The most favoured nation and non-discrimination provisions in international trade law and the OECD codes of liberalisation

Andrea Marín Odioi iOECD

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

关键词: most favoured nation;    MFN;    non-discrimination;    regional integration;    multilateralism;    international trade law;    WTO;    Codes of Liberalisation;   

DOI  :  https://doi.org/10.1787/c7abd09b-en

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: OECD iLibrary

【 摘 要 】

Increasing moves away from multilateralism have created a fragmented trade and investment scenario where economies progressively combine the application of restrictive unilateral actions with bilateral and regional preferences. The application of, and exceptions to, the non-discrimination provisions are a fundamental element of these trends.This paper sheds light on the two types of non-discrimination provisions considered the founding stones of the multilateral system: the most favoured nation (MFN) clause - as developed under the GATT and GATS - and the non-discrimination clause among countries adhering to the OECD Codes of Liberalisation.While not taking a position on the complex question of whether a multilateral, plurilateral or bilateral approach to trade and investment liberalisation should be pursued, the paper illustrates the OECD has upheld the non-discrimination obligation as one of its basic principles, dating back to its origins over 60 years ago.