Economic Integration in MENA : The GCC, the Maghreb, and the Mashreq

Though the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has weathered the recent global financial and economic crisis relatively well, it still faces daunting medium-term challenges. These include high unemployment (especially among young people), vulnerability to oil and food price shocks and water scarcity and inefficiencies of public sectors. Integration of the region into the global economy has been slow. Of particular concern is the stagnation in the region's share of global non-oil exports, an indication of missed opportunities for diversification and growth. Integration within the region, while rising, is also on the low side when compared with other middle- and high-income regional blocs. To start off the removal of intraregional tariffs under the Pan-Arab Free Trade Area (PAFTA) and the adoption of low common tariffs by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which coupled with improvements in infrastructure, especially roads and telecommunications is generating benefits. But much remains to be done, especially in reducing nontariff barriers to trade, harmonizing policies and procedures, and facilitating cross-border trade through development of infrastructure links and trade facilitation. Fortunately, trade in services has recently emerged on the agenda of national and regional authorities; this is an area of substantial potential welfare gain for the region.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Akhtar, Shamshad, Rouis, Mustapha
Format: Brief biblioteca
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2010-10
Subjects:BORDER TRADE, BOTTLENECKS, COMMODITIES, CROSS-BORDER TRADE, DEBT, DEVELOPING WORLD, DRIVERS, ECONOMIC CRISIS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS, ECONOMIC INTEGRATION, ECONOMIC REFORM, ECONOMIC WELFARE, EUROPEAN UNION, EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION, EXPORTS, FINANCIAL SECTOR, FISCAL POLICY, FOOD PRICE, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, FREE TRADE, FREE TRADE AREA, FREE TRADE IN GOODS, GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS, GLOBAL ECONOMY, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, HARMONIZATION, INCOME, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, INTRAREGIONAL TRADE, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKET STRATEGY, LABOR MARKETS, LIBERALIZATION, MOBILITY, NOMINAL VALUE, OIL EXPORTER, POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS, POLITICAL ECONOMY, PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, PRIVATIZATION, REGIONAL ACTIVITIES, REGIONAL AUTHORITIES, REGIONAL BLOCS, REGIONAL COOPERATION, REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION, REGIONAL INITIATIVES, REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS, REGIONAL INTEGRATION, REGIONAL LEVEL, REGIONAL SPILLOVERS, REGIONAL TRADE, REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS, ROADS, SUB-REGION, SUB-REGIONS, SUBREGIONAL INTEGRATION, SUBREGIONS, TRADE FACILITATION, TRADE FLOWS, TRADE INTEGRATION, TRADE LIBERALIZATION, TRADE MORE, TRADE PATTERNS, TRADE REFORMS, TRADE REGIMES, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION, WEALTH, WORLD TRADE, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2010/10/13724907/economic-integration-mena-gcc-maghreb-mashreq
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/10913
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!