United we stand, divided we fall – The European Community and its Member States in the WTO Forum: towards greater co-operation on issues of shared competence?

Abstract:

The paper is divided into two parts: Chapter 2 explores the problem of the EC in its external trade relations on issues of shared competence with its Member States in a general way, while chapter 3 examines more specifically the EC and mixed agreements from a legal perspective. Here we have analysed the legal implications of mixed agreements for third parties. The paper concludes that mixity makes life more difficult for everybody involved in any given international trade negotiation and thus gives some recommendations to simplify the complex issue of mixed agreements/shared competence.