Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms

Trade preferences are a key element in industrial countries' efforts to assist the integration of least developed countries (LDCs) into the world economy. Brenton provides an initial evaluation of the impact of the European Union's recent...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Brenton, Paul
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/04/2306081/integrating-least-developed-countries-world-trading-system-current-impact-eu-preferences-under-everything-arms
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18259
id okr-10986-18259
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-182592021-04-23T14:03:42Z Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms Brenton, Paul AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AVERAGE TARIFF AVERAGE TARIFFS CUSTOMS DOMESTIC MARKET EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION EXPORT EARNINGS EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES EXPORT SHARE EXPORTERS EXPORTS EXTERNAL TARIFF FREE ACCESS FULL LIBERALIZATION IMPACT OF TRADE IMPORTS INTERNATIONAL MARKETS INTERNATIONAL TRADE LDCS MARKET ACCESS MEAT MEAT PRODUCTS MILK PREFERENTIAL ACCESS PREFERENTIAL TRADE PRICE VOLATILITY PRIMARY PRODUCTS PRODUCERS PRODUCTS QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS REDUCTION OF BARRIERS RESTRICTIVE RULES OF ORIGIN RULES OF ORIGIN SUGAR SUGAR TARIFF PREFERENCES TARIFF RATE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TRADE BARRIERS TRADE DEFLECTION TRADE DIVERSIFICATION TRADE POLICY TRADE PREFERENCES URUGUAY ROUND VALUE ADDED VALUE OF EXPORTS WORLD TRADING SYSTEM WTO TRADING RICE SUGAR BANANAS EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION COSTS TRADE STRUCTURE PREFERENCE ANALYSIS DUTY-FREE IMPORTATION LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES RULES OF ORIGIN MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION ECONOMIC POLICY & PLANNING WTO TRADING Trade preferences are a key element in industrial countries' efforts to assist the integration of least developed countries (LDCs) into the world economy. Brenton provides an initial evaluation of the impact of the European Union's recently introduced "Everything but Arms" (EBA) initiative on the products currently exported by the LDCs. He shows that the changes introduced by the EBA initiative in 2001 are relatively minor for currently exported products, primarily because over 99 percent of EU imports from the LDCs are in products which the EU had already liberalized, and the complete removal of barriers to the key remaining products-rice, sugar, and bananas-has been delayed. Brenton looks at the role EU preferences to LDCs in general have been playing and could play in assisting the integration of the LDCs. He shows that there is considerable variation across countries in the potential impact that EU preferences can have given current export structures. There is a group of LDCs for whom EU trade preferences on existing exports are not significant since these exports are mainly of products where the most-favored-nation duty is zero. Export diversification is the key issue for these countries. For other LDCs, EU preferences have the potential to provide a more substantial impact on trade. However, the author shows that only 50 percent of EU imports from non-ACP (Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific) LDCs which are eligible actually request preferential access to the EU. The prime suspect for this low level of use are the rules of origin, both the restrictiveness of the requirements on sufficient processing and the costs and difficulties of providing the necessary documentation. More simple rules of origin are likely to enhance the impact of EU trade preferences in terms of improving market access and in stimulating diversification toward a broader range of exports. 2014-05-12T18:31:59Z 2014-05-12T18:31:59Z 2003-04 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/04/2306081/integrating-least-developed-countries-world-trading-system-current-impact-eu-preferences-under-everything-arms http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18259 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 3018 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
AVERAGE TARIFF
AVERAGE TARIFFS
CUSTOMS
DOMESTIC MARKET
EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION
EXPORT EARNINGS
EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES
EXPORT SHARE
EXPORTERS
EXPORTS
EXTERNAL TARIFF
FREE ACCESS
FULL LIBERALIZATION
IMPACT OF TRADE
IMPORTS
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
LDCS
MARKET ACCESS
MEAT
MEAT PRODUCTS
MILK
PREFERENTIAL ACCESS
PREFERENTIAL TRADE
PRICE VOLATILITY
PRIMARY PRODUCTS
PRODUCERS
PRODUCTS
QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS
REDUCTION OF BARRIERS
RESTRICTIVE RULES OF ORIGIN
RULES OF ORIGIN
SUGAR
SUGAR
TARIFF PREFERENCES
TARIFF RATE
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
TRADE BARRIERS
TRADE DEFLECTION
TRADE DIVERSIFICATION
TRADE POLICY
TRADE PREFERENCES
URUGUAY ROUND
VALUE ADDED
VALUE OF EXPORTS
WORLD TRADING SYSTEM
WTO TRADING
RICE
SUGAR
BANANAS
EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION
COSTS
TRADE STRUCTURE
PREFERENCE ANALYSIS
DUTY-FREE IMPORTATION
LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
RULES OF ORIGIN
MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION
ECONOMIC POLICY & PLANNING
WTO
TRADING
spellingShingle AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
AVERAGE TARIFF
AVERAGE TARIFFS
CUSTOMS
DOMESTIC MARKET
EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION
EXPORT EARNINGS
EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES
EXPORT SHARE
EXPORTERS
EXPORTS
EXTERNAL TARIFF
FREE ACCESS
FULL LIBERALIZATION
IMPACT OF TRADE
IMPORTS
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
LDCS
MARKET ACCESS
MEAT
MEAT PRODUCTS
MILK
PREFERENTIAL ACCESS
PREFERENTIAL TRADE
PRICE VOLATILITY
PRIMARY PRODUCTS
PRODUCERS
PRODUCTS
QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS
REDUCTION OF BARRIERS
RESTRICTIVE RULES OF ORIGIN
RULES OF ORIGIN
SUGAR
SUGAR
TARIFF PREFERENCES
TARIFF RATE
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
TRADE BARRIERS
TRADE DEFLECTION
TRADE DIVERSIFICATION
TRADE POLICY
TRADE PREFERENCES
URUGUAY ROUND
VALUE ADDED
VALUE OF EXPORTS
WORLD TRADING SYSTEM
WTO TRADING
RICE
SUGAR
BANANAS
EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION
COSTS
TRADE STRUCTURE
PREFERENCE ANALYSIS
DUTY-FREE IMPORTATION
LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
RULES OF ORIGIN
MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION
ECONOMIC POLICY & PLANNING
WTO
TRADING
Brenton, Paul
Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 3018
description Trade preferences are a key element in industrial countries' efforts to assist the integration of least developed countries (LDCs) into the world economy. Brenton provides an initial evaluation of the impact of the European Union's recently introduced "Everything but Arms" (EBA) initiative on the products currently exported by the LDCs. He shows that the changes introduced by the EBA initiative in 2001 are relatively minor for currently exported products, primarily because over 99 percent of EU imports from the LDCs are in products which the EU had already liberalized, and the complete removal of barriers to the key remaining products-rice, sugar, and bananas-has been delayed. Brenton looks at the role EU preferences to LDCs in general have been playing and could play in assisting the integration of the LDCs. He shows that there is considerable variation across countries in the potential impact that EU preferences can have given current export structures. There is a group of LDCs for whom EU trade preferences on existing exports are not significant since these exports are mainly of products where the most-favored-nation duty is zero. Export diversification is the key issue for these countries. For other LDCs, EU preferences have the potential to provide a more substantial impact on trade. However, the author shows that only 50 percent of EU imports from non-ACP (Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific) LDCs which are eligible actually request preferential access to the EU. The prime suspect for this low level of use are the rules of origin, both the restrictiveness of the requirements on sufficient processing and the costs and difficulties of providing the necessary documentation. More simple rules of origin are likely to enhance the impact of EU trade preferences in terms of improving market access and in stimulating diversification toward a broader range of exports.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Brenton, Paul
author_facet Brenton, Paul
author_sort Brenton, Paul
title Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms
title_short Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms
title_full Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms
title_fullStr Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms
title_full_unstemmed Integrating the Least Developed Countries into the World Trading System : The Current Impact of EU Preferences under Everything but Arms
title_sort integrating the least developed countries into the world trading system : the current impact of eu preferences under everything but arms
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/04/2306081/integrating-least-developed-countries-world-trading-system-current-impact-eu-preferences-under-everything-arms
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18259
_version_ 1764439495098236928