On 9-10 April, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) met to discuss the enhancement of the transparency of RTAs. The committee reviewed five RTAs covering countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.
At the meeting WTO members reiterated the importance of the effective implementation of the RTA transparency mechanism. The mechanism is designed to enhance the transparency of RTAs and improve understanding of their effects on the multilateral system. Under this mechanism WTO members notify the WTO about their RTAs and these are discussed by the wider WTO membership.
The WTO secretariat alerted WTO members to the new RTA database, which includes the most up-to-date information on RTAs sent to the WTO, which were added to the RTA webpages of the WTO website.
