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WTO members (as, previously, GATT contracting parties)
are bound to notify the regional trade agreements (RTAs)
in which they participate. Nearly all of the WTO's
Members have notified participation in one or more RTAs (some Members
are party to twenty or more). Notifications may also refer to the accession of
new parties to an agreement that already exists, e.g. the notification
of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union
Customs Union.
In the period
1948-1994, the GATT received 123 notifications of RTAs (relating to
trade in goods), and since the creation of the WTO in 1995, over 300 additional arrangements covering trade
in goods or services have been notified.
Evolution of Regional Trade Agreements in the world, 1948-2012Back to top
The following Chart shows all RTAs notified to the
GATT/WTO (1948-2012), including inactive RTAs, by year of entry into
force.

Source: WTO Secretariat
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