Non-Tariff Measures: Next Agenda for Trade Negotiations

Abstract

Since the so-called 'mega-FTAs' such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) launched their agendas, it appears that the weight of trade liberalization discussions has been swiftly moving from cutting the edges of existing tariffs towards regulatory harmonization. The center of trade negotiations, of course, is still on tariffs and duties; however, with the exclusion of lingering sensitivities in some areas - i.e. agricultural products - there is not much to talk about and nothing new about tariff elimination. What looms large in the recent trade negotiations instead is regulatory harmonization, and current discussions on this matter seem to boil down to non-tariff measures (NTMs).