Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

Working Paper Series,
Research Institute of Industrial Economics

No 881: Reaping the Benefits of Deeper Euro-Med Integration Through Trade Facilitation

Yves Bourdet and Maria Persson ()
Additional contact information
Yves Bourdet: Lund University, Postal: Department of Economics,P.O. Box 7082, SE-220 07 Lund, Sweden
Maria Persson: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), Postal: and Department of Economics, Lund University, P.O. Box 7082, SE-220 07 Lund, Sweden

Abstract: The current political turmoil in the Arab world has contributed to renewed interest in the Barcelona Process. This paper explores whether deeper integration in the form of trade facilitation – i.e. improved and simplified trade procedures – could be an important part of a reform agenda. Adopting a Southern perspective by focusing on exports from non-EU Mediterranean countries to the EU, we test whether the efficiency of trade procedures affects (i) bilateral volumes of exports, and (ii) the number of products exported. Our findings suggest that trade facilitation could lead to substantially increased export volumes and export diversification.

Keywords: Barcelona Process; Mediterranean Union; European Union; Deeper Integration; Trade Facilitation; Export volumes; Export Diversification

JEL-codes: F15; O19; O24

Language: English

27 pages, August 23, 2011

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