RIS Blog

Prativa Shaw Research Assistance, RIS   The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has not only created a frightening litany of challenges but also created an opportunity to turn the threat to rewrite the future to become more equitable, sustainable and inclusive. The year 2020 is very stressful and struggling time to get through for the poor who are getting poorer with up to 90 million people pushed into extreme poverty and global growth contracted by 4.4 per cent in 2020 (IMF projection). However, some rays of hope can be seen with some success in vaccine development, but access to vaccines for all is one of the biggest challenges. It is important that the world cooperates and coordinates to build a more resilient and sustainable future with concrete actions, rapid innovation, and cross-sector partnership for scaling production of goods, protecting jobs and providing food to the most vulnerable. To discuss some of these issues, prominent think tanks from India and Argentina came together on

Ms Chandni Dawani Research Assistant, RIS In current challenging economic situation posed by COVID-19 pandemic and increasing uncertainties of trade policies, it needs to be emphasized more than ever on the importance of strengthening economic integration by removing unnecessary barrier to trade. Tariffs (taxes on imported goods) have declined in number and in magnitude as FTA’s have proliferated around the world. However, while tariffs have been declining, NTMs have increased. NTMs are policy measures other than ordinary tariffs that can have economic effect on international trade affecting the quantities traded or prices or both [1].   Considering the phenomenal rise in NTMs and their impact on international trade, they have received much attention particularly by the academicians and trade policymakers. Recently, an online policy dialogue was conducted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and UNCTAD on 8 th December to discuss issues related to Non-

  Ms.   Sonal Garg, Research Assistant & Dr. Priyadarshi Dash, Assistant Professor   UK exited the European Union in the first month of 2020 and entered into an 11-month transition period, which allows it to follow Union’s rules and maintain the status quo until a new deal is struck between the two entities. The 11-month period, the purpose of which was to provide a window of opportunity to both the parties to negotiate various aspects of a future agreement, expires on 31 st December 2020 following which UK will lose its ties and forgo its membership of the European Union.  EU’s level of access to UK waters, state-aid, trade deal, Irish border issue and dispute settlement mechanism are some of the contentious yet important issues that remain to be negotiated. [i] As the transition period is nearing its end, it has become imperative for the two parties to fast-track their dialogue.   If both the parties fail to sign an agreement that clearly stipulates the rules and standards