F13 - Trade Policy; International Trade OrganizationsReturn

In this paper, we present our own modification of the Export Decision Support Model (EDSM) and its application on evaluation of export opportunities for Czech companies. The main objective of the model is to identify export opportunities which might help to target the export promotion policy of the Czech Republic. The EDSM methodology is based on sequential elimination of less interesting markets. We have amended and calibrated the EDSM for the Czech Republic and created a new variable - our Index of Export Opportunities - which classifies markets depending on their suitability for export. Calibration was performed on a data sample covering global trade data from 2006 to 2012. The results of the model have been used as a tool for an evidence-based export promotion policy in the Czech Republic. The results were tested by the real foreign demand for Czech products in specific industries and importing countries based on information from Czech embassies and trade promotion organisations.

The purpose of the study is to analyse and evaluate the position and trend of international competitiveness of the Central European EU countries, and the results of the influence of their EU membership on the competitiveness of the chosen countries. The study method is based on a complex set of multidimensional analyses using, firstly, quantitative indicators, namely input and output indicators, and secondly, qualitative evaluations. The results of the empirical evaluations had to monitor the changing positions of the new EU Member States in the International Competitiveness Scoreboard: Yearbooks of IMD Lausanne; Reports of WEF Geneve. The study conclusions confirmed the influence of the involvement of the New Member States in the common and shared EU policies (common trade policy, agricultural policy, liberalization of the movement of capital and services within the EU, EU regional and structural policy, and other common policies) on the increasing competitiveness of the new EU Member States.

The foreign policy of a sovereign state is a complicated decision-making process. Both security and economic interests of the state as well as its long-term values (more likely values of a moral nature) must be taken into account here. The paper deals with the relation between economic and trade policy (representing interests) on the one hand and human rights protection and promotion (representing principles) on the other. Basic conflicts between economic interests and other principles that have to be considered in decision-making are analysed. Furthermore, their role in foreign policy formation is examined. Finally, the paper draws attention to methodical problems of the analysis of the relation between interests and principles.

There are many sophisticated discussions about the possible effects of the regional economic cooperation. Their results have been ambiguous. However, it is evident that regional trade agreements (RTAs) have been increasingly transforming international trade, especially since the second half of the 1990s. The region of South-East Asia has become more interested in such cooperation only after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Especially the case of Japan proves how the Asian governments have changed their approach to the international economic cooperation. They shifted the emphasis from the multilateral negotiations under the umbrella of the WTO to regional and bilateral agreements. However, despite its fast pace the process of regionalism in South-East Asia is still at the very beginning. It remains to be seen whether the Asian countries will stay on the level of broader FTAs or whether they will follow the European example of a deep economic and political integration.

One of the very important features of the dispute settlement mechanism under the WTO is the principle of the cross retaliation. The dispute settlement mechanism is going to be used for any of the areas within the agenda of WTO. Therefore, there is a crucial question of the issues included in the scope of subjects administrated under the World Trade Organization. Several development countries tried to pressure the member states, basically the developing countries to link labor standards with trade and include them under the jurisdiction competences of the WTO. The main aim of this paper is to outline the development of the linkage of the labor standards to the trade and its consequences for the World Trade Organization. We would like to describe the principle of the so called social clause and therefore stress some of the critical issues related to the idea of binding multilateral social standards.

Globalization, multilateralism and regionalism are the most significant tendencies of today's world economy. Their mutual relation has bee so far studied mainly as a dilemma between globally free trade and world economy's fragmentation through competing trade blocks. With the upsurge of globalization and sharp global competition in globalization latest wave, multilateralism and regionalism has, however, changed markedly. Subsequently, their mutual relations have changed as well. Based upon the study of New Regionalism, which leads towards more complex and open trade agreements, it seems that multilateralism and regionalism can be understood as compatible dimensions of broader efforts on an economic reform of globalized world order. It is, today, formed by a deep and transparent global governance (WTO) and a global network of complex economic integration agreements (New Regionalism). The aim of this article is to study the development of their interaction and conditions of their multi-dimensional coexistence.