The Southern African Development Community Trade Legal Instruments Compliance with Certain Criteria of GATT Article XXIV

Authors

  • A Saurombe University of South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2011/v14i4a2591

Keywords:

SADC, GATT, WTO and regional trade agreements.

Abstract

Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) lays down the legal principles with which regional trade agreements have to conform.  Based on these principles, WTO members have the mandate to determine the legality of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) under the GATT.  Article XXIV permits both regional and bilateral preferential trade agreements leading to the formation of customs unions and free trade areas, and seeks to integrate them in the multilateral trading system envisioned for the world.  SADC is an RTA created under this Article. Notwithstanding the controversies surrounding the provisions and interpretation of Article XXIV, this paper seeks to establish the extent to which the SADC Protocol on Trade and free trade area comply with WTO rules. An analysis of selected Article XXIV provisions and the SADC Trade Protocol provisions will be undertaken in trying to establish this compliance.

  ScienceOpen_Log0363.png

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bell RT "Content Protection"

Bell RT "Content Protection in the Motor Vehicle Industry in the Presence of Joint Ventures" 1989 South Africa Journal of Economics Vol 57, Issue 2 68-79

Bhagwati Regionalism and Multilateralism

Bhagwati 'Regionalism and Multilateralism: An Overview', in J de Melo and A. Panagariya (eds), New Dimensions in Regional Integration (New York: Cambridge University Press: 1993

Chase "Multilateralism compromised"

Chase K "Multilateralism compromised: the mysterious origins of GATT Article XXIV" 2006 World Trade Review 5 1-30 United Kingdom

Chayes A The New Sovereignty:

The New Sovereignty Compliance with international Regulatory Agreements (Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press 1995) chapter 1

Crawford "A New Transparency Mechanism"

Crawford J "A New Transparency Mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements" 2007.Singapore Year Book of International Law and Contributors 133-140

Cottier T and Foltea M "Constitutional Functions of the WTO"

Cottier T and Foltea M 'Constitutional Functions of the WTO and Regional Trade Agreements', in Bartels L and Ortino F (eds) Regional Trade Agreements and the WTO Legal Systems (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2006)p43.

Curzon Multilateral Commercial Diplomacy

Curzon G Multilateral Commercial Diplomacy: The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and its Impact on National Commercial Policies and Techniques, 1965 London: Michael Joseph

Dam The GATT: Law and International Economic Organisation

Dam KW The GATT: Law and International Economic Organisation (University of Chicago Press: Chicago:1970)

Devlin J and Safadi R (eds.), Towards Arab and Euro-Med Regional Integration.

Devlin J and Safadi R (eds.), Towards Arab and Euro-Med Regional Integration Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Economic Research Forum for the Arab Countries, Iran And Turkey-The World Bank, Development Centre Seminars, Paris: 129 - 146

Flatters F and Netshitomboni N "Trade and Poverty in South Africa

Flatters F and Netshitomboni N "Trade and Poverty in South Africa: Motor Industry" 2006 Paper prepared for the University of Cape Town's Southern Africa Labour and Development Unit (SALDRU)

Frankel J Regional Trading Blocks 12

Frankel J Regional Trading Blocks Institute of International Economics, 1997

Gakumu P "ACP Lome IV Convention

Gakumu P "ACP, Lome IV Convention, an Evaluation of the Trade Chapter" Brussels1990 (ACP Publication)

Greenberg S "Raw Deal

Greenberg S "Raw Deal: South Africa – European Union Trade Pact.2000" Southern Africa Report, Vol. 15 No. 3 16-19

Grethe H, Nolte S and Tangermann, S "The Development and future of EU

Grethe H, Nolte S and Tangermann, S "The Development and future of EU Agricultural Trade Preferences for North-African and Near-East Countries" 2005, Paper prepared for presentation at the 99th seminar of the EAAE (European Association of Agricultural Economists), The Future of Rural Europe in the Global Agro-Food System, 23-27 August 2005, Copenhagen

Haight FA "Customs Unions and Free Trade Areas"

Haight FA 'Customs Unions and Free Trade Areas GATT: A Reappraisal' 1972 Journal of World Trade Law, 6 (4): 1-35

Kirk R and Stern M "The New Southern African Customs Union Agreement"

Kirk R and Stern M "The New Southern African Customs Union Agreement" Africa Region Working Paper Series No. 57. 2003 Washington: World Bank

Kruger P 'SADC EPA negotiations

Kruger P 'SADC EPA negotiations: the circle of trust' Trade negotiations Insights, 5.8. December/January 2007/8 8-9

Kumar U "Article XXIV"

Kumar U 'Article XXIV of GATT and regional arrangements in Southern Africa' (1995) 4

Kuwayama and Yusuke

Kuwayama M and Yusuke K "The Comprehensiveness of Chilean Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)" 2002, paper presented to the APEC Study Centre, Institute for Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), for Project "WTO Liberalization and the FTA Framework", forthcoming. 2001 Chiba, Japan

Lockhart JSN and Mitchell AD "Regional Trade Agreements"

Lockhart JSN and Mitchell AD "Regional Trade Agreements under GATT 1994: An Exception and its Limits' in Mitchell AD 'Challenges and Prospects for the WTO" International Law and Policy. Cameron May 2005

Löfgren H El-Said M and Robinson S "Trade Liberalisation and the Poor:

Löfgren H El-Said M and Robinson S "Trade Liberalisation and the Poor A Dynamic Rural-Urban General Equilibrium Analysis of Morocco" 2001 in Dessus, S.

McMillan Y "Does Regional Integration Foster Open Trade"

McMillan Y "Does Regional Integration Foster Open Trade? Economic Theory and GATTs Article XXIV", in K Anderson and R. Blackhurst (eds), Regional Integration and the Global Trading System (New York 1993) 1-30.

Montalbano, Pierluigi "The European Neighbourhood

Montalbano, Pierluigi "The European Neighbourhood policy: towards a new EU-MED partnership?" 2006 EIU WP Law 21 2007: p. 45-64 See also McQueen M "The EU"s Free trade Agreement with developing countries: A case of wishful thinking? The World Economy 2002 Vol 25.Issue 9. 1369-85

Niyiragira Y "SADC Countries Fail to Meet Customs Union"

Niyiragira Y "SADC Countries Fail to Meet Customs Union", Comment by Paul Kruger, a Tralac Researcher at the Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (Tralac)

Onguglo BF 'Developing countries and trade preferences

Onguglo BF 'Developing countries and trade preferences' in M Rodriguez, P Low and B. Kotschwar (eds) Trade Rules in the Making: Challenges in Regional and Multilateral negotiations OAS 1999 109

Park H S "Regionalism"

Park H S "Regionalism, Open Regionalism and Article XXIV GATT: Conflicts and Harmony" 2002 in Regionalism and Global Regulation of International Trade. Snyder F(ed) Studies in European Law and Integration.

Saurombe A The Context of EPA for SADC

Saurombe A The Context of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) for SADC: Available alternatives. In Kierkegaard S.M. Business Law, theory and practice 2008 362-370

Stern M "Evaluation of an Appropriate Model for SADC

Stern M "Evaluation of an Appropriate Model for SADC CU: Options for Revenue Collection and Allocation". Report Commissioned by SADC Secretariat.2007 p50

Sutherland P "The Future of the WTO:

Sutherland P "The Future of the WTO: Addressing Institutional Challenges in the New Millennium" Report by the Consultative Board to the Director General. www.wto.org (The Sutherland Report 2005)

Register of Cases

Turkey- Restrictions on Imports of Textile and Clothing products. Appellate Body 1995- (WT/DS34/AB/R)

United States- Definitive Safeguard measures on imports on Circular Welded Carbon Quality Line Pipe from Korea (WT/DS202/R)

Register of treaties, instruments and legislation

Consolidated Text of the Amended Text of the Treaty of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)

SADC Protocol on Trade (1996)

ACP-EC Partnership Agreement- Cotonou 2000 (revised in Luxembourg 2005)

WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1, adopted on 14 November 2001.Paragraph 47 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration

WTO WT/L/671 16 Dec 2006. 'early announcement'.

WT/REG176/N/1/Rev.1 Notification of SADC to WTO by Tanzanian Mission

WT/REG176/3 Terms of reference for the examination of the Protocol by Council for Trade in Goods

WT/REG/W/17/Rev1 WTO Committee on Regional Trade Agreements, Systemic Issues Related to 'Other Regulations of Commerce': Background Note by Secretariat (Revision) (5 February 1998) para10

WT/TPR/G/114.Trade Policy Review. (WTO 2003b:7) "Southern African Customs Union. Report by the Secretariat".

WT/REG/W/22/Add.1 WTO Committee on Regional Trade Agreements, Communication from Australia- Addendum (24 April 1998)

Register of Internet resources

Ministry of Finance Zimbabwe 2009 www.zimtreasury.org

ZIMRA charging 85% import duty for used cars yet we don't manufacture any cars hence no local industry to protect. Available on: http://www.zimtreasury.org/talk-to-tendai-detail.cfm?News=247. Accessed on 06/ 05.2010

FTA Brochure 2008 www.sadc.in/fta/index/browse/page

'Hand book on SADC FTA, Growth, Development and Wealth Creation. Available on www.sadc.in/fta/index/browse/page/219 Accessed on: 20 August 2010, See also the SADC RISDP

Published

08-06-2017

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Saurombe, A. (2017). The Southern African Development Community Trade Legal Instruments Compliance with Certain Criteria of GATT Article XXIV. Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 14(4), 286-318. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2011/v14i4a2591

Similar Articles

1-10 of 747

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.