Trade Facilitation and the WTO

With efforts for further substantive liberalization of trade showing little signs of success, focus has shifted to the rationalization and simplification of procedural regulations in international trade. The Agreement on the Trade Facilitation in Goods came into force in 2017, and proposals for similar agreements for trade in services and foreign investment have been submitted and are under discussion. This book discusses both existing and proposed provisions on trade facilitation within the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It covers relevant General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provisions and jurisprudence, the negotiating history of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in Goods, provisions of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and their relevance for developing countries’ concerns, with special emphasis on India, and the prospects for a global digital trade facilitation platform. The book also discusses the desirability for trade facilitation agreements for services and investment and the possibility of success of the proposals submitted in this regard in the WTO.