This article addresses some of the most pressing issues related to the surge of Mega-Regional Trade Agreements (MRTAs). All of these are initiated by the main trading powers (the US and the EU) which, by means of MRTAs, attempt to reclaim the status of normative leadership with the scope of setting de facto common global standards. The article contributes to current debates on the emergence of NGFTAs. It highlights the strategic move of the initiators in the US and the EU of bypassing the WTO and using their trading and normative power to induce others to accept the norms and rules of the transatlantic trading system (‘Acquis Transatlantic’). The analysis in this article gives insights into the strategy behind these MRTAs and the possible knock-on effects and consequences for the Global South. It focuses on the ques- tion of the implications for the developmental needs of these countries and how far the MRTA provisions contradict the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This contribution concludes with an outlook on the impact on the multilateral global trade system and how the WTO will prevail against the initiatives of regional economic hubs.
