Provision for Escape Clauses and other Safeguards

“Escape clauses” are an accepted feature of all types of international trade agreement and are an expression of national sovereignty. Following the bitter experience of the 1930s, governments involved in the negotiation of commercial treaties since 1945 have been anxious to retain adequate powers to safeguard their economies from unexpected problems that might arise, either directly from their commitments to an agreement or indirectly from unrelated developments which adherence to an agreement might exacerbate. The actual contents of escape provisions therefore have a decisive influence on the scope of obligations undertaken in international trade agreements.