Read the newest EU Policy Brief, “Is the time ripe to negotiate an Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (AFTA)?” here, by Armand de Mestral (McGill University). Dr. de Mestral shares his insights about whether having an AFTA would further trade by linking all of the states in North America and Europe and help address “new technological and geopolitical challenges” facing countries on both sides of the North Atlantic.
The policy brief highlights important key findings and policy implications. Dr. de Mestral notes there is a high degree of difficulty in negotiating an AFTA but such an agreement could very effectively cover a wide range of issues with market access, common standards and dispute resolutions, and environmental controls.
The AFTA can provide a primary forum for dealing with issues of common interest including the traditional issues of goods and services as well as contemporary issues such as intellectual property, regulation of the internet and artificial intelligence, to name but a few of a range of increasingly important issues.
Dr. de Mestral is Emeritus professor and Jean Monnet Chair in the Law of International Economic Integration at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
As part of the EU Policy Talk series, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence publishes a series of policy briefs written by experts and scholars which address prominent policy issues facing the EU-Canada relationship. You can read more EU Policy Briefs in the series here.
The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at Carleton University is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and by Carleton University.