To promote international trade, trade groups
formed by countries with geographical proximity and homogeneity are called
regional trade groups.
At present there are 120
trade groups established in the world, which do 52% of the
world's trade. Countries in these groups are exempted from various types of
import and export duties. These countries solve each other's trade problems.
Major Regional Trade groups of the
Regional Trade Group - ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian
Nations)
Headquarters and Establishment – Jakarta
(Indonesia) in August 1967
Member Country – Brunei,
Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia
Map of member countries –
 |
| ASEAN Countries Map |
Goods to be traded – Agricultural products like rubber, palm oil, rice, coconut, coffee, coal, energy resources and software etc.
Regional Trade Group - SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement) (India is
an associate member of this group)
Headquarters and Establishment – 01 January 2006
Member Country – Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Map of member countries –
 |
| SAARC Countries Map |
Goods to be traded – Agricultural products, rubber from Malaysia, tea from Indo-Sri Lanka, jute products from Bangladesh etc.
Regional Trade Group – OPEC (Organization of
the Petroleum Exporting Countries)
Headquarters and Establishment – Vienna,
Austria 1949
Member Country – Algeria,
Angola, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya,
Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Indonesia
Map of member countries –
 |
| OPEC Countries Map |
Goods to be traded – Petroleum
Regional Trade Group - NAFTA (North American
Free Trade Agreement)
Headquarters and Establishment – 1994
Member Country – Canada,
Mexico, and the United States
Map of member countries –
 |
| NAFTA Countries Map |
Goods to be traded – Agricultural products, motor vehicles, auto parts, computers, textiles, etc.
Regional Trade Group - LAIA (Latin
American Integration Association)
Headquarters and Establishment – Monte video, Uruguay
1960
Member Country – Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay,
Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela
Map of member countries –
 |
| LAIA Countries Map |
Goods to be traded – agricultural products, textiles etc.
Regional Trade Group - EEC (European Economic Community) OR EU (European Union)
Headquarters and Establishment – Brussels,
(Belgium) EEC – March 1957 to
Feb. 1992 EU
Member Country – Austria,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK
Map of member countries –
 |
| EU Countries Map |
Goods to be traded – All types of products.
Regional Trade Group – CIS
(Commonwealth of Independent States)
Headquarters and Establishment – Minsk,
Belarus
Member Country – Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Map of member countries –
 |
| CIS Countries Map |
Goods to be traded – Crude oil, natural gas, gold, cotton, fiber and aluminum etc.
Most of the global companies are headquartered in Geneva, (Switzerland), including International Labor Organization (ILO), General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), European Economic Community (EEC), European Common Market (ECM), European Free Trade Association (EAEA), ECTA), European Energy Commission (EEC), Red Cross, World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Council of Churches (WCC), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD ) Are included.
Paris, France, has the second largest number of headquarters of global companies, including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Space Research Organization (ESRO), UNESCO, INTERPOL.
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