2001 Conference Objects

Regional and multilateral trade liberalization: Considering next steps: Workshop proceedings, March 16, 2001

APEC Study Center

This distinguished group has gathered at Columbia University to
examine regional trade arrangements under negotiation and in place
and to consider their potential impact on the multilateral system and the
next round of multilateral trade negotiations. The apparent tension
between regional and multilateral trade liberalizing initiatives has a long
history. The first “NAFTA,” for example, was a proposal nearly 40 years
ago to establish some kind of North Atlantic free trade arrangement
because multilateral negotiations appeared to some to be running out of
steam. This notion that regional arrangements can supplement or even
spur multilateral negotiations remains with us today. This workshop
examines a number of new developments that warrant serious consideration and serve as the context for this gathering.