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II - Variable geometry: A defining aspect of African RTAs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2011

James Thuo Gathii
James Thuo Gathii
Affiliation:
Albany Law School
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Summary

Introduction

This chapter discusses the principle of variable geometry as adopted in African Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). The aim of this section of the chapter is to show how variable geometry is a central feature of African RTAs as flexible regimes. The chapter begins by outlining the origins of this principle and giving examples of how various African RTAs incorporate and use it. The last section then discusses the April 2009 Advisory Opinion of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) on the appropriate relationship between the principle of variable geometry and the rule of consensus decision making in the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.

Type
Chapter
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African Regional Trade Agreements as Legal Regimes , pp. 34 - 64
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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References

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