The OECD gave qualified praise to regional trade accords in a study released in Paris on Monday, concluding that they can have a positive impact on the global trading system.
But it warned that a patchwork of regional agreements can be harmful to countries that are not covered by them.
It also said that a regional approach has often proved unable to eliminate barriers to free trade in the audiovisual and shipping sectors.
But it said that "regional agreements frequently go beyond the provisions established under the World Trade Organization ... and may even provide examples of how to improve global trade agreements."
If negotiations to remove global trade barriers under the WTO's current Doha round bog down, many WTO members would be ready to expand regional trade links, it said.
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