspartino šio sektoriaus gamybos plėtrą. Magistro baigiamajame darbe išnagrinėta BŽŪP pagrindinės nuostatos ir instrumentai, žemės ūkio produktų importo ir eksporto reguliavimo tarifinės ir netarifinės priemonės, šių produktų importo ir eksporto pokyčiai Lietuvai įstojus į ES. Lietuvos muitinei tenka svarbus vaidmuo vykdant BŽŪP. Darbe nagrinėjamos muitinės funkcijos, vykdant BŽŪP, jų pasiskirstymas tarp struktūrinių padalinių, bendradarbiavimas su Nacionaline mokėjimo agentūra, vykdant Lietuvos muitinei deleguotas funkcijas, užduočių paskirstymo sistema, kontroliuojant eksportuojamus žemės ūkio produktus, už kuriuos mokamos eksporto subsidijos. Išsamiai išnagrinėta žemės ūkio produktų atranka eksporto kontrolei atlikti, remiantis rizikos analize, fizinių patikrinimų procesas, ūkio subjektų, susijusių su žemės ūkio produktų tarptautine prekyba, komercinės veiklos patikrinimas, reikalingų dokumentų tvarkymas, ataskaitų pateikimas ir bendradarbiavimo įsipareigojimai. Pagrindinės darbo išvados yra susijusios su atliktos užsienio prekybos ir muitinės funkcijų, vykdant BŽŪP, analizės... [to full text] / The main purpose of the work is to analyse the theoretical and practical dimensions of CAP implementation in the Lithuanian Customs and the impact of CAP on the Lithuanian foreign trade in integrated way. Lithuania’s membership in the European Union (EU), the common market with open borders and support for export have created the opportunities for the rapid growth of the export of agricultural products, more active trade and financial support have accelerated the development of the aforementioned manufacturing sector. The main CAP attitudes and measures, tariff and non-tariff instruments of trade regulation and changes in import and export since Lithuania’s entrance into the EU have been examined. The Lithuanian Customs have been assigned an important role in the implementation of CAP. The distribution of functions between the structural subdivisions in implementing the CAP, the cooperation with the National Paying Agency in pursuance of the functions delegated to the Lithuanian Customs, the distribution of tasks in inspecting exported agricultural products entitled to export refunds have been analysed in this work. The selection and export control of agricultural products on the basis of risk analysis, the audit of commercial activities of business entities involved in foreign trade in CAP products, the clearance of documents, submission of reports and obligations of cooperation have been looked into more exhaustively. The main finding of the work is associated with the... [to full text]

Humboldt-Univ., Diss.--Berlin, 2004. / Zsfassung in dt. Sprache.

Magister Legum - LLM / Trade has been widely accepted as an important tool in spearheading economic growth and development. In many different parts of the world, countries have alleviated poverty and economically prospered through effective trade. Despite the efforts to dismantle trade restrictions and create a common market, the problem remains that of African disintegrated markets which then lead to poor intra-African trade. There is therefore the need to use intra-African trade as an instrument that effectively serve in the attainment of rapid and sustainable social and economic development. The aim of this study is to therefore determine whether the solution to increasing intra-African trade can be found in the Tripartite FTA.

This thesis aims to examine the economic effect in terms of real GDP at constant 2017 national prices (in mil. 2017 US$) of being a member in the European Union in the case of Sweden. The method used to answer the research question is mainly by the Synthetic Control Method. Difference-in-difference estimations were also conducted as a complement to compare the results between the two methods. Previous literature in the subject has for the most part received results indicating that a membership in the European Union contributes to an increase in certain economic growth aspects for the member countries. The economic theories about common markets points at that a common market can be both advantageous but also disadvantageous depending on the setting. Theories more closely related to the European Union present rather ambiguous answers to certain economic effects of a membership but in some cases, it seems to be possible to assume some positive economic effect from being a European Union-member. The results in this paper seem to be robust in the way that the effect on the real GDP at constant 2017 national prices (in mil. 2017 US$) in Sweden from its membership in the European Union is negative in all estimations that were made. However, none of the results were statistically significant so there is not enough evidence to say that the Swedish real GDP at constant 2017 national prices (in mil. 2017 US$) would have been different to the factual outcome if Sweden did not join the European Union in 1995.