Download or read book WTO Accession for Countries in Transition written by Constantine Michalopoulos and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1998 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: June 1998 Accession to the World Trade Organization should be expedited, and the processing time for applications reduced to no more than two years. This would enable the WTO to achieve universal membership in the next five years, a worthwhile objective for the international community. Countries in transition have considered membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) an important step toward integration in the international economic system. After several years of negotiations, five members of the former Soviet Union (FSU)-Armenia, the three Baltic countries, and the Kyrgyz Republic-may become members in 1998. It will probably take longer for Russia, Ukraine, and some others. It takes four to five years to process applications for FSU countries-which is close to average for recent applicants. The five countries expected to accede to the WTO this year are among the more liberal members of the FSU. With those five processed, there will be a backlog of another 26 applications, most them countries in transition, including China and Russia. At the current rate of processing, it will take five to six years to process them-and a decade or more for the 25 or so developing and transition economies that have yet to apply. Processing is time-consuming because: * Legislative requirements needed for accession are time-consuming. * Candidate countries are weak institutionally and unfamiliar with the economic and legal issues to be addressed. * The fact finding process is unneccessarily cumbersome and time-consuming. * Technical assistance to applicants in meeting the requirements for WTO accession is not effectively coordinated. * Addressing the commercial interests of all members requires protracted negotiations. Governments seeking accession must coordinate the legislative and regulatory changes needed in their foreign trade regimes, adopt liberal trade policies, and identify areas of institutional weakness that require delays in implementation of WTO provisions and seek agreement on such delays. WTO members, for their part, should expedite the process, as universal membership is in everyone's best interest. They should: * Agree to suitable, time-bound extensions to allow acceding governments to address institutional weaknesses. * Provide coordinated assistance to acceding countries to strengthen their institutional capacity. * Streamline the fact finding aspects of the accession process and give the WTO secretariat the budgetary resources it needs to work with applicant governments for this purpose. This paper is part of a larger effort of the World Bank to collaborate with the World Trade Organization in developing approaches for the more effective integration of the developing countries and transition economies in the international trading system. The author may be contacted at [email protected].

Download or read book WTO Accession for Countries in Transition written by Constantine Michalopoulos and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 25 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Accession to the World Tr ...

Download or read book The Emerging Economic Geography in EU Accession Countries written by Peter Nijkamp and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title was first published in 2003. Since 1990, Central and Eastern European countries have experienced increased economic integration with the European Union. The spatial implications of this process have been little investigated so far. Have patterns of regional specialization and industrial concentration changed during the 1990s? How does regional specialization relate to economic performance? How has access to Western markets affected the regional wage structure? What types of regions are winners and what types of regions are losers? This book poses and answers such policy relevant questions. It is organized into three parts. The first introduces the main features of economic integration and transition processes in Central and Eastern Europe and discusses the theoretical and methodological framework of the research. The second part examines the cases of five countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia, and the final part includes three comparative analyses which explain the underlying factors that determine the changing patterns of location of manufacturing activity, the adjustment pattern of regional wages and adaptation processes in border regions in the five countries.

Download or read book Bulgaria written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The World Trade Organization written by International Trade Law Center and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-12-31 with total page 3142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The editors have succeeded in bringing together an excellent mix of leading scholars and practitioners. No book on the WTO has had this wide a scope before or covered the legal framework, economic and political issues, current and would-be countries and a outlook to the future like these three volumes do. 3000 pages, 80 chapters in 3 volumes cover a very interdiscplinary field that touches upon law, economics and politics.

Download or read book Tourism in the New Europe written by Derek R. Hall and published by CABI. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the implications of EU enlargement for tourism in the region. It provides a country-by-country examination of each of the new member states, in terms of their current patterns and trends of tourism development and the impacts of EU accession on them. Topics include: historical trajectories of the European tourism development process, new structural and geographical patterns of European tourism, the politics of EU enlargement and implications for tourism policy, regional, national and local economic development trends, social and cultural implications of transition and accession, tourism education in the new Europe, and the marketing and re-branding of accession countries.

Download or read book Regional Economic Development in the Balkan Region written by Teoman Duman and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2016-01-14 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume brings together original scientific studies on current economic and developmental issues in the Balkan region, and is composed of papers by 25 authors from seven different countries. The Balkan region has gained significant interest in recent years due to its location and strategic position, representing a doorway to Europe, and the region’s stability and progress have direct consequences on various European countries. Because of this strategic position, there is currently much debate regarding a potential partnership of the Balkan states with the European Union. This book offers insights into the current economic and developmental status of the countries in this region, offering a series of chapters that analyse the area from a variety of perspectives. It begins with a discussion on the recent history of the region, especially with reference to the former Yugoslavia and its break-up after the turbulence experienced in 1990s. Other sections are complementary to each other in that they offer comparisons of the Balkan states in their economic progress at the micro and macro levels. Topics such as European integration policies and effects, economic transition, regional trade, tax incentive policy, regional capital markets, regional development agencies and systems, remittances and foreign aid contributions, import-export policies, fiscal policies, analysis of regional microfinance, and the tourism sectors are explored in detail throughout the book.

Download or read book The Eastern Enlargement of the EU written by Marek Dabrowski and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2001 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Eastern Enlargement of the EU identifies the major fiscal challenges facing Central European countries on the road to European Union accession. The Introduction and three other chapters are on broad macro-economic issues, and four `sectoral' chapters follow these on such questions as the fiscal impact of pensions, health reform, taxation and agricultural policies. A comprehensive analysis of tax systems and of the major elements of public social expenditures (pensions and health care systems) is presented. This analysis helps to identify the key factors determining the present size of governments and the need for, and prospects of, fiscal adjustment. In addition, a comparison of fiscal policy is carried out, followed by a long-term fiscal projection until year 2010. The book is relevant to academics in macroeconomics, European studies and transition economics, as well as in public finance and public policy sciences. It should also appeal to a significant professional audience. Policy makers and economists interested in the accession process in EU countries - at ministries, National Banks, research departments of banks, international organizations (the EU Commission, World Bank, IMF, OECD) - will have a strong interest in this book.

Download or read book Telecommunications Legislation in Transitional and Developing Economies written by Tim Schwarz and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines the design of telecommunications legislation in countries with transitional and developing economies (TDCs) engaged in liberalising and privatising their telecommunications sectors. It attempts to synthesise good practice and is intended to be used as a tool for legislative drafting. The main purpose of the paper is to highlight some of the issues which policy makers and legislators in TDCs may wish to bear in mind. The paper has three components. The first section outlines the scope and underlying principles of telecommunications legislation; the second section outlines the regulatory imperatives of telecommunications legislation and the third part, the annex, contains framework telecommunications legislation.

Download or read book EU Enlargement and the Environment written by JoAnn Carmin and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-05-31 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume focuses attention on key environmental and institutional changes associated with eastern expansion of the European Union, assessing and challenging prevailing views about the outcomes and processes of this historic development. Looking at four central themes -- capacity changes and limitations, the EU's mixed messages and conflicting priorities, non-state actor roles and developments, and the exchange of ideas and information - the volume shows that enlargement will change the EU, not just make it bigger, and that EU officials and programs are improving aspects of environmental policy in CEE countries even as they are making others less sustainable. This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal Environmental Politics.

Download or read book Handbook of the Economics and Political Economy of Transition written by Paul Hare and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-02 with total page 958 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transition from central planning to a market economy, involving large-scale institutional change and reforms at all levels, is often described as the greatest social science experiment in modern times. As more than two decades have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is now an excellent time to take stock of how the transition process has turned out for the economies that have moved on from socialism and the command economy. This new handbook assembles a team of leading experts, many of whom were closely involved in the transition process as policymakers and policy advisors, to explore the major themes that have characterized the transition process. After identifying the nature of initial conditions and the strengths and weaknesses of institutions, the varying paths and reforms countries have taken are fully analyzed – from the shock therapy, privatization or gradualism of the early years to the burning issues of the present including global integration and sustainable growth. Topics covered include the socialist system pre-transition, economic reforms, institutions, the political economy of transition, performance and growth, enterprise restructuring, and people and transition. The country coverage is also extensive, from the former socialist countries of the USSR and the satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe to the Asian countries of China, Vietnam and others. The rise of China as a key actor in the drama is chronicled, along with the emergence of a new, more confident, oil-rich Russia. The comparative prosperity of the Central European countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic is contrasted with the mixed fortunes of the former USSR, where some countries are stagnating while others boom. This Handbook of the Economics and Political Economy of Transition is the definitive guide to this new order of things in the former Communist world.

Download or read book Sustainable Regimes of Capital Movements in Accession Countries written by David Begg and published by Centre for Economic Policy Research. This book was released on 2002 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European Union is now preparing for the entry of ten new members. As the accession countries (ACs) embark on the next phase of the path toward formal entry into the EU, most are expected to join the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM-II), prior to adoption of the euro. This period will be a time of heightened vulnerability to financial instability, requiring extremely adept economic management. With limited exchange rate flexibility under ERM-II, disinflationary conditions, and no exemptions from full international capital mobility, EU accession countries are likely to experience large 'convergence play' capital inflows - such inflows arise because investment opportunities are large but domestic savings are small and the domestic financial system is still developing; and because a rising real exchange rate offers the prospect of attractive returns - alarmingly, large capital inflows figured in virtually every financial crisis of the 1990s.Building on the lessons learned from past financial crises, CEPR Policy Paper 10 makes the following observations and recommendations for accession countries as they negotiate the tricky path to global financial integration and monetary union: *Although ERM-II may be compatible with many exchange rate regimes, from currency boards to relatively wide bands, its central characteristic as a fixed but adjustable regime without the protection of capital controls makes it an interim stage of some danger. Whatever prudential supervisory arrangements are adequate for Western European financial institutions may not be sufficient for financial institutions in accession countries. This stage therefore requires a period of even longer prudential supervision. *The Report's analysis indicates that real exchange rates will still be appreciating during the ERM-II phase. If there is pressure for ACs' exchange rates to remain within invisible bands the result will be additional and unnecessary inflation. Since low inflation is a requirement of the Maastricht criteria, ERM-II may therefore impede entry to the euro.*The dangerous combination of high capital mobility and an intermediate exchange rate peg could be avoided if ACs were to unilaterally adopt the euro without becoming full members of the euro area. This makes sense for countries that are seeking fast entry into the euro area, and which have achieved fiscal responsibility, price stability and a sound banking sector. *Official readings of the Maastricht Treaty rule out unilateral euroization. At the moment it is necessary for ACs to join the euro area by the same process as the current members. These conditions include the attainment of low inflation and sustainable public finances and the requirement not to devalue the central parity within two years adoption of the euro. *Viewed in isolation, these requirements make little sense. What was necessary to establish the rules of the game is not necessary once the rules have been in place for some time. To believe it wise to make all ACs undergo this process, it is necessary to disregard the experience of the 1990s currency crises that were associated with intermediate exchange pegs.*The authors argue that the economic case for unilateral euroization is strong enough for the European authorities to reconsider this option.

Download or read book Policies on Imports from Economies in Transition written by Peter D. Ehrenhaft and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past 15 years, the availability of cheap and convenient microcomputers has changed the collection methods and analysis of household survey data in developing countries, making the data available within months, rather than years. Simultaneously, analysts have become more interested in exploring ways in which such data may be used to inform and improve the steps involved in policymaking. This book reviews the analysis of household survey data, including the construction of household surveys, the econometric tools that are the most useful for such analysis, and a range of problems in development policy for which the econometric analysis of household surveys is useful and informative. The author's approach remains close to the data, relying on transparent econometric and graphical techniques to present the data so that policy and academic debates are clearly informed. The author illustrates the analysis through examples of policy issues from several countries, including Cote d'Ivoire, India, Pakistan, Taiwan (China), and Thailand. Two introductory chapters discuss the content and construction of surveys, as well as the econometric methods that can be used with survey data. Survey design and sampling are covered in some detail, as are the effect of survey design on the calculation of statistics and the estimation of parameters. A chapter on econometrics explores issues such as heteroskedasticity, sample selection, and instrumental variables. Four chapters focus on poverty and inequality, demand analysis and intrahousehold allocation, price and tax reform, and savings. Each chapter presents a self-contained development of the topic, introduces the important empirical issues, and provides substantive results. The book also includes the computer code used to calculate the results so that readers can adapt the methods to yield similar results for other data

Download or read book Forest Concession Policies and Revenue Systems written by John Andrew Gray and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forest concessions have been an important element of forestry and forest management in many countries, including developing countries. However, if sustainable management of tropical forests is to be achieved and deforestation brought under control, the allocation, management, and supervision of forest concessions will need to be strengthened. This study examines the failures of forest concessions over the last 20 years, and highlights the potential gains resulting from concentrating on improving procedures, introducing performance incentives, and monitoring key performance elements.

Download or read book Utility Pricing and the Poor written by Julian A. Lampietti and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Utility Pricing and the Poor' evaluates the 1999 electricity tariff increase and the potential for improved water-sector cost recovery, with a particular focus on service accessibility and affordability for the poor. A two-stage approach is recommended. In the first stage, revenues should be increased by ensuring payment from households that have reliable service but are not paying their bills. After collection capacity is strengthened, the utility should implement a program of tariff adjustment, based on improved service and meter-based billing.

Download or read book Food and Agricultural Policy in Russia written by Csaba Csáki and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The agricultural sector in Russia has considerable untapped productive potential. Given this potential, agriculture could provide a solid foundation for growth and poverty alleviation, particularly in rural areas of Russia. The objectives of this book are to facilitate debate of issues key to agricultural policy, to contribute to a greater understanding of the Russian agricultural sector outside of Russia, and to identify a framework for further collaboration between the Russian government and the World Bank in the rural sector.

Download or read book Ukraine s WTO Accession written by Ihor Burakovsky and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lars Handrich German Advisory Group on Economic Reforms with the Ukrainian Government 1 Ukraine on the way to WTO membership The first announcements by Ukraine to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) were made in 1993. In the following year the Working group on Ukraine's accession was established. But successive Ukrainian governments had to sideline the issue of WTO accession, as the country went through a decade of unprecedented and severe economic decline. Only in the year 2000 the Ukrainian economy started to achieve positive real economic growth. Since then Ukraine embarked on a stable path of economic growth and continues to grow even under conditions ofa sluggish world economy and protectionist reflexes in some ofUkraine's export markets. According to the macroeconomic forecast of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting Ukrainian GDP will grow by 5,4% in 2003 in real terms and by 5,I% 1 in 2004. For Ukraine WTO accession is of special importance. Ukraine records an extremely high exports-to-GDP ratio of over 60% - almost twice the ratio for Germany.' The large ratio and the little diversified structure ofUkraine's imports and exports make Ukraine seriously vulnerable to external shocks resulting from changes in trade regimes. Joining the WTO, trade among WTO members amounting to more then 90% of world trade, could reduce the risks related to external trade and Ukraine could derive substantial economic and hence welfare benefits from the membership in WTO.