A multilateral
free trade agreement
A free trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating state (polity), states. There are two types of trade agreements: Bilateralism, bilateral and Multilateralism, m ...
is between several countries all treated equally, and creates a
free trade area
A free trade area is the region encompassing a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free trade agreement (FTA). Such agreements involve cooperation between at least two countries to reduce trade barriers, import quotas and tariffs, and ...
. Every
customs union,
common market,
economic union
An economic union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a common market with a customs union. The participant countries have both common policies on product regulation, freedom of movement of goods, services and the factors of prod ...
,
customs and monetary union and
economic and monetary union is also a free trade area, and are not included below.
World Trade Organization agreements
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General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1994
**
Agreement on Agriculture
**
Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
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Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
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Agreement on Trade Related Investment Measures
The Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) are rules that are applicable to the domestic regulations a country applies to foreign investors, often as part of an industrial policy. The agreement, concluded in 1994, was negotiated ...
**Agreement on Anti-Dumping
**Agreement on Customs Valuation
**Agreement on Preshipment Inspection
**Agreement on Rules of Origin
**Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures
**Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures
**Agreement on Safeguards
**Agreement on Trade Facilitation
*
General Agreement on Trade in Services
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is a treaty of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which entered into force in January 1995 as a result of the Uruguay Round negotiations. The treaty was created to extend the multilateral trading ...
*
*
Dispute Settlement Understanding
*Trade Policy Review Mechanism
*Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft
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Agreement on Government Procurement
*Arrangement regarding Bovine Meat, this agreement was terminated end 1997.
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International Dairy Agreement
The International Dairy Agreement (IDA) replaced the International Dairy Arrangement, which had been established in 1980. Its primary function was to expand and liberalize world trade in dairy products through international cooperation. The agreem ...
, this agreement was terminated end 1997.
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Information Technology Agreement
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Bali Package
Active agreements
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European Union Customs Union (EUCU) - 1958
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European Free Trade Association
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe, European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. ...
(EFTA) - 1960
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Andean Community - 1969
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Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) - 1975
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Southern African Development Community Free Trade Area (SADCFTA) - 1980
*
Gulf Cooperation Council
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...
(GCC) - 1981
*
Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) - 1991
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ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) - 1992
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Central European Free Trade Agreement
The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) is an international trade agreement between countries mostly located in Southeastern Europe. Founded by representatives of Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, CEFTA in 2006 expanded to Albania, Bo ...
(CEFTA) - 1992
*
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) is a regional international organization focusing on multilateral political and economic initiatives aimed at fostering cooperation, peace, stability and prosperity in the Black Sea ...
(BSEC) - 1992
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Central American Integration System
The Central American Integration System (, or SICA) has been the economic and political organization of Central American states since 1 February 1993. On 13 December 1991, the ODECA countries (Spanish: ''Organización de Estados Centroamericano ...
(SICA) - 1993
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Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) - 1994
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European Economic Area
The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...
(EEA) - 1994
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G-3 Free Trade Agreement (G-3) - 1995
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International Grains Agreement - 1995
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Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) - 1997
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Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) - 2004
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South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) - 2004
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East African Community (EAC) - 2005
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ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) - 2010
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Pacific Alliance Free Trade Area (PAFTA) - 2012
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Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) - 2018
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African Continental Free Trade Area
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a free trade area encompassing most of Africa. It was established in 2018 by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which has 43 parties and another 11 signatories, making it the large ...
- 2019
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United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) - 2020
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Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP ) is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific countries of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, S ...
(RCEP) - 2022
Post-Soviet States only
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Commonwealth of Independent States Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area - Multilateral Free Trade Area established on 24 November 1999 - multilateral free trade regime is in force among 10 countries as of 2023
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Eurasian Customs Union
The Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union () or EAEU Customs Union () is a customs union of 5 post-Soviet states consisting of all the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia) wh ...
of the
Eurasian Economic Union
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU)EAEU is the acronym used on thorganisation's website However, many media outlets use the acronym EEU. is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The EAEU has an integrated single ...
(EAEU) - 2010 as
EurAsEC Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus - 5 countries as of 2023
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Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Area (CISFTA) - 2011 - among 9 countries as of 2023
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GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) FTA - unclear application, the WTO was notified in only 2017 - multilateral free trade regime among 4 countries (
International Trade Centre says there is no free trade area in operation with distinct rules from an Agreement on Creation of CIS Free Trade Area, was signed on 15 April 1994 by 12 CIS countries.)
Proposed agreements
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African Free Trade Zone (AFTZ) between
SADC,
EAC and
COMESA
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community in Africa with twenty-one member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini. COMESA was formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area whi ...
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Arab Maghreb Union (UMA)
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Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
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Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
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Canada, Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom Union (CANZUK)
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China–Japan–South Korea Free Trade Agreement
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Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)
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Commonwealth Free Trade Area (CFTA)
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Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
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Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
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Economic Partnership Agreements (EU-ACP)
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Euro-Mediterranean free trade area (EU-MEFTA)
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Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
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Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP), proposed
APEC FTA
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Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
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Open Balkan
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Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER and PACER Plus)
* 2021
Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA)
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Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
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Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA)
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Tripartite Free Trade Area (T-FTA)
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Union of South American Nations (USAN)
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Economic Cooperation Organization Trade Agreement (ECOTA)
Obsolete agreements
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International Tin Agreement (1956–1985)
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Caribbean Free Trade Association (1968–1974)
*Association of Iron Ore Exporting Countries (1974–1999)
*International Bauxite Association (1974–1992)
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Multi Fibre Arrangement
The Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA) governed the world trade in textiles and garments from 1974 through 1994, imposing quotas on the amount developing countries could export to developed countries. Its successor, the Agreement on Textiles and Clot ...
(1974–1994)
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North American Free Trade Agreement (1994–2020)
[Was effective 01/01/199]
WT/REG4/W/1
Abandoned agreement
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Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - signed 2016, signature withdrawn by the United States in 2017 thus rendering the agreement unratifiable.
See also
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Free trade areas in Europe (with maps)
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List of bilateral free trade agreements
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List of country groupings
Groups of countries or regions are often referred to by a single term (word, phrase, or abbreviation). The origins of such terms include political alliances, intergovernmental organizations, business market areas, and mere colloquialism.
...
References
External links
bilaterals.org- ''"Everything that's not happening at the WTO"''
fightingftas.orgFTAs submitted to the WTOAmericas FTAsEU-ACP countries Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) Negotiations: Where do we stand?Singapore official FTA siteEFTA official siteAustralia official FTA siteBilateral and Regional Trade Agreements Notified to the WTO: developed by WorldTradeLaw.net and Bryan Mercurioptas.mcgill.ca- Interactive list of bilateral and multilateral free trade instruments
{{DEFAULTSORT:List of Free Trade Agreements
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Multilateral free trade agreements
Free trade treaties
Globalization-related lists