Cooperation on competition policy in Latin American and Caribbean bilateral trade agreements

Abstract

Until now, the extensive literature dealing with competition policy and trade agreements has referred mainly to integration agreements or their development at a plurilateral or multilateral level. Within this context, this paper aims to explore the impact that the growth of bilateral trade agreements -particularly FTAs- has on international cooperation regarding competition policies. It also considers whether these agreements are complementary to plurilateral and multilateral efforts to establish international coordination and cooperation on competition. These issues are inseparable given the generalized and growing economic openness and the changes in producer organizations and their international expansion, which create new competitive conditions. In a bid to address the above-mentioned issues, Section I presents an overview of the trade agreements established within the region since the beginning of the 1990s and highlights the interdependence of negotiating processes at various levels. It then examines competition policy in free trade agreements and other cooperation mechanisms. Section II, which contains the central issue of this paper, considers competition policy in bilateral free trade agreements in the region, and identifies the most common approaches or models. Lastly, Section III presents a recapitulation of these experiences and suggest evaluate their potential costs and benefits for countries in the region