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First published: 04 May 2018 The post-Second World War liberal trade order has been a driver of global economic growth and rising average per capita incomes. This order confronts increasing opposition, reflecting concerns about adjustment costs and distributional effects of globalization and the ability to pursue national policy goals. At the same time, the development of complex production relations distributed across many countries calls for cooperation on a variety of regulatory policies. Contrary to what is argued by opponents of globalization, this does not imply one-size-fits-all rules that constitute a threat to national sovereignty and democratic legitimation. There remains an important traditional integration agenda that centers on rule making by major trading powers on policies that generate negative international spillovers. But the core challenge for the political economy of twenty-first-century trade agreements is to support regulatory cooperation to better govern international production and address the nonpecuniary externalities associated with greater economic integration.

У статті на прикладі Угоди СОТ про урядові закупівлі розглядаються так звані плюрілатеральні угоди в контексті подальшого розвитку права СОТ. Аналізуються як позитивні, так і негативні сторони плюрілатеральних угод, дається оцінка можливих шляхів розвитку процесу використання плюрілатеральних угод в рамках СОТ. Відзначається, що поступове включення плюрілатеральних угод в багатосторонню торговельну систему в перспективі має тільки послужити зміцненню і розвитку системи СОТ., В статье на примере Соглашения ВТО о правительственных закупках рассматриваются так называемые плюрилатеральные соглашения в контексте дальнейшего развития права ВТО. Анализируются как положительные, так и отрицательные стороны плюрилатеральных соглашений, дается оценка возможных путей развития процесса использования плюрилатеральных соглашений в рамках ВТО. Отмечается, что постепенное включение плюрилатеральных соглашений в многостороннюю торговую систему в перспективе должно только послужить укреплению и развитию системы ВТО., The article on the example of the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement examines the so-called plurilateral agreements in the context of the further development of WTO law. Both positive and negative sides of plurilateral agreements are analyzed, it is made an assessment of possible ways to develop the process of using plurilateral agreements within the framework of the WTO. It is noted that the gradual inclusion of plurilateral agreements in the multilateral trade system in the future should only serve to strengthen and develop the WTO system.

Sustained high growth in many developing countries (‘the rise of the rest’) combined with long-standing WTO working practices hampers the ability of the WTO to perform its routine functions and paralyzes efforts to adapt to new circumstances. Preferential trade agreements have taken up some of the slack in addressing differences in domestic regulation of product safety, environmental and social conditions, but are exclusionary and inefficient from a global perspective. In this paper, we argue that a new type of agreement based on open plurilateral cooperation offers better prospects for groups of countries to explore and develop their potential common interests on regulatory matters, while safeguarding core aspects of their national regulatory sovereignty and in-creasing the possibility of regenerating the WTO from within.

В статье рассматриваются проблемы текущего раунда многосторонних торговых переговоров ВТО. Представлены результаты 11-й конференции ВТО, состоявшейся в 2017 г. в Буэнос-Айресе, указаны основные противоречия в позициях ее участников, препятствующие успешному завершению Доха раунда. Проанализированы причины стагнации переговоров, включая усиление роли развивающихся стран на мировом рынке, развитие торговли на базе глобальных цепочек стоимости и обострение торговых противоречий в условиях замедления роста международной торговли. Определены возможные пути выхода из кризисной ситуации, сложившейся на переговорах в рамках Доха раунда.

There are essentially two types of plurilateral trade agreements (PAs) among WTO Members, an exclusive and an open variant. While the benefits of the former agreements are shared among participants only, the latter are implemented on an MFN-basis, thus profiting non-signatories as well. The most prominent examples are the Information Technology Agreement (1996) and the Fourth and Fifth Protocols under the GATS (1997) on telecom and financial services, respectively. To preclude "free riding", their entry into force was made contingent on the participation of a "critical mass" of countries. The respective benchmarks, usually market shares of some 80% or more, are quite challenging, however. To promote more widespread use of plurilaterals, given the plethora of pressing policy concerns, whether investment-, competition- or labour-related, and the persistent stalemate in the Doha Round negotiations, the conclusion of exclusive agreements is thus being (re-)considered in ongoing policy discussions. This article takes a sceptical view, since any such PA would need to be agreed by consensus among all 160-odd WTO Members. It may prove more rewarding to further explore the potential of open agreements to address policy concerns among interested Members either in the form of co-ordinated improvements of their current schedules or, if not covered by existing treaty frameworks, as "WTO-extra" understandings.

The dynamism of air traffic markets in the Middle East obscures the persistence of restrictions on international competition. But how important are such restrictions for passenger traffic? This paper uses detailed data on worldwide passenger aviation to estimate the effect of air transport policy on international air traffic. The policy variable is a quantitative measure of the commitments under international agreements. The paper analyses, for the first time, not only bilateral agreements, but also plurilateral agreements such as the one among Arab states. The analysis finds that more liberal policy is associated with greater passenger traffic between countries. Higher traffic levels appear to be driven by larger numbers of city-pairs being served, as well as by more passengers traveling along given routes. To demonstrate the quantitative implication of the estimates, two liberalization scenarios in the Middle East are evaluated. Deepening the plurilateral agreement among Arab states would lead to a 30 per cent increase in intra-regional passenger traffic. Widening the agreement to include Turkey would generate significantly larger gains because current policy vis-à-vis Turkey is much more restrictive. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-820227.html

Looking back at the history of the World Trade Organization (WTO), major accords that have been reached under the multilateral framework to date are in substance issue-based “plurilateral†agreements. This paper looks at some specific examples of issue-based plurilateral agreements—such as the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), the Financial Services and Basic Telecommunication Services Agreements, and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)—with the aim of pointing to the crucial role they can play in resolving the stalemate at the WTO and the Doha Round and the accelerating proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs). Through analysis of their characteristics compared with the WTO and FTAs, the paper attempts to identify the potentials as well as legal and substantive constraints of issue-based plurilateral agreements. It also suggests possible areas where new plurilateral agreements—whether single or multiple issue-based—can be developed. The paper also highlights the importance of plurilateral agreements as a mechanism complementary to the WTO and FTAs in enhancing the governance of the global trade system, and outlines conditions that need to be fulfilled to address the needs of developing countries.

The WTO’s Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations are blocked. After repeated attempts to make progress, trade ministers have called for exploring new approaches to negotiations. This has been interpreted by some as clearing the way for plurilateral negotiations between subsets of like-minded WTO members and that need not apply or benefit all WTO members. This paper discusses a number of questions that arise with respect to plurilateral agreements and argues that in light of the very low probability of new plurilateral agreements being accepted by WTO members the focus should be on the impact of preferential trade agreements and how these can be better accommodated in the multilateral trading system.

Looking back at the history of the World Trade Organization (WTO), major accords that have been reached under the multilateral framework to date are in substance issue-based "plurilateral" agreements. This paper looks at some specific examples of issue-based plurilateral agreements - such as the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), the Financial Services and Basic Telecommunication Services Agreements, and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) - with the aim of pointing to the crucial role they can play in resolving the stalemate at the WTO and the Doha Round and the accelerating proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs). Through analysis of their characteristics compared with the WTO and FTAs, the paper attempts to identify the potentials as well as legal and substantive constraints of issue-based plurilateral agreements. It also suggests possible areas where new plurilateral agreements - whether single or multiple issue-based - can be developed. The paper also highlights the importance of plurilateral agreements as a mechanism complementary to the WTO and FTAs in enhancing the governance of the global trade system, and outlines conditions that need to be fulfilled to address the needs of developing countries.