Building on the observations in chapter 8, this chapter focuses on six regional trade agreements (RTAs) that contain extensive e-commerce chapters. This chapter first compares the definitions included in the e-commerce chapters of the selected RTAs, together with their approach to the principle of technological neutrality and ‘new services’. The chapter subsequently compares the architectural features and scope of the selected RTAs. Finally, the chapter analyses the consistency of the barriers to digital services trade as identified in chapter 3 with the obligations that parties have committed to in these RTAs. For each of these barriers and for each of the selected RTAs, the relevant obligations are identified and applied, taking account of whether they go further than what the parties agreed to at the WTO. The chapter thereby provides the reader with insights on what extensive e-commerce RTAs contribute to WTO Members’ obligations and commitments at the multilateral level.

This chapter maps the evolution of e-commerce-related provisions in regional trade agreements (RTAs). In order to allow for exhaustive mapping, this chapter uses the technique of term-frequency analysis, which identifies specified e-commerce-related terms in a corpus of 105 RTAs with e-commerce provisions. The chapter first provides general observations on e-commerce RTAs and a historical perspective on the inclusion of e-commerce provisions in RTAs. Subsequently, different groups of e-commerce provisions are identified, related to scope, trade facilitation and cooperation, specific barriers to digital trade, data flows and policy objectives. For each of these groups, their inclusion in the 105 RTAs is mapped. Finally, the chapter provides insights into the presence of e-commerce provisions in RTAs based on the parties’ geographical location and income level. This provides the reader with a clear overview of the extensiveness of the e-commerce provisions in different RTAs, which countries have concluded most e-commerce RTAs and the evolution of different types of e-commerce provisions over time.