Negotiating Trade: the EU in the International Trade Regime
Research question/goal:
The European Union (EU) plays a key role in negotiations of the international trading regime due to the performance of its economy, its share in world trade, as well as the mere size of its internal market. Despite this prominent role, scholars have only recently begun to examine more closely the role of the EU in international trade negotiations. Such negotiations, however, not only take place in multilateral trade rounds of the GATT/WTO but increasingly bilaterally or between regional blocs. Negotiation analysis distinguishes the process of trade negotiations as the relationship between structure and strategies which in turn determines the outcome. The research project will analyze how negotiation processes and outcomes differ in multilateral, regional and bilateral trade negotiations the EU is involved in. In doing so, the project will focus on trade negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), specifically the ongoing Doha Development Agenda (DDA), as well as negotiations of regional and bilateral trade agreements. It is sought to explain the dynamics and factors that shape the negotiations on different levels. Methodologically, the project will apply a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. The objective of the research project is to improve the understanding of the consequences of international regime complexity for trade negotiations.