The EU`s economic agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a typical example. I have discussed a coordination problem that arose within ECOWAS as a result of the process of negotiating the exclusion list of the Economic Partnership Agreement. This problem occurs when countries replicate the policies of others. (d) the removal of obstacles to the free movement of persons, services and capital between Member States; Most African countries do not have the necessary types of industries to take advantage of free trade. The development of an industrial policy (or production policy) is the way to build such industries, and a regional free trade area could create a tension that prevents the effective development of these industries. (b) the abolition of quantitative and administrative restrictions on trade between Member States; The ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Programme (ETLS) is a trade instrument developed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The programme provides the fifteen member countries with unhindered access to markets and promotes economic relations within the subregion. The countries covered by the programme are: Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Côte d`Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde. The impact of the Economic Partnership Agreement on the strategy of the poultry industry in Côte d`Ivoire has been to close the regional market, as all neighbouring countries have adopted this policy. So it was self-destructive. This type of trade barrier usually leads to increased costs and limited choice of goods for consumers and higher import prices for businesses. Import quotas may be unilateral and collected by the country without negotiation with the exporting country; or bilaterally or multilaterally, if imposed after negotiations and agreements.

Just as trade-based regional integration begins with trade liberalization and ends with a common trade policy, production-based regional integration would ideally lead to a common production policy (coordination of production). Embargoes are a total ban on trade in certain goods. [5] In addition to quotas, embargoes may be imposed on the import or export of certain goods in respect of certain goods delivered to or from certain countries, or on all goods shipped to certain countries. Although an embargo may be imposed for phytosanitary reasons, the reasons are more often political (see economic sanctions and international sanctions). Embargoes are generally seen as legal barriers to trade, not to be confused with blockades, which are often considered acts of war. [6] Over the past decade [when?] there has been a widespread practice of entering into agreements on “voluntary” export restrictions and setting minimum import prices imposed by major Western countries on exporters who are weaker in the economic or political sense. This type of restriction involves the introduction of unconventional [ambiguous] techniques when trade barriers are introduced at the border of the exporting country instead of the importing country. The conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreement in July 2014 changed all that. After poultry was listed as an excluded product, seven neighbouring ECOWAS countries began to develop their poultry industry. Ghana, for example, launched a program just six days after the agreement was signed. Previously, it depended on importing cheap chicken portions from the EU and was a target market for Côte d`Ivoire.

The United States had a total trade of $14.1 billion in goods (in two ways) with ECOWAS countries in 2017. Exports of goods amounted to $4.8 billion; Imports of goods amounted to US$9.3 billion. The U.S. trade deficit with ECOWAS countries was $4.5 billion in 2017. For example, the European Union (EU) has concluded a number of Economic Partnership Agreements with various regions of sub-Saharan Africa. In each region, the agreement has helped to accelerate regional integration and a common external tariff. However, this process hinders the development of the sector due to coordination problems. The U.S. trade deficit with ECOWAS countries was $1.7 billion in 2016 and $4.5 billion in 2017. The U.S. goods trade deficit with ECOWAS countries increased by 169% in 2017 compared to 2016.

Another example of foreign trade regulation is that of import deposits. Import deposits are a form of deposit that the importer must pay to the central bank for a certain period of time (non-interest-bearing deposit) up to all or part of the cost of the imported goods. [Citation needed] The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with West Africa covers goods and development cooperation. The EPA also provides for the possibility of further negotiations on sustainable development, services, investment and other trade-related issues in the future. The granting of licences for foreign trade is closely linked to quantitative restrictions – quotas – on the import and export of certain goods. A quota is a restriction of value or material imposed on the import and export of certain goods for a certain period of time. This category includes global quotas for specific countries, seasonal quotas and “voluntary export restrictions”. Quantitative checks of foreign trade transactions are carried out by single licence. However, the system of import and export licensing and quotas, which introduces firm controls on foreign trade in certain goods, is in many cases more flexible and effective than the economic instruments of foreign trade regulation. [Clarification required] This can be explained by the fact that licensing and quota systems are an important instrument for regulating trade for the vast majority of the world.

[Citation needed] The most common instruments of direct regulation of imports (and sometimes exports) are licences and quotas. Almost all developed countries apply these non-tariff methods. [Citation needed] The licensing system requires a state (through a specially authorized office) to issue permits for foreign trade transactions in import and export goods on the lists of licensed goods. .