Browse by: "2023"

This new web format for Country Notes on Fossil Fuel Support provides interactive on-line access to the latest data from the OECD Inventory of Support Measures for Fossil Fuels by country – identifying and estimating the value of support arising from policies that encourage the production or consumption of fossil fuels. The web version allows users to download, share and play with the data. Interactive graphics enable data visualisation, in national currency, by beneficiary and by energy product. These Country Notes provide, for each of the 50 economies covered in the Inventory, a snapshot of energy market structure, the current state of energy prices and taxes, and recent developments and trends in fossil fuel support. Data and country notes for the EU Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries have been collected and prepared as part of the GREEN Action Task Force.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions greatly complicated overland freight transport between Europe and China via the so-called Northern Corridor, which runs through the Russian Federation. This has prompted renewed attention to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, a multimodal route running through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye – the so-called “Middle Corridor”. The present report looks at the Middle Corridor’s potential and at the challenges that must be overcome to realise it, drawing on the perspective of relevant private-sector actors in the four Middle Corridor countries. Governments along the corridor have invested heavily to improve transport infrastructure, yet important bottlenecks remain due to the geography of the route, the number of border crossings and the lack of regional trade integration. This study, based on surveys from and interviews with the private sector, maps and sequences main reform priorities in relation to regional integration, infrastructure, trade facilitation and supra-national coordination. It suggests that the primary aim should be to develop the corridor not solely as a transit route for actors from outside the region but as an engine of integration and trade integration in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Central Asia's trade performance has displayed remarkable resilience to recent economic shocks. Nevertheless, the region’s dependence on a limited number of export commodities and a narrow range of trading partners exposes it to significant risks. Central Asian governments are therefore prioritising improved connectivity to integrate better into global value chains, reduce geographical disadvantages, and increase imports and exports. Trade facilitation plays a pivotal role in achieving these goals by reducing trade costs and fostering integration. However, Central Asia still faces substantial challenges, and, despite significant improvements in recent years, it falls behind most of the regions covered by the OECD's Trade Facilitation Indicators (TFI). This report takes stock of TFI progress in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, presents preliminary results for Turkmenistan for the first time, and showcases areas of TFI improvement. It also evaluates remaining trade barriers and provides recommendations to for trade facilitation reforms, including the need to prioritise trade community feedback to streamline procedures, digitalise and harmonise standards, and implement systemic border agency co-operation mechanisms. A co-ordinated approach to improving trade facilitation across the region could reduce trade costs substantially, lifting both trade turnover and growth.

Показатели торговли Центральной Азии демонстрируют удивительную устойчивость к недавним экономическим потрясениям. Тем не менее, зависимость региона от ограниченного числа экспортных товаров и узкого круга торговых партнеров подвергает его значительным рискам. Поэтому правительства стран Центральной Азии уделяют первостепенное внимание улучшению транспортной доступности, чтобы лучше интегрироваться в глобальные цепочки создания стоимости, уменьшить географические неудобства и увеличить объем импорта и экспорта. Упрощение торговых процедур играет ключевую роль в достижении этих целей, снижая торговые издержки и способствуя интеграции. Однако Центральная Азия по-прежнему сталкивается с серьезными проблемами, и, несмотря на значительные улучшения, произошедшие за последние годы, она отстает от большинства регионов, охваченных Индикаторами ОЭСР по упрощению торговли (ИУТ). В настоящем отчете подводится итог прогресса ИУТ в Казахстане, Кыргызстане, Таджикистане и Узбекистане, впервые представлены предварительные результаты по Туркменистану и показаны области ИУТ, в которых возможно улучшение. В докладе также дается оценка сохраняющихся торговых барьеров и приводятся рекомендации по реформированию системы содействия торговле, включая необходимость приоритетного учета мнения торговых кругов для оптимизации процедур, цифровизации и гармонизации стандартов, а также внедрения системных механизмов сотрудничества с пограничными службами. Скоординированный подход к совершенствованию системы упрощения процедур торговли в регионе может существенно снизить торговые издержки, что приведет к росту товарооборота и темпов роста

At a time when global trade is under pressure and countries increasingly turn to regional integration to support their development, this Spotlight is a timely read for policy makers and business leaders in Africa and beyond. It shows how harnessing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can support industrialisation in Egypt, and more widely in Africa, by tapping the full potential of regional supply chains, including renewable energies, pharmaceuticals, logistics and creative industries. This report builds on and enriches the Production Transformation Policy Review of Egypt: Embracing Change, Achieving Prosperity.

The Going for Growth report, updated biennially, looks at structural reforms in policy areas that have been identified as priorities to boost growth in OECD and selected non-OECD countries. The selection of priorities is supported by internationally comparable indicators that enable countries to assess their economic performance and structural policies in a wide range of areas. For this edition, Going for Growth advises on country-specific structural policy priorities to strengthen growth fundamentals and pave the way for successful green and digital transitions. Four key policy areas are identified: enhancing the design of social support programs; lifting potential growth by removing obstacles to effective resource utilisation; securing faster progress towards decarbonization; making the digital transformation a driver of productivity growth.

Half a century after independence, Bangladesh has achieved impressive progress. The country has transformed from one of the poorest nations into a global textile manufacturing hub capable of meeting its medical needs almost entirely through domestic pharmaceutical production. The country will graduate from the least developed country (LDC) category in 2026 and aspires to be a high-income nation through industrialisation by 2041. Meeting this challenge requires accelerating economic transformation through diversification and innovation. This Production Transformation Policy Review (PTPR), implemented with the support and collaboration of the European Union (EU), and in partnership with the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), identifies concrete options for supporting Bangladesh’s development. It calls for leveraging digitalisation to address persistent fragilities and it advocates for a new pact based on shared responsibilities between the national government, the private sector and international partners to shift to a new development phase and ensure sustainable, smooth and irreversible graduation.

The Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade sets out a conceptual and measurement framework for digital trade which aligns with the broader standards for macro-economic statistics. It aims to help statistical compilers to address policymakers’ needs for statistical evidence on digital trade. It includes extensive compilation guidance, drawing upon substantive inputs and case studies from both developed and developing economies and covering a variety of survey and non-survey sources. A reporting template is also proposed to support compilers in the production and dissemination of digital trade statistics.

This report looks at the demand for counterfeit goods and identifies its key drivers. It discusses the specificity of the demand for counterfeit goods, including both deliberate and unintentional demand. Indeed, some consumers will deliberately buy counterfeit and pirated goods while others will be deceived into buying illicit products, thinking they are genuine. The report also examines the profiles of destination economies in the global trade of counterfeit and pirated goods. It uses quantitative analysis to study the economic characteristics of various economies, including the quantitative relationship between counterfeit intensity and certain observable socioeconomic factors. The identification of socio-economic factors, in particular, influencing the demand for counterfeit and pirated goods is crucial to help policymakers develop appropriate policies, including better targeting of consumer awareness campaigns.

Located in the mid-Atlantic, the archipelagos of the Azores is an autonomous region of Portugal and an European Union Outermost Region. Once central to global trade routes, the Azores are aspiring to regain a prominent international role by leveraging their unique geographical, natural and historical attributes. To that end, this Production Transformation Policy Review (PTPR) Spotlight identifies priority actions in several areas, including scientific research and collaborations, the ocean economy, agro-food and renewable-energy value chains. It shows the importance for EU Outermost Regions, as well as for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), of building resilient international ties. It benefited from an extensive peer review process involving public and private stakeholders from Brazil, Iceland and the United States.

Война России против Украины и введенные против нее международные санкции неожиданно мягко отразились на Центральной Азии, несмотря на глубокую экономическую зависимость региона от своего северного соседа. Невзирая на высокую инфляцию, пять государств Центральной Азии - Казахстан, Кыргызстан, Таджикистан, Туркменистан и Узбекистан - до сих пор демонстрировали удивительную устойчивость к экономическим потрясениям: денежные переводы зарегистрировали рекордно высокие показатели в первой половине 2022 года, национальные валюты быстро вернулись к довоенному уровню после изначального падения, а приток квалифицированных работников повысил спрос на услуги и гостиничный бизнес. Однако по мере того, как начинают проявляться среднесрочные последствия санкций против России, глобального кризиса стоимости жизни и замедления экономического роста Китая, Центральная Азия сталкивается с затянувшейся неопределенностью. В данной публикации дается оценка краткосрочных последствий войны России для экономик Центральной Азии и ответных мер политики. В ней также анализируются предстоящие задачи, и представлены политические рекомендации, направленные на большую устойчивость и диверсификацию экономик Центральной Азии.

Il est essentiel de traiter de manière constructive les subventions dans le commerce mondial pour atteindre l’objectif des dirigeants du G-20 qui consiste à réformer et à renforcer le système commercial multilatéral. Le recours croissant à des subventions ayant un effet de distorsion modifie les courants d’échanges et d’investissements, affaiblit la valeur des consolidations tarifaires et des autres engagements en matière d’accès aux marchés, et ébranle le soutien du public en faveur du libre-échange. Des divergences marquées sur les subventions contribuent aux tensions commerciales mondiales qui nuisent à la croissance et au niveau de vie.

Tratar las subvenciones del comercio mundial de manera constructiva es un elemento central del objetivo de los líderes del G20 de reformar y reforzar el sistema multilateral de comercio. La utilización cada vez mayor de subvenciones causantes de distorsión altera los flujos comerciales y de inversión, menoscaba el valor de las consolidaciones arancelarias y otros compromisos de acceso a los mercados y erosiona el apoyo público al libre comercio. Las pronunciadas diferencias en torno a las subvenciones están contribuyendo a las tensiones comerciales mundiales, que perjudican al crecimiento y los niveles de vida.

Illicit trade in counterfeit goods causes economic damage by reducing sales and profits as well as innovation incentives in legitimate industries. This study looks at damages caused by illicit trade in counterfeits to small and medium-sized enterprises. The robust evidence on the magnitude, scope and trends of this risk informs policy makers about the need to include anti-counterfeiting elements in policy packages designed to support SMEs.