Regionalism and its Economic Effects on Iran in a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Model:A Case Study of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)

Over the last three decades, membership in regional trade arrangements has become one of the most important tools of trade diplomacy. Regional agreements bring a lot of benefits for the member countries through reducing barriers and restrictions. Considering the signing of the Interim PTA Agreement between Iran and Eurasia and its effects, this study aimed to investigate the economic effects of implementing this agreement using the CGE method by SAM 2011. Four possible scenarios were analyzed which included 50%  or  100% tariffs reduction for industry and agriculture sectors and %50 tariffs concession for one of them. The results showed that an average of 50% tariff concession in the agricultural and industrial sectors led to the growth of both sectors and increased the total consumption and welfare in Iran. In the case of 100% tariff concession, the growth of agriculture and industry will be much higher and higher welfare and total consumption will be observed. Policymakers are advised to pursue FTA between Iran and EAEU for achieving the best results. The creation of a joint financial mechanism and a database of Member States' traders, the issuance of business visas, and the establishment of a Eurasian Chamber of Commerce Joint Council are recommended.
JEL Classification: F15, C68, E20.