Competition Provisions in Regional Trade Agreements

Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have grown dramatically in number and importance since the early 1990s and they increasingly include chapters and provisions encompassing competition issues. This study provides a taxonomy of the types of competition-related provisions contained in selected RTAs. It distinguishes different types of provisions addressing cooperation and coordination among competition agencies, as well as provisions directly addressing anticompetitive behaviour. It further contains information on dispute settlement, provisions concerning special and differential treatment and competition-specific clauses regarding non-discrimination, transparency, due-process, trade remedies and the exlusion of antidumping. The study also assesses the role and scope of competition provisions and distinguishes two families of agreements: those containing substantive provisions addressing anticompetitive behaviour and those focusing more on co-ordination and co-operation.