The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA): Assessing the Significance of the New Trade Agreement on the Block

Abstract

Scholarly work on the most recent regulatory approach to digital trade by WTO members, the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), is still rather limited. Attempting to fill the gap in literature, this article seeks to assess the significance of this first stand-alone, monothematic trade agreement which is entirely and exclusively dedicated to measures affecting trade in the digital economy. It does so by comparing DEPA with five of the most recently concluded preferential trade agremeents in order to analyse areas of convergence between the agreements, identify new elements introduced by DEPA and pinpoint potential limits to its coverage of digital trade issues. The article also discusses the pros and cons of negotiating such a sui generis trade agreement.