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The WTO Reference Paper meets EU common regulatory policy in CETA

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Abstract

International trade and investment in telecommunications are governed by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and its Annex and Reference Paper (RP) on telecommunications. This paper discusses whether the 25-year old WTO framework is still fit for purpose. It makes two contributions to the literature. First, it offers a systematic comparison between the provisions in the RP, the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and EU common regulatory framework. GATS builds on an outdated classification of telecommunications which is repeated in the CETA. The RP obliges countries to regulate interconnection, which is also largely repeated in CETA, although regulatory forbearance is permitted. CETA does not offer new market access in telecommunications to either party. Second, the paper investigates empirically whether binding regulation in trade agreements strengthen market openness, measured by imports of telecommunications services, and finds that it does not. The paper concludes that trade agreements may not be suitable for international cooperation on telecommunications regulation. Trade agreements run the risk of making regulation hostage to unrelated trade policy issues while adopting the RP runs a risk of legal obligations to over-regulate telecommunications.

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  • Kyvik Nordås, Hildegunn, 2020. "The WTO Reference Paper meets EU common regulatory policy in CETA," Working Papers 2020:1, Örebro University, School of Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:oruesi:2020_001
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    1. Hank Intven, 2000. "Telecommunications Regulation Handbook," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15249.
    2. Drake, William J & Noam, Eli M, 0. "The WTO deal on basic telecommunications : Big bang or little whimper?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(9-10), pages 799-818, November.
    3. Eleanor M. Fox, 2006. "The WTO's First Antitrust Case -- Mexican Telecom: A Sleeping Victory for Trade and Competition," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 271-292, June.
    4. Roy, Martin, 2019. "Elevating services: Services trade policy, WTO commitments, and their role in economic development and trade integration," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2019-01, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Telecommunications; International trade; WTO reference paper; EU; CETA;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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