ABSTRACT
Throughout the post-World War II period international trade policy reform has seldom been absent from the mind of policy-makers. The formation of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as a forum for the discussion of international trade and policy issues and the resolution of disputes, and as a sponsor of regular rounds of multilateral negotiations leading to a substantial drop in the average level of tariff protection, has ensured that trade policy issues have retained currency. More recently, there has been considerable focus on bilateral and regional trade agreements with the expansion of the customs union of the European Community and the advent of organizations such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (APEC) and Mercusor. Nevertheless, cooperative trade policy remains an important part of the international landscape.
