Trade policies in Central Asia after EU enlargement and before Russian WTO accession: Regionalism and integration into the world economy

This paper analyses the choices between regionalism and multilateralism, and the impact of WTO membership on the five Central Asian countries. The two main sections analyse (1) why the large number of regional trade agreements signed by the Central Asian countries had little economic impact, and (2) the consequences for these countries of WTO accession. The Central Asian countries' relationship to the WTO became more pressing after China's WTO accession in December 2001 and with imminent Russian accession. The push towards regionalism is also affected by external events, such as the introduction of the euro, and the EU's eastward expansion in 2004.