New Trends in Regional Integration of Developing Countries

This paper examines new trends in regional integration of developing countries. They are a transition from the policy of old regionalism to the policy of new regionalism with the predominance of the model of "industrial regionalism"; preferential notification within the WTO in accordance with the norms of Art. XXIY of the GATT and Art. Y of the GATS, rather than an enable clause; the predominance of free trade agreements (FTA) as a form of economic integration, and from classical FTAs to complex ones; shifting the emphasis in the formation of RTAs from the sub-regional level to the region-wide; maintaining a low degree of economic interdependence; in the last few years, initiatives have been put forward for deeper integration cooperation