GATT countries have negotiated new trade agreements over the years, to which they have acceded from time to time by more and more countries. Each new set of negotiation agreements (as well as the meetings held to reach them) has been called a “round”. Generally speaking, each of these agreements has led Member States to reduce customs duties (although with many exceptions provided for from time to time for certain goods and for certain countries). The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (AGTC or GATT) is an international agreement signed by 23 countries in Geneva on 30 October 1947 to lay the foundations for a multilateral system of trade relations aimed at promoting the liberalization of world trade. These agreements contain definitions and general principles in the areas of trade and customs duties (on goods), services and intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights and industrial inventions). Literally, general contract means “general contractor”. This term is used to refer to the person who has operational responsibility in the context of a construction project. In the field of contractual furniture, a general contract deals not only with furniture, but also, if necessary, with everything related to the implementation of the components necessary for the execution of an order, from a rough wall to the completion of the work. It is essentially the first contracting party, the one who signs the contract with the end customer. In advance, there is the conversation with the client to understand what the client`s needs are, what types of services to perform, the illustration of the project through technical drawings, as well as the definition of the budget. All this is essential to get a complete picture of the result to be achieved.

From that moment on, it will then be up to the general contractor to find the best ways to achieve the final goal, taking into account, of course, the indications received. The general contractor therefore deals with contracts with suppliers of raw materials and with companies specialized in the execution of construction, renovation, construction of facilities and all services necessary for the implementation of projects. To carry out these tasks, we often use a subcontractor, that is to say professional subjects to whom we usually turn and with whom we build a relationship of trust. This implies the economic risk of the feasibility of the structure and purpose of the contract; it will also be responsible for the methods used to implement the measures contained in the agreement. Finally, we also use engineers, planners, architects, interior designers and service providers. The general contractor manages all the processes and is thus at the top of the organizational pyramid. While the GATT 1947 Agreement provided for the existence of a complex system of quotas and import and export subsidies, with the creation of the WTO and the entry into force of the new set of agreements, these “distortions” of the free market have been eliminated: the new legislation introduced with the Uruguay Round prescribes in fact as the only possible restriction the limitation of customs duties, and the gradual dismantling of all domestic production and export subsidies. The ITO Agreement was in fact concluded within the framework of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Occupation, held in Havana, Cuba, between 21 November 1947 and 24 March 1948, and ended with the adoption of the STATUTE of the ITO (known as the Havana Charter), but remained blocked due to the lack of ratification by the United States: Despite the commitment of the government, which sent it to Congress several times, the agreement was never approved because the majority of parliamentarians feared that the OTI would interfere in the internal economic policies of the United States. On December 6, 1950, after more than two years of experimentation, President Truman announced that he would no longer seek approval of the Charter. [1] Gatt has developed over the years through eight different rounds of negotiations (called “rounds”) aimed at reducing tariffs and the addition of plurilateral agreements between participating countries. At the end of the negotiations, several other agreements (about fifty) relating to specific sectors were ratified between the participating countries and the commitments of each country were set to allow foreign products to access their respective markets: within the framework of GATT, these are binding obligations on customs tariffs for goods, for agricultural products, the agreements concerned price restrictions and import quotas.

under the GATS, the obligations relate to a list of exceptions, i.e. services for which countries declare that they do not apply the non-discrimination principle of “most-favoured-nation treatment”. .