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Trade Facilitation and Regional Integration

Trade Facilitation and Regional Integration. Jonathan Claridge Directorate-General for Trade European Commission UNCTAD Expert Meeting Geneva, 21-23 September 2005. Example of benefits of Trade Facilitation.

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Trade Facilitation and Regional Integration

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  1. Trade Facilitation and Regional Integration Jonathan Claridge Directorate-General for Trade European Commission UNCTAD Expert Meeting Geneva, 21-23 September 2005

  2. Example of benefits of Trade Facilitation Mozambique: During first two years of customs reform programme, revenues increased by over 50% despite significant tariff cuts. Morocco: Releasing a container in Casablanca took on average 18-20 days in 1996. Following reforms, customs clearance fell to 1-2 hours. Equivalent to a massive expansion of port facilities, at a fraction of the cost.

  3. Regional Trade Facilitation National reforms can have very significant benefits Regional reforms potentially have far bigger impact E.g: Common rules across 25 EU Member States

  4. Supporting regional efforts – role of DDA • WTO can set commitments that would facilitate regional integration • transit regimes • cross-border co-operation • transparency • standards • mobilising international support and technical assistance- SDT • Development of WTO rules can draw on regional experiences. • WTO rules and regional arrangement mutually supportive

  5. Supporting regional efforts – role of DDA Regional TF integration and WTO Rules no panacea To maximise benefit, needs to be part of broader reforms, including broader regional integration

  6. Example of regional agreements • EPAs – Economic Partnership Agreements • Promotion of regional integration measures • Development co-operation and assistance • Biregional commitments • In all cases, need to design agreement with trading profile of EPA beneficiaries in mind:

  7. The development dimension – technical assistance EU: Many programmes cover trade facilitation Trade a key development priority Trade facilitation and customs reform prioritised Strong regional integration focus EU Member States active Ongoing efforts to enhance further

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