ABSTRACT
The Uruguay Round signalled the end of the great power supremacy of the USA, the European Union, Canada and Japan. Without underestimating their weight during the economic negotiations, the Uruguay Round marked a turning point in the relations between the developing countries (DCs) and the GATT. India, Brazil and, more generally the medium-sized powers, adopted a new approach to trade negotiations, by drawing closer to the power circle. In previous negotiations the DCs had remained on the fringe of the GATT, since their aim was then to obtain preferences from the developed countries. Few DCs participated in the essential part of the negotiations, which was concerned with the exchange of tariff concessions. During the Uruguay Round, however, they participated independently or in coalitions, and sought to consolidate discipline and multilateral rules, the only means capable of protecting them from the imbalance of power and the injustices arising from it. The preferences they obtained from the developed countries, in particular the EU, did not contribute an increase in their share of the world market.
