Revista de Economie Mondiala/ Journal of Global Economics

1-19

Authors: Agnes Ghibuțiu

While multilateral trade negotiations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) continue to be in impasse, plurilateral trade negotiations – i.e. among a group of WTO members – have intensified in recent years, and also recorded a series of concrete results in liberalizing specific sectors of international trade. Hence, there is a widely shared view that plurilateral trade negotiations could be an alternative for the multilateral ones. This paper aims to answer the following questions: What are plurilateral trade agreements? Which are the reasons behind the surge in plurilateral negotiations in recent years? What are the main achievements in liberalizing trade at the plurilateral level? What are the advantages of plurilateral negotiations relative to multilateral ones, and why are they considered an attractive alternative for negotiations at the multilateral level?

40-63

Authors: Sarmiza Pencea

Chinese economy has grown rapidly and substantially for decades, without facing a serious crisis or destabilization and without suffering a correction, but this doesn’t mean that it has definitely avoided corrections. On the contrary, it might signify that a correction is possible anytime, risking to be the harsher the later it happens. China’s numerous achievements are undeniable, but some of the very mechanisms that have nourished its successes – mainly the distorted price system (relying on controlled, low prices for labour, capital, energy, land, natural resources, national currency, zero pollution costs, etc.) – are the ones which now hinder its further modernization and growth dynamism. Excessively forced to grow very fast, Chinese economy developed structural imbalances and economic bubbles in almost each of its systems. This paper looks at some of the most dangerous economic bubbles and their linkage, as well as at the challenges and risks posed by the Chinese economy transition from export-and-production-led growth, to consumption-driven development.

81-93

Authors: George Cornel Dumitrescu, Ion Alexandru Tănase

This paper aims at analysing the projects and the initiatives of the Central and Eastern European countries that have been finalised, are in progress or will be developed in the near future with the help of the existing or future financial instruments specific to the 16+1 platform and the One Belt, One Road complex program. For our research we selected four countries, namely: Poland, Romania, Serbia and Hungary, the group being relevant from the perspective of the transportation corridors connected to the ”One Belt, One Road” initiative: (1) - Piraeus, Skopje, Belgrade, Budapest, Western Europe; (2) - Suez Canal, Constanta and then Danube, Western Europe, or through Moldova towards Ukraine and Poland; (3) – Constanta, through the Black Sea and Caspian Sea and then the corridors mentioned at the previous point. We based our analysis on the data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China-CEEC think-tank network and the literature in the field.

104-117

Authors: Virginia Câmpeanu

In order to achieve the resource efficiency agenda set by the Europe 2020 Strategy, the European Union is on its way of transition from the linear economy to a circular economy model. A first step was achieved in 2014 by the European Commission Communication “Towards a circular economy: a zero waste programme for Europe”, recently followed by the Circular economy package, which includes an Action Plan for the Circular economy and a time-bound implementation of the initiatives. In this research paper, we analyze the reasons for the paradigm shift from the linear model to the circular economy model, and the European Union Strategy for the circular economy, with the benefits and risks involved. As the European Union Member States and regions have a direct participation in the achievement of the circular economy, our work summarizes the concrete programme of action, with measures covering the whole cycle: from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials.