The WTO's 10th ministerial conference took place shortly before Christmas 2015, the first to be held in Africa. Verdicts on its outcomes range from "the death of the Doha Round" to WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo's praise for a "historic" package. A more measured assessment reveals a mixed...

For decades the search for deeper integration characterised the European Union. Today the discussion revolves around disintegration. It began with the Greek debt crisis, but only came into its own with summer 2015's major influx of refugees and the reimposition of controls at certain borders. In...

The liberalisation of foreign trade has often contributed to stimulating development and increasing prosperity. But it can also lead to unemployment, environmental problems and threats to food security. Free trade agreements should therefore be designed to ensure that positive effects are felt...

Within the framework of a sustainable foreign trade policy, exports and imports represent a potentially important factor supporting economic and social development. The international level has proposed many objectives and instruments to harness that potential for the benefit of developing...

The trade in digital technology and services has become an absolutely central element of international economic relations. A substantial part of this trade is associated with the transfer of data, some of it personal, and many of the new products and services emerging in connection with the...

Donald Trump's election campaign and first hundred days in office were marked by abrasive rhetoric on trade, in particular blaming free trade agreements for causing economic suffering and unemployment in America. Countries that run large export surpluses with the United States, like Mexico,...

In 2015 the international community adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to "end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind". Trade can contribute to meeting those goals, but only if the policies are adapted...

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) is today subject to a double pressure: an internal one, arising from the reform debate caused by the CAP's 'Health Check', and an external one, spurred by the ongoing WTO Round. In the past, EU agricultural reforms and WTO...