We show that plurilateral agreements facilitate global tariff liberalization by creating an MFN-based margin of cooperation that leaves preferential access via preferential trade agreements (PTAs) unchanged. In a model of endogenous trade agreement formation with farsighted governments, PTAs...

We show that plurilateral agreements facilitate global tariff liberalization by creating an MFN-based margin of cooperation that leaves preferential access via preferential trade agreements (PTAs) unchanged. In a model of endogenous trade agreement formation with farsighted governments, PTAs...

Amidst the polycrisis of 2018-2024, Asia-Pacific trade flows exhibited a structural resilience that contrasts with traditional theoretical predictions of severe trade contraction under high uncertainty. This study investigates these resilience dynamics using a structural gravity model estimated...

Thirty years after establishing a customs union with the European Union (EU), Ankara sees growing economic risks in the EU’s free trade agreements with third countries, most recently India. While negotiations on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement were concluded at the end of January, and...

Dreißig Jahre nach Gründung der Zollunion mit der Europäischen Union (EU) sieht Ankara durch die Freihandelsabkommen der EU mit Drittstaaten, zuletzt mit Indien, wachsende wirtschaftliche Risiken. Während die Verhandlungen zum EU-Indien-Freihandelsabkommen Ende Januar abgeschlossen wurden...

Dreißig Jahre nach Gründung der Zollunion mit der Europäischen Union (EU) sieht Ankara durch die Freihandelsabkommen der EU mit Drittstaaten, zuletzt mit Indien, wachsende wirtschaftliche Risiken. Während die Verhandlungen zum EU-Indien-Freihandelsabkommen Ende Januar abgeschlossen wurden...

• The EU-India FTA generates mutual economic gains of 0.12-0.13% of GDP for both partners, with bilateral trade surging by 41-65%. • Since the 50 percentage points tariffs imposed by the US cost India 1.6% of GDP, the EU-India FTA provides a crucial hedge while the EU demonstrates commitment...

Das EU-Freihandelsabkommen mit den MERCOSUR-Staaten ist beschlossen. Damit hat die Europäische Union einen wichtigen, wenn auch lange erwarteten, Schritt zur Erweiterung des eindrucksvollen Netzwerks von Freihandelsabkommen getan. Das Abkommen wird mutmaßlich Flaggschiff der EU-Handelspolitik...

After nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations, the EU and India announced the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) at their summit in New Delhi on 27 January 2026. This paper analyses the geo-political and geo-economic drivers behind the agreement, its principal features and its...

Vor dem Hintergrund der globalen geoökonomischen Fragmentierung und der geopolitischen Unordnung, insbesondere durch die Politik unter US-Präsident Donald Trump, gewinnt ein Freihandelsabkommen (FTA) zwischen der Europäischen Union (EU) und dem Golf-Kooperationsrat (GCC) an strategischer...

This paper uses the Services Trade Policy Database and Services Trade Restrictions Index to assess services trade liberalization in Africa, building on previous World Bank studies of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The focus is on refining reductions of non-tariff measures in services...

This study analyses the impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) using a recursively dynamic global computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, MAGNET. The study considers two policy measures: cuts in bilateral...

Adequate policy space is essential for resource-rich countries to move up the value chain and seize the opportunities presented by global decarbonization and the demand for low-carbon technologies. However, WTO rules, investment and free trade agreements (FTAs) deprive nonhegemonic powers of the...

On 30th May 2024, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) celebrated its fifth anniversary, which legally implied that the agreement is up for review for possible amendments. To kickstart this review, the Thirty-Seventh Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit (held in February...

While FTA negotiations are proliferating, our paper shows that targeting the appropriate sector is crucial for generating employment opportunities subsequent to FTA. In particular, we show that, countering conventional wisdom, targeting skill-biased exports and not the sector that employs...

While FTA negotiations are proliferating, our paper shows that targeting the appropriate sector is crucial for generating employment opportunities subsequent to FTA. In particular, we show that, countering conventional wisdom, targeting skill-biased exports and not the sector that employs...

Environmentally friendly goods and techniques such are essential for the transition to a greener economy. Trade policy can help support the global diffusion of these goods and technologies by removing barriers to trade, lowering the cost of the green transition for consumers, firms, and...

Under China's dual circulation strategy, traditional industries that are highly dependent on international supply chains face significant challenges requiring restructuring. This study develops a multi-scale analytical model that integrates the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) with the...

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), initiated by the African Union in 2012, aims to create the world's largest free trade area by reducing tariffs and facilitating trade among 54 African countries. Officially entering into force on May 30, 2019, it has the potential to diversify...