Maritime and Air Transport in MENA: The Potential Gains from Liberalization

The paper discusses markets and regulations in MENA air and maritime transport. After reviewing market trends and regulatory frameworks, the paper underlines the positive consequences of liberalization and concludes by mentioning important questions about the next WTO negotiations. The paper argues that, to increase efficiency and attract foreign capital and technology, MENA countries have an autonomous strong interest in opening their transport to competition. The main aim of the GATS is to provide a framework for liberalizing services trade. However, the relevance of GATS negotiations to transport is far greater, because of its importance as an input into other activities.