The Impact of Preferential Rules of Origin in the Textile and Clothing Sectors in Africa : Economic Paper 65

The MultiFibre Agreement (MFA) due to be phased out by 1st January 2005 heralds the emergence of freer trade. Alongside the MFA phase-out there has been a proliferation of preferential trading arrangements which has resulted in new and more complex forms of managed trade in textiles and clothing emerging. This volume of five studies by Commonwealth experts, gives an economic analysis of rules of origin relating to Africa under various existing preferential arrangements. It provides trade policy practitioners with an indication of how rules of origin have dramatically affected the emerging trade in textiles and clothing in Southern Africa. These studies conclude that while rules of origin, as trade policy instruments, will become less significant in coming years with the reduction of MFN tariffs, they will continue to play an important role in determining patterns of international trade in the foreseeable future.