Comparing Safeguard Measures in Recent Regional and Bilateral Trade Agreements

As negotiators pursue talks on a workable agricultural safeguard mechanism at the World Trade Organization, it is critical that they have access to up-to-date and reliable information on the extent to which recent bilateral and regional trade deals include clauses on safeguards. This paper, which builds on a previous ICTSD study, provides policy-makers and others with an evidence-based analysis of the implications of recent bilateral and regional trade negotiations for developing countries’ ability to use safeguard measures to protect domestic producers from sudden surges in the volume of imports or price depressions.

Written by Willemien Viljoen