Preferential Trade Agreements and International Law

The multilateral trade agreements in the Annexes to the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization provide a comprehensive structure for international trade. Why would trading partners in different countries feel the need to go outside this framework in order to set up preferential trade arrangements? This book considers the structure of the World Trade Organizations agreements and the types of preferential trade arrangements, and deliberates the value of the latter in the light of the operation of the former. Preferential Trade Agreements and International Law offers a comprehensive examination of preferential trade agreements and considers the features of specific regional and bilateral trade agreements without drawing upon systematic features and trends. It shows the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of value to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students interested in international trade and economic law.