កិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងពាណិជ្ជកម្ម: Classification of trade pacts

Classification of trade pacts
By number and type of signatories
A trade agreement is classified as bilateral (BTA) when signed between two sides, where each side could be a country (or other customs territory), a trade bloc or an informal group of countries (or other customs territories). A trade agreement signed between more than two sides (typically neighboring or in the same region) is classified as multilateral.

By sophistication
thumb|right|334px|Stages of economic integration around the World:(each country colored according to the most advanced agreement that it participates into.)      

There are a variety of trade agreements; with some being quite complex (European Union), while others are less intensive (North American Free Trade Agreement). The resulting level of economic integration depends on the specific type of trade pacts and policies adopted by the trade bloc:

Separate
 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA)
 Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT)
 Preferential Trade Arrangement (PTA) - limited scope and depth of tariffs reduction between the customs territories.
 Free Trade Agreement establishing a Free Trade Area (FTA) - extensive reduction or elimination of tariffs on substantially all trade allowing for the free movement of goods and in more advanced agreements also reduction of restrictions on investment and establishment allowing for the free movement of capital and free movement of services
 Common market - FTA with significantly reduced or eliminated restrictions on the freedom of movement of all factors of production, including free movement of labour and of enterprise; and coordination in economic policy
 Currency union - sharing the same currency
Composite
 Customs union - FTA with common external tariffs of all signatories in respect to non-signatory countries
 Customs and monetary union - Customs union with Currency union
 Economic union - Customs union with Common market
 Economic and monetary union (EMU) - Economic union with Currency Union
 Fiscal Union - common coordination of substantial parts of the fiscal policies (proposed step between EMU and Complete economic integration)

កិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងពិសេស
 World Trade Organization treaty
 agreements in the WTO framework (Textile Agreement and others)
 the now defunct Multilateral Agreement on Investment (in the OECD framework)

By the World Trade Organization
Typically the benefits and obligations of the trade agreements apply only to their signatories.

In the framework of the World Trade Organization a different agreement types are concluded (mostly during new member accessions), whose terms apply to all WTO members on the so-called most-favored basis (MFN), which means that beneficial terms agreed bilaterally with one trading partner will apply also to the rest of the WTO members.

All agreements concluded outside of the WTO framework (and granting additional benefits beyond the WTO MFN level, but applicable only between the signatories and not to the rest of the WTO members) are called preferential by the WTO. According to WTO rules these agreements are subject to certain requirements such as notification to the WTO and general reciprocity (the preferences should apply equally to each of the signatories of the agreement) where unilateral preferences (some of the signatories gain preferential access to the market of the other signatories, without lowering their own tariffs) are allowed only under exceptional circumstances and as temporary measure.The EU got a WTO waiver to grant favourable access to its market for the ACP states, without requiring that in return they open their markets to competition from the EU. The WTO waiver already expired and currently the EU and the ACP states are negotiating WTO compliant reciprocial agreements).

The trade agreements called preferential by the WTO are also known as regional (RTA), despite not necessarily concluded by countries within a certain region. There are currently 205 agreements in force as of July 2007. Over 300 have been reported to the WTO. The number of FTA has increased significantly over the last decade. Between 1948 to 1994, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the predecessor to the WTO, received 124 notifications. Since 1995 over 300 trade agreements have been enacted.

The WTO is further classifying these agreements in the following types:
Goods covering:
basic preferential trade agreement (a.k.a. partial scope agreement)
free trade agreement
customs union
Services covering:
Economic Integration Agreement - any agreement, including a basic PTA, that covers also services