Prospects of Regional Economic Cooperation in South Asia

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Conclusion

This concluding chapter summarizes the findings of chapters in both sections. The conclusions from each chapter are also discussed.

During the last two decades, the sluggish progress of multilateral trade negotiations under the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime provided impetus to the signing of regional/bilateral trade agreements the world over. According to the WTO database, there is a total of 263 regional trade agreements (RTAs) in force, of which 12 are accessions and 251 are new. Of these 263 RTAs, 162 were notified under GATT Article XXIV, 27 under the ‘enabling clause’ and 74 under GATS Article V. As of June 2009 438 RTAs had been notified to GATT/WTO, approximately 100 were in the pipeline (signed, ...