<p>Free trade area means there's no customs checking goods traded within that area.</p>

<p>From Wikipedia:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The European Single Market, Internal Market or Common Market is a single market which seeks to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour – the "four freedoms" – within the European Union (EU).</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So goods are traded freely within the EU, and hence EU is an FTA.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-01T08:43:26.180Z
I don't think that's the most common meaning of "free trade area" and it is certainly used in slightly different ways.  According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-trade_area) it's most often used to mean the area covered by an FTA, but FTAs often don't eliminate all tariffs and generally don't allow free movement of non-originating goods, so customs checks at borders remain necessary.  The EU abolished customs checks through later stages of economic integration.
Dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-01T09:04:28.770Z
Good point. I guess what I was thinking was a customs union. The point, though, is that, in my view, FTA is a necessary condition for a single market.
Art
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-06-28T03:23:21.133Z
2019-06-28T03:23:21.133Z
Art
<p>The European Single Market is (obviously) a Single Market.</p>

<p>Are Single Markets also free trade areas?</p>

<international-trade>
Is the European Single Market a Free Trade Area?
52d6c6af
# Is the European Single Market a Free Trade Area?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-06-26)

The European Single Market is (obviously) a Single Market.

Are Single Markets also free trade areas?

**Tags:** international-trade


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-06-28. Score: 1

Free trade area means there's no customs checking goods traded within that area.

From Wikipedia:

> The European Single Market, Internal Market or Common Market is a single market which seeks to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour – the "four freedoms" – within the European Union (EU).

So goods are traded freely within the EU, and hence EU is an FTA.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I don't think that's the most common meaning of "free trade area" and it is certainly used in slightly different ways.  According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-trade_area) it's most often used to mean the area covered by an FTA, but FTAs often don't eliminate all tariffs and generally don't allow free movement of non-originating goods, so customs checks at borders remain necessary.  The EU abolished customs checks through later stages of economic integration.  
> **username_1**: Good point. I guess what I was thinking was a customs union. The point, though, is that, in my view, FTA is a necessary condition for a single market.  

---

