Browse by: "R"

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions greatly complicated overland freight transport between Europe and China via the so-called Northern Corridor, which runs through the Russian Federation. This has prompted renewed attention to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, a multimodal route running through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye – the so-called “Middle Corridor”. The present report looks at the Middle Corridor’s potential and at the challenges that must be overcome to realise it, drawing on the perspective of relevant private-sector actors in the four Middle Corridor countries. Governments along the corridor have invested heavily to improve transport infrastructure, yet important bottlenecks remain due to the geography of the route, the number of border crossings and the lack of regional trade integration. This study, based on surveys from and interviews with the private sector, maps and sequences main reform priorities in relation to regional integration, infrastructure, trade facilitation and supra-national coordination. It suggests that the primary aim should be to develop the corridor not solely as a transit route for actors from outside the region but as an engine of integration and trade integration in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Regional Integration in the Union for the Mediterranean: Progress Report monitors major trends and evolutions of integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The Report examines five domains of regional integration, namely trade integration, financial integration, infrastructure integration, movement of people, as well as research and higher education. It presents an original analysis of the patterns and challenges of integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region, which highlights the interdependence of the areas examined – e.g. how to increase regional trade without affordable transport connectivity? The Report offers new insights, based on specific quantitative and qualitative performance indicators that are monitored over time. Almost 100 graphs and tables in the report cover data for the 42 member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean and, when relevant, for partners of the region. The Report includes key takeaways and policy recommendations on how to foster regional integration in each of the five domains.

An analytical framework for assessing and managing the relationship between regional agreements and the world multilateral trading system. Regional trade agreements (RTAs) are increasingly portrayed as a threat to the free global exchange of goods and services. Moreover, should the WTO-approved Doha Round of multilateral talks end in deadlock, many member countries would likely place even greater emphasis on regional agreements. This book provides WTO members with an analytical framework for assessing and managing the relationship between regionalism and the world multilateral trading system.

International regulatory co-operation (IRC) represents an important opportunity for countries, and in particular domestic regulators, to consider the impacts of their regulations beyond their borders, expand the evidence for decision-making, learn from the experience of their peers, and develop concerted approaches to challenges that transcend borders. This report provides the first OECD assessment of a country’s IRC framework and practices. Mexico’s active efforts to embrace globalisation are reflected in many aspects of its domestic policies, practices and institutions. On one hand, it has undertaken unilateral efforts to embed international considerations in its domestic rule-making through regulatory improvement disciplines and with the consideration of international standards in the drafting of technical regulations. On the other hand, the Mexican government and individual regulators also engage extensively in co-operative efforts on regulatory matters, at the bilateral, regional and multilateral level. Based on the overview of Mexico’s practices and comparison with other OECD countries, the review recommends three areas for improvement: designing a horizontal government-wide strategy for IRC, enhancing information about the tools and benefits of IRC, and offering the necessary tools to support systematic implementation of IRC.

The global economy relies increasingly on services for economic growth, employment, and innovation. Moreover, services trade plays a crucial role in mitigating some of the biggest challenges of our times, including by strengthening resilience in supply chains, supporting the digital transformation, and enabling a greener economy. Since 2014, the OECD has monitored services trade policies through the OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI), and offers annual updates on data related to services regulations. The STRI identifies opportunities for policy reform, and facilitates the quantification of benefits of open and well-regulated services markets. Building on a decade of monitoring and analysing services policies, this report presents developments on the evolution of the global regulatory and policy environment for services trade. It highlights that services trade barriers remain high and asymmetric across countries and regions, but that ambitious reforms could yield important benefits in terms of trade cost reductions. The report also serves as a unique roadmap for governments to develop ambitious strategies to revitalise services trade and how to leverage the STRI database, indices, and tools in order to implement impactful reforms.

Illicit trade in counterfeit goods causes economic damage by reducing sales and profits as well as innovation incentives in legitimate industries. This study looks at damages caused by illicit trade in counterfeits to small and medium-sized enterprises. The robust evidence on the magnitude, scope and trends of this risk informs policy makers about the need to include anti-counterfeiting elements in policy packages designed to support SMEs.