Evaluating impact on different types of coutries
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Scope
Does the option affect developing, least developed and middle income countries?[1]
Definition
Trade and investment offer great opportunities for fostering economic growth, which can be used by developing countries for their sustainable development and poverty reduction programmes. Development is at the centre of the current WTO round of trade negotiations, the Doha Development Agenda. Moreover, the integration of developing countries in the world economy and the multilateral trading system is part of the EU trade strategy, and a priority objective of its development policy.[1]
Result
Ongoing WTO trade talks: the Doha Development Agenda
The world's poorest countries have not always been able to benefit fully from the trade opportunities offered by the multilateral trading system. WTO Members have therefore agreed to put the issue of development at the heart of the next round of WTO negotiations, by launching the Doha Development Agenda. The DDA aims at establishing rules that help foster development, and increase developing countries' opportunities to take advantage from further trade liberalisation. For this reason development is the one single theme that runs through all elements of the DDA Work Programme.[1]
The market access negotiations must include products of particular interest to developing countries, to allow them to boost their export of these products. Moreover, increased access to the markets of other developing countries for developing country exporters is another important objective of the negotiations, since South-South trade has great potential.
The EU has led the way by eliminating all duties and quotas for all products originating from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), under the Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative.[1]
Moreover, the EU has tabled important pro-development proposals in Geneva, including the following:
a. Market access for industrial products, concerning liberalisation across all non-agricultural products, notably by eliminating tariff peaks and high tariffs, and significantly reducing tariff escalation.
b. Agriculture, concerning improved market opening and reduction of trade-distorting support in this domain.
c. Services, responding to requests and interests of developing countries, notably by a significant offer on temporary entry of foreigners to provide services.[1]
d. Rules, aimed to protect developing countries against discriminatory practices and to ensure that beneficial reforms and policies are kept in place and not reversed.
e. Special and differential treatment: any new rule must take account of the prevailing circumstances of developing countries.
f. Capacity building, as many developing countries need not only improved market access and rules, but also assistance to enhance their capacity to make use of the trading opportunities offered by the multilateral trading system.[1]
Relevant links
The following Eurostat Sustainable Development Indicators (Global Partnership) are relevant to address the key question:
- FDI to developing countries, by income group
- Official Development Assistance, by income group
- Bilateral ODA by category
- Share of untied ODA in total bilateral ODA commitments
- ODA as share of Gross National Income GNI
- EU imports from developing countries by group of products
- EU imports from least-developed countries by group of products
- Total EU financing for developing countries, by type
There are no Eurostat Structural Indicators directly related to this key question.[1]
See also
References
This text is for information only and is not designed to interpret or replace any reference documents. The text is partially adapted from: