Making Regional Integration Work

Intraregional trade among Arab States is low compared to other regions. This publication offers insights into the main challenges to trade, within and beyond the region, and suggests how to address them. It shares the perspectives of exporters and importers obtained through surveys. The surveys are part of an ITC series of developing-country projects on non-tariff measures (NTMs). This is the first such publication to examine country surveys in a regional context focusing on bottlenecks arising from NTMs, including government-imposed strict regulations; procedures that make compliance difficult, and inefficiencies in the trade-related business environment. The findings show that many trade impediments originate in the region and the obstacles could be solved by tackling procedural bottlenecks, by facilitating trade rather than changing the underlying trade rules.

Related Subject(s): Economic and Social Development