In this episode, Oscar Guinea speaks with legal scholar Silvia Nuzzo about the evolving role of free trade agreements (FTAs) in the global trading system. Drawing on Silvia’s book, Technical Barriers to Trade, Preferential Integration and the Law of the WTO, the conversation explores whether FTAs weaken or reinforce the WTO framework. The experts discuss technical barriers to trade, regulatory cooperation, and how agreements such as CETA, USMCA, and the EU’s trade negotiations with Mercosur, India, and Australia are shaping modern trade governance. The episode also examines the rise of transactional trade policy, shifting geopolitical priorities, and the reforms that could help the World Trade Organization remain relevant in an increasingly fragmented global economy.
You can watch a video recording of this conversation here.
You can read a transcript here.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are personal and should not be attributed to the European Commission.