Regional trade agreements refer to a treaty signed by two or more countries to promote the free movement of goods and services beyond the borders of its members. The agreement contains internal rules that Member States comply with each other. As far as third countries are concerned, there are external rules to which members comply. Since the beginning of the 20th century, several hundred bilateral THPs have been signed. The Canada Research Chair in International Political Economy`s TREND project[6] lists approximately 700 trade agreements, the vast majority of which are bilateral. [7] Full integration of Member States is the last level of trade agreements. Businesses in Member States benefit from increased incentives to trade in new markets as a result of the measures contained in the agreements. A free trade agreement removes all barriers to trade among members, which means that they can freely move goods and services between them. When it comes to dealing with non-members, each member`s trade policies continue to come into force. Regional trade agreements depend on the level of commitment and agreement between member states.

A preferential trade zone (including preferential trade agreements, PTA) is a trading bloc that offers preferential access to certain products from participating countries. This requires a reduction in tariffs, but not in their total abolition. A ZEP can be implemented through a trade pact. This is the first step in economic integration. The border between a EPZ and a Free Trade Area (EEA) can be blurred, as almost all ATPs have the main objective of becoming a free trade agreement in accordance with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Given the recent proliferation of bilateral TTPs and the emergence of mega-PTAs (broad regional trade agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) or the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a global trading system managed exclusively under the WTO now seems unrealistic and the interactions between trade systems must be taken into account. The increasing complexity of the international trading system resulting from the proliferation of EPZs should be taken into account when considering the choice of countries or regions used by countries or regions to promote their trade relations and environmental agendas. [2] ATPs have grown rapidly; In the 1990s, there were just over 100 PTAs. In 2014, there were more than 700. [3] These tariff preferences have created many discrepancies with the principle of normal trade relations, namely that members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) should apply the same tariff to imports from other WTO members. [1] Customs Union Member StatesA customs union is an agreement between two or more neighbouring countries to reduce trade barriers, reduce or eliminate tariffs and remove quotas.