> Consult the Guide to downloading files.

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