<p>This research paper pays particular attention to the EAC because of its unique composition of four LDCs46 and 1 DC47 and the fact that three of these countries are landlocked least developed countries (LLDCs).48 The EAC was notified as a RTA to the WTO under the Enabling Clause on 9 October 2000 and registered as a Custom Union49 under WT/COMTD/N/14.50 The notification of the EAC under the Enabling Clause is due to the nature of composition of members therein and to the fact that the Enabling Clause does not require regional trading arrangements to cover substantially all trade, or to achieve free trade in the bloc within ten years after notification. Additionally, it provides an avenue for giving special consideration to the LDCs through making concessions and contributions,51 allows automatic exemptions from MFN (non-discrimination) treatment in favour of DCs,52 and thus allows other WTO members to accord more favourable treatment to DCs in many cases without according the same treatment to other WTO members.53.</p>

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<p>The rapid growth in the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has led to concern about the weakening of the multilateral trading system. This thesis examines the spread of such agreement and the extent to which they pose a threat to the multilateral system. Regionalism and multilateralism are complimentary as shown in the case study of the East African Community. The current regional trade agreement management rules are weak and ambiguous and possible amendments for these rules are proposed</p>

Magister Legum - LLM / This research paper pays particular attention to the EAC because of its unique composition of four LDCs46 and 1 DC47 and the fact that three of these countries are landlocked least developed countries (LLDCs).48 The EAC was notified as a RTA to the WTO under the Enabling Clause on 9 October 2000 and registered as a Custom Union49 under WT/COMTD/N/14.50 The notification of the EAC under the Enabling Clause is due to the nature of composition of members therein and to the fact that the Enabling Clause does not require regional trading arrangements to cover substantially all trade, or to achieve free trade in the bloc within ten years after notification. Additionally, it provides an avenue for giving special consideration to the LDCs through making concessions and contributions,51 allows automatic exemptions from MFN (non-discrimination) treatment in favour of DCs,52 and thus allows other WTO members to accord more favourable treatment to DCs in many cases without according the same treatment to other WTO members.53. / South Africa

Magister Legum - LLM / The rapid growth in the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has led to concern about the weakening of the multilateral trading system. This thesis examines the spread of such agreement and the extent to which they pose a threat to the multilateral system. Regionalism and multilateralism are complimentary as shown in the case study of the East African Community. The current regional trade agreement management rules are weak and ambiguous and possible amendments for these rules are proposed. / South Africa

Magister Legum - LLM

Face aux nouveaux problèmes relatifs aux barrières environnementales de nos jours, l'OMC se trouve dans une situation embarrassante : d'une part, elle est largement considérée comme le "centre de gravité" du contrôle des barrières environnementales, d'autre part, il existe encore de grandes lacunes dans la régulation relative à la valeur environnementale au sein de l'OMC, ce qui mettrait en cause l'efficacité du droit de l'OMC dans cette régulation. Sans un contrôle efficace, le système du libre-échange risque de se dégrader. C'est la raison pour laquelle nous avons choisi de consacrer une étude comparative aux barrières environnementales au commerce international dans le cadre de l'OMC. Pour tenter de trouver des solutions aux problèmes qui se présentent aujourd'hui en matière de barrières environnementales, nous devons nous interroger sur deux questions majeures. D'une côté, les nouvelles barrières environnementales relatives au changement climatique dépassent le cadre de l'OMC, le droit actuel de l'OMC ne paraît pas en mesure de donner une réponse satisfaisante aux problèmes qui en résultent, et de l'autre, il existe un grand écart entre les pays développés et ceux en développement au niveau des barrières environnementales mises en place, ce qui provoque des déséquilibres dans le commerce international. Les analyse que nous avons effectuées dans cette étude portant à la fois sur les ACR et l'OMC nous permettent de conclure que l'OMC jour un rôle irremplaçable face aux problèmes de barrières environnementales, cela nous conduit à proposer des solutions permettant au droit de l'OMC de mieux concilier le commerce international et la protection de l'environnement à l'échelle mondial / Facing the new problems about the green trade barriers today, WTO is actually in an embarrassing situation : one side, it is widely considered as the ''center of gravity' 'for controlling the green trade barriers ; on the other side, there is still an important lacuna in the regulation of the environmental values in the WTO, which questions the effectiveness of WTO's law in this regulation of green trade barriers. Without the effective control, the free trade system takes a risk to be degraded. That's the reason why we undertake a study comparative on the subject of the green trade barriers in the framework of WTO. Attempting to find the solution of the problems related to green trade barriers, we have to ask two questions. One side, the new type of green trade barriers about the climate change beyond the capacity of WTO, the current law of WTO does not appear to give a satisfactory response to the resulting problems ; on the other side, there is a big gap between the green trade barriers set up by the developed countries and developing countries, which causes absolutely an imbalance in the international free trade. The analyse that we did in this study relating both to the regional trade agreements and WTO allow us to conclude the WTO plays an irreplaceable role in face of challenges of the green trade barriers today. This conclusion leads us to propose the solutions which may offer a better balance between the international trade and the environmental protection on a global scale

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The enactment of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was intended to reduce tariffs on most goods by 2008 among Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and to create the largest regional market outside the European Union. Early research conducted to investigate the relationships between tariffs elimination and trade volume focused mainly on macrolevel effects with mixed results, without acknowledging the possible influence from exchange rate fluctuations. After 20 years, NAFTA has provided the opportunity to observe a significant reduction in tariffs between 1994 and 2013. Skepticism regarding the relationship between trade liberalization and the regional economy, and the controversy still surrounding NAFTA, suggests that other factors might influence trade, making the current study relevant. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between exchange rate fluctuations and trade volume during a period when tariffs were eliminated. This study focused on 2 basic theories of preferential trade and the exchange rate, and data were collected on imports-exports between Mexico and the United States. Regression analyses showed a relationship between exchange rate fluctuation and trade volume when tariffs are eliminated. The findings may help exporters and unions understand the implications of other factors affecting trade. The findings may also help union leaders understand how other economic factors may have implication on global economy rather than focusing solely on trade agreements, and to better strategize in addressing social issues of concern related to globalization.

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