Shaping New Interregionalism: The EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and Beyond

Leiden Journal of International Law, Volume 35(1), pp. 129-54 (2022)

26 Pages Posted: 13 Aug 2021 Last revised: 11 Feb 2022

See all articles by Pasha L. Hsieh

Pasha L. Hsieh

Singapore Management University - Yong Pung How School of Law

Date Written: July 28, 2021

Abstract

The article examines the theoretical concept of interregionalism in the context of the evolving framework between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As the EU’s first free trade agreement (FTA) with an ASEAN country, the EU-Singapore FTA is a pathfinder agreement that signifies a new phase of interregionalism and the EU’s new Asia strategy after the Treaty of Lisbon. The article argues that the innovative designs of the EU-Singapore FTA will shape the normative development of EU-ASEAN relations in the post-pandemic era. It also cautions that a comparative analysis of EU and US agreements reveals deficiencies in the FTA that requires remedies. To buttress the contention, key provisions on ASEAN cumulative rules of origin, banking and legal services and non-tariff barriers are analyzed in light of contemporary Asian agreements. The research further provides insight into the effectiveness of new-generation rules on geographical indications, competition, and investor-state arbitration and mediation. Hence, the findings contribute to the understanding of interregionalism and the EU’s Asia-Pacific trade and investment agreements from global and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Suggested Citation

Hsieh, Pasha L., Shaping New Interregionalism: The EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and Beyond (July 28, 2021). Leiden Journal of International Law, Volume 35(1), pp. 129-54 (2022), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3894703 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3894703

Pasha L. Hsieh (Contact Author)

Singapore Management University - Yong Pung How School of Law ( email )

55 Armenian Street
Singapore, 179943
Singapore
68280345 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.law.smu.edu.sg/faculty/law/pashahsieh.asp

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