There are certainly things that can be done to stall this development where preferences are becoming irrelevant. Product coverage could be improved in the preference schemes so that certain key products that are excluded today are given preferential treatment. Market access could be made more certain and predictable to increase the incentives for long-term investments – the EU’s decision to indefinitely give duty-free access for all products to LDCs under the Everything But Arms is a good example of a step in the right direction. In particular, there is still considerable room for increasing the utilization of preferences by improving the rules of origin. Examples of relatively easy reforms could be to make the rules as clear and transparent as possible in order to make it easier for traders to understand them and avoid unnecessary and costly mistakes; to make all the relevant information readily available; to reduce excessive documentation requirements and to harmonize different systems. In other words, while it is most likely only a matter of time until preferences no longer play a role in stimulating developing countries’ exports, trade facilitation is one way to prolong their usefulness.