쌍무적 지역무역협정(RTA)의 확산과 문제점

A Study on the Proliferation and Problems of Bilateral RTAs

Regional Trade Agreements(RTAs) are a prominent feature of the multilateral trading system and have been an important trade policy tool for WTO Members. RTAs has been steadily increasing over the last ten years and this trend will be further strengthened by the many RTAs being proposed and those currently under negotiation. In particular, the bulk of RTAs are based on bilateral RTA configurations rather than the more burdensome plurilateral RTAs. This proliferation of bilateral RTAs has bring about more differential problems than plurilateral RTAs. This paper considers the recent developments, trends, and feature of bilateral RTAs and suggests that PECS would help to identify critical issees for any future step towards multilateralisation of RTAs as an alternative policy.