The WHO/WTO study on trade and public health: a critical assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Howse, Robert

2004-04-01

This article provides a brief critical examination of a 2002 report jointly issued by the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization on WTO law and public health. The author argues that the report is in many respects misleading as to the content of WTO law, as interpreted by the Appellate Body of the WTO, its final court. In particular, the WHO/WTO report systematically understates or underestimates the margins of regulatory autonomy that WTO member states have to make regulations that protect public health.

48 CFR 25.504-2 - WTO GPA/Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative/FTAs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false WTO GPA/Caribbean Basin... 25.504-2 WTO GPA/Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative/FTAs. Example 1. Offer A 304,000 U.S.-made end... the acquisition is covered by the WTO GPA and there is an offer of a U.S.-made or an eligible product...

Teaching International Economics and Trade--Concepts in International Relations

Science.gov (United States)

Starbird, Caroline; DeBoer, Dale; Pettit, Jenny

2004-01-01

The purpose of this book is to introduce students to real-life issues in international economics. The sections of the book are: (1) The Advantages of Trade; (2) Judging NAFTA; (3) Does Globalization Benefit Poor Countries?; (4) Pocket Guide to International Financial Institutions; (5) What Do You Know about the WTO?; (6) Free Trade and Shifting…

Does science speak clearly and fairly in trade and food safety disputes? The search for an optimal response of WTO adjudication to problematic international standard-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Kuei-Jung

2013-01-01

Most international health-related standards are voluntary per se. However, the incorporation of international standard-making into WTO agreements like the SPS Agreement has drastically changed the status and effectiveness of the standards. WTO members are urged to follow international standards, even when not required to comply fully with them. Indeed, such standards have attained great influence in the trade system. Yet evidence shows that the credibility of the allegedly scientific approach of these international standard-setting institutions, especially the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) governing food safety standards, has been eroded and diluted by industrial and political influences. Its decision-making is no longer based on consensus, but voting. The adoption of new safety limits for the veterinary drug ractopamine in 2012, by a very close vote, is simply another instance of the problematic operations of the Codex. These dynamics have led skeptics to question the legitimacy of the standard setting body and to propose solutions to rectify the situation. Prior WTO rulings have yet to pay attention to the defect in the decision-making processes of the Codex. Nevertheless, the recent Appellate Body decision on Hormones II is indicative of a deferential approach to national measures that are distinct from Codex formulas. The ruling also rejects the reliance on those experts who authored the Codex standards to assess new measures of the European Community. This approach provides an opportunity to contemplate what the proper relationship between the WTO and Codex ought to be. Through a critical review of WTO rulings and academic proposals, this article aims to analyze how the WTO ought to define such interactions and respond to the politicized standard-making process in an optimal manner. This article argues that building a more systematic approach and normative basis for WTO judicial review of standard-setting decisions and the selection of technical

General Principles of the WTO and European Community Laws in Building International Competition Norms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chan Mo Chung

2002-12-01

Full Text Available The World Trade Organization (WTO established a Working Group on the interaction between trade and competition policy in 1996. By the Doha Ministerial Declaration, it recognized the case for international competition policy framework and agreed that the relevant negotiations take place after the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference. The Working Group is meant to focus on the clarification of: core principles, including transparency, non-discrimination and procedural fairness among others in the period until the Fifth Session. This article attempts to clarify the implications of the core (WTO principles to the would-be international competition laws and practices. It further tries to get lessons from competition law and practices of the European Community. Protection of fundamental rights, proportionality, non-discrimination, transparency, supremacy, subsidiarity and direct effect are the general principles of the European Community law to be discussed in relation to the competition law and policy. It concludes that the general principles of the WTO and EC laws provide guiding principles for the future international competition norms, and makes some preliminary assessment of the present Korean competition law and policy in the light of those principles.

International jurisprudence on trade and environmental health: one step forward, two steps back?

Science.gov (United States)

Timmermans, Karin

2008-01-01

Since the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), there has been considerable debate regarding the impact of its rules on public health. By contrast, the role of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism has received little attention, even though the bodies responsible for settling disputes are the ultimate interpreters of WTO rules and agreements. To date, three WTO disputes that relate to occupational and/or environmental health have been fully litigated. A review of the decisions and reasoning in these cases indicates that WTO jurisprudence is evolving, as Panels and the Appellate Body try--with varying degrees of success--to balance countries' rights and obligations under international trade agreements with their right to protect occupational and environmental health. Disputes between nations can have an impact beyond the parties concerned, and raise questions about the relationship between trade agreements and other international agreements, especially multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

WTO Reform: Background, Conditions and Prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatyana M. Isachenko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Maximizing the benefits of international division of labor and sharing the achievements of innovative development is possible only with the existence of a strict system of rules and regulations. Such system would enable fair regulation of international trade, ensure the transparency of market access and make it possible to challenge discriminatory measures, as well as to maintain certain measures to protect the interests of domestic producers. The creation of the multilateral trading system has started with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT and was subsequently developed in the documents and codes, the decisions of the negotiating rounds. Since 1995, a set of rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO became the basis of the multilateral trading system. All rules are worked out at the multilateral level. However, in recent years the negotiations within the WTO has slowed down, that affected the quality and speed of decision-making on key issues of global development. That provokes the discussion it on a certain crisis of the WTO as the main regulator of world trade, and therefore the need to provide both institutional and substantive reforms.

The Culture of the WTO: Why it Needs to Change

OpenAIRE

Debra P. Steger

2007-01-01

The WTO is an international organization with its own distinctive culture, which is derived from the practice and experience of the GATT. The WTO, however, is not the old GATT. The multilateral trading system was transformed into an international organization in 1995, and today, the WTO also administers a host of agreements that contain detailed rules regulating international economic activity. The membership of the WTO has grown to 150, the vast majority of which are developing countries. Mo...

Boosting trade finance in developing countries: What link with the WTO?

OpenAIRE

Auboin, Marc

2007-01-01

The paper discusses the efforts deployed by various players, mainly multilateral financial institutions, regional development banks, export credit agencies, to mobilize greater flows of trade finance for developing countries, with a view to help them integrate in world trade. As an institution geared towards the balanced expansion of world trade, the WTO is in the business of making trade possible. Its various functions include reducing trade barriers, negotiating and implementing global trad...

Advancing LDCs Interests in the WTO: Strengthening Participation ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference, held in Nairobi from ... It will include: (i) rigorous evidence-based research on the trade interests of LDCs; ... The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade, ...

THE IMPACT OF THE WTO RETALIATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Intan Innayatun Soeparna

2008-10-01

Full Text Available World Trade Organization (WTO dispute settlement system through Panel and Appellate Body, allows sanction to be imposed when a member is unwilling to bring a WTO-inconsistent trade measure into conformity. According to the Article 22 of Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU, if in a certain case WTO Panel finds a party has failed to make new policy in compliance with the WTO rules, the aggrieved party is entitled to obtain retaliation. The WTO retaliation emerges negative impact for some countries in particular developing or small economic countries. This impact denotes the violation of international human rights law, particularly economic rights that stipulate in Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR. This paper explains the impact that arises when WTO retaliation is imposed to a country whether a developed or developing country, from the perspective of international human rights law.

Trade rules and exchange rate misalignments: in search for a WTO solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vera Thorstensen

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The debate on the link between trade rules and rules on exchange rates is raising the attention of experts on international trade law and economics. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts of exchange rate misalignments on tariffs as applied by the WTO - World Trade Organization. It is divided into five sections: the first one explains the methodology used to determine exchange rate misalignments and also presents its results for Brazil, U.S. and China; the second summarizes the methodology applied to calculate the impacts of exchange rate misalignments on the level of tariff protection through an exercise of "misalignment tariffication"; the third examines the effects of exchange rate variations on tariffs and their consequences for the multilateral trading system; the fourth one creates a methodology to estimate exchange rates against a currency of the World and a proposal to deal with persistent and significant misalignments related to trade rules. The conclusions are present in the last section.

Protection of Non-Trade Values in WTO Appellate Body Jurisprudence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Henrik

2015-01-01

of economic externality assessments in subsidy determinations. It is, however, still unsettled how other vital values, like those which can fall under peremptory norms, can be protected by the Appellate Body and whether its current approach provides the necessary tools for their protection.......The article suggests that the constitutional scope of the WTO leaves a wide space for the Appellate Body to protect non-trade values. That has, to some extent, materialized in Appellate Body practice; human health and environment are attaining general protection across the WTO treaties....... They are recognized as vital and important values and protected through the exceptions in the WTO treaties. However, the Appellate Body has also found ways to protect those values without resorting to the exceptions. Instead, they are part of an economic argument in national treatment analyses and they are part...

Developing a normative critique of international trade law: special & differential treatment

OpenAIRE

Garcia, Frank J.

2007-01-01

Although the problem of trade and inequality is central to the resolution of the WTO Doha Round and to contemporary trade policy in general, it is currently undertheorized from a normative perspective. In this paper I develop a normative critique of WTO special and differential treatment law, as a case study of how normative political theory can be applied to international economic law. Using Rawls' theory of Justice as Fairness, I argue both that special and differential treatment can play a...

Canada loses appeal of WTO panel ruling on minimum patent terms.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, R

2000-01-01

In the last issue, we reported on a ruling of a Panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that Canada was in breach of the international Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement). The Panel found that Canada's Patent Act does not provide the minimum patent terms required by the trade agreement. Canada appealed that decision, but on 18 September 2000 the WTO Appellate Body upheld the Panel ruling.

Economic Effects of Russia’s Trade Liberalization: Russia’s WTO Accession and FTAs with EU and Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang-Soo Lee

2008-06-01

Full Text Available This paper estimates the economic impacts of the various liberalization scenarios of Russia (accession to the WTO, Russia-EU FTA, and Korea-Russia FTA using GTAP recursive dynamic and capital accumulation models. To compare liberalization gains from goods liberalization with those from goods-and-services liberalization, the original GTAP database is adjusted by inputting Australian sectoral indices as barriers in the service trade. The major findings and implications of this paper are as follows. First, without simultaneous improvement of market institutions, Russia's liberalization gains from its accession to the WTO are not so great. Second, the inclusion of the services sector in addition to the goods sector in the WTO liberalization scenarios does not greatly expand Russia's economic benefits from trade. This is quite different from the case of China's accession to the WTO. Third, Russia's liberalization gains from the Russia-EU FTA are not so great, either. This result is in contrast to that of CEEC's accession to the EU, where the CEEC enjoys large gaThis paper estimates the economic impacts of the various liberalization scenarios of Russia (accession to the WTO, Russia-EU FTA, and Korea-Russia FTA using GTAP recursive dynamic and capital accumulation models. To compare liberalization gains from goods liberalization with those from goods-and-services liberalization, the original GTAP database is adjusted by inputting Australian sectoral indices as barriers in the service trade. The major findings and implications of this paper are as follows. First, without simultaneous improvement of market institutions, Russia's liberalization gains from its accession to the WTO are not so great. Second, the inclusion of the services sector in addition to the goods sector in the WTO liberalization scenarios does not greatly expand Russia's economic benefits from trade. This is quite different from the case of China's accession to the WTO. Third, Russia

Eco-innovation, international trade, WTO and climate: Key issues for an ecological industrial policy. Documentation of a workshop on March 12, 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoppe, Jutta; Kahlenborn, Walter [Adelphi Research, Berlin (Germany); Gather, Corinna (eds.) [Umweltbundesamt, Dessau (Germany)

2009-01-15

Within the meeting of the German Federal Environment Agency (Dessau, Federal Republic of Germany) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Natural Safety (Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany) at 12th March, 2008, the following reports were held: (a) Trade Policy and Climate Change - An overview from the perspective of an ecological industrial policy (Jutta Hoppe et al.); (b) Kyoto, Post-Kyoto and the WTO (Malena Sell); (c) Climate change, trade and competitiveness (Aaron Cosby, John Drexhage); (d) Unilateral climate policy and implications for trade policy (Susanne Droege); (e) Trade in environmental goods and services relevant to climate-change mitigation: Opportunities and challenges for new industries in the European Union (Mahesh Sugathan); (f) The relevance of WTO activities and rules in the climate change debate (Ludivine Tamiotti); (g) Like-products, energy standards and labelling (Roland Ismer); (h) EC Trade policy and climate challenges: An overview of EC trade policy approaches to climate change (Ditte Juul-Joergensen); (i) Opportunities and constraints for an integrated European climate and trade policy (Ulrich Hoffmann); (j) Climate change, eco-innovation, and EU trade policy: a critical assessment (Daniel Mittler); (k) Resume: Key Issues for an Ecological Industrial policy (Jutta Hoppe, Walter Kahlenborn).

International trade and climate change policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brack, D.; Grubb, M.; Windram, C.

2000-01-01

Can the World Trade Organisation deal with climate change? Can a world of liberalised trade implement the Kyoto Protocol? As trade and environment head for a global collision, this book provides an essential guide to one of the key confrontations. It analyzes the conflicts now intensifying. How will climate change policies, including energy and carbon taxation and the removal of energy subsidies, affect overall trade structures and volumes? Will countries tackling climate change become less competitive? What of taxing international aviation and marine fuels? Will the 'flexibility mechanisms' of the Kyoto Protocol, such as emissions trading, fall under WTO disciplines? Can trade restrictions be applied to enforce the Kyoto Protocol? (Author)

“Trade Liberalization with Chinese Characteristics”: Few Notes on PRC’s WTO Membership

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru Butiseacă

2014-06-01

Full Text Available There is a significant amount of published empirical studies that describe the relation of the People’s Republic of China with the World Trade Organization as the vehicle through which this country has reached the goal of opening further its domestic economy by freeing its foreign trade. If those ruling the Chinese people’s destiny saw in the WTO accession, along with the acceptance of its basic rules, a path that will lead them to the benefits and opportunities offered by some sectors’ liberalization, this judgment raises several concerns. An obvious one could be: Why not doing this unilaterally? Benefits might have been consistent. Not only that this would have been much easier, if the will of the Party, but the effects of opening market to other nations, within or outside the WTO, could have spurred earlier and stronger. Noteworthy is that many much economically freer countries are not yet members of the WTO. Then, if it is considered that the accession to this organization, by the values, rules and principles that it promotes, will allow any domestic economy to thrive, why do we assist to China’s failure in fulfilling all the WTO membership criteria and in complying with all the rules? In our opinion, Chinese authorities tried to accommodate pragmatically some liberalization to inspire trustworthiness for FDI with a boost for national companies still benefiting from public support and newly opened markets, thus seeking not pure freedom, but wise access to the workings of managed world trade.

DOHA Negotiations on Agriculture and Future of the WTO Multilateral Trade System

OpenAIRE

Matthews, Alan

2013-01-01

The WTO Doha Round of trade negotiations was launched in 2001 and after twelve years of negotiations members seem unable to bring it to a successful conclusion. An attempt to deliver an ‘early harvest’ of deliverables at the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali in December 2013 does not appear likely to be more successful. This paper describes the stage that the negotiations have reached in agriculture and the value of what is currently on the table. It reviews the agricultural agenda for t...

APEC's Contribution to WTO: Korea's Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wook Chae

1998-06-01

Full Text Available Differential measures towards countries out of the region can threaten the multilateral system and this could be an implicit factor in regionalism. But from the other prospect, economical cooperation among regions would increase the economic welfare and strengthen WTO free trade system. Open Regionalism impelled by WTO can be regarded as a typical example of this. By boosting the liberalization of regional trade investment, APEC promotes the unification of global economy also facilitate the establishment of international economical order. Meanwhile, APEC helps WTO, which aims at free and fair trade, quite a lot. At the same time, by balancing competition and corporation between regions, APEC also remedies several problems of multilateral system which are mainly problems with competition. Korea should be involved positively in implementing and improving the plans which are executed both individually or together in order to promote the in-discrimination in the early stage and extend the idea of open regionalism and win the trust of the foreign countries and improve the commercial environment.

WTO: challenges for the next 20

OpenAIRE

Thorstensen, Vera Helena

2015-01-01

International trade is facing some significant challenges: a serious deadlock to conclude the last round of the multilateral negotiation at the WTO, the fragmentation of trade rules by the multiplication of preferential and mega agreements, the arrival of a new model of global production and trade leaded by global value chains that is threatening the old trade order, and the imposition of new sets of regulations by private bodies commanded by transnationals to support global value chains and ...

The Bali Agreement: Implications for Development and the WTO

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Christophe Bellmann

2014-05-01

Full Text Available At the most recent World Trade Organisation (WTO ministerial conference, in December 2013, in Bali, Indonesia, ministers from 160 countries concluded the first multilateral agreement ever negotiated under the auspices of the WTO. After five years of impasse in the moribund Doha Round of trade negotiations, the so-called “Bali package” was enthusiastically welcomed by the world’s governments and international press alike as a critical step towards restoring the credibility of the WTO as a negotiating forum. The centrepiece of the package is without doubt a new agreement on trade facilitation aimed at reducing red tape, and facilitating customs procedures in an effort to cut down the cost of doing business. Other — less far reaching — aspects of the deal focused on food security and a set of issues of particular interest to least developed countries including trade preferences or cotton subsidies. As the dust from the heated Bali negotiations settles, the main challenge for the WTO will now consist in building on this success to re-energise multilateral negotiations and ultimately close the Doha Round. In a world increasingly dominated by regional and bilateral free-trade agreements, members will have to confront the core issues that have divided them for nearly 15 years and find creative solutions to rehabilitate the WTO’s centrality in global trade governance.

WTO Members' Commitments in Education Services

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jian

2009-01-01

The establishment of World Trade Organization is in line with the conclusion reached at the end of the Uruguay Round in April 1994 by the bulk of the world's trading nations. WTO is in charge of managing multilateral trading system. WTO's "General Agreement on Trade in Services" (GATS) requires member nations to comply with the following…

National treatment in international trade: National law and international standards

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Divljak Drago

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The subject of the paper is the principle of national treatment, namely one of the basic principles of international trade. The objective is to determine its outreach and contents set in the forms of international trade organising, primarily in the World Trade Organization, from a legal perspective, naturally, all in the context of the Serbian law. The analysis that has been carried out indicates that there is an obvious intention of our legislators to harmonise in principle our legislation with the WTO requirements and standards, which are incomplete themselves and cause disputes that are not resolved in the practice of dispute resolving either entirely or consistently. In our law, a step forward has been made in relation to the situation from the previous relevant legislation, because the application of this principle is extended not only to trade with goods but also to trade with services, and to industrial property rights. However, in the most significant, basic field, namely trade with goods, it is still being done in a general way, by simplifying the entire topic and bringing it down only to protection against discrimination and neglecting the sphere of protectionism. Such acting does not include all the complexity of this matter and it is not entirely harmonised with the WTO requirements. However, a good side of such an approach is that it gives the state more freedom for acting in this sphere, which may be acceptable in the transition period until full membership of Serbia in this organization.

WTO confidential: the case of asbestos.

Science.gov (United States)

Castleman, Barry

2003-01-01

The World Trade Organization (WTO), established in 1995, adjudicates "trade disputes" between member nations in cases with human rights, cultural, environmental, and public health significance. Throughout the resolution process and even after a case's conclusion, little of what happens is made accessible to the public. However, it is one thing to criticize the WTO for its lack of transparency from outside the process and another to critically examine what was withheld from disclosure and what dangers that presents. This is the inside story from a scientific adviser to one party in a WTO case, who analyzes what happened from a public health point of view. The analysis concludes that the public health justification for banning asbestos was accepted in the end by WTO economists, despite the WTO's bias in favor of the party (Canada) making the free trade challenge (to public health legislation), despite the WTO's lack of expertise in science, medicine, engineering, and public health, and despite important erroneous statements made to the WTO under the cover of confidentiality. The case nevertheless illustrates that the WTO's threat to national sovereignty could never withstand the light of day if the limitations and dangers of the process were open for all to see.

WTO rules and practices for transparency and engagement with civil society organizations

OpenAIRE

Perez-Esteve, Maria

2012-01-01

In a rapidly changing trade environment, marked by economic slowdown and impasse in the Doha Round, the success of the WTO in promoting and legitimizing the rules-based multilateral trading system rests, to a large extent, on maintaining effective relations with civil society, including non-governmental organisations. This paper provides an overview of the WTO's rules and practices for transparency and engagement with NGOs. First, it looks at both internal and external transparency. Second, i...

The WTO ministerial conference in Seattle - results and future prospects for environmental protection; Die WTO-Ministerkonferenz in Seattle - Ergebnisse und Perspektiven fuer den Umweltschutz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuchs, P; Pfahl, S; Reichert, T [AG Handel des Forums und Entwicklung im Deutschen Naturschutzring (DNR), Bonn (Germany)

2000-10-01

The third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) took place in Seattle (USA) from November 30{sup th} to December 3{sup rd} 1999. WTO members failed to agree on an agenda for a new round of trade-negotiation that should also include environmental and sustainability aspects. The Seattle Ministerial Conference provoked massive protests from non-governmental organisations (NGO) dealing with environment and development issues. They see the GATT/WTO regime - and globalisation in general - as a threat to their concerns. Against this background, the study analyses possibilities for the integration of environmental and sustainability aspects into upcoming WTO-negotiations. The focus is on views and proposals from international NGOs and critical scientists. First, the study deals with current and potential future areas of conflicts between environmental and trade policies. Furthermore, the environmental aspects of trade liberalisation in specific sectors and regulatory fields are discussed, which are currently negotiated in the WTO (agriculture, services) or which should be included in further negotiations (forest products, investment, etc.). The study moves on to an account of the WTO-Conference in Seattle from an environmental perspective and demonstrate a multitude of factors contributed to the failure of the conference. (orig.) [German] Vom 30.11. bis 03.12.1999 tagte in Seattle (USA) die 3. Ministerkonferenz der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO). Sie scheiterte bei dem Versuch, eine Einigung ueber die Agenda fuer eine neue WTO-Verhandlungsrunde herbeizufuehren, die auch Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte einschliessen sollte. Die Konferenz stand unter dem starken Eindruck massiver Proteste von zahlreichen Umwelt- und Entwicklungsorganisationen, die im GATT/WTO-Regime - sowie grundsaetzlich in der Globalisierung - eine Bedrohung fuer Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitsanliegen sehen. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersucht die Studie die Moeglichkeiten einer

Considering WTO law in the design of climate change regimes beyond Kyoto

Science.gov (United States)

Gaines, Sanford E.

2009-11-01

This article describes the most important provisions of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements that should be considered in designing laws and regulations under likely post-Kyoto climate change mitigation regimes. The Kyoto Protocol and the expected post-Kyoto international climate agreement depend on national measures to implement market-based mitigation measures. This market strategy promotes international exchanges of goods, investments, and services such as cross-border trading of credits for emissions reductions and transnational financing for projects that avoid emissions through the Clean Development Mechanism. Moreover, the United States and other countries, concerned over "leakage" of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through relocation of industry to other countries coupled with political worry over manufacturing competitiveness, have proposed national climate legislation containing border adjustments on imported goods or implicit subsidies for national producers, raising additional WTO considerations. The article assesses the likely effectiveness of such trade-related measures in achieving climate change mitigation goals and the potential trade policy infringements and trade distortions that they might bring about. Alternative strategies for achieving GHG mitigation goals in closer conformity with WTO law and policy will be suggested.

Considering WTO law in the design of climate change regimes beyond Kyoto

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaines, Sanford E

2009-01-01

This article describes the most important provisions of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements that should be considered in designing laws and regulations under likely post-Kyoto climate change mitigation regimes. The Kyoto Protocol and the expected post-Kyoto international climate agreement depend on national measures to implement market-based mitigation measures. This market strategy promotes international exchanges of goods, investments, and services such as cross-border trading of credits for emissions reductions and transnational financing for projects that avoid emissions through the Clean Development Mechanism. Moreover, the United States and other countries, concerned over 'leakage' of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through relocation of industry to other countries coupled with political worry over manufacturing competitiveness, have proposed national climate legislation containing border adjustments on imported goods or implicit subsidies for national producers, raising additional WTO considerations. The article assesses the likely effectiveness of such trade-related measures in achieving climate change mitigation goals and the potential trade policy infringements and trade distortions that they might bring about. Alternative strategies for achieving GHG mitigation goals in closer conformity with WTO law and policy will be suggested.

Dispute Settlement in the World Trade Organization (WTO): An Overview

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-08

given date, is prima facie inconsistent with Article 23 because in some cases it mandates a USTR determination—and statutorily reserves a right for...threat of violative determinations and consequently the prima facie inconsistency was removed because of U.S. undertakings, as set forth in the Uruguay...procedure for withdrawing trade sanctions imposed by a complaining Member where the defending Member believes it has fulfilled its WTO obligations . As a

WTO agreements and public health: a joint study by the WHO and the WTO Secretariat

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

... policymakers can benefit from closer cooperation to ensure coherence between their different areas of responsibilities. In both the WHO and the WTO questions of trade and public health feature high on the agenda, and significant advances have been made in the recent past. The endorsement by the international community of the Doha Declaration on...

GLOBALIZATION & REGIONALIZATION IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramona Frunză

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The concept of globalization refers to the growing interdependence of countries, resulting from the increasing integration of trade, finance, investments, labor markets and ideas in one globalmarketplace. The most important elements of this process are the international trade and the cross-border investment flows. Economic globalization has increased the specialization of workers, while the companies compete in global markets. Even globalization has recently become a common topic in academic discourse, many economists focused, from the 1980s and 1990s, in addition to globalization, on regionalization - the growth of networks of interdependence within multinational regions of the world. The recent decades arecharacterized by the fact that the world trade grew faster than world output, which implies that an increasing share of world GDP crosses international borders. The trend is explained, mostly, by thesubstantially declining of the trade barriers during the same period, as a result of successive trade negotiation rounds under the auspices of the GATT/WTO, unilateral trade liberalization and regional tradeagreements. Even there are global connections between all the countries, the strongest political and economic integration is being created within a few specific regions of the world: Europe, North America and East Asia.

Latest News after the Creation of the WTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miquel Montañà i Mora

1995-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO has added any new elements to GATT’s institutional milieu. In the introduction, the paper highlights the fact that the man who first proposed the creation of the WTO during the Uruguay Round negotiations (former Italian Minister Renato Ruggiero was actually elected as the first Head of the Organization. It then analyses the objectives of WTO, its scope of application, its functions, the conditions for membership, its bodies, and the decision making procedure. The core conclusion of the article is that in spite of having been presented to the world as something new, the Agreement establishing the WTO does little more than turn GATT from a de facto international organization into a de iure organization. Apart from this development, the only changes worth mentioning are the abolishment of the grandfather clause and the protocol of provisional application. In addition, it is submitted that far from being an unexpected development, the creation of the WTOwas in fact one of the implicit objectives of the Uruguay Round, and a logical consequence of the process aimed at strengthening the multilateral trading system.

International trade and environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Posada, Luis Guillermo

1998-01-01

The international trade conventional theory not only continues being supported upon the classic principle of comparative advantage, but also, in response to the rationality inherent to the traditional economic system, al so neglects considering the biophysical conditions under which transable goods are produced. The linkage of environment to trade is a recent concern, and it is explained on the basis that the first one has become a barrier for the second one. The environmental cause defenders, so as the free market advocates, are exposing their arguments in a context in which not necessarily to build viable solutions to the conflict is possible. The world economy behavior and tendencies do not offer the conditions needed so as that the official thesis in which the GATT - Rio - WTO thought can be summarized and the positive linkage towards the environmental quality, explicitly claimed by that thesis, becomes reality. Form these considerations, it is argument in this article in the direction of establishing a new international trade pattern and also some ideas are presented as to its characterization ecological economic view

A Review of Economic Analyses on the World Trade Organization

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Jee-Hyeong Park

2002-06-01

Full Text Available The GATT, which later became the WTO, has contributed to the expansion and activation of world trade by assisting trading partners to establish and enforce international trade rules through multilateral trade negotiations. Currently negotiations for new trade rules are contironing by launching Doha Round. This review intends to promote understanding of a basic analytical framework, upon which constructive debates and research have been conducted about the role of the WTO in the world trade regime. To achieve this goal, we provide a review of recent theoretical developments in studies on the role of the WTO regarding trade negotiations and rule enforcement, based on a commonly used model of trade in the literature. With respect to trade negotiations, we review a study of the effect of the reciprocity principle and most favored nation clause of the WTO on the outcome of trade negotiations and analyze the race-to-the-bottom concerns that the exclusive focus of the WTO on tariff negotiations will promote deterioration of environmental and labor standards. Regarding the rule of enforcement, we introduce the repeated game framework that is often used in the analysis of international trade rule enforcement, then discuss the studies on the role of safeguard provisions and the dispute settlement procedure of the WTO.

WTO law and economics and restrictive practices in energy trade : The case of the OPEC cartel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marhold, Anna

2016-01-01

The World Trade Organization cannot deal comprehensively with restrictive export practices maintained by energy cartels such as the OPEC. The main reason for this is the absence of competition rules in the multilateral trading system. However, in spite of the fact that the WTO does not have rules on

78 FR 27279 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Indonesia-Importation of Horticultural Products...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-09

... Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at www... the World Trade Organization, at www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection may be viewed at www... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS455] WTO Dispute Settlement...

BRICS STATES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE: THE WTO CASE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandra G. Koval

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The rise of emerging powers in the world economy has a significant impact on the transformation of global economic governance. The countries with emerging economies seek to enhance their role in international economic organizations and decision-making at the global level. The main players here are the BRICS countries. The contradictions between these countries and Western states represent a modern challenge to the functioning of the global governance. This is clearly demonstrated by the failure of the international trade negotiations under the WTO, which leads to the shift of member states’ priorities towards megaregional trade agreements and indicates the need for changes in the organization. The WTO cannot be seen today as a “rich men’s club” since emerging powers are eager to actively participate in trade negotiations, while recognizing the established rules and regulations. Despite the attempts of certain cooperation in their policies, BRICS countries differ in their trade interests. These states not only play different roles at the world markets of goods and services, but also apply various tariff and non-tariff measures. Moreover, a significant number of protectionist measures affects intra-BRICS trade. These differences complicate the cooperation of emerging powers in the international trading system and entangle the process of transformation of global economic governance.

Internationalisering en interne regulering: Europese Unie milieu-, gezondheids- en consumentenbeschermingsregels 'in de schaduw van de WTO'

OpenAIRE

De Ville, Ferdi

2011-01-01

How and to what extent internationalization affects domestic politics is one of the most important and debated perennial questions in international political economy. This doctoral thesis takes a particular angle at this question by studying the influence of the World Trade Organization (WTO), its substantial rules and its dispute settlement mechanism, on European Union (EU) decision-making processes on health, environmental and consumer regulation. Starting with refuting the widely but m...

(De)Legitimation at the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Creamer, Cosette; Godzimirska, Zuzanna

2016-01-01

Similar to many types of legal institutions, international courts employ a wide variety of legitimation strategies in order to establish and maintain a sound basis of support among their constituents. Existing studies on the legitimacy or legitimating efforts of the World Trade Organization's (WTO...

WTO new round agreement and nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, M. K.; Moon, L. H.; Kim, S. S.

2002-01-01

The start of new round of WTO could be recognized as a turning point shifting from bilateral or regional trade system to multilateral trade system worldwide. The changes in international trade system are expected to have some impact on the Korean nuclear industry. The purpose of this study is to understand the impact on prepare opening the market for the plant design and engineering. This market has been protected by Agreement on Government Procurement(AGP). However, this market will be eventually influenced by GATS(General Agreement on Trade in Services) with KEPCO's on going privatization being completed. There have been no impacts on R and D fund provided by the government as yet. However, in case of Government supported R and D for commercial purpose, there are much concerns to be discussed further within new WTO agreement. It is necessary to develop a strategy for maximizing national interests and promoting R and D in the negotiation for design and construction services related with nuclear industry, and energy services. Furthermore, to effectively explore new nuclear markets in developing countries including China, market analyses for their countries are required

77 FR 38033 - WTO Agricultural Safeguard Trigger Levels

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-26

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Foreign Agricultural Service WTO Agricultural Safeguard Trigger Levels... and trigger levels for safeguard measures provided for in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement... measures under the safeguard provisions of the WTO [[Page 38034

76 FR 11553 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti Dumping Measures on Corrosion...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-02

... Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning antidumping... World Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection may be viewed on the... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. WTO/DS420] WTO Dispute Settlement...

76 FR 52045 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti-Dumping Measures on Diamond...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-19

... Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning anti-dumping measures... of the World Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection may be... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS422] WTO Dispute Settlement...

CHANGES IN STRUCTURE OF ROMANIA'S INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CECILIA IRINA RABONTU

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Evolution of structural changes in Romanian trade is somewhat interesting if you look at it from the perspective of mutations that occurred in the categories of goods and services subject to international trade. After the Revolution of 1989, the Romanian economy has gone through dramatic changes that had determinate a total reconfiguration of foreign trade. At the same time, the economic instability has had further repercussions on the Romanian economy manifested through higher prices, reduced wages or earnings, reduced employment and rising unemployment, increasing interest rates on loans due to the devaluation of the national currency, increase value-added tax, consumption reduction etc. We proposed in this paper an analyze for a significant period of time evolution of international trade in goods and services of Romania in order to establish the main categories of goods traded but Romania's main trading partners, too. In order to achieve the central goal of this paper we will use statistical data found in the databases provided by the WTO, Eurostat and the National Statistical Institutes and statistical methods to support our initiative.

77 FR 44706 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China-Measures Related to the Exportation of Rare...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-30

... Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at www.wto.org... available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS431] WTO Dispute Settlement...

77 FR 33015 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding India-Measures Concerning the Importation of Certain...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-04

... Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') with the Government of India (``India... Trade Organization, www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection may be viewed on the www... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS430] WTO Dispute Settlement...

78 FR 58378 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Measures on Large...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-23

... Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning antidumping and [[Page... available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, at www.wto.org . Comments open to public... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS464] WTO Dispute Settlement...

77 FR 18296 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding India-Measures Concerning the Importation of Certain...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-27

... Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning antidumping measures prohibitions... available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS430] WTO Dispute Settlement...

Support for international trade law: The US and the EU compared.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckhardt, Jappe; Elsig, Manfred

2015-10-01

In this article we compare US and EU support for bilateral and multilateral international trade law. We assess the support for international law of both trading blocs by focusing on the following four dimensions: leadership, consent, compliance and internalization. Although we find strong support for international trade law from both the US and the EU in general, we also witness some variation, most notably in relation to the design of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) law. Turning to explaining these (moderate) differences, we argue that outcomes in US trade policy can best be explained by a domestic political factor, namely the direct influence of interest groups. Although the involvement of societal interests also goes a long way in explaining EU behavior, it does not tell the entire story. We posit that, in EU trade policy, institutions are a particular conditioning factor that needs to be stressed. Moreover, we suggest that foreign policy considerations in managing trade relations have characterized EU's support for international trade law.

77 FR 2119 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China-Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty Measures...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-13

... Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') with the People's Republic... of the Appellate Body, will be available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, www.wto.org... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS427] WTO Dispute Settlement...

75 FR 82130 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China-Subsidies on Wind Power Equipment

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-29

... World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''), the United States requested consultations regarding... Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org . Bradford Ward, Deputy General Counsel. [FR Doc. 2010-32868... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China...

78 FR 12414 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Measures Affecting the Importation of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-22

... Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (AWTO [email protected]). That request may be found at www.wto... the World Trade Organization, at www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection may be viewed at www... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS447] WTO Dispute Settlement...

An empirical study on the effect of WTO membership on Iranian Handicraft industry: A case study of Persian carpet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Shirzour Aliabadi

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The world Trade Organization (WTO is one of the few organizations, which could significantly influence on foreign trade and consequently on the economic structure of the countries. There are literally different people in Iran who either encourage or discourage WTO membership. Therefore, it is important to analyze Iran’s WTO membership to empower Iranian handmade carpet in international trades and to help improvement in quality of production. The purpose of this research is to study the effects of Iran’s membership in WTO to empower this industry by performing an empirical survey among 100 experts in this industry. Findings demonstrate that access to WTO plays an important role on increasing production of handmade carpet and developing this industry. In addition, the industry needs to incorporate the recent advances on technology to ensure cost efficient production materials. The industry also needs more creative and innovative ideas due to an increase competition in handmade carpet producers from other countries.

“INTERNATIONAL TRADE – ENVIRONMENT” RELATIONSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margareta Timbur

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The overall aim of this paper lies on presenting a short pragmatic image of the main aspects concerning the impact of international trade on the environment, on the one hand, and the impact of environmental policies and regulations on the international trade, on the other hand. Also, this article examines the multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs focused on the use of environmental trade measures. In the same context, we discuss about the most important international institution with the regulatory powers in international trade – environment relationship which is considered to be GATT/WTO.Although, the international trade-environment relationship is a very debated internationally, in Romania it is not sufficiently addressed either theoretical or practical. Taking into account the transition period and the consequences of the global economic crisis which still will affect Romania a period of time; our country promotes simultaneous strengthening and optimizing of trade and environmental policies in sustainable development framework.

77 FR 20476 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China-Measures Related to the Exportation of Rare...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-04

..., 2012, in accordance with the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO... World Trade Organization, www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection may be viewed on the www... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. WTO/DS431] WTO Dispute Settlement...

76 FR 12400 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China-Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Duties on Grain...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-07

... settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement... on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org . Comments open to public... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS414] WTO Dispute Settlement...

Performance of African Agricultural Exports and External Market Access Conditions under International Trade Reforms

OpenAIRE

Nyangito, Hezron Omare

2004-01-01

Sub Saharan African agriculture is currently facing challenges in international trade with respect to external market access conditions and competition in world markets as a result of trade liberalization efforts under the world trade organization (WTO) agreements and in particular the agreement on agriculture (AoA). This paper presents the performance of agricultural exports for selected countries and indicates external market barriers faced and the resulting implications of the barriers on ...

Benefits of trade facilitation as a simpler procedure for world trade growth

OpenAIRE

Miteva-Kacarski, Emilija; Gorgieva-Trajkovska, Olivera

2011-01-01

“The simplification and harmonisation of international trade procedures” where trade procedures are the “activities, practices and formalities involved in collecting, presenting, communicating and processing data required for the movement of goods in international trade” is trade facilitation according the WTO. Trade facilitation initiatives benefit both the business community and governments. The business community benefits by obtaining enhanced competitiveness in national and international ...

76 FR 68809 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Shrimp...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-07

... Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at www... of the Appellate Body, will be available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, www.wto.org... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS422] WTO Dispute Settlement...

78 FR 16754 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Shrimp...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-18

... Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at www... the World Trade Organization, at www.wto.org . Comments open to public inspection may be viewed at www... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS429] WTO Dispute Settlement...

World Trade Organization, ILO conventions, and workers' compensation.

Science.gov (United States)

LaDou, Joseph

2005-01-01

The World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund can assist in the implementation of ILO Conventions relating to occupational safety and health in developing countries. Most countries that seek to trade globally receive permission to do so from the WTO. If the WTO required member countries to accept the core ILO Conventions relating to occupational safety and health and workers' compensation, it could accomplish something that has eluded international organizations for decades. International workers' compensation standards are seldom discussed, but may at this time be feasible. Acceptance of a minimum workers' compensation insurance system could be a requirement imposed on applicant nations by WTO member states.

Multilateral, regional and bilateral energy trade governance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leal-Arcas, Rafael; Grasso, Costantino; Rios, Juan Alemany (Queen Mary Univ. of London (United Kingdom))

2014-12-01

The current international energy trade governance system is fragmented and multi-layered. Streamlining it for greater legal cohesiveness and international political and economic cooperation would promote global energy security. The current article explores three levels of energy trade governance: multilateral, regional and bilateral. Most energy-rich countries are part of the multilateral trading system, which is institutionalized by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The article analyzes the multilateral energy trade governance system by focusing on the WTO and energy transportation issues. Regionally, the article focuses on five major regional agreements and their energy-related aspects and examines the various causes that explain the proliferation of regional trade agreements, their compatibility with WTO law, and then provides several examples of regional energy trade governance throughout the world. When it comes to bilateral energy trade governance, this article only addresses the European Union’s (EU) bilateral energy trade relations. The article explores ways in which gaps could be filled and overlaps eliminated whilst remaining true to the high-level normative framework, concentrating on those measures that would enhance EU energy security.

Plurilateral Trade Deals: An Alternative for Multilateral Trade Agreements?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnes Ghibuțiu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available While multilateral trade negotiations under the World Trade Organization (WTO continue to be in impasse, plurilateral trade negotiations – i.e. among a group of WTO members – have intensified in recent years, and also recorded a series of concrete results in liberalizing specific sectors of international trade. Hence, there is a widely shared view that plurilateral trade negotiations could be an alternative for the multilateral ones. This paper aims to answer the following questions: What are plurilateral trade agreements? Which are the reasons behind the surge in plurilateral negotiations in recent years? What are the main achievements in liberalizing trade at the plurilateral level? What are the advantages of plurilateral negotiations relative to multilateral ones, and why are they considered an attractive alternative for negotiations at the multilateral level?

How do international trade obligations affect policy options for obesity prevention? Lessons from recent developments in trade and tobacco control.

Science.gov (United States)

von Tigerstrom, Barbara

2013-06-01

Regulatory measures, including taxes and subsidies on food and beverage products, food labelling requirements, regulation of food content and regulation of food marketing, have been proposed to encourage healthier eating and prevent obesity. The objective of this article is to explore the extent to which international trade agreements affect governments' choices to use such regulatory measures. It reviews key provisions of relevant World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and their implications. Some insights can be gained by examining 2 recent developments in the WTO regarding tobacco control: a current dispute involving Australia's plain packaging law and its effect on trademarks, and a recent decision involving the United States law banning flavoured cigarettes. This decision said that the ban did not restrict trade more than necessary to fulfil its legitimate health objective, but it was discriminatory because it banned imported products (clove cigarettes) while exempting domestic products (menthol cigarettes) with similar characteristics. The conclusion we can draw from this decision is that WTO member states probably enjoy a significant degree of latitude in developing food regulations as part of an obesity prevention strategy, so long as those do not disproportionately affect imported products and therefore raise questions of discrimination. The approach taken in this case encourages the adoption of public health policies that are consistent with strong scientific evidence, but may restrict governments' ability to make political compromises, which could frustrate some proposals. The ongoing development of WTO law will continue to affect policy choices in public health. Copyright © 2013 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 20670 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Use of Zeroing in Anti-Dumping Measures...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-20

... settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement... of the World Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org . Comments will be placed in the docket and open... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. WTO/DS402] WTO Dispute Settlement...

75 FR 27614 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Measures Affecting the Production and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-17

... Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') regarding a provision of... of the World Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org . Comments will be placed in the docket and open... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. USTR-2010-0013] WTO Dispute...

77 FR 46788 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China-Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties on...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-06

... the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning China... Appellate Body, will also be available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization at www.wto.org... TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WT/DS440/1] WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China...

77 FR 61818 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-11

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS440] WTO Dispute Settlement... under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') with the... certain automobiles from the United States. That request may be found at www.wto.org in a document...

77 FR 53959 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Argentina-Measures Affecting the Importation of Goods

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-04

... Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning certain measures imposed... Appellate Body, will also be available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization at www.wto.org... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WT/DS444] WTO Dispute Settlement...

China's WTO commitments in agriculture and impacts of potential OECD agricultural trade liberalizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yu, Wusheng; Frandsen, Søren E.

2005-01-01

general equilibrium simulation results show that China’s WTO commitments will lead to increased agricultural imports and slightly declined outputs in China. The resulting efficiency gains will be negated by terms-of-trade losses, leading to quantitatively small welfare impacts. Furthermore, sectoral...... results depend critically on correctly representing the more complex policy measures, such as the tariff rate quotas. The negative output effects on Chinese agriculture can be alleviated/reversed if the rich OECD countries commit to reform their agriculture policies. The present paper concludes that trade...... liberalization should be carried out in both developing and developed countries. Reforming the latter will be particularly helpful in easing the problems facing those developing countries that are carrying out ambitious trade reforms....

A Review of Economic Analyses on the World Trade Organization

OpenAIRE

Jee-Hyeong Park

2002-01-01

The GATT, which later became the WTO, has contributed to the expansion and activation of world trade by assisting trading partners to establish and enforce international trade rules through multilateral trade negotiations. Currently negotiations for new trade rules are contironing by launching Doha Round. This review intends to promote understanding of a basic analytical framework, upon which constructive debates and research have been conducted about the role of the WTO in the world trade re...

WTO oversight over bilateral agreements: from a notification to an examination process?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Jens Ladefoged

2014-01-01

The TTIP will – like other free trade agreements (FTAs) – violate one of the cornerstones of the WTO, i.e. the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle. However, the multilateral trading system has since 1947 permitted the formation of trading blocks and preferential bilateral trading partnerships....... This contribution asks how the WTO can fulfill its task of ensuring that FTAs do not systematically undermine the multilateral trading order. It focuses on the issue of transparency in the current oversight process and discusses whether the WTO secretariat should be granted a stronger mandate to proactively...... investigate the economic effects of the notified FTAs....

76 FR 17985 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Frozen...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-31

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS422] WTO Dispute Settlement... Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning antidumping measures regarding certain frozen warmwater shrimp from China. That request may be found at http://www.wto...

78 FR 49789 - Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning Russia's Implementation of Its WTO...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-15

... its obligations as a Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). SUMMARY: The interagency Trade... the WTO are contained in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing...

The World Trade Organization and organic food trade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Carsten

2012-01-01

disagreement on whether the WTO's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (addresses food labelling) covers production standards based on ethical values such as those defining organic food standards. Another problem is that two sets of international standards for organic food exist—the Codex Alimentarius...... guidelines and the standards of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. Finally, many certification bodies are private organisations certifying on the basis of government standards. This blurs the distinction between private and public and questions whether WTO rules apply...

Prinsip Liberalisasi Perdagangan World Trade Organization (WTO dalam Pembaharuan Hukum Investasi di Indonesia ( Undang-undang Nomor 25 Tahun 2007

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

cep Rohendi

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Abstrak Undang-Undang Nomor 25 Tahun 2007 tentang Penanaman Modal (UUPM merupakan peraturan mengenai investasi di Indonesia yang menggantikan Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 1967 tentang Investasi Asing dan Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1968 tentang Investasi Domestik. Undang-undang ini tidak lagi membedakan antara investasi asing dan domestik. Pembentukan undang-undang ini merupakan komitmen Indonesia atas diratifikasinya Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement Pasal XVI, Ayat 4 dari Agreement tersebut mewajibkan negara anggota untuk menyesuaikan aturan-aturan atau hukum perdagangan mereka dengan aturan-aturan yang terdapat dalam Annex di WTO Agreement. Prinsip-prinsip WTO yang telah diimplementasikan pada UUPM, yaitu: 1 Prinsip (Most-Favoured-Nation dalam Pasal 1 ayat (1, Pasal 3 ayat (1, Pasal 4 ayat (2, dan Pasal 6 ayat (1; 2 Prinsip National Treatment dalam Pasal 6 ayat (1; 3 Prinsip Larangan Restriksi (pembatasan Kuantitatif dapat ditemukan dalam Pasal 8; 4 Prinsip Perlindungan melalui Tarif yang ditemukan secara tersirat pada asas efisiensi berkeadilan dalam Pasal 3 ayat (1 dan Pasal 14; 5 Prinsip Resiprositas dapat ditemukan dalam Pasal 7 dan Pasal 32; 6 Prinsip Perlakuan Khusus bagi Negara Berkembang diatur dalam Pasal 13. Indonesia telah mengimplementasi prinsip-prinsip tersebut sebagaimana diwajibkan bagi negara-negara anggota WTO. Abstract Law Number 25 Year 2007 is the investment law of Indonesia which replaces Law Number 1 year 1967 on Foreign Investment and Law Number 5 year 1968 on Domestic Investment. This new law no longer distinguishes foreign and domestic investment. The formation of law Number 25 Year 2007 is the commitment of Indonesia upon ratification of the (WTO Agreement. Article XVI paragraph 4 of the Agreement Establishing the WTO requires state parties to adjust their rules or which law of trade with the rules contained in the WTO Agreement Annex. WTO principles which have been implemented in the

75 FR 8177 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Shrimp...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-23

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. WTO/DS404] WTO Dispute Settlement... Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning a number of....wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS404/1. USTR invites written comments from the...

75 FR 32533 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Shrimp...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-08

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. WTO/DS404] WTO Dispute Settlement... the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning a... found at www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS404/5. USTR invites written comments...

Trade Policies in Central Asia after EU Enlargement and before Russian WTO accession: Regionalism and Integration into the world economy.

OpenAIRE

Richard Pomfret

2005-01-01

This paper analyses the choices between regionalism and multilateralism, and the impact of WTO membership on the five Central Asian countries. The two main sections analyse (1) why the large number of regional trade agreements which the Central Asian countries have signed have had little economic impact, and (2) the consequences for the Central Asian countries of Chinese and Russian WTO membership and the consequences of the current Central Asian applicants’ (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbeki...

Perception Of Trader Towards International Trade: A Diagnostic Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muzaffar Asad

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In this article the authors have identified the significant factors that influence international trade in the light of traders. Foreign exchange transaction may prove to be helpful in managing currency risk which is associated with import and export of goods. The significance of multi-national firms over international trade has been discussed along with the impact of balance of payment over international trade and the measures taken by the government to create a balance in balance of payment and balance of trade. The considerations of countries while determining exchange rates have been elaborated in this paper. The numerous factors that affect decision making for International Traders and the rectifications are also discussed in this paper. The paper also discusses how various aspects induce an industry to change its course or completely shut down and how to deal with these lingering threats. On the basis of literature reviewed the variables that have been selected that may influence international trade include; trade quotas, brand name, WTO, NAFTA, SAFTA, ASIAN, GATT, e-commerce, international payment systems, product specialization, home industry, foreign reserves, government regulations, international market, dumping duties, trade policies, social crises, economic crises, balance of payments, change in value, and supply than demand. A questionnaire will be developed on the basis of above-mentioned variables. The respondents of questionnaire will be the traders in the international market, importers and exporters. The data will then be handled by the use of SPSS. Regression analysis will be conducted to identify the significant variables that have major impact on international trade. At the end the recommendations will be mentioned for getting maximum benefit from international trade.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC ACTORS IN THE WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT SYSTEM: LEGAL OR POLITICAL ISSUE?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Intan Soeparna

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Economic actors are the main trade player in the World Trade Organization, although, the relation between WTO and economic actor is built by trade regulation that is negotiated among the WTO Members. Nothing in the WTO regulates economic actors to involve directly in the WTO, especially in the WTO dispute settlement system. Nevertheless, the debate amongst experts regarding the involvement of economic actors in the WTO dispute settlement system is unavoidable. This article therefore discusses the possibility of the involvement of economic actors in the WTO dispute settlement system, whether there is legal and political point of views

Current subsidies in the agricultural sector of the global trade system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganna Voronina

2006-03-01

Full Text Available This article focuses on the provisions of the WTO agreements regulating the use of subsidies in the agricultural sector by the member-states. It analyzes current practices of the WTO member-states’ in subsidizing their agricultural production. It also outlines the main trends in improving the practices of subsidizing agricultural producers in the leading countries of the world. The article also describes the major coalitions within the WTO that actively participate in the development and improvement of international trade rules in agricultural produce. In the current context whereby Ukraine seeks WTO accession, the structure of domestic measures in support of agriculture pursuant to the requirements of this international organization is given special attention. The article also considers the prospects for further liberalization of international trade in agricultural produce.

The Concordance of Multilingual Legal Texts at the WTO

Science.gov (United States)

Condon, Bradly J.

2012-01-01

Multilingualism is a sensitive and complex subject in a global organisation such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). In the WTO legal texts, there is a need for full concordance, not simply translation. This article begins with an overview of the issues raised by multilingual processes at the WTO in the negotiation, drafting, translation,…

A trade balance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Carsten; Kay, Adrian

2014-01-01

The establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been widely accepted as representing the legalisation of world trading rules. However, it is important to reflect on the limits of this legalisation thesis in terms of the interface between international and domestic policy processes. By...

78 FR 11725 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Indonesia Importation of Horticultural Products...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-19

... (``Indonesia'') under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement... report of the Appellate Body, will also be available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization at... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WT/DS455] WTO Dispute Settlement...

Mixed WTO ruling on generic drug development.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, R

2000-01-01

On 17 March 2000, the World Trade Organization upheld the provision in Canada's patent laws that allows generic drug manufacturers to develop (but not sell) their cheaper versions of patented medicines before the 20-year patients expire. The decision prevents pharmaceutical companies from enjoying market monopolies beyond their patent terms, avoiding what would otherwise be even lengthier delays in the sale of cheaper, generic drugs in Canada. This decision is of significance not only to Canada, but also to other WTO member countries and to all individuals who use pharmaceutical products. However, the decision is not all positive: the WTO also ruled that Canada is violating international agreements by letting generic manufacturers stockpile their versions of patented drugs before patents expire. This article explains the issues, the arguments, and the decision.

Recent Trends in World Trade and International Negotiations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Bellmann

2010-03-01

Full Text Available World trade in 2009 was dominated by the worst financial and economic crisis in decades. Global output shrank. So did the volume of international trade. Despite bearing no responsibility for the crisis, the poorer developing countries have fared the worst. China, Brazil and India saw exports drop by between a fifth and a third in the second half of 2008, but countries not belonging to the top 20 developing country exporters were hit even harder. Trade and GDP growth have started to pick up again, but some economists fear a “double-dip” recession. If unemployment continues to grow, it may become harder for governments to resist protectionist pressures. In terms of the WTO negotiations, the crisis cuts both ways. Governments are preoccupied with more immediate concerns. But the crisis has shattered the sense that protectionism was unthinkable, making a trade deal seem more valuable. The G-20 major economies have called for concluding the Doha Round in 2010, but it remains to be seen whether this pledge will amount to anything. The number of bilateral trade deals continues to grow, with Switzerland an enthusiastic participant. Some of these deals have been criticised for “WTO-plus” obligations, particularly regarding intellectual property. Meanwhile, there are real grounds for arguing that the Doha Round agenda does not reflect many current problems, especially climate change. With the US and the EU threatening to impose tariffs on exports from emerging economies with no hard emissions caps, it is clear that governments need to find some way of discussing the new challenges confronting the global economy.

75 FR 23318 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Philippines-Taxes on Distilled Spirits

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-03

... of a dispute settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization... established by the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') Dispute Settlement Body on April 20, 2010. USTR invites... available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org . Comments will be placed in...

Trade, Labor, Legitimacy

OpenAIRE

Guzman, Andrew

2003-01-01

The relationship between international trade and labor standards is one of several controversial issues facing the WTO. Proponents of a trade-labor link argue that labor is a human rights issue and that trade sanctions represent a critical tool in the effort to improve international working conditions. Opponents argue that a link between trade and labor would open the door to protectionist measures that would target low wage countries and harm the very workers the policy is intended to help. ...

Antidumping, countervailing duties and non-market economy status of Vietnam in the WTO

OpenAIRE

Claudio Dordi

2008-01-01

The non-market economy status has a negative influence on the international trade relations of Vietnam. The article analyses the legal consequences for Vietnam of the NME status and identify the roadmap to obtain the "market economy status" from other WTO members

The Impact of China’s WTO Accession on China-Japan-Korea Trade Relation, and its Policy Implications for Regional Economic Cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inkyo Cheong

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Because of the increased possibility of China's accession to the WTO due to the settlement of negotiations with the U.S. and EU, the world is interested in opening China’s domestic market and taking advantage of the opportunities. Existing papers about China’s entry into the WTO generally analyze the impact on China and the world economy based on his/her assumption of a hypothetical tariff reduction scenario. However, this paper systematically analyzes by sector and region the tariff reduction structures of 5,685 tariff lines that China will actually reduce up until 2005. Based on this, the author employs a computational general equilibrium model in order to estimate the impact of China's trade liberalization on the economies of Northeast Asia and the world economy. According to the results, China's trade liberalization will bring the greatest benefit to China itself and substantial export expansion for Korea and Japan. This paper also states that if these three countries promote economic cooperation using China's accession to the WTO as momentum, it will be necessary to think economic cooperation in the fiber and clothing industries, which are quite effectively promoting intra-regional trade and absorbing workers left unemployed by structural adjustments in China.

77 FR 23539 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding European Communities and Certain Member States...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-19

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS316] WTO Dispute Settlement... Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at www.wto.org contained in a document designated... a WTO dispute settlement panel. Consistent with this obligation, USTR is providing notice that it...

Some Thoughts on the Axiology and Constitutionalization of the World Trade Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartosz Ziemblicki

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The rationale for the existence of the WTO is the assumption that international trade is beneficial to all parties. The theoretical justification for this assumption is the theory of comparative advantage. The WTO may also be credited with a contribution to peacekeeping and has strong doctrinal and philosophical foundations. The WTO is often accused of a bias towards exporters and failure to provide appropriate protection to other market participants. Other conflicting powers within the Organization are the supporters of free trade and fair trades. The third doctrinal tension is between the legislative and judicial powers. The Ministerial Conferences are ever more unable to make decisions and reform the WTO. At the same time a very effective dispute settlement mechanism is beginning to fill the gaps in legal texts. The WTO is often presented as an example of the ongoing process of constitutionalization of international law. The concept is difficult to define and each scholar distinguishes different characteristics. It is arguable whether the WTO is undergoing the process of constitutionalization and also whether it can be perceived as a self-contained régime. The contribution of the WTO to global governance in comparison to that of the GATT is another issue under discussion.

Globalization, international trade and animal health: the new roles of OIE.

Science.gov (United States)

Thiermann, Alejandro B

2005-02-01

In order for countries and their stakeholders to maximize the benefits of globalization they must become familiar with, and must adhere to, the rights and obligations set out by the World Trade Organization (WTO) under the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). For the purpose of trade in animals and animal products, they must also adhere to the standards, guidelines and recommendations established by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Countries are also encouraged to participate in this standard setting process of the OIE. Only after implementing these requirements and after strengthening the veterinary infrastructures and their surveillance and monitoring systems, will countries be able to fully benefit from these new international trade rules.

World Trade Organization: U.S. Experience in Dispute Settlement System: The First Five Years

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2000-01-01

.... Established in January 1995 as a result of the Uruguay Round of international trade negotiations, the WTO administers rules for international trade and provides a forum for conducting trade negotiations...

PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF THE WTO MECHANISMS APPLICATION TO PROTECT THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC INTERESTS OF UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Us

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to analyze the issue of applying by Ukraine of mechanisms developed in the legal framework by the World Trade Organization to protect the internal market in order to prepare appropriate recommendations to state power authorities empowered to carry out trade policy. Methodology. The study is based on studying the experience of Ukraine to revise its commitments on tariff lines for the first three-year period after the accession to the WTO, as well as on the analysis of the most resonant steps to protect the internal market taken by Ukraine and the consequences of these steps. Result. The issue of applying by Ukraine of tools developed by the World Trade Organization to protect the interests of national producers has been described in this article. The situation of the use by Ukraine of a right to review the conditions of membership in the WTO has been reviewed step by step starting from the studying of this issue within the country and to the statements by the Government not to use this feature. All the stages of the process of using the possibility to revise the conditions of membership in the WTO have been analyzed as well as the mistakes that led to the absence of the desired result in the end. Also, the basic tools of protection of the domestic market in the WTO system, such as anti-dumping investigation and the investigation concerning the subsidized imports has been considered The dynamics of the use of such investigations by all WTO member countries since the establishment of the WTO, with particular emphasis on the period of the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2010 has been reviewed. The number of successful investigations led to the application of certain protective measures also has been determined. The risks that arise in the absence of the Government of Ukraine steps to improve the efficiency of representation of interests in the WTO have been analyzed. Recommendations improving the use of WTO

A critque of the WTO jurisprudence on ‘necessity’ / Gisele Kapterian

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kapterian, Gisele

2010-01-01

Artikkel uurib kohtupraktika põhjal, kas WTO seadusandlus arvestab piisavalt kaubanduse liberaliseerimise ja õigusnormide autonoomiaga ning kas legitiimsus ja läbipaistvus on tagatud. WTO lepingutest: üldine tolli- ja kaubanduskokkulepe (GATT - General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade); sanitaar- ja fütosanitaarmeetmete rakendamise leping (SPS - Sanitary and phytosanitary measures) ; tehniliste kaubandustõkete leping (TBT - Technical barriers to trade)

WTO accepts rules limiting medicine exports to poor countries.

Science.gov (United States)

James, John S

2003-09-12

In a controversial decision on August 30, 2003, the World Trade Organization agreed to complex rules limiting the export of medications to developing countries. Reaction to the decision so far has shown a complete disconnect between trade delegates and the WTO, both of which praise the new rules as a humanitarian advance, and those working in treatment access in poor countries, who believe that they will effectively block treatment from reaching many who need it. We have prepared a background paper that analyzes this decision and its implications and offers the opinions of key figures on both sides of the debate. It is clear that the rules were largely written for and probably by the proprietary pharmaceutical industry, and imposed on the countries in the WTO mainly by the United States. The basic conflict is that this industry does not want the development of international trade in low-cost generic copies of its patented medicines--not even for poor countries, where little or no market exists. Yet millions of people die each year without medication for treatable conditions such as AIDS, and drug pricing remains one of several major obstacles to controlling global epidemics.

77 FR 76165 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Argentina-Measures Affecting the Importation of Goods

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-26

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS444] WTO Dispute Settlement... Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at www.wto.org contained in a document designated... after the United States submits or receives a request for the establishment of a WTO dispute settlement...

  Border Carbon Adjustments, the UNFCCC and WTO Rules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Laura

2010-01-01

  My presentation on Trade and Climate Change concludes that border carbon adjustments can be consistent with both the climate change and WTO rules - depending of course on their design - but that they are not necessarily attractive. ......  My presentation on Trade and Climate Change concludes that border carbon adjustments can be consistent with both the climate change and WTO rules - depending of course on their design - but that they are not necessarily attractive. ...

Contributions of the GATT/WTO to global economic welfare: Empirical evidence

OpenAIRE

Kym Anderson

2014-01-01

This paper surveys estimates of the value of the GATT/WTO's contributions to global welfare through providing a forum for negotiating reductions in policy-induced distortions to trade flows, including through the process of accession by new members. After reviewing measures of the price-distorting effects of trade-related policies, it assesses estimates from global simulation models of the welfare effects of trade liberalizations prior to the WTO's Doha round, including the net benefits and t...

75 FR 62624 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Final Antidumping Measures on Stainless...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-12

... request by Mexico under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''), the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') has referred a matter concerning... report of the Appellate Body, will be available on the Web site of the World Trade Organization, http...

Free trade or just trade? The world trade organisation, human rights ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The author critically examines the role of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In recent years, it is noted, the organisation's agenda of trade liberalisation, its perceived lack of accountability and insensitivity to human rights have attracted intense criticism. It has been asserted that provisions of WTO agreements concerning ...

Ukraine in the WTO: Effects and Prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Anatolyevna Bessonova

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Over 6 years have passed since Ukraine became a member of the WTO. The accession has had both positive and negative effects on the country’s economy. The process of accession took place in the absence of any definite economic development strategy. As a consequence, the national manufacturers were hurt in many respects. Ukraine acceded to the WTO on terms rather unfavourable for the country, with little to no regard for the opinions of experts and the business milieu. That resulted in losses for the most vulnerable sectors of Ukraine’s economy. Those are the industries which produce high value-added products, including machine building, consumer goods industry and food-processing. This goes to show that the country’s WTO membership was detrimental for the innovation-oriented industries involving high technologies. The branches of the real sector of the economy which produce low value-added products (such as agriculture, chemical industry, and metallurgy fared better. Despite the patterns of poor judgment shown, there are certain positive effects of Ukraine’s WTO membership. Among them one can mention the possibility to conduct equitable dialogue with the country’s foreign trade partners, enhancement of competitive advantages of the major producers in the real sector, provision of incentives to harnessing new technologies, improvement of production quality in order to enhance the competitiveness on the global market. Ukraine’s experience shows that it is obviously necessary for Russia to make efforts in order to ensure that Russia’s WTO membership would advantage the national economy and the real sector entities. Russia’s WTO membership can give a great impetus to the country development, but only if relevant domestic reforms will adapt Russian economic and legislative institutions to the conditions of the WTO multilateral trade agreements.

77 FR 19745 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States; Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-02

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Dispute No. WTO/DS429] WTO Dispute Settlement..., regulations, administrative procedures, practices, and methodologies. That request may be found at www.wto.org... notice that consultations have been requested pursuant to the WTO Understanding on Rules and Procedures...

The WTO and the Poorest Countries; The Stark Reality

OpenAIRE

Aaditya Mattoo; Arvind Subramanian

2004-01-01

Small and poor countries pose a challenge for the World Trade Organization (WTO). These countries have acquired a significant say in WTO decision-making. However, they have limited ability to engage in the reciprocity game that is at the heart of the WTO, and have limited interests in the broader liberalization agenda because of their preferential access to industrial country markets. Accommodating the interests of the small and poor countries is desirable in itself, but would also facilitate...

International cooperation in the solution to trade-related invasive species risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrings, Charles; Burgiel, Stas; Lonsdale, Mark; Mooney, Harold; Williamson, Mark

2010-05-01

In this paper, we consider the factors behind the growth of invasive species as a global problem, and the scope for international cooperation and coordination in addressing that problem. This is limited by the terms of the various international agreements governing trade, health, and biodiversity. The default strategy in most cases has two parts: border protection and the control of or adaptation to introduced species that have escaped detection at the border. Most invasive species policy involves unilateral national defensive action as opposed to coordinated international action. We argue that an important part of the solution to the problem lies in global coordination and cooperation in the management of both pathways and sanitary and phytosanitary risks at all scales. More particularly, because invasive species are an externality of trade, transport, and travel that involve public goods, they require collective regulation of international markets that goes beyond that admitted under the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. We argue that it is important to bring that agreement into conformity with the International Health Regulations (IHR), and to develop an international mechanism to generate and disseminate information on invasive species risks and their impacts.

78 FR 49787 - Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-15

..., standards and technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, government procurement, trade... Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative... with its WTO commitments. SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a...

Doha round of WTO negotiations and the domestic support for agriculture in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popović Vesna

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Beside the fact that the green box essential inspection has, obviously, not been carried out, the long expected modality draft in the agricultural sector for July 2006 is full of opposing ponts of view and conflicting solutions to the problem. Thus, the negotiations have been completely suspended, as the very result of the lack of agreement in the field of agriculture (market approach and internal support. It is expected that Doha round of WTO negotiations should result with a significant improvement in reduction of trade distortion support. Serbia is in the process of joining the WTO and is intensively working on meeting the obligations that are expected to be completed in the process; in this case, in the field of internal support to agriculture. .

WTO approves TRIPS amendment on importing under compulsory licensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Herget, Greg

2006-04-01

On 6 December 2005, the World Trade Organization (WTO) amended the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement to allow WTO member states to produce, under compulsory licences, lower-cost generic pharmaceutical products for export to countries that lack domestic production capacity to make such products. The amendment makes permanent the previous decision of 30 August 2003, which has not yet proven to be an effective mechanism to encourage the supply of more affordable medicines and other pharmaceutical products to countries in need.

APPLICATION OF THE WTO AGREEMENTS IN NATIONAL COURTS: COMPARATIVE ASPECTS OF WORLDWIDE AND LITHUANIAN JUDICIAL PRACTICES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saulius Katuoka

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the main World Trade Organization (WTO agreements: the 1994 GATT agreement and the agreements on the determination of the customs value and customs origin of goods. It also describes the problems involved in granting the direct effect of this external legislation in the Republic of Lithuania from the time of its accession to the WTO in 2001 and entry into the European Union (EU in 2004. The article seeks to answer the question of whether the external WTO legislation should be recognised as legal acts in the national legal system, with the capability for direct application in judicial proceedings. The article also considers whether individual persons can invoke the WTO agreements at a national level (in national courts to protect their legitimate rights and interests in international trade operations. In addition, it includes an analysis of practices followed by judicial authorities in the EU and countries in other regions, including the individual EU member states. The analysis leads to the conclusion that, unlike the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the practices and experience of the Republic of Lithuania are essentially based on the provision that these sources of law could be directly applied at a national level in judicial cases related to the taxation of international trade operations. Analysis of the relevant issues is based on both theoretical (analysis and synthesis, systematic analysis and empirical methods (the statistical analysis of data, the evaluation and textual analysis of documents – in particular, decisions of national courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU.

75 FR 1110 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Certain Measures Affecting Imports of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-08

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. WTO/DS399] WTO Dispute Settlement... Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning certain measures affecting imports of certain passenger vehicle and light truck tires from China. The request may be found at http://www.wto.org in document WT/DS399/2...

Book Review - V Pogoretskyy, Freedom of Transit and Access to Gas Pipeline Networks Under WTO Law (Cambridge University Press, 2017)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marhold, Anna

2017-01-01

In Freedom of Transit and Access to Pipeline Networks under WTO Law, the author appropriately introduces the topic by stating that energy is featuring increasingly prominently as a topic in international trade law. Indeed, while being a dormant issue in the World Trade Organization (“WTO” forum for

WTO ACCESSION OF BRICS COUNTRIES: THE CHINESE EXPERIENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Mikheeva

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The stages of reforms under the influence of requirements of the World Trade Organization are considered on the basis of an analysis of Chinese legislation. Four stages of preparation by the People’s Republic of China for accession to the WTO within which there was a transformation of the legal system of China from 1982 to 2001 are described. The sources of Chinese lawmaking are presented and systematized as the basis of the economic legislation of the PRC at the stage of preparation for inclusion of China in the WTO. Attention is drawn to the particularities of the power organization of the Chinese state, in which there is no separation of powers into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. This, in turn, allows to mark the feature in the economic sphere of legal regulation in China connected with the existence of the rules established by the Supreme National Court as a source of law. To represent the dynamics of normativelegal regulation of foreign trade activities, China has used the system of dialectical and universal methods of knowledge; general scientific methods (induction and deduction and techniques (analysis and synthesis; as well as a special method – formally-legal. The identified course and direction of changes in legal support of domestic and foreign economic processes in China suggests the possibility to consider the experience of China in the promotion of Russia in the international trading community.The authors propose that the entry of China into the WTO is of interest to the BRICS countries as long as China achieves optimal utilization of the WTO’s external economic opportunities. In addition, China has established a legally solid basis for the development of market relations in the state.

Reducing Tariffs According to WTO Accession Rules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fosse, Henrik Barslund; Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis

2012-01-01

When Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2007 it was granted an accession period up to 2014. During this period tariffs would have to fall according to the accession agreement. This paper evaluates this 2007–2014 trade liberalization by building an applied general equilibrium model...

International trade. Multinational aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozawa, Y

2000-01-01

Of numerous regional economic agreements, the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), South American Common Market (MERCOSUR), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement are examples that are actively pursuing regional integration for freer trade of animals and animal products. The World Trade Organization (WTO) believes that regional and multinational integration initiatives are complements rather than alternatives in the pursuit of more open trade. In the efforts to harmonize SPS standards among multilateral trading nations, it is recommended that national requirements meet the standards developed by the OIE and the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission as the minimum requirements rather than adopting the standards of the lowest common denominator. Regional grouping may hinder multilateral or bilateral trade between the countries of a group and those of the other groups. How to eliminate such non-tariff barriers as traditional trade custom remains to be examined. Ongoing activities of VICH (Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medical Products) may pave the way for more open trade in pharmaceutical products between multilateral regional groups.

WTO ministerial conference adopts declaration on TRIPS and public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Richard

2002-03-01

In November 2001, the 4th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization adopted a Ministerial Declaration on public health and the WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the "TRIPS Agreement"). The declaration represents a modest advance in addressing concerns that strict patent laws, and threats of trade sanctions, will be a barrier to most of the world's people with HIV/AIDS accessing affordable medicines. The full significance of the declaration remains to be seen, as it depends on what political impact it has at the WTO and on its member countries, and what legal impact it will have in the interpretation of the TRIPS Agreement.

Government Procurement : Market Access, Transparency, and Multilateral Trade Rules

OpenAIRE

Evenett, Simon J.; Hoekman, Bernard M.

2004-01-01

The authors examine the effects on national welfare and market access of two public procurement practices-discrimination against foreign suppliers of goods and services and nontransparency of the procedures used to allocate government contracts to firms. Both types of policies have become prominent in international trade negotiations, including the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) trade talks. Traditionally, the focus of international trade agreements has been on market access...

Implications of the World Trade Organization in combating non-communicable diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, A; Voon, T

2011-12-01

The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed a number of strategies to combat non-communicable diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes by targeting the risk factors of tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol and poor diet. A number of the domestic regulatory responses contemplated by WHO and individual countries have the potential to restrict or distort trade, raising the question of whether they are consistent with the obligations imposed on Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This article demonstrates that WTO rules do limit Members' flexibility in implementing public health measures to address these diseases. However, the focus of WTO provisions on preventing discrimination against or between imports and the exceptions incorporated in various WTO agreements leave sufficient scope for Members to design carefully directed measures to achieve genuine public health goals while minimizing negative effects on international trade. Copyright © 2011 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 45693 - Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-03

..., government procurement, trade-related investment measures, taxes and charges levied on imports and exports... Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing concerning China's compliance with its WTO...

77 FR 50206 - Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-20

..., government procurement, trade-related investment measures, taxes and charges levied on imports and exports... Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing concerning China's compliance with its WTO...

British American Tobacco's tactics during China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Fei; Yano, Eiji

2007-04-01

China entered the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 after years of negotiations. As a WTO member, China had to reduce tariffs on imported cigarettes and remove non-tariff barriers to allow foreign cigarettes to be more competitive in the Chinese market. Among foreign tobacco companies, British American Tobacco (BAT) was the most active lobbyist during China's WTO negotiations. To review and analyse BAT's tactics and activities relating to China's entry into the WTO. Internal tobacco industry documents were reviewed and are featured here. Industry documents were searched mainly on the website of BAT's Guildford Depository and other documents' websites. 528 documents were evaluated and 142 were determined to be relevant to China's entry into the WTO. BAT was extremely active during the progress of China's entry into the WTO. The company focused its lobbying efforts on two main players in the negotiations: the European Union (EU) and the US. Because of the negative moral and health issues related to tobacco, BAT did not seek public support from officials associated with the WTO negotiations. Instead, BAT lobbyists suggested that officials protect the interests of BAT by presenting the company's needs as similar to those of all European companies. During the negotiation process, BAT officials repeatedly spoke favourably of China's accession into the WTO, with the aim of presenting BAT as a facilitator in this process and of gaining preferential treatment from their Chinese competitor. BAT's activities clearly suggest that tobacco companies place their own interests above public health interests. Today, China struggles with issues of tobacco control that are aggravated by the aggressive practices of transnational tobacco companies, tobacco-tariff reductions and the huge number of smokers. For the tobacco-control movement to progress in China, health advocates must understand how foreign tobacco companies have undermined anti-tobacco activities by taking advantage

75 FR 50033 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding United States-Measures Affecting the Production and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-16

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. USTR-2010-0013] WTO Dispute... Organization (``WTO Agreement'') regarding a provision of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Pub. L. 111-31). That request may be found at http://www.wto.org in a document designated as WT/DS406...

International Cooperation to Establish Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Quarantine Management of Irradiated Foods in International Trade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J. W.; Byun, M. W.; Kim, J. H.; Choi, J. I.; Song, B. S.; Yoon, Y. H.; Kim, D. H.; Kim, W. G.; Kim, K. P.

2010-02-01

· Development of SOPs through various research activities such as building international cooperation, and analysing current status of food irradiation in domestic and international markets, export and import, international market size, and of R and D - Analysis of examples for quarantine management in agricultural product exporting countries and use of irradiation technology for agricultural product quarantine, and changes in international quarantine management - Analysis of SOPs for food irradiation quarantine in international organization (CODEX, IPPC, WHO). U.S, EU, China, India, and Australia. - Collaborative researches of India/Korea and China/Korea entered into an agreement for market trials · Publishment of irradiation quarantine management SOPs agreed to CODEX standards - Collaborative researches for quarantine management, avoiding Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT), and Sanitary Phytosanitary Measures were conducted, and advanced SOPs agreed with WTO/FTA system were published

Getting past the WTO deadlock : The plurilateral option ?

OpenAIRE

WOOLCOCK, Steve

2013-01-01

The WTO’s Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations are blocked. After repeated attempts to make progress, trade ministers have called for exploring new approaches to negotiations. This has been interpreted by some as clearing the way for plurilateral negotiations between subsets of like-minded WTO members and that need not apply or benefit all WTO members. This paper discusses a number of questions that arise with respect to plurilateral agreements and argues that in light of the very low ...

Ukraine's Membership in the World Trade Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Marchi

2004-02-01

Full Text Available The WTO is a multilateral organization that seeks to ensure that international trade relations are governed by the rule of law and not by the rule of power. It comprises a network of contractual rules and commitments capable of being monitored and enforced multilaterally. Ukraine’s accession to the WTO has been marked by notable achievements in the areas of legislation and bilateral agreements with member-states regarding market access. Outstanding issues in Ukraine’s accession include agriculture, industry policy, trade-related investment measures (TRIMs, technical barriers to trade (TBT, sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS measures, and intellectual property rights. While completion of the process relies on Ukraine’s efforts alone, progress is being made and is expected to reach a successful conclusion.

The Impact of Trade Policies on Spiraling Prices in International Agricultural Commodity Markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnes Ghibuțiu

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Since the mid-2000s food prices have been on an upward trend. In the first months of 2011, agricultural commodity prices reached an all-time high, fuelling fears about the imminent outbreak of a new food crisis, similar to the 1973/74 and 2006/08 ones. Behind concerns about increased price levels and volatility in international agricultural commodity markets lie concerns about food security. Hence, the international community is now under pressure to urgently find solutions for tempering strong upward fluctuations in prices for many major food commodities. Trade policy changes are increasingly discussed as a major contributing factor to food price surges. This paper addresses some issues related to the recurrent global food crises from the perspective of trade policy, specifically export restrictions. After a brief review of the fundamental drivers of the upward trend in real food prices (rising global population and income, climate change, high oil prices, increasing cereal use for biofuel production, and financial speculation, it examines the upsurge in agricultural export restrictions over the recent years. Relying on WTO's trade policy monitoring exercise, it highlights typology, motivations and effects of the newly introduced export restrictions, and finds that a major factor behind their recent proliferation is the lack of effective and binding multilateral rules concerning these trade policy instruments. The paper argues that strenghtening and improving WTO's rules and disciplines is essential for mitigating increased price pressure and volatility as well as the associated food security risks. While the issue of export restrictions is currently the topic of discussions under the Doha Round, trade negotiations are in impasse since 2008. Hence, urgent and successful conclusion of the round would be an essential step. In the meanwhile, a closer regular monitoring of all forms of export restrictions would help to provide at least more

After the Bali agreement: Lessons from the Doha Round for the WTO's post-Bali agenda

OpenAIRE

Erixon, Fredrik

2014-01-01

At the WTO summit in Bali late last year, trade ministers managed to clear the way for a new trade agreement. This is positive news - and it proves that the WTO system is not dysfunctional. The Bali agreement brings new trading opportunities for developing countries and establishes a new standard for transparency in trade administration. But the Bali deal is not a Doha Round deal - it is not even a "Doha light" deal. Taking the cue from Coca Cola, it is closer to being a "Doha Zero" agreement...

Evaluation of the China's Entry into the WTO

OpenAIRE

Cao, Teresa Yanhong

2002-01-01

Background: After 15 years of negotiations and diplomatic struggle, China was finally given the formal approval to join the World Trade Organization as the 143rd member. China has been driving for years to join the WTO since that is a crucial part of its plan to reform its economy and to build the economic modernization. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to gain a general knowledge of China’s economic development, analysis advantages and disadvantages associated with China’s WTO members...

A study on effect of world trade organization on Iran's membership on export of Iranian handmade carpet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansoureh Golmeymi

2013-10-01

Full Text Available World Trade Organization (WTO has been established to facilitate fringe trade in the world and there are many studies associated with the effect of WTO membership on export of various countries. This paper presents an empirical investigation to find the effect of WTO membership on export of Iranian handmade carpet. The survey uses insights from 80 experts who have at least ten years of related job experiences in carpet industry by performing an expletory and using descriptive and quantitative method for analyzing the data. The results of the survey indicate that Iran's membership in WTO will most likely reduce the sales price of handmade carpet. In addition, Iran's membership in WTO will increase scientific and professional power in handmade carpet. It will also help industry get more exposure into international market.

Book review: Unholy trinity: The IMF, World Bank and WTO Richard Peet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Breitenbach

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In this timely book Richard Peet and his team lay the foundation with an excellent analysis of the process of globalisation and the resultant emergence of the global economy. The authors are especially critical of the increasing influence of institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF, World Bank and World Trade Organisation (WTO on the economy and the consequences experienced by peoples, cultures and the environment. The single ideology of neo-liberalism is blamed for the undesirable outcomes. This book considers concepts of power, political interest, hegemony, discourse, responsibility and the power of practicality, in critically examining the IMF, World Bank and WTO. The conclusion is reached that “all three institutions play roles greatly different from those originally agreed to under the charters that set them up”.

International Cooperation to Establish Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Quarantine Management of Irradiated Foods in International Trade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, J. W.; Byun, M. W.; Kim, J. H.; Choi, J. I.; Song, B. S.; Yoon, Y. H.; Kim, D. H.; Kim, W. G.; Kim, K. P.

2010-02-15

{center_dot} Development of SOPs through various research activities such as building international cooperation, and analysing current status of food irradiation in domestic and international markets, export and import, international market size, and of R and D - Analysis of examples for quarantine management in agricultural product exporting countries and use of irradiation technology for agricultural product quarantine, and changes in international quarantine management - Analysis of SOPs for food irradiation quarantine in international organization (CODEX, IPPC, WHO). U.S, EU, China, India, and Australia. - Collaborative researches of India/Korea and China/Korea entered into an agreement for market trials {center_dot} Publishment of irradiation quarantine management SOPs agreed to CODEX standards - Collaborative researches for quarantine management, avoiding Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT), and Sanitary Phytosanitary Measures were conducted, and advanced SOPs agreed with WTO/FTA system were published

The potential impact of the World Trade Organization's general agreement on trade in services on health system reform and regulation in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Skala, Nicholas

2009-01-01

The collapse of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Round of talks without achieving new health services liberalization presents an important opportunity to evaluate the wisdom of granting further concessions to international investors in the health sector. The continuing deterioration of the U.S. health system and the primacy of reform as an issue in the 2008 presidential campaign make clear the need for a full range of policy options for addressing the national health crisis. Yet few commentators or policymakers realize that existing WTO health care commitments may already significantly constrain domestic policy options. This article illustrates these constraints through an evaluation of the potential effects of current WTO law and jurisprudence on the implementation of a single-payer national health insurance system in the United States, proposed incremental national and state health system reforms, the privatization of Medicare, and other prominent health system issues. The author concludes with some recommendations to the U.S. Trade Representative to suspend existing liberalization commitments in the health sector and to interpret current and future international trade treaties in a manner consistent with civilized notions of health care as a universal human right.

Vietnam’s Accession to the WTO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abbott, Philip; Bentzen, Jeanet; Tarp, Finn

is not the main factor driving economic adjustments, and market imperfections mean there is potential for greater output and trade expansion. The key questions to ask in future research are what critical new institutional reforms WTO accession will bring, and what incentives will be put in place to determine...

Dispute settlement process under GATT/WTO diplomatic or judicial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper probes the mechanisms of the dispute resolution process under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT). It tries to analyse the evolution of the dispute process which was initially based on diplomatic procedures and gives an account of its evolution and ...

78 FR 76700 - Procurement Thresholds for Implementation of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-18

... International Procurement Policy, Office of the United States Trade Representative, (202) 395-9646 or scott... the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement, Chapter 15 of the United... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Procurement Thresholds for Implementation of the...

Perspektywy zakończenia Rundy Katarskiej w ramach WTO

OpenAIRE

Majchrowska, Elżbieta

2010-01-01

Praca recenzowana / peer-reviewed paper The article deals with the main issues of WTO trade liberalization and it describes the key points of the negotiations during Doha Development Agenda. It shortly shows the main points of the history of discussions between partners (i.e. “The July 2004 package”, WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong), better and worse moments of that process but it especially concentrates on the last Mini-Ministerial Conference, which took place in Ju...

WTO - den fjerde dimension i dansk international skatteret?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Karsten Engsig

2000-01-01

På baggrund af en netop afgjort sag vedrørende beskatning af de amerikanske Foreign Sales Corporations (FSC), undersøges det hvordan WTO-aftalerne, herunder særligt subsidie-aftalen, kan få betydning for national skatteret.......På baggrund af en netop afgjort sag vedrørende beskatning af de amerikanske Foreign Sales Corporations (FSC), undersøges det hvordan WTO-aftalerne, herunder særligt subsidie-aftalen, kan få betydning for national skatteret....

Trade and investment rules for energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-09-15

Rules that govern energy trade is an issue that has generated increasing concern everywhere, from the standpoint of both the security of supply for consumers and security of demand for suppliers. This concern reflects the importance of rules that comprehensively address the needs from supply and demand point of view and integrate the international fabric of energy trade. The GATT and the WTO Agreement define trans-border movement of energy but leave many aspects unclear, particularly as efforts accelerate to control carbon emissions. This timely report by a WEC Task Force of experts with legal standing in the energy business identifies the most pressing issues relating to energy trade and suggests actions and measures which, if implemented, would provide clarity and answer many questions. More importantly, these measures would strengthen the WTO and coming rounds of negotiations.

Contenciosos brasileiros na Organização Mundial do Comércio (OMC: pauta comercial, política e instituições Brazil litigation in the WTO: trade mix, politics and institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Arbix

2008-12-01

in respect to the litigation with the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body being centralized with Camex, dispute settlement decisions correspond to the country's trade mix and strategic international negotiation positions, and are closely connected to the Brazilian exports and major trade partners. Shaped by internal and external constraints, therefore, the strategies related to international trade disputes require enhanced transparency and cooperation with the private sector.

WTO and Lifelong Education Strategies for Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhi-guo; Zheng, Yu

2006-01-01

After China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), teachers have been confronted with many opportunities and challenges. Lifelong education strategies are problems we should take into account carefully. This article expounds the objective demands, ideas, content, measures and functions of lifelong education.

The WTO Agenda and the Media Agenda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Rune Saugmann; Skjoldan, Lasse

’ (DDA) negotiations. While the DDA was set off in 2001 and was intended to be concluded by the end of 2004, the multilateral negotiations are in the end of 2007 still short of agreement. This thesis conceives of the media agenda as an important factor influencing trade policy formation and trade...... negotiation in the WTO. Combining elements from agenda-setting and institutional media theory, the study examines which issues and themes have been covered (priming) and from which angles these issue have been covered (framing). In particular, this thesis investigates the degree to which this priming...... as the ones who should liberalise. When this particular press coverage of the DDA is highly institutionalised, it means that it will be sticky and less prone to change. And because the media agenda is taken to affect the WTO agenda, the actors who are (dis)advantaged from this particular coverage in the press...

Algerian Economy and Multilateral Trading System: Why Is It So Hard to Join the WTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khayreddine Belaaze

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of this paper is to provide a overview on different stages of the negotiations with World Trade Organization, since 1987 date of submission the application for accession, Algeria still trying to snatch accession card with minimum cost, where it tries to provide small guarantees, but some WTO members raises reservations over some issues like aspects related to investment, for example: the Rule of 49/51, and domestic component, prevention of exporting, besides the agricultural issue which takes advantage of domestic subsidies and exporting subsides, also services industry knows low degree of openness, especially In some sensitive areas such as financial services, telecommunications.

PRINSIP-PRINSIP GATS (GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES TERHADAP PERDAGANGAN JASA PENDIDIKAN TINGGI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberta Hartiana

2017-05-01

Full Text Available International trade in higher education belongs to the more complex reality in the international trade in services, become global trends and reform in system of higher education all over the world. This research is aimed at finding out both modes of supply and principles of GATS regarding international trade in services. The main objective of the GATS is creating a credible and reliable system of international trade rules; ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all members; stimulating economic activity through guaranteed policy bindings and promoting trade and development through progressive liberalization. This study used normative research. The method used for collecting data was the statute approach. Primary legal sources derived from WTO Trade in Services Division regarding GATS obligations and the principles of the international trade in services. The result of this study, it was found that, there were four modes of supply trade in education under GATS (article 1:2 such as: cross-border supply; consumption abroad; commercial presence and delivery abroad; and the principles of GATS divided into two categories; Firstly, unconditionally obligations, such as the Most-Favoured Nation (article II GATS and Transparency (article III GATS apply directly and automatically to all WTO members and services sector regardless of whether WTO member schedule commitment or not; Secondly, conditionally obligations such as: National Treatment (article XVII and Market Access (article XVI  and only applies to commitment listed in national schedules. Perdagangan internasional dalam pendidikan tinggi milik realitas yang lebih kompleks dalam perdagangan internasional di bidang jasa, menjadi tren global dan reformasi dalam sistem pendidikan tinggi di seluruh dunia. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui model-model pasokan dan prinsip-prinsip GATS mengenai perdagangan internasional di bidang jasa. Tujuan utama dari GATS adalah menciptakan sistem yang kredibel

Multilateral trade measures in a post-2012 climate change regime? What can be taken from the Montreal Protocol and the WTO?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhongxiang

2009-01-01

The climate-trade nexus gains increasing attention as governments are taking great efforts to forge a post-2012 climate change regime to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. This raises the issues of the scope of trade-related measures and of when and how they could be used. This paper discusses how far trade-related measures should be incorporated in that context. Drawing on an analogy to the Montreal Protocol and comparing developing country's climate mitigation and adaptation needs with the funding available, the paper argues that such measures should initially be applied only among Annex I or II countries. To discipline the use of unilateral trade measures at the international level, the paper emphasizes a need to define comparable climate efforts. Moreover, the Lieberman-Warner bill in the US Senate-taken as a proxy for future US climate legislation-is assessed, and found to be neither effective nor likely to be WTO-consistent. The paper is concluded by arguing that, in order to encourage developing countries to do more to combat climate change, developed countries should focus on carrots. Sticks can be incorporated, but only if they are credible and realistic and serve as a useful supplement to push developing countries to take actions or adopt policies and measures earlier than would otherwise have been the case.

The Challenge of the GATS for Transition Economies Seeking to Join the WTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Anthony VanDuzer

2004-02-01

Full Text Available Transition economies seeking to join the World Trade Organization (WTO face a variety of distinctive challenges relating to their prospective obligations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS. Transition economies are characterized by changing market and industry structures on the one hand, and ongoing reforms to their regulatory structures on the other. Both make it extremely difficult for transition economies to develop a position on what WTO services commitments they should undertake in their national schedules of specific commitments. Accession negotiations are further complicated by the evolving nature of GATS rules themselves and the tough negotiating stance taken by existing Members. Based on evidence from recent accessions, the effective minimum requirements relating to services for transition economies seeking to join the WTO are increasing

Disembedded Ideologies, Embedded Alternatives: Agricultural Biotechnology, Legitimacy, and the WTO

Science.gov (United States)

Mark J. Philbrick

2006-01-01

Notions of market embeddedness highlight the dependency of markets upon social, cultural, and political infrastructures for their operation and legitimation. In contrast, narrow interpretations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements attempt to enshrine the primacy of free trade, institutionalizing the theoretical abstractions of neoclassical economics in a...

The Influence of China's Entry into the WTO on Its Education System

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Xiaohao; Yue, Changjun; Sun, Yuze

2009-01-01

The entry of China in the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 holds a number of promises for educational services. The purpose of this article is to explore both the direct and the indirect influence of China's entry into WTO on its education system. The direct influence mainly refers to the increase in the demand for education overseas and in…

The Best of Both Worlds? Free Trade in Services and EU Law on Privacy and Data Protection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yakovleva, S.; Irion, K.

2016-01-01

The article focuses on the interplay between European Union (EU) law on privacy and data protection and international trade law, in particular the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the WTO dispute settlement system. The argument distinguishes between the effects of international

Energy and fossil fuels as a topic in WTO accession protocols

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marhold, Anna; Weiss, Friedl; Bungenberg, M; Krajewski, M; Tams, C; Terhechte, JP; Ziegler, AR

2018-01-01

This article seeks to analyse and compare WTO Accession Protocols, particularly the interpretations given relevant commitments made in them regarding energy and fossil fuels. Much has changed in global trade relations since the launch of the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations in November

States’ regulatory autonomy to protect societal values by legitimate regulatory distinctions : Finding the balance in the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade through adjudication

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prévost, Denise; Choukroune, Leila

2016-01-01

Trade disputes in which public policy regulation is challenged have been among the most difficult and controversial of those before the adjudicatory bodies of the WTO. They have showcased the crucial role of adjudication in achieving an appropriate balance between the sovereign autonomy of States to

Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Drache

2011-05-01

Full Text Available A fundamental change is taking place in the global economy, and the standoff in the Doha Round has raised many questions about the World Trade Organization’s troubled architecture (Khor, 2009. So far, the quest for renewed policy coherence in the rules-based multilateral system has produced stalemate rather than reform. The analysis that follows explores the proposition that, without the metaphoric ‘knife at its throat’ to shock it to its senses, the WTO will continue in the short term to be trapped by its existing architecture. There is no coherent reform-minded movement supported by a critical number of states to instigate a change in the way the WTO does business. The paper looks at the following idea: with many states pursuing new policy frames to enhance their strategic interests, the second life of the WTO will be dramatically different from the present configuration. A lengthy trade pause is a certainty. Four options of what the WTO will become are examined. The conclusion is that as a governance body the WTO faces gradual and likely irreversible decline. It will have a smaller remit, be prone to mini-multilateralism and have to learn to live with a proliferation of regional trade agreements. DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1832354

Negotiating a Plurilateral Agreement on Trade in Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnes Ghibuțiu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the ongoing plurilateral negotiations for a new Agreement on Trade in Services. Its aim is to answer to the following set of questions: (1 What are the motivations behind these negotiations as well as the objectives of the new plurilateral trade in services agreement? How will the architecture of the new agreement look like? (2 What are the interests involved in negotiating this new plurilateral agreement on trade in services? and (3 How will it fit into the multilateral trading system revolving around the WTO? According to the findings of the paper, the new deal that is promoted by 23 like-minded WTO Members, including the EU, is a policy response to disappointment over the protracted multilateral talks and the very impasse of the Doha Round. Yet, the stakes on negotiating an ambitious market opening for services are quite high, given the importance of services in international trade and particularly their crucial role in global production networks, that dominate nowadays global production, trade and investments.

The New WTO Telecom Agreement: Opportunities and Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Sisson, Peter

1997-01-01

The telecommunication agreement reached by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1997 will accelerate the global trend toward increased market access, competition, and deregulation. Examines opportunities for marketing and operations, dispute resolution and enforcement, profitability, and the exclusion of Russia and China. Includes the WTO…

76 FR 50286 - Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-12

...., subsidies, standards and technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, government procurement... Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing concerning China's compliance with its WTO...

WTO Accession and Managerial Challenges for Manufacturing Sectors in Southern China

OpenAIRE

Yeung, G; Mok, V

2002-01-01

Based on 31 case studies, this study tests the validity of four major managerial hypotheses for manufacturers in China after WTO accession. It is argued that the skills of managers will be severely tested in four specific areas after China accedes to the WTO: (1) preparing for trade disputes with their overseas competitors, (2) developing newer and higher value-added products and diversifying their markets, (3) selecting the appropriate localization strategy, and (4) upgrading manufacturing p...

Opportunities and threats of WTO membership of Ukraine in foreign trade of high-technology products under conditions of co-operation with EU countries and Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyzym Mykola O.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article considers the problem of consequences of membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO for Ukraine in foreign trade of high-technology products under conditions of co-operation with EU countries and the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia (CU. The article shows that after Ukraine joined WTO there were some rather significant reductions of tariff rates for Ukrainian products and liberalisation of access to the world markets, at the same time the internal Ukrainian market became more open for imported products. The article studies specific features and changes in the high-technology products market after Ukraine joined WTO. It analyses dynamics of volumes and specific weight of the world export-import of high-technology products and the structure of the world export and import of high technology products, including by individual countries and groups. The article makes a conclusion about a weak high-technology component of the Ukrainian export. It studies the structure of export of high-technology products of EU, CU and Ukraine. It shows that in order to develop the high-technology products market Ukraine needs to develop foreign trade with EU countries and also to continue co-operation with CU countries, in particular, with Russia. The article shows that the aerospace industry products takes the biggest specific weight in the export of high-technology products of Ukraine. It considers prospects of development of civil aircraft production in the world and Ukraine under the modern conditions. It analyses strengths and weaknesses of the aircraft construction industry and also threats and opportunities for aircraft construction of Ukraine due to external environment influence. The article shows that Ukraine cannot keep national aircraft building on its own, that is why it is necessary to develop close co-operation both with Russian enterprises and with the countries of the Western Europe. It offers recommendations on

The Challenges for the Multilateral Trading System Raised by the Ongoing Structural Transformations in the Global Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnes Ghibuțiu

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Over the last decade, international trade has been growing faster than global production, steadily increasing interdependence among nations. Sustained trade growth has been accompanied by profound changes in the patterns of trade flows, reflecting new production structures emerging under the impact of rapid progress in the development of transport, communications and information technologies, major shifts in the patterns of demand, rapid expansion of global production networks, and increasing integration of developing countries into the world economy. While global trade relations experienced a dramatic transformation during the last decade, the multilateral trading system and the WTO – the venue for international trade cooperation – failed to keep pace with the rapidly changing trade environment. Consequently, the world trade rule-book that is currently guiding international trade relations as a result of the Uruguay Round (1986-1994 and the creation of the WTO (in 1995 is stuck in the requirements of 20st century trade. Improving and adjusting multilateral trade rules and disciplines ranked among the main objectives of the Doha Round launched in 2001. However, trade negotiations have been stalled since 2008. And with this impasse, the legislative function of the WTO responsible for the elaboration of new rules has been also blocked, hindering thus the process of adjustment. This paper addresses the main challenges confrunting the multilateral trading system both in the long and short-term in its endeavour to adjust to the new realities of 21st century trade. More specifically, it takes a look at the key problems arising for international cooperation in trade from: (1 the continually shifting weight of economic power and influence within the world economy; (2 the dynamic spread of global production networks operated by TNCs; and (3 the explosion of regionalism and preferential trade agreements. Finally, the paper highlights the vital

The world trade organisation and Human Rights: The role of principles of Good Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Denkers

2008-08-01

Full Text Available The present article attempts to determine the role of principles of good governance in the discussion regarding the World Trade Organisation (WTO and its human rights accountability. It shows that the WTO as an organisation cannot be compared to other international organisations that are more autonomous such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF or the World Bank. This does not mean, however, that the WTO has no autonomous powers at all. This contribution attempts to make clear what these activities are and how they may affect the protection of human rights. The implementation of good governance principles in international organisations can be considered a sine qua non for the realisation of human rights. Therefore, it will be examined what role the principles of good governance plays within the WTO. More specifically, the focus will be on how the good governance principles of transparency and participation can contribute to sensitising the organisation for human rights considerations.

developing countries and the wto dispute resolution system

African Journals Online (AJOL)

OLAWUYI

outstanding outcomes of the Uruguay round.2 WTO principles are largely based on the ..... In practice it is the preference giving country. (usually a ... Prominent amongst them are; Pakistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South ..... 89 World Trade Organization – Dispute Settlement: Dispute DS308 'Mexico – Tax Measures on.

International red meat trade.

Science.gov (United States)

Brester, Gary W; Marsh, John M; Plain, Ronald L

2003-07-01

The maturation of the US beef and pork markets and increasing consumer demands for convenience, safety, and nutrition suggests that the beef and pork industries must focus on product development and promotion. New marketing arrangements are developing that help coordinate production with consumer demands. The relative high levels of incomes in the United States are likely to increase the demands for branded products rather than increase total per capita consumption. Foreign markets represent the greatest opportunity for increased demand for commodity beef and pork products. Increasing incomes in developing countries will likely allow consumers to increase consumption of animal-source proteins. Real prices of beef and pork have declined substantially because of sagging domestic demand and increasing farm-level production technologies. Increasing US beef and pork exports have obviated some of the price declines. Pork attained a net export position from a quantity perspective in 1995. The United States continues to be a net importer of beef on a quantity basis but is close to becoming a net exporter in terms of value. By-products continue to play a critical role in determining the red meat trade balance and producer prices. The United States, however, must continue to become cost, price, and quality competitive with other suppliers and must secure additional market access if it is to sustain recent trade trends. Several trade tensions remain in the red meat industry. For example, mandated COOL will undoubtedly have domestic and international effects on the beef and pork sectors. Domestically, uncertainty regarding consumer demand responses or quality perceptions regarding product origin, as well as added processor-retailer costs will be nontrivial. How these factors balance out in terms of benefits versus costs to the industry is uncertain. From an international perspective, some beef and pork export suppliers to the United States could view required labeling as a

What Prospects for the World Trading System?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnes Ghibuțiu

2014-07-01

Full Text Available New developments and dramatic changes are under way in the world trading system. This paper aims to take stock of the latest and most relevant developments and highlight the prospects for global trade governance. The focus is on three major issues, i.e. : (1 the outcome of the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2013 in Bali (Indonesia and especially its significance for enhancing the multilateral trading system; (2 the accelerated pace and scale of negotiations on regional trade agreements (RTAs and their wider impact; and (3 the positive results of continued unilateral trade liberalization efforts, in contrast with the pervasiveness of crisis-related protectionist measures. The paper concludes that, despite improved prospects for multilateral trade liberalization following the last WTO Ministerial Conference, the world trading system is becoming more fragmented and less coherent, and also more uncertain, being increasingly driven by RTAs and a variable geometry approach to WTO trade agreements.

World Trade Organization activity for health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Gros, Clémence

2012-01-01

Since the establishment of a multilateral trading system and the increasing mobility of professionals and consumers of health services, it seems strongly necessary that the World Trade Organization (WTO) undertakes negotiations within the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and that WTO's members attempt to reach commitments for health-related trade in services. How important is the GATS for health policy and how does the GATS refer to health services? What are the current negotiations and member's commitments?

DOES AFTA AND CHINA'S ENTRY INTO WTO AFFECT FDI IN ASEAN COUNTRIES?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Zaini Abd Karim

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Foreign direct investment (FDI plays an important role in the rapid economic development of the newly industrializing and developing economies of Southeast Asia. In terms of the regions attractiveness, ASEAN region is a leading recipient of FDI flows in the developing world, with five ASEAN countries in the top 20 developing-countries recipients of long-term global capital flows from 1997 to 1998. While the creation of AFTA may help FDI inflows to ASEAN countries, China's entry into World Trade Organization (WTO will be the opposite and has caused a great deal of worry to ASEAN countries. The objective of this paper is to empirically determine the effect of ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA and China's entry into WTO on the inflows of FDI into ASEAN countries. To achieve the objectives, Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR method was used to estimate the FDI equation. In general, the results indicate that the establishment of AFTA had a positive effect on FDI inflows to ASEAN countries while China's entry into WTO is the opposite.

The rising tide of green unilateralism in world trade law. Options for reconciling the emerging north-south conflict

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biermann, F.

2000-12-01

This paper argues that to reconcile the objectives of free trade and environmental protection, limited reforms of international trade law are required. There is a need to guarantee, first, that universally accepted international environmental agreements that mandate trade-restrictions remain compatible with international trade law, in particular with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Second, it is necessary to ensure that the interests of small and vulnerable states are protected against environmental unilateralism of the major trading nations. This reform agenda could be realized, it is argued, through an authoritative interpretation of international trade law by the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This interpretation should stipulate that environmentally-motivated trade restrictions which are related to processes and production methods, and which are intended to protect environmental goods outside the importing country, be compatible with WTO law, but only if mandated by international environmental agreements that have been previously accepted by the Ministerial Conference. This paper outlines the rationale for such authoritative interpretation and offers a possible legal draft. This clarification of the relationship between international environmental and international trade law would protect the sovereign right of smaller trading nations, particularly developing countries, to enact their own environmental standards as may be appropriate and feasible according to their specific situation. It would also maintain the supremacy of multilateralism in both international trade and environmental policies, as opposed to unilateral action. The principle of international co-operation and the rule of law would be strengthened, and attempts to use the international trade system for the enforcement of unilaterally decided environmental standards would be precluded. (orig.)

Deliberative Engagement within the World Trade Organization: A Functional Substitute for Authoritative Interpretations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Creamer, Cosette; Godzimirska, Zuzanna

2016-01-01

The transition from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) dispute settlement proceedings to the Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) represented a notable instance of judicialization within international economic governance. Since it began ruling......) prior to adoption of the dispute settlement rulings. We argue that such an increase would better enable the DSM to consider the interpretive preferences of the WTO membership as a whole, thus enabling it to better fulfill its fiduciary duties and its responsibility of deliberative engagement...... with Members in particular. This Article specifies how the proposal would work in practice and addresses potential limitations and obstacles to its implementation....

41 | Page SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN THE WTO ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Fr. Ikenga

For the running of this mammoth system, the WTO initiates numerous trade agreements relating to goods, services, intellectual properties, civil aircraft, ..... seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so in ..... damaged countries and dispute settlement, are the formal control.

Potential Accession to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement: A Case-Study on India

OpenAIRE

Sangeeta Khorana; Sujitha Subramanian

2012-01-01

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) is a voluntary plurilateral agreement applicable to WTO members that choose to be Parties to the Agreement. Most developing countries, including India, are not members of the GPA. This case study presents an insight into India's current procurement framework, evaluates the prospects for, and comments on the principal constraints and challenges to India's GPA accession. The findings suggest that, though the Indian procur...

Climate change and WTO : boundary mediation on certified emission reductions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ho Cheol

2011-07-01

This book mentions climate change and WTO with is climate change true? International effort for reduce of greenhouse gas with UNFCCC, Kyoto protocol, Copenhagen Accord and Cancun Agreement, WTO norm, discussion on introduction of boundary mediation on certified emission reductions, analysis on regulation related WTO norm, violation of regulation on border measure of prohibition, violation of principle on GATT, justification, except through Article 20 of GATT, assessment of policy and supplementation on the law.

The role of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to facilitate the international trade in animals and animal products.

Science.gov (United States)

Brückner, G K

2009-03-01

The international trade in animals and animal products has become a sensitive issue for both developed and developing countries by posing an important risk for the international spread of animal and human pathogens whilst at the same time being an essential activity to ensure world-wide food security and food safety. The OIE has since its founding in 1924, applied a democratic and transparent decision-making process to continuously develop and review international standards for animal health and zoonoses to facilitate trade in animals and animal products. The role of the OIE is also mandated by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as international reference point for standards related to animal health. In support of its overall objective of promoting animal health world-wide, the OIE has also launched several other initiatives such as the improvement of the governance of veterinary services within its member countries and territories and to enhance the availability of diagnostic and scientific expertise on a more even global geographical distribution. Several trade facilitating concepts such as country, zonal and compartment freedom from disease as well the trade in disease free commodities has been introduced to enhance the trade in animals and animal products for all its members including those from developing and transitional countries who are still in the process of enhancing to full compliance with international sanitary standards.

Effect of NAFTA, EUMFTA and China addition to WTO on the cucumber world market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramon Guajardo-Quiroga

2010-07-01

Full Text Available This study empirically analyzed the potential effects of the complete operation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, European Union and Mexico Free Trade Agreement (EUMFTA, and the integration of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO, on the cucumber world market. Special emphasis on the impact on Mexico was presented, from a worldwide perspective. A spatial equilibrium model with endogenous prices was constructed for this purpose. Among the findings are: (1 Mexican producers benefited from the complete implementation of NAFTA and EUMFTA. (2 The incorporation of China as a member of the WTO showed a negligible effect on the commercial flows and prices in the cucumber world market. (3 Mexican cucumber production is highly competitive, in the world market, because it has the lowest supply costs.

THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION AND SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE: THE COTTON PERSPECTIVE

OpenAIRE

Hudson, Darren

2000-01-01

The World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations could have important implications for Southern Agriculture. This paper explores some of the issues surrounding the WTO negotiations for cotton. Specifically, this paper examines the impacts of the phase-out of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) on the location of textile production and cotton trade flows. Generally, it is believed that the WTO negotiations will have little direct impact on cotton, but will have indirect impacts through textile po...

Evaluating the effect of domestic support on international trade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Urban, Kirsten; Brockmeier, Martina; Jensen, Hans Grinsted

We use the Mercantilist Trade Restrictiveness Index (MTRI) to develop an extended index that measures the overall trade effects of domestic support payments in a general equilibrium framework environment. Our index is capable of analyzing the development of the trade restrictiveness of domestic...... support payments over time and across countries and of comparing these payments with other protection instruments. Furthermore, our index helps evaluate agricultural policy reforms that introduce changes into the composition of domestic support payments. We conduct this analysis with an extended version...... of the GTAP model and database using the EU as an example. Thus, we incorporate detailed EU domestic support payments taken from the OECD Producer Support Estimate (PSE) tables in the GTAP framework and reconcile PSE data with the WTO classification scheme. Although our index slightly increases from 2004...

Lessons from SARS and H1N1/A: employing a WHO-WTO forum to promote optimal economic-public health pandemic response.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackey, Tim K; Liang, Bryan A

2012-02-01

No formal system exists to review trade restrictions imposed during international public health emergencies rapidly. Failure to put one in place creates disincentives for surveillance and reporting, thereby undermining protection efforts. The 2003 SARS outbreak exposed weaknesses in global governance that caused uncoordinated public health and economic responses. New International Health Regulations (IHR), applied first during the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak, demonstrated improvement. Yet they failed to allow for management of public health emergencies in a way that balanced threats to health and those to economies and trade. Establishment of a joint WHO-WTO committee to adjudicate these conflicts might better achieve that balance.

Trade reform in Iran for accession to the World Trade Organization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Farajzadeh, Zakariya; Zhu, Xueqin; Bakhshoodeh, Mohammad

2017-01-01

We developed a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to study the potential welfare and environmental impacts of Iran's trade reform for accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Our results show that removing trade barriers not only results in higher welfare and GDP as well as lower

Regional trade agreements & procurement rules : facilitators or hindrances?

OpenAIRE

ANDERSON, Robert D.; MÜLLER, Anna Caroline; PELLETIER, Philippe

2015-01-01

This Working Paper considers the significance of government procurement chapters in regional trade agreements (RTAs), both in their own right and vis-à-vis the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). The paper finds, inter alia, that: (i) a strong complementarity exists between government procurement trade commitments and general goods and services trade commitments, making integration of procurement commitments in a more general system such as the WTO Agreements desirable; (ii) govern...

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION – REFORM IT OR CHANGE IT?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sterian Maria Gabriela

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The failure of Doha Round is a serious step backward for the WTO and the multilateral trading system. Some analysts already discussed in their research about the round as being already closed and they propose the developing of a new program within the organization. WTO still remains a very important institution due to its proven role in encouraging states not to take protectionist measures during the recent economic crisis, but the global trade governance reform must reflect all the changes and realities. The transition is being made toward a more regionalized and preferential global trade and the emergence of strong developing countries shape the whole multilateral trade negotiations. The important growth rates in emerging countries are translated also in strong demand for representation in global trade governance. Objectives: This paper aims to underline the role of multilateralism as form of international cooperation, the link with global economic governance and what concerns academic community in terms of having a reform of it. Prior Work: It has been tried to emphasizing the concepts already developed by known researchers in the field. Approach: The approach is a more theoretic one done in a comparative manner with emphasis on results and future research. The critical method approach is done with qualitative results. Results: The key results are related to pros and cons of reforming the World Trade Organization, as well as presenting the criticisms and proposals for having a second World Trade Organization. Implications: The implications are varied in terms of studying the concepts and addresses researchers in the field, but also lecturers and students. Value: The main added value is the compared approach of the traditional WTO as it derived from General Agreement on Tariff and Trade and the proposal for a new one and its formal relationship with the global economic governance.

Nutrition issues in Codex: health claims, nutrient reference values and WTO agreements: a conference report.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggett, Peter J; Hathcock, John; Jukes, David; Richardson, David P; Calder, Philip C; Bischoff-Ferrari, Heike; Nicklas, Theresa; Mühlebach, Stefan; Kwon, Oran; Lewis, Janine; Lugard, Maurits J F; Prock, Peter

2012-03-01

Codex documents may be used as educational and consensus materials for member governments. Also, the WTO SPS Agreement recognizes Codex as the presumptive international authority on food issues. Nutrient bioavailability is a critical factor in determining the ability of nutrients to provide beneficial effects. Bioavailability also influences the quantitative dietary requirements that are the basis of nutrient intake recommendations and NRVs. Codex, EFSA and some national regulatory authorities have established guidelines or regulations that will permit several types of health claims. The scientific basis for claims has been established by the US FDA and EFSA, but not yet by Codex. Evidence-based nutrition differs from evidence-based medicine, but the differences are only recently gaining recognition. Health claims on foods may provide useful information to consumers, but many will interpret the information to mean that they can rely upon the food or nutrient to eliminate a disease risk. NRVs are designed to provide a quantitative basis for comparing the nutritive values of foods, helping to illustrate how specific foods fit into the overall diet. The INL-98 and the mean of adult male and female values provide NRVs that are sufficient when used as targets for individual intakes by most adults. WTO recognizes Codex as the primary international authority on food issues. Current regulatory schemes based on recommended dietary allowances are trade restrictive. A substantial number of decisions by the EFSA could lead to violation of WTO agreements.

Fashioning a New Regime for Agricultural Trade: New Issues and the Global Food Crisis

OpenAIRE

Thomas J. Schoenbaum

2011-01-01

This article examines the impact of issues such as the global food crisis, export controls on agricultural products, and food security on the agricultural trade negotiations currently underway in connection with the Doha Development Agenda convened by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. These important issues, which were not foreseen when the negotiations began, must now be squarely faced. Many international organizations, such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, t...

Assessment of the Vaccine Industry in Iran in Context of Accession to WTO: a Survey Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Hashemi Meshkini

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Background :The vaccine industry is one of the most important health-related industries. It can be affected by accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO because of probable dramatic changes in the business environment. Iran has already initiated accession negotiations. Purpose of the study In this paper, we investigate the position of, challenges to, and opportunities for vaccine manufacturing in Iran with regard to accession to the WTO. Methods:This is a qualitative and cross sectional study. To collect information, we designed a questionnaire and interviewed some of the vaccine industry's key opinion leaders in Iran. Before the interviews were conducted, the questionnaires were sent to these individuals by email. Results:According to the interviewees, the country's main challenges with regard to accession to the WTO are the lack of firm internal intellectual property (IP rules, not being recognized as pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO, the use of old equipment, and a lack of cooperation with global vaccine companies. Major conclusions Iran's local vaccine industry, with a long history and international reputation that could be used as an advantage, is faced with several challenges, such as problems with keeping up with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP, a lack of adequate and meaningful investment in research and development (R&D, and limitations on private sector participation in the production of vaccines. Gradual privatization of the industry, improved international relations, utilization of the R&D power of small hi-tech companies, consistent education of human resources, and modernization of infrastructures and equipment are among the suggested solutions.

Assessment of the vaccine industry in Iran in context of accession to WTO: a survey study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi Meshkini, Amir; Kebriaeezadeh, Abbas; Dinarvand, Rasoul; Nikfar, Shekoufeh; Habibzadeh, Mohammadgafar; Vazirian, Iman

2012-08-30

The vaccine industry is one of the most important health-related industries. It can be affected by accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) because of probable dramatic changes in the business environment. Iran has already initiated accession negotiations. In this paper, we investigate the position of, challenges to, and opportunities for vaccine manufacturing in Iran with regard to accession to the WTO. This is a qualitative and cross sectional study. To collect information, we designed a questionnaire and interviewed some of the vaccine industry's key opinion leaders in Iran. Before the interviews were conducted, the questionnaires were sent to these individuals by email. According to the interviewees, the country's main challenges with regard to accession to the WTO are the lack of firm internal intellectual property (IP) rules, not being recognized as pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of old equipment, and a lack of cooperation with global vaccine companies. Iran's local vaccine industry, with a long history and international reputation that could be used as an advantage, is faced with several challenges, such as problems with keeping up with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), a lack of adequate and meaningful investment in research and development (R&D), and limitations on private sector participation in the production of vaccines.Gradual privatization of the industry, improved international relations, utilization of the R&D power of small hi-tech companies, consistent education of human resources, and modernization of infrastructures and equipment are among the suggested solutions.

The Rights of Private Economic Actors Under the World Trade Organization Agreements in Indonesia

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Intan Soeparna

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Nothing in the Uruguay Round mentions directly about rights of private economic actors. It seems that the relationship to private economic actors (or may be individual does not exist within the WTO Agreements, because as a general rule, private parties are not legal subjects of the international legal order. However, this article will prevail upon this situation, by looking closer at the essence of the WTO Agreements to discern the rights of private economic actors that derive from the WTO. The main question of this article is to what extent then Indonesia is dealing with the rights of private economic actors under the WTO Agreements? The background of this questionis because four years after ratifying the WTO Agreements, Indonesia has been facing what is arguably the most serious multidimensional crisis in 1997, some difficult situations have arisen from the crisis; therefore, the society hesitated to accept the open world trading system. The society seemed look askance to the implementation of the WTO Agreements. But Indonesian Government took major step to reduce the skepticism of society toward liberalization, by readjusting its national laws conform to the WTO Agreements with the intention to support the rights of national economic actors under the WTO Agreements in order to achieve total benefits of the WTO rules.

Trade Measures for Regulating Transboundary Movement of Electronic Waste

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gideon Emcee Christian

2017-08-01

Full Text Available International trade in used electrical and electronics equipment (UEEE provides an avenue for socio-economic development in the developing world and also serves as a conduit for transboundary dumping of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE also referred to as electronic waste or e-waste. The latter problem arises from the absence of a regulatory framework for differentiating between functional UEEE and junk e-waste. This has resulted in both functional UEEE and junk e-waste being concurrently shipped to developing countries under the guise of international trade in used electronics. Dealing with these problems will require effective regulation of international trade in UEEE from both exporting and importing countries. Although, the export of e-waste from the European Community to developing countries is currently prohibited, significant amount of e-waste from the region continue to flow into developing countries due to lax regulatory measures in the latter. Hence, there is need for a regulatory regime in developing countries to complement the prohibitory regime in the major e-waste source countries. This paper proposes trade measures modelled in line with WTO rules which could be adopted by developing countries in addressing these problems. The proposed measures include the development of a compulsory certification and labelling system for functional UEEE as well as trade ban on commercial importation of UEEE not complying with the said certification and labelling system. The paper then goes further to examine these proposed measures in the light of WTO rules and jurisprudence.

The inclusion of post-soviet countries in the WTO opportunities and challenges of the agricultural sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanojević Nataša

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper explores the benefits and challenges facing agriculture as the most sensitive sector of the post-soviet economies after joining WTO. The key parts of the paper investigate current effects that the new trade rules have brought to agriculture of Russia, Ukraine, Kirgizia, Armenia, Moldova and Georgia. It has been found that both groups of effects are very different, and in some segments totally opposite to forecasts and expectations. The sectors that have had the best chance to benefit from trade liberalization show a significant drop in exports, while the weakest ones record a growth in production. The research seeks to explain how the expected negative effects have been avoided, which would provide useful lessons for the future WTO members. The unexpected results, as research shows, come from the measures taken prior to admission to the WTO, then the advantages it agreed on during the negotiations and finally practical moves during the implementation of the new rules.

Reforming the Multilateral Decision-making Mechanism of the WTO: What is the Role of Emerging Economies?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amos Saurombe

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the future of global economic governance in the light of the current state of multilateral trade negotiations. The aim is to analyse identified key historical issues at the heart of the decision-making system of the World Trade Organization (WTO. The current and ongoing Doha Round of trade negotiations and the multilateral system reflect inequalities that still prevail in the global trade architecture. Is there a need for a paradigm shift? The paper will provide recommendations on how reform of the multilateral decision-making structures should focus on promoting the interests of developing countries that have historically been marginalised. Developing countries, like those making up BRICS, stand ready to contribute to the construction of a new international architecture, to bring the voices of the south together on global issues and to deepen their ties in various areas.

Ukraine’s Accession to the WTO: Strategy and Impediments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serhiy Lakhno

2005-03-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on issues surrounding Ukraine’s internal efforts for WTO accession given the importance of completing the negotiation process prior to the December 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. The paper is divided into two sets of issues: first, Ukraine’s prospects of acquiring WTO membership, including procedural questions, in the near future, and second, the substantive conditions for completing the accession process and the associated problems that require immediate attention. Among other matters, the paper describes the current procedure for WTO accession and proposes an optimum scenario for Ukraine’s membership, identifying the necessary measures, timeframes and risks that threaten the prescribed tasks. It also highlights major institutional problems that are hindering the harmonization of Ukrainian laws with GATT/WTO rules and offers a WTO-consistent legislative and regulatory action plan with specific proposals on amending relevant laws. The paper also illustrates the major problematic aspects of multilateralism that are impeding the completion of the negotiations. Furthermore, the author offers several proposals concerning approaches to and techniques for addressing these challenging issues.

The Rise of the Spirit of National Interest and the Existence of World Trade Organization Agreement: A Case Study of Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Gusti Ngurah Parikesit

2017-10-01

Full Text Available There has been an anxiety over the rise of the spirit of national interest on the existence of World Trade Organization. This spirit that has been reflected from domestic trade policy, to some extent, has undermined trade negotiation process under the WTO as shown by the failure of the Doha Round to conclude significant trade deals. Countries also started concluding bilateral and regional trade agreements instead of the WTO. This article aimed to analyze whether the rise of the spirit of national interest has threaten the existence of the WTO agreements, putting Indonesia as a case study. This article is a normative research, analyzing the dynamics development of the national interest under the WTO, especially Indonesia, and how the judicial body has responded the rise of this spirit in its decisions. This article argues that the spirit of national interest will not threaten the existence of WTO as this spirit has been exist from the early establishment of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1947 to the latest WTO negotiation. Moreover, the existence of the WTO judicial body will secure the existence of the WTO, especially because it has successfully controlled the overwhelming spirit of national interest of its members through its decisions.

International Antitrust and the WTO: The Lesson from Intellectual Property

OpenAIRE

Guzman, Andrew T.

2000-01-01

International antitrust issues have become important in current debates regarding international trade and international regulation. This Article addresses one of the central questions about international antitrust – the appropriate forum for negotiations. The Article argues that the combination of domestic antitrust policy and international trade makes a substantive multilateral agreement unlikely unless transfers are made from states that gain from such a deal to those that lose. The Artic...

The Social Dimension of EU Trade Policies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Manners, Ian

2009-01-01

will ask how the EU initiatives in this area could increase the legitimacy of the ‘trade and social linkage' in international politics and economics from a normative power perspective. Finally, the article concludes by suggesting a more holistic approach to the promotion of the social dimension......'s social dimension in trade relations - human rights versus welfare concerns and exclusive competence versus lack of competence. These questions and tensions are rendered more methodologically problematic by the existence and activities of other actors and trading powers, such as the International Labour...... Organisation (ILO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as the United States and China, for example. The rest of the article will provide refl ections on the ideas raised in the special issue from a normative power perspective in six sections. First, it will elaborate on the role of labour rights...

Multilateral Organization vs. Bilateral Negotiations: A Case of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Namhoon Kwon

2001-12-01

Full Text Available In the 1990s, the issue of intellectual property rights (IPR protection gained a prominent place on the international trade agenda, which led to the establishment of the trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPs as a part of the WTO regime. Two questions are asked regarding this development: whether a multilateral organization such as the WTO performs better than bilateral negotiations in resolving IPR disputes, and what happened around the 1990s to create an environment favorable to the establishment of a multilateral organization. To deal with these issues, this paper takes the IPE (international political economy approach. Using a very simple game theory model, I derive the cases in which a multilateral organization has better performances. Then, it is used to show that political pressures due to the growth of the US trade deficit in the late 1980s could have been the reason that a multilateral organization became the institutional equilibrium.

Brazilian international and inter-state trade flows: an exploratory analysis using the gravity model

OpenAIRE

Paz, Lourenço Senne

2003-01-01

Recent efforts toward a world with freer trade, like WTO/GATT or regional Preferential Trade Agreements(PTAs), were put in doubt after McCallum's(1995) finding of a large border effect between US and Canadian provinces. Since then, there has been a great amount of research on this topic employing the gravity equation. This dissertation has two goals. The first goal is to review comprehensively the recent literature about the gravity equation, including its usages, econometric s...

Developing Countries and the Multilateral Trading System after Doha

OpenAIRE

Srinivasan, T. N.

2002-01-01

The Fourth Session of the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), held in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, launched a new round of multilateral trade negotiations (MTN) and a work programme (WP) for the WTO involving the negotiating agenda and steps for meeting the challenges facing the multilateral trading system. The paper evaluates the WP, in particular, whether it would redress the unfavourable balance between benefits and costs to developing countries DCs of the agree...

The impact of international trade on China's industrial carbon emissions since its entry into WTO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Shenggang; Yuan, Baolong; Ma, Xie; Chen, Xiaohong

2014-01-01

This paper employs the input–output (IO) approach to analyze the scale and structure of embodied carbon emissions of China's 19 industry sectors during 2001–2011 and constructs a regression model to establish the relationship between energy intensity, per capita output, trade openness, foreign direct investment (FDI), trade comparative advantage, environmental regulation, technology, and CO 2 emission intensity. Our results suggest that: China's international embodied carbon emission balance has been in a state of continuous growth for the period 2001–2011, and China has become a pollution haven; the relationship between per capita output and CO 2 emission is inverse N-typed and China's industries are in the rising stage of the curve; FDI and trade comparative advantage are two main elements boosting China's carbon emissions; trade openness, environmental regulation, and technology will lower the growth rate of China's industrial carbon emissions (ICEs). Consequently, China's policies should center on adjusting the industry structure and scale of FDI inflows, transforming industries with trade comparative advantages into a clean type, facilitating environmental regulation level, and bringing in and developing low-carbon technology to avert China from being a pollution haven. - Highlights: • We first employ a panel dataset of 19 industry sectors in China. • The relationship between per capita output and CO 2 emission is inverse N-typed. • China’s industries are in the rising stage of the inverse N-typed curve. • FDI and trade comparative advantage increase industrial carbon emissions in China

48 CFR 25.403 - World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements. 25.403 Section 25.403 Federal Acquisition... 25.403 World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements. (a... in 25.402(a)(1). The WTO GPA and FTAs specify procurement procedures designed to ensure fairness (see...

Current WTO Negotiations under Doha Round: Insights from CPD's Geneva Tracking Mission

OpenAIRE

Mustafizur Rahman; Uttam Kumar Deb; Fahmida Khatun; Khondaker Golam Moazzem

2008-01-01

The paper is the output of a Tracking Mission to Geneva by the senior CPD researchers. The paper makes an analysis of the state of play of negotiations at the WTO under the Doha Round as of March 2008. It takes stock of the emerging trends of negotiations in various areas, such as agriculture, NAMA, General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), aid for trade, Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), etc., and seeks to project the possible outcomes. An attempt is also ma...

Incidence of the WTO Anti-Discrimination Rules on Corporation Income Taxation

OpenAIRE

Hatice Jenkins; Glenn Jenkins

2007-01-01

Many countries with free trade zones or export processing zones now exempt from corporate income taxation the income of firms exporting from these areas. The WTO has attempted to eliminate this exemption through its rules to promote the non-discrimination of fiscal systems with respect to export production. In particular, these rules do not allow countries to exempt the income of firms exporting from Free Trade Zones from corporate income taxation. This paper examines both theoretically as we...

76 FR 71617 - Request for Comments Concerning Compliance With Telecommunications Trade Agreements

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-18

... Government Procurement. (2) Whether Canada or Mexico has failed to comply with its telecommunications... the United States: The World Trade Organization (``WTO'') General Agreement on Trade in Services; The... telecommunications products and services. For the current review, the USTR seeks comments on: (1) Whether any WTO...

Effect of NAFTA, EUMFTA and China addition to WTO on the cucumber world market

OpenAIRE

Ramon Guajardo-Quiroga

2010-01-01

This study empirically analyzed the potential effects of the complete operation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), European Union and Mexico Free Trade Agreement (EUMFTA), and the integration of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO), on the cucumber world market. Special emphasis on the impact on Mexico was presented, from a worldwide perspective. A spatial equilibrium model with endogenous prices was constructed for this purpose. Among the findings are: (1) Mexican produce...

Assessment of the vaccine industry in Iran in context of accession to WTO: a survey study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hashemi Meshkini Amir

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The vaccine industry is one of the most important health-related industries. It can be affected by accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO because of probable dramatic changes in the business environment. Iran has already initiated accession negotiations. Purpose of the study In this paper, we investigate the position of, challenges to, and opportunities for vaccine manufacturing in Iran with regard to accession to the WTO. Methods This is a qualitative and cross sectional study. To collect information, we designed a questionnaire and interviewed some of the vaccine industry’s key opinion leaders in Iran. Before the interviews were conducted, the questionnaires were sent to these individuals by email. Results According to the interviewees, the country’s main challenges with regard to accession to the WTO are the lack of firm internal intellectual property (IP rules, not being recognized as pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO, the use of old equipment, and a lack of cooperation with global vaccine companies. Major conclusions Iran’s local vaccine industry, with a long history and international reputation that could be used as an advantage, is faced with several challenges, such as problems with keeping up with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP, a lack of adequate and meaningful investment in research and development (R&D, and limitations on private sector participation in the production of vaccines. Gradual privatization of the industry, improved international relations, utilization of the R&D power of small hi-tech companies, consistent education of human resources, and modernization of infrastructures and equipment are among the suggested solutions.

Evolving Norms at the Intersection of Health and Trade

Science.gov (United States)

Drope, Jeffrey; Lencucha, Raphael

2014-01-01

There has been growing tension at the intersection of health and economic policymaking as global governance has increased across sectors. This tension has been particularly evident between tobacco control and trade policy, as the international norms that frame them – particularly the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the World Trade Organization (WTO) – have continued to institutionalize. Using five case studies of major tobacco-related trade disputes from the principal multilateral system of trade governance – the WTO/General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade – we trace the evolution of these interacting norms over nearly 25 years. Our analytic framework particularly focuses on the actors that advance, defend and challenge these norms. We find that an increasingly broad network, which includes governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and members of the epistemic community, is playing a more active role in seeking to resolve these tensions. Moreover, key economic actors are beginning to incorporate health more actively in their messaging and activities. We also demonstrate that the most recent resonant messages reflect a more nuanced integration of the two norms. The tobacco control example has direct relevance to related policy areas, including environment, safety, access to medicines, diet, and alcohol. PMID:24603086

Learning in the WTO/DDA Negotiations?: An Experimental Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hankyoung Sung

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to identify learning in games in experimental economic settings, and apply their results to real multilateral trade negotiations, such as the Doha Development Agenda (DDA in the World Trade Organizations (WTO. This paper argues that the structure of games including a veto player (Veto games is similar to the WTO/DDA negotiations in that the players do not possess identical power. This paper's main contribution to the literature involves showing that learning about power is dominant over learning from simple repetition in Veto games. Additionally, this paper shows that players are concerned about how much they have gained in previous games in Veto games, although their memories generally do not last beyond the next game, and thus they tend to be selfish as they have less shares. Based on these results, there is a possibility to be more generous in the distribution of benefits by allowing players without veto power to retain special rights so that they would not be totally powerless. It also shows the necessity of having "respite" in the process of negotiations and policy options for choosing partners for winning coalitions.

78 FR 42084 - Cooperative Agreement to Support the World Trade Organization's Standards and Trade Development...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-15

...] Cooperative Agreement to Support the World Trade Organization's Standards and Trade Development Facility... The STDF is a unique global partnership established by the Food and Agriculture Organization, World... cooperative agreement in fiscal year 2013 (FY 2013) to the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Standards and...

Canada ordered to implement WTO ruling against "stockpiling" of generic drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, R

2000-01-01

In the last issue, we reported on a mixed World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling regarding Canada's patent laws, based on a complaint by the member states of the European Communities (joined by the United States). In March 2000, a WTO Panel accepted the provision in Canada's Patent Act that creates an "early working exception" to patent rights--in other words, that allows a third party to use a patented invention during the term of patent protection, as long as the use is for obtaining regulatory approval of an equivalent product to be sold once the patent expires. This was an important victory from the perspective of allowing earlier access to generic versions of patented drugs.

International provision of trade services, trade, and fragmentation

OpenAIRE

Deardorff, Alan V.

2001-01-01

The author examines the special role that trade liberalization in services industries can play in stimulating trade in both services, and goods. International trade in goods requires inputs from such trade services as transportation, insurance, and finance, for example. Restrictions on services across borders, and within foreign countries add costs, and barriers to international trade. Lib...

77 FR 76797 - To Extend Nondiscriminatory Treatment (Normal Trade Relations Treatment) to the Products of the...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-28

... Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (the ``WTO Agreement'') with respect to the... Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2431 et seq.) since 1994. The Russian Federation acceded to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on August 22, 2012. The extension of permanent normal trade relations treatment to the...

WTO Compliance Status of the Conservation Security Program (CSP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Schnepf, Randy

2007-01-01

...) agreed to limit and reduce their most distortive domestic support subsidies. Several types of domestic subsidies were identified as causing minimal distortion to agricultural production and trade and were provided exemption from WTO disciplines...

Capital Mobility, Corporate Protection, and Trade Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egerod, Benjamin Carl Krag; Justesen, Mogens Kamp

Capital mobility and corporate lobbying are often emphasized as key drivers of international trade policy. Most empirical research on the topic, however, has focused on the industry level or some level of geographical aggregation. We address this gap by examining the role of firm-level capital...... it with financial data on the firms filing them – a total of roughly 1,000 companies from 25 WTO countries in the period 2005-2015. Using spatial autoregressive (SAR) models, we show that companies with less mobile assets are, on average, more likely to be successful when petitioning for trade protection...

International emissions trading

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boom, Jan Tjeerd

This thesis discusses the design and political acceptability of international emissions trading. It is shown that there are several designs options for emissions trading at the national level that have a different impact on output and thereby related factors such as employment and consumer prices....... The differences in impact of the design make that governments may prefer different designs of emissions trading in different situations. The thesis furthermore establishes that international emissions trading may lead to higher overall emissions, which may make it a less attractive instrument....

Energy and emissions trading. Proceedings; Energie und Klimawandel. Tagungsband

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ehlers, Dirk; Wolffgang, Hans-Michael; Schroeder, Ulrich Jan (eds.)

2010-07-01

Within the 14th Muensteraner Foreign Trade legislation conference at 15th and 16th October, 2009 in Muenster (Federal Republic of Germany), the following lectures were held: (1) National and European energy policy (Dieter Kunhenn); (2) Trade, transport and distribution of energy - actual and future legal aspects (Markus J. Kachel); (3) Liberalization and regulation of energy services at multilateral and bilateral level (Christian Pitschas); (4) Legal protection for foreign direct investigations in the energy sector (Richard Kreindler); (5) Energy cartels in the light of the WTO law (Joerg Philipp Terhechte); (6) Subsidisation of renewable energy in the area of attention between WTO and EU subsidy law (Martin Lukas); (7) Legal aspects of pipeline through the Baltic Sea (Barbara Kaech); (8) Sustainability standards and their compatibility with the WTO law (Lorenz Franken); (9) Economic instruments between Kyoto and Kopenhagen - Quo vadis climate protection? (Benjamin Goeerlach); (10) Emissions rights trading with developing countries (Peter Ebsen); (11) Legal aspects of the European emissions rights trading (Stefan Altenschmidt).

Ethical food standard schemes and global trade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Carsten; Botterill, Linda Courtenay

2012-01-01

Global food trade embodies a range of different interpretations of the nature of food and its role in society. On the one hand, the WTO food regulation regime, in particular the SPS agreement, is based upon a somewhat instrumental value of food consumption in which food is seen as a commodity...... base of each institution while giving expression to both materialist and postmaterialist understandings of the nature of food....... to be traded in accordance with international trade rules. At the same time, a number of private standards, such as GlobalG.A.P and various organic standards, are emerging which embody broadly postmaterialist values that suggest that food purchasing and consumption are also social, ethical and perhaps even...

WTO: US and Argentina settle dispute over patents and data protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Richard

2002-12-01

In May 2000, supplementing an earlier complaint filed in May 1999, the US filed a complaint against Argentina, alleging that its patent laws violate the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (the TRIPS Agreement). The gist of the US complaint was that Argentina's law failed to provide: (1) adequate protection against "unfair" commercial use of undisclosed test data submitted in order to get market approval of pharmaceutical products; (2) certain safeguards for compulsory licences on an invention granted on the basis of inadequate working by the patent holder; and (3) adequate measures to prevent infringements of patent rights. The US also alleged that Argentina denies certain exclusive rights of patent holders, such as the exclusive right to import the patented product into the country. At the end of May 2002, the US and Argentina notified the WTO that they had reached a "mutually agreed solution," without prejudice to their respective rights and obligations under WTO agreements, and the US has withdrawn its complaint.

Opportunities and Threats of Ukrainian Membership in WTO for Engineering under Conditions of Co-operation with EU Countries and Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyzym Mykola O.

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The article considers consequences of the membership of Ukraine in the World Trade Organisation (WTO for the engineering industry when co-operating with the EU and CU (Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia countries. It shows that, after Ukraine joined WTO, tariff rates for Ukrainian products reduced in general and liberalisation of access to the world market took place. Along with it, the internal market of Ukraine became more open for imported products. The article analyses the structure of export from Ukraine after joining WTO in the context of individual types of products. The article identifies changes that took place in the market of engineering products after Ukraine joined WTO. The article shows that by main indicators of economic security the engineering industry of Ukraine cannot be considered as stable and also that, after joining WTO, main indicators of economic security of the engineering industry of Ukraine have not improved. It analyses the structure of export and import of Ukrainian engineering products to EU, CU and other countries. It proves that the most topical for the Ukrainian engineering industry is the issue of realisation of the import-replacement potential and increase of competitiveness of domestic products. It considers the state and changes, which took place after Ukraine joined WTO, in car building. It identifies main problems of domestic car building. It analyses measures of the state programme of Ukraine on economic development.

Kyoto Protocol: trade versus the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loose, H.

2001-01-01

Could the signatories to the Kyoto Protocol find themselves up against the WTO? This paper examines how the climate change agreement could conflict with trade rules, and shows that there are potentially serious conflicts in the interface between the WTO and the Kyoto Protocol. It argues for dialogue and debate before it is too late. (author)

REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND COMPETITION POLICY. CASE STUDY: EU, ASEAN AND NAFTA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fora Andreea-Florina

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The large number of regional trade agreements notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO significantly influenced the flow of world trade. By April 2014 there had been notified 583 regional trade agreements to the WTO, of which only 379 are in force. The objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of regional trade agreements in world trade, especially the importance of establishing a regional competition policy in these agreements. The research methodology used is the analysis of legislation governing preferential trade agreements at the level of WTO, the collection and interpretation of statistical data provided by the WTO Secretariat, the case study, namely the study of literature. The paper is structured in three parts. The first part of the paper examines the basic laws based on which regional trade agreements are notified to the WTO and the evolution of these agreements in the period 1958-2013. The second part of the paper is devoted to the analysis of competition policy in regional trade agreements. In this part of the paper, to highlight the patterns of competition policy adopted under these agreements was analyzed by three case studies of competition policy in the EU, ASEAN and NAFTA. The three case studies have revealed that the three preferential trade agreements present regional competition policies with varying degrees of integration. The most complex form of competition policy is found in the European Union, because we are talking about a centralized model of competition policy. ASEAN presents a partially decentralized model, while NAFTA scrolls with a decentralized model of competition policy. The last part of the paper presents the characteristics of the four models of competition policy identified in the preferential trade agreements in force. It should be emphasized that if the initial preferential trade agreements have not put a great emphasis on the rules of competition policy, practice has shown the importance

GOVERNING THE TAXATION OF DIGITIZED TRADE

OpenAIRE

RAHUL MUKHERJI

2002-01-01

The paper highlights the challenges for international taxation due to digitized trade. Digitization makes it easy to penetrate foreign markets without the need for physical presence in the buyer’s country. This phenomenon has generated debates on the salience of source versus residence-based taxation, the definition of permanent establishment, and, the administration of consumption taxes. The WTO has not been able to engage effectively in this area. The paper notes both the inadequacy of unil...

48 CFR 3025.7002-3 - Specific application of trade agreements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...-discriminatory treatment under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO GPA), or any... the WTO GPA, or any FTA listed in (FAR) 48 CFR subpart 25.4, apply the restrictions of (HSAR) 48 CFR...

WTO disciplines on agricultural support: Experience to date and assessment of Doha proposals

OpenAIRE

Orden, David; Blandford, David; Josling, Timothy Edward; Brink, Lars

2011-01-01

When the World Trade Organization (WTO) was created in 1995, its members committed themselves to a set of disciplines for domestic support, market access, and export competition for agriculture. The Agreement on Agriculture laid the way for the pursuit of progressive reductions in world agricultural market distortions. Its supporters hoped the new rules and commitments would encourage countries to move domestic farm policies in a less trade-distorting direction. This research brief examines t...

International Trade and Protectionism.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanford Univ., CA. Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education.

This unit is designed to investigate the reasons for international trade and the issue of trade protectionism by focusing on the case study of the U.S. trade relationship with Taiwan. The unit begins with a simulation that highlights the concepts of global interdependence, the need for international trade, and the distribution of the world's…

76 FR 76808 - Procurement Thresholds for Implementation of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-08

... Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement, Chapter 15 of the United States-Australia Free Trade... out U.S. trade agreement obligations under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, Chapter 15 of... Agreement on Government Procurement A. Central Government Entities Listed in U.S. Annex 1 (1) Procurement of...

The utilisation of agenda-setting power in the multilateral trading system’s evolution from “negative” to “positive” integration / La utilización del poder de fijar la agenda en la evolución del sistema de comercio multilateral de la integración “negativa” a la “positiva”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerard Downes

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This paper contends that the construction of a globalised intellectual property rights regime (TRIPs within the World Trade Organization (WTO was emblematic of the shift from ‘negative’ to ‘positive’ integration, which necessitates that WTO Member states harmonise domestic regulations to conform to the precepts of multilateral trading system, and accounts for the relative institutional failure of the organisation since its inception in 1995. The paper examines this shift towards ‘positive’ integration by focussing on the campaign to formulate and construct the globalised intellectual property rights regime within the WTO. By examining the role of agenda-setting power in the creation of TRIPs this article intends to highlight the extent of the symbiosis between private commercial diplomacy and international trade law in campaign construction, and thereby demonstrate how private corporations have been able to formalise their specific interests within the WTO, while further exacerbating those asymmetries which ultimately have led to stasis in multilateral trade regulation.

International standards, Agreements and Policy of food Irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, P.B.

1997-01-01

There are few internationally recognised standards and agreements related to irradiated foods. Codex Alimentarius has its General standard for Irradiated foods. This sets standards for the production of irradiated foods that are safe and nutritionally adequate. Guidelines for the proper processing of foods by irradiation are covered in the Codex Recommended International Code of Practice for the Operation of Radiation Facilities Used for the Treatment of Food. For irradiation as a quarantine treatment for fruit, vegetables and other plants, the relevant international organization is the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), IPPC has no standards or guidelines for irradiation treatments. However, regional organizations within IPPC are moving towards recognition of irradiation as a technically viable and effective method of insect disinfestation. Especially notable are actions within the North American Plant Protection Organisation (NAPPO). NAPPO has endorsed a standard on the use of irradiation as a quarantine treatment. Other speakers have provided considerable detail on the Codex standard and on the situation with regard to quarantine issues. In this talk I will concentrate on irradiated foods as commodities that will be traded internationally in increasing amounts as we approach the next century. International trade is governed by bilateral arrangements. However, these arrangements should be consistent with the overarching multilateral agreements of the World trade Organization (WTO). The WTO Agreements do not refer directly to irradiation or irradiated foods. However, in this talk I will try to interpret the implications of the Agreements for trade in irradiated food. (Author)

International standards, Agreements and Policy of food Irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberts, P.B. [Industrial and Biological Section. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science. P.O. Box 31. Lower Hutt (New Zealand)

1997-12-31

There are few internationally recognised standards and agreements related to irradiated foods. Codex Alimentarius has its General standard for Irradiated foods. This sets standards for the production of irradiated foods that are safe and nutritionally adequate. Guidelines for the proper processing of foods by irradiation are covered in the Codex Recommended International Code of Practice for the Operation of Radiation Facilities Used for the Treatment of Food. For irradiation as a quarantine treatment for fruit, vegetables and other plants, the relevant international organization is the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), IPPC has no standards or guidelines for irradiation treatments. However, regional organizations within IPPC are moving towards recognition of irradiation as a technically viable and effective method of insect disinfestation. Especially notable are actions within the North American Plant Protection Organisation (NAPPO). NAPPO has endorsed a standard on the use of irradiation as a quarantine treatment. Other speakers have provided considerable detail on the Codex standard and on the situation with regard to quarantine issues. In this talk I will concentrate on irradiated foods as commodities that will be traded internationally in increasing amounts as we approach the next century. International trade is governed by bilateral arrangements. However, these arrangements should be consistent with the overarching multilateral agreements of the World trade Organization (WTO). The WTO Agreements do not refer directly to irradiation or irradiated foods. However, in this talk I will try to interpret the implications of the Agreements for trade in irradiated food. (Author)

International Organisations and Transnational Education Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Moutsios, Stavros

2009-01-01

This paper focuses on the World Bank/IMF (International Monetary Fund), the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the WTO (World Trade Organisation) as institutions of transnational policy making. They are all at present making education policies which are decisively shaping current directions and developments in…

"Globalization and the Changing Trade Debate: Suggestions for a New Agenda"

OpenAIRE

Thomas I. Palley

2007-01-01

The failure of the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations in July 2006 was the first major collapse of a multilateral trade round since World War II. Research Associate Thomas I. Palley sees the failure as an event that could mark the close of a 60-year era of trade policy largely centered on increasing market access and reducing tariffs, quotas, and subsidies. Doha’s demise represents an opportunity to challenge the intellectual dominance of the current WTO par...

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION - REFORM IT OR CHANGE IT?

OpenAIRE

Sterian Maria Gabriela

2013-01-01

The failure of Doha Round is a serious step backward for the WTO and the multilateral trading system. Some analysts already discussed in their research about the round as being already closed and they propose the developing of a new program within the organization. WTO still remains a very important institution due to its proven role in encouraging states not to take protectionist measures during the recent economic crisis, but the global trade governance reform must reflect all the changes a...

The Effect of Foreign Trade Policy Transparency on Integration of Ukraine in the World Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yakovchenko Victoria S.

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The article is concerned with the interdependence between dynamics of the international trade and economic relations development and the existing level of foreign trade policy transparency in accordance with the provisions of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. The effect of observance of transparency principle in foreign trade policy on forming the transaction costs in foreign trade is analyzed. A comparative analysis of the influence of import duties and transaction costs on the formation of Ukraine’s foreign trade barriers is carried out. Prospects of the national export-import activity development under increasing transparency of foreign trade policy of Ukraine and other world countries are determined.

SVHC in imported articles: REACH authorisation requirement justified under WTO rules.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenten, Julian; Führ, Martin

2016-01-01

The purpose of the REACH Regulation is to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment as well as the free circulation of substances on the internal market while enhancing competitiveness and innovation. To this end, REACH introduces, among other instruments, the authorisation regime for substances of very high concern (SVHC) that are listed on Annex XIV of the regulation. After expiration of the transitional period for each Annex XIV-SVHC, articles, such as most products of daily use, produced in the European Economic Area (EEA) may not contain such substances unless an authorisation was granted for the specific use or this use falls within the scope of an exemption from the authorisation requirement. The authorisation scheme does, however, only apply to SVHC used in the EEA. As a consequence, REACH does not regulate SVHC entering the European market as part of imported articles which burden human health and the environment. Moreover, from an economic perspective, domestic articles are subject to stricter requirements than those which are produced abroad, putting actors from within the EEA at competitive disadvantage and thus impeding the intention of REACH to enhance competitiveness and innovation. One option to close this regulatory gap could be to extend the authorisation requirement to SVHC present in imported articles. A legal appraisal on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA) assesses whether such option would be in accordance with the specifications of WTO world trade law. It concludes that, measured by the standards of the WTO dispute settlement practice, such an extended authorisation scheme would neither violate the principles of national treatment and most-favoured nation treatment. Also, such regulation would not constitute an unnecessary obstacle to trade, since the extended authorisation requirement would pursue a legitimate objective covered by the regulatory autonomy of the EU and, furthermore, the regulation would

International Trade. International Business

OpenAIRE

Мохнюк, А. М.; Mokhniuk, A. M.

2015-01-01

Work programme of the study course “International Trade. International Business” was prepared in accordance with educational and vocational training program for bachelors of training direction 6.030601 “Management”.

Opening the Black Box of Trade Agreements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kohl, Tristan; De Lombaerde, Philippe; Saucedo Accosta, Edgar J.

2017-01-01

In this chapter the author presents a coding methodology to capture the heterogeneity of trade agreements and to facilitate quantitative analysis departing from qualitative legal differences in trade agreements. The coding is based on whether the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are

Comparative analysis of the practice of China and Russia joining the WTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasia Sergeyevna Loginova

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Objective to examine the positive and negative experience of China39s joining the World Trade Organization WTO that joined it on terms similar to the Russian ones for the best understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of joining and building the appropriate policy. Methods the objective of the work has been achieved through the application of both general and specific scientific methods. In particular the analysis and synthesis allowed to study the social and economic context of the state in the framework of joining the WTO the consequences of such membership and to identify the key areas for improvement of this step for Russia. Statistical techniques were used in the process of gathering information about the key economic indicators. The fundamental method was comparativelegal which made it possible to draw parallels in joining the WTO by various states. Results basing on the measures taken by China both before and after joining the WTO as well as evaluation of their implication the conclusion was made about its successful experience. The actions before joining were very effective. In particular they are applicable to the fields of agriculture automotive industry investment policy etc. The measures of nonaddress subsidizing maintaining the socioeconomic stability in the country the export orientation of the economy along with functioning of special economic zones with joint ventures are in the authors39 opinion constructive actions for Russiarsquos adaptation to the WTO. Scientific novelty for the first time the thesis is put forward about the similarity of the Russia and China conditions when joining the WTO. The analysis is made of the complex measures preceding and following the joining. The necessity is grounded of reflecting the China39s positive and negative experiences in the Russian policy. Practical significance the main provisions and conclusions can be used in the research activity in addressing the issues of Russiarsquos

Managing the Trade-Public Health Linkage in Defence of Trade Liberalisation and National Sovereignty: An Appraisal of United States-Measures Affecting the Production and Sale of Clove Cigarettes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tapiwa Victor Warikandwa

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Under the legal framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO, countries have great flexibility to unilaterally adopt environmental regulations that have effect within their territories only. However, the same discretion does not apply to measures that adversely affect imports or exports. An absence of clear guidelines on how to address some of the attendant issues poses challenges to the effectiveness of a trade-environment linkage. Not surprisingly, attempts to link the environment and trade have resulted in a number of jurisprudentially significant cases in which the WTO's Panel and Appellate Body have tried to address critical questions about the Organisation's capacity to address or manage legal or quasi-legal subjects falling outside the scope of its legal framework. In this regard the Panel and Appellate Body reports in the case of United States - Measures Affecting the Production and Sale of Clove Cigarettes (US-Clove Cigarettes have re-ignited the debate on the Organisation's existential challenge of balancing the rights of the sovereign to freely regulate matters pertaining to health or the environment within its domestic domain with the need to maintain the sanctity of the multilateral trade order. This article demonstrates that in the US-Clove Cigarettes case the WTO Panel and Appellate Body, whilst managing to successfully defend the integrity of WTO Member States' treaty commitments and the overarching importance of trade liberalisation within the organisation's policy foundations even in the context of public health-related regulations, failed to provide any substantive affirmation of the development-related challenges facing developing countries that are part of the WTO family.

International standards and agreements in food irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cetinkaya, N.

2004-01-01

The economies of both developed and developing countries have been effected by their exported food and agricultural products. Trading policies of food and agricultural products are governed by international agreement as well as national regulations. Trade in food and agricultural commodities may be affected by both principal Agreements within the overall World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement, though neither specifically refers to irradiation or irradiated foods. The principal Agreements are the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement and the Sanitary and Phyto sanitary (SPS) Agreement. The SPS of the WTO requires governments to harmonize their sanitary and phyto sanitary measures on as wide basis as possible. Related standards, guidelines and recommendations of international standard setting bodies such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission (food safety); the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) (plant health and quarantine); and International Office of Epizootic (animal health and zoo noses) should be used in such a harmonization. International Standards for Phyto sanitary Measures (ISPM) no.18 was published under the IPPC by FAO (April 2003, Rome-Italy). ISPM standard provides technical guidance on the specific procedure for the application of ionizing radiation as a phyto sanitary treatment for regulated pests or articles. Moreover, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Codex General Standard for Irradiated Foods (Stand 106-1983) and Recommended International Code of Practice were first published in 1983 and revised in March 2003. Scope of this standard applies to foods processed by ionizing radiation that is used in conjunction with applicable hygienic codes, food standards and transportation codes. It does not apply to foods exposed to doses imparted by measuring instruments used for inspection purposes. Codex documents on Principles and Guidelines for the Import/Export Inspection and Certification of Foods have been prepared to guide international

Dispute resolution in NAFTA and the WTO: a useful guide for SADC ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the process of developing, structuring and formalising the mechanism for settlement of trade disputes in the SADC region, the system for the settlement of disputes in both NAFTA and the WTO can serve as a useful guide for SADC and even more so for the African Union. The swift, fair and just settlement of especially ...

China’s Entrance to the WTO and Financial Reform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ki-Soon Park

2000-09-01

Full Text Available The openness and liberalization of China’s financial market is expected to accelerate with her entrance to the WTO. China plans to carry out liberalization measures, including the expansion of the Renminbi business scope. Openness and liberalization will expedite the integration of internal and external sectors, thereby making the domestic financial market more vulnerable to environmental changes. Consequently, China should establish a strong financial system to efficiently cope with the contagion effects of an external financial crisis. However, China’s financial system is still very weak, mainly due to the enormous bad loans to SOEs (state-owned enterprises. Accordingly, the Chinese government should carry out financial reform measures such as strengthening the financial supervision system, dealing with bad bank loans and restructuring the financial institutions. On the whole, China’s entrance to the WTO is expected to have a positive influence on her financial sector by accelerating such reform policies as financial reform and SOE reform. Entrance to the WTO will make society recognize the necessity of reform and openness. The Chinese government can decide to push some difficult reform policies which would not have been considered without WTO entrance.

Unilateral Measures addressing Non-Trade Concerns. A Study on WTO Consistency, Relevance of other International Agreements, Economic Effectiveness and Impact on Developing Countries of Measures concerning Non-Product-Related Processes and Production Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van den Bossche, P.; Schrijver, N.; Faber, G.

2007-01-01

Over the last two years, the debate in the Netherlands on trade measures addressing non-trade concerns has focused on two important and politically sensitive issues, namely: (1) the sustainability of the large-scale production of biomass as an alternative source of energy; and (2) the production of livestock products in a manner that is consistent with animal welfare requirements. In February 2007 a report was issued on the 'Toetsingskader voor Duurzame Biomassa', the so-called Cramer Report. This report discusses the risks associated with large-scale biomass production and establishes a list of criteria for the sustainable production of biomass. These criteria reflect a broad range of non-trade concerns, including environmental protection, global warming, food security, biodiversity, economic prosperity and social welfare. The report recognizes that the implementation of the criteria (including the establishment of a certification system) will require careful consideration of the obligations of the Netherlands under EU and WTO law. Governments called upon to address non-trade concerns may do so by using different types of measures. Prominent among these are measures concerning processes and production methods of products. In the present study, these issues are examined primarily with regard to existing, proposed or still purely hypothetical measures for implementing the Cramer criteria for the sustainable production of biomass. Several other, non-energy-related issues are discussed in this report

Carbon-related border tax adjustment: mitigating climate change or restricting international trade?

OpenAIRE

Kaufmann, Christine; Weber, Rolf H

2011-01-01

Border tax adjustments in the form of carbon taxes on products from countries with lax environmental production standards or in the form of a required participation in an emissions allowances' trading system have become a heavily debated issue under WTO law. Such an adjustment might be permissible if energy taxes as indirect taxes are applied on inputs during the production process. Compliance with the Most Favoured Nation principle has less practical importance than the not-yet settled liken...

Competing Transnational Regimes under WTO Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carola Glinski

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Against a common perception of CSR being a business concept without binding legal effect, this article discusses legitimate legal effects of private standards in public international law, using the issue of private labels as “international standards” under WTO law. WTO law shows certain openness for external transnational standards. This article argues that the references to “international standards” in the TBT Agreement can be applied for the selection between competing public or private norms that claim relevance. Thereby, the most legitimate standard for governing the problem at issue should be chosen. This is exemplified with the case of Tuna Dolphin II where the Appellate Body has emphasised the requirement of procedural legitimacy. The article argues that the requirements for legitimate standards depend on the interests at stake and that a private standard can well be more legitimate than a (competing public standard. As the justifying effect of Article 2.5 TBT mainly interferes with economic interests, a relevant “international standard” may well consist of a representative business standard, e.g. a private label. In contrast, an international standard in the terms of Article 2.4 TBT which interferes with a democratic decision in favour of public interests such as environmental protection must reflect these public interests in a legitimate way. The article concludes that CSR can play an important role in defining legally valid justifying or minimum standards in public international law.

77 FR 63917 - WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding China-Certain Measures Affecting the Automobile and...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-17

... Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning certain... Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan (2006-2020); Circular of the General Office... Government of Zhejiang Province on Promoting the Stable and Healthy Development of Province-Wide Foreign...

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION – REFORM IT OR CHANGE IT?

OpenAIRE

Sterian Maria Gabriela

2013-01-01

The failure of Doha Round is a serious step backward for the WTO and the multilateral trading system. Some analysts already discussed in their research about the round as being already closed and they propose the developing of a new program within the organization. WTO still remains a very important institution due to its proven role in encouraging states not to take protectionist measures during the recent economic crisis, but the global trade governance reform must reflect all the changes a...

EU sales ban on new cosmetics tested on animals: impact on alternative methods, WTO implications and animal welfare aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruhdel, Irmela W

2004-06-01

In 1993, the European Union (EU) adopted Directive 93/35/EEC, calling for a sales ban on new cosmetic products containing ingredients tested on animals after 1 January, 1998, provided that alternative methods had been developed by then. In May 2000, for the second time, the European Commission postponed that ban. The Commission justified the repeated postponement of the sales ban by saying that no animal-free methods were available, although three in vitro methods were scientifically approved in 1997. With three years delay, these methods have been published and therefore "made available" in the EU. OECD acceptance is still awaited. Another reason for the postponement was the fear of possible World Trade Organisation (WTO) conflicts. However, according to WTO rules, the protection of public morality or animal health could justify a restriction of the free trade principle. From the animal welfare point of view, an unqualified EU sales ban, combined with an animal testing ban, would provide the incentive to further promote the development and acceptance of alternative methods and to prove that ethical standards are legitimate concerns under WTO rules.

How does the World Trade Organization know? The mobilization and staging of scientific expertise in the GMO trade dispute.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonneuil, Christophe; Levidow, Les

2012-02-01

The World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement procedure is a key arena for establishing global legal norms for what counts as relevant knowledge. As a high-profile case, the WTO trade dispute on GMOs mobilized scientific expertise in somewhat novel ways. Early on, the Panel put the dispute under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement through a new legal ontology; it classified transgenes as potential pests and limited all environmental issues to the 'plant and animal health' category. The selection of scientific experts sought a multi-party consensus through a fast adversarial process, reflecting a specific legal epistemology. For the SPS framing, focusing on the defendant's regulatory procedures, the Panel staged scientific expertise in specific ways that set up how experts were questioned, the answers they would give, their specific role in the legal arena, and the way their statements would complement the Panel's findings. In these ways, the dispute settlement procedure co-produced legal and scientific expertise within the Panel's SPS framework. Moreover, the Panel operated a procedural turn in WTO jurisprudence by representing its findings as a purely legal-administrative judgement on whether the EC's regulatory procedures violated the SPS Agreement, while keeping implicit its own judgements on substantive risk issues. As this case illustrates, the WTO settlement procedure mobilizes scientific expertise for sophisticated, multiple aims: it recruits a source of credibility from the scientific arena, thus reinforcing the standard narrative of 'science-based trade discipline', while also constructing new scientific expertise for the main task--namely, challenging trade restrictions for being unduly cautious.

Put Rossii v WTO / Maksim Medvedkov

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Medvedkov, Maksim

2006-01-01

Vene delegatsiooni juht Venemaa WTO-ga liitumise läbirääkimistel vastab küsimustele, mis puudutavad USA positsiooni neil läbirääkimistel, WTO-ga liitumise võimalikke tagajärgi Venemaale liitumise esimeses etapis, endiste NSVL-i vabariikide ja Venemaa vaheliste erimeelsuste võimalikku mõju Venemaa liitumisele WTO-ga

Is world trade law a barrier to saving our climate? Questions and answers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N.; Norpoth, J.

2009-09-01

The present 'Questions and Answers' provide an overview of the various climate-related measures and policies that fall under the scope of the WTO (World Trade Organization) and offers an initial assessment of their WTO-compatibility. Is the WTO blocking progress in the fight against climate change? This was the question at the origin of this legal analysis. With this paper and its simple question and answer format, we hope to dispel some myths and shed some light on the reality of world trade rules in their relation with climate-friendly measures. In the end, we hope to encourage policy-makers in Europe and around the world not to see the WTO as an insurmountable barrier and not to use it as an excuse against strong action on climate change.

The EU Seal Products Ban – Why Ineffective Animal Welfare Protection Cannot Justify Trade Restrictions under European and International Trade Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Hennig

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this article, the author questions the legitimacy of the general ban on trade in seal products adopted by the European Union. It is submitted that the EU Seal Regime, which permits the marketing of Greenlandic seal products derived from Inuit hunts, but excludes Canadian and Norwegian seal products from the European market, does not ensure a satisfactory degree of animal welfare protection in order to justify the comprehensive trade restriction in place. It is argued that the current ineffective EU ban on seal products, which according to the WTO Appellate Body cannot be reconciled with the objective of protecting animal welfare, has no legal basis in EU Treaties and should be annulled.

The precautionary principle and/or risk assessment in World Trade Organization decisions: a possible role for risk perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Bernard; Carruth, Russellyn S

2004-04-01

Risk analysis has been recognized and validated in World Trade Organization (WTO) decision processes. In recent years the precautionary principle has been proposed as an additional or alternative approach to standard risk assessment. The precautionary principle has also been advocated by some who see it as part of postmodern democracy in which more power is given to the public on health and safety matters relative to the judgments of technocrats. A more cynical view is that the precautionary principle is particularly championed by the European Community as a means to erect trade barriers. The WTO ruling against the European Community's trade barrier against beef from hormone-treated cattle seemed to support the use of risk assessment and appeared to reject the argument that the precautionary principle was a legitimate basis for trade barriers. However, a more recent WTO decision on asbestos contains language suggesting that the precautionary principle, in the form of taking into account public perception, may be acceptable as a basis for a trade barrier. This decision, if followed in future WTO trade disputes, such as for genetically modified foods, raises many issues central to the field of risk analysis. It is too early to tell whether the precautionary principle will become accepted in WTO decisions, either as a supplement or a substitute for standard risk assessment. But it would undermine the value of the precautionary principle if this principle were misused to justify unwarranted trade barriers.

Southern African Development Community (SADC) trade legal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) lays down the legal principles with which regional trade agreements have to conform. Based on these principles, WTO members have the mandate to determine the legality of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) under the GATT. Article XXIV permits both ...

World Trade Organization Negotiations: The Doha Development Agenda

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fergusson, Ian F

2008-01-01

The World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations resumed in 2007 after being suspended in July 2006 after key negotiating groups failed to break a deadlock on agricultural tariffs and subsidies...

Modelling the Asymmetric Volatility in Hog Prices in Taiwan : The Impact of Joining the WTO

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); B-W. Huang (Bing-Wen); M-G. Chen (Meng-Gu)

2010-01-01

textabstractPrices in the hog industry in Taiwan are determined according to an auction system. There are significant differences in hog prices before, during and after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). The paper models growth rates and volatility in daily hog prices in Taiwan from 23

International trade and inequality

OpenAIRE

Urata, Sh¯ujir¯o; Narjoko, Dionisius A.

2017-01-01

The impact of globalization on equality has become a serious concern for many countries. More evidence that challenges the theoretical prediction of positive impact of international trade on income distribution has increasingly become available recently. This paper addresses this subject, surveying the empirical findings on the impact of international trade on inequalities from various perspectives. The survey reveals that an increase in trade openness by developing countries appears to have ...

International Organizations and Trade

OpenAIRE

Antras, Pol

2010-01-01

The three central primitives of international trade theory are consumer preferences, factor endowments, and the production technologies that allow firms to transform factors of production into consumer goods. A limitation of traditional trade theory, however, is that the specification of technology treats the mapping between factors of production and final goods as a black box. In practice, the decisions of agents in organizations determine this mapping. Recently, international trade economis...

The G-20 and International Economic Cooperation: Background and Implications for Congress

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-23

scheduled throughout the year. Effectiveness of the G-20 Some analysts say that while the G-20 was instrumental in coordinating the response to the...Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. They also maintain that the G-20 as a group is too heterogeneous to achieve real...as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ), the World Bank, and the World Trade

The Food Safety Modernization Act: a barrier to trade? Only if the science says so.

Science.gov (United States)

McNeill, Naomi

2012-01-01

The Food Safety Modernization Act improves oversight of America's food safety system. Title III, which regulates imported food, may create extra burdens for importers and therefore act as a barrier to trade. What will be on trial before the World Trade Organization (WTO), however, is not the law's content, but the science supporting it. Under the WTO regime, food safety laws that could restrict the free movement of food commodities must be sufficiently justified by scientific evidence. Member states must engage in risk assessments and regulate food imports in a manner that is "no more restrictive than necessary" to protect against the health risks identified by scientific evidence. This article examines the requirements of the WTO to evaluate the FSMA's legality under WTO rules. It analyzes the case law of the WTO Panel and Appellate Body and compares the FMSA to the EU's General Food Law.

Redesigning the World Trade Organization for the Twenty-First ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

15 déc. 2009 ... Two high-level commissions — the Sutherland report in 2004 and the Warwick Commission report in 2007 — addressed the future of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and made proposals for incremental reform. This book goes further. It explains why institutional reform of the WTO is needed at this ...

The role of veterinary epidemiology and veterinary services in complying with the World Trade Organization SPS agreement.

Science.gov (United States)

Zepeda, C; Salman, M; Thiermann, A; Kellar, J; Rojas, H; Willeberg, P

2005-02-01

The agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS agreement) was one of the major products of the GATT's Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations, signed in Marrakesh on 15 April 1994. This agreement and others are part of the treaty that established the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO superseded the GATT as the umbrella organization for international trade (WTO, 1998a). The SPS agreement's main intent is to provide guidelines and provisions to member countries to facilitate trade while taking measures to protect human, animal or plant life or health. The agreement dictates that all sanitary measures must be scientifically based and not more restrictive than required to avoid the risk identified. The agreement recommends the use of international standards from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Codex Alimentarius (CAC) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) as the basis for import requirements. If a country chooses to apply more restrictive measures than those in the international standards, it has to justify its position through a risk analysis, thus avoiding the use of sanitary and phytosanitary measures as unjustified barriers to trade. More than ever, veterinary services worldwide are faced with having to fulfill a crucial role in protecting their country's animal health status, provide sound surveillance information on the occurrence of diseases within their territories, and conduct scientifically valid risk analyses to establish justified import requirements. During the past two decades, most countries have experienced resource reduction in their veterinary services. The effect of these policies has been severe, in many cases leading to an inability of veterinary services to conduct their disease prevention and control duties. There is a clear inconsistency between the demands placed on veterinary services and the current level of funding and support they are receiving, particularly in

Assessing international trade in healthcare services

OpenAIRE

Herman, Lior

2009-01-01

Growing evidence indicates that international trade in healthcare services is growing. Nevertheless, a major literature gap exists with regard to the nature of international healthcare trade and its extent. Taking a comprehensive approach, this research examines the magnitude, directions, patterns of specialisation, growth and other aspects related to international trade in healthcare services. Within this framework, trade is analysed with regard to cross border trade, consumption of healthca...

REFLECTIONS ON PRODUCTION INTERNALIZATION AND ITS INTERNATIONAL TRADE IMPLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CLIPA RALUCA IRINA

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Vertically-integrated multinational companies place the different stages of production and marketing chain in different countries, looking for advantages such as low production costs, lower taxes, abundant resources and so on, while benefiting from the advantages of economies of scale, control of supplies or outlets. In fact, this vertical integration of multinational companies has led to the expansion of intra-firm trade and "internalized" operations, thus creating their own markets for the vertically-integrated production. Internationally active firms operate in a way that replaces the different functions of an open market with internal transactions, i.e. intra-firm transactions, whenever internal transaction costs are lower than the open-market ones. The direct consequence over international trade is the increase of intra-firm share of trade flows to one third of world trade, those companies making a suppression of international market segments that act in favour of an internal market. The creation of a multinational market and the enhancement of intra-firm trade have profound quantitative and qualitative implications on the composition, geographic orientation and dynamics of international trade. This paper deals with the issue of production internalization, with an overview of the main contributions made to the theory of internalization, while tackling its relative dimension. However, we intend to highlight the implications of this phenomenon on international trade. The work methodology falls within the range of qualitative approaches: logical argumentation, critical theoretical analysis.

Challenges to developing countries after joining WTO: risk assessment of chemicals in food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Junshi

2004-01-01

FAO/WHO encourages member countries to develop national food control measures based on risk assessment in order to assure proper protection level to consumers and facilitate fair trade. This is particularly important for developing countries as WTO members because it is clearly stated in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement that: (a) SPS measures should be based on risk assessment techniques developed by relevant international organizations; and (b) Codex standards which is based on risk assessment are regarded as the international norm in trade dispute settlement. When conducting risk assessment on food chemicals (including additives and contaminants) in developing countries, in most cases it is not necessary to conduct their own hazard characterization because the ADIs or PTWIs of food chemicals developed by international expert groups (e.g. JECFA) are universally applicable and also developing countries do not have the resources to repeat those expensive toxicological studies. On the other hand, it is necessary to conduct exposure assessment in developing countries because exposure to food chemicals varies from country to country. This is not only crucial in setting national standards, but also very important for developing countries to participate in the process of developing Codex standards. In addition to food standard development, risk assessment is also useful in setting up priorities in imported food inspection and evaluating the success of various food safety control measures

Challenges to developing countries after joining WTO: risk assessment of chemicals in food.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Junshi

2004-05-20

FAO/WHO encourages member countries to develop national food control measures based on risk assessment in order to assure proper protection level to consumers and facilitate fair trade. This is particularly important for developing countries as WTO members because it is clearly stated in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement that: (a) SPS measures should be based on risk assessment techniques developed by relevant international organizations; and (b) Codex standards which is based on risk assessment are regarded as the international norm in trade dispute settlement. When conducting risk assessment on food chemicals (including additives and contaminants) in developing countries, in most cases it is not necessary to conduct their own hazard characterization because the ADIs or PTWIs of food chemicals developed by international expert groups (e.g. JECFA) are universally applicable and also developing countries do not have the resources to repeat those expensive toxicological studies. On the other hand, it is necessary to conduct exposure assessment in developing countries because exposure to food chemicals varies from country to country. This is not only crucial in setting national standards, but also very important for developing countries to participate in the process of developing Codex standards. In addition to food standard development, risk assessment is also useful in setting up priorities in imported food inspection and evaluating the success of various food safety control measures.

77 FR 25678 - International Trade Administration

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order..., International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. Background Every five years, pursuant to section 751...'') and the International Trade Commission automatically initiate and conduct a review to determine...

Development of international regulation of intellectual property

OpenAIRE

Schmitz Vaccaro, Christian

2013-01-01

In recent years we have seen a true internationalization of intellectual property laws. So today one can easily familiarize with foreign laws on intellectual property, due to their increasing uniformity and homogeneity. This is the result of numerous international treaties and two international organizations. At the multilateral level, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) administers 24 treaties on intellectual property, and for its part, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is i...

Trade liberalization and tuberculosis incidence: a longitudinal multi-level analysis in 22 high burden countries between 1990 and 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozorgmehr, Kayvan; San Sebastian, Miguel

2014-05-01

Trade liberalization is promoted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) through a complex architecture of binding trade agreements. This type of trade, however, has the potential to modify the upstream and proximate determinants of tuberculosis (TB) infection. We aimed to analyse the association between trade liberalization and TB incidence in 22 high-burden TB countries between 1990 and 2010. and findings A longitudinal multi-level linear regression analysis was performed using five different measures of trade liberalization as exposure [WTO membership, duration of membership, trade as % of gross domestic product, and components of both the Economic Freedom of the World Index (EFI4) and the KOF Index of Globalization (KOF1)]. We adjusted for a wide range of factors, including differences in human development index (HDI), income inequality, debts, polity patterns, conflict, overcrowding, population stage transition, health system financing, case detection rates and HIV prevalence. None of the five trade indicators was significantly associated with TB incidence in the crude analysis. Any positive effect of EFI4 on (Log-) TB incidence over time was confounded by differences in socio-economic development (HDI), HIV prevalence and health financing indicators. The adjusted TB incidence rate ratio of WTO member countries was significantly higher [RR: 1.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-2.29] when compared with non-member countries. We found no association between specific aggregate indicators of trade liberalization and TB incidence. Our analyses provide evidence of a significant association between WTO membership and higher TB incidence, which suggests a possible conflict between the architecture of WTO agreements and TB-related Millennium Development Goals. Further research is needed, particularly on the relation between the aggregate trade indices used in this study and the hypothesized mediators and also on sector-specific indices, specific trade agreements and

COMPETITIVENESS ОF CHINESE ECONOMY AFTER JOINING WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. S. Shlik

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The paper contains analysis of the China’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO. The advantages and disadvantages of WTO joining and also prospects and unforeseen difficulties are given in the paper. The People’s Republic of China has already been a full-member of WTO for 6 years. The Chinese Government has mainly fulfilled all the conditions which were imposed for WTO joining. They concerned customs legislation that presupposed a considerable reduction of custom duties, an access to the service market for foreign investors, an increase of responsibility for violation of intellectual property rights. Many of these conditions have been fulfilled in advance.

Tobacco control and the World Trade Organization: mapping member states' positions after the framework convention on tobacco control.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckhardt, Jappe; Holden, Chris; Callard, Cynthia D

2016-11-01

To note the frequency of discussions and disputes about tobacco control measures at the World Trade Organization (WTO) before and after the coming into force of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). To review trends or patterns in the positions taken by members of the WTO with respect to tobacco control measures. To discuss possible explanations for these observed trends/patterns. We gathered data on tobacco-related disputes in the WTO since its establishment in 1995 and its forerunner, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), prior-FCTC and post-FCTC. We also looked at debates on tobacco control measures within the WTO more broadly. To this end, we classified and coded the positions of WTO member states during discussions on tobacco control and the FCTC, from 1995 until 2013, within the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council. There is a growing interest within the WTO for tobacco-related issues and opposition to tobacco control measures is moving away from high-income countries towards low(er) income countries. The growing prominence of tobacco issues in the WTO can be attributed at least in part to the fact that during the past decade tobacco firms have been marginalised from the domestic policy-making process in many countries, which has forced them to look for other ways and forums to influence decision-making. Furthermore, the finding that almost all recent opposition within the WTO to stronger tobacco regulations came from developing countries is consistent with a relative shift of transnational tobacco companies' lobbying efforts from developed to developing countries. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

India | Page 112 | IDRC - International Development Research Centre

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The ferocity of negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) was on display again at the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, held in Cancún, Mexico from September 10 to 14. The intensity of the negotiations reflects more than a clash of opinions about free trade. It gives expression to a deep and dangerous power ...

28 CFR 0.48 - International trade litigation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false International trade litigation. 0.48... Division § 0.48 International trade litigation. The Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office... and all other papers filed in the Court of International Trade, when the United States is an adverse...

International standards and agreements in food irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cetinkaya, N.

2004-01-01

Full text: The economies of both developed and developing countries have been effected by their exported food and agricultural products. Trading policies of food and agricultural products are governed by international agreement as well as national regulations. Trade in food and agricultural commodities may be affected by both principal Agreements within the overall World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement, though neither specifically refers to irradiation or irradiated foods. The principal Agreements are the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement and the Sanitary and Phyto sanitary (SPS) Agreement. The SPS of the WTO requires governments to harmonize their sanitary and phyto sanitary measures on as wide basis as possible. Related standards, guidelines and recommendations of international standard setting bodies such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission (food safety); the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) (plant health and quarantine); and International Office of Epizootic (animal health and zoo noses) should be used in such a harmonization. International Standards for Phyto sanitary Measures (ISPM) no.18 was published under the IPPC by FAO (April 2003, Rome-Italy). ISPM standard provides technical guidance on the specific procedure for the application of ionizing radiation as a phyto sanitary treatment for regulated pests or articles. Moreover, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Codex General Standard for Irradiated Foods (Stand 106-1983) and Recommended International Code of Practice were first published in 1983 and revised in March 2003. Scope of this standard applies to foods processed by ionizing radiation that is used in conjunction with applicable hygienic codes, food standards and transportation codes. It does not apply to foods exposed to doses imparted by measuring instruments used for inspection purposes. Codex documents on Principles and Guidelines for the Import/Export Inspection and Certification of Foods have been prepared to guide

Doha round of WTO negotiations and trade liberalization in Serbian agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popović Vesna

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The accession of Serbia to the WTO is expected in 2008. In negotiations process, the most difficult is to reach agreement in agriculture. This sector is very sensitive in market access for biotechnological, economical and social reasons. The level of sensitivity varies between production branches. In the course of defining the schedules of market access commitments, it is crucial to keep in mind the need of reconciliation dynamics and level of market liberalization with the obligations comprised in the EU Stabilization and Association Agreement. Export support policy also must conform to the Doha negotiations commitments.

75 FR 81533 - Antidumping Proceedings: Calculation of the Weighted Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-28

... non-dumped comparisons. Several World Trade Organization (``WTO'') dispute settlement reports have... methodologies have been challenged as being inconsistent with the World Trade Organization (``WTO'') General... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration 19 CFR Part 351 [Docket No. 101130598...

Trade and climate change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamiotti, L.; Teh, R.; Kulacoglu, V. (World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva (Switzerland)); Olhoff, A.; Simmons, B.; Abaza, H. (United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (Denmark))

2009-06-15

The Report aims to improve understanding about the linkages between trade and climate change. It shows that trade intersects with climate change in a multitude of ways. For example, governments may introduce a variety of policies, such as regulatory measures and economic incentives, to address climate change. This complex web of measures may have an impact on international trade and the multilateral trading system. The Report begins with a summary of the current state of scientific knowledge on climate change and on the options available for responding to the challenge of climate change. The scientific review is followed by a part on the economic aspects of the link between trade and climate change, and these two parts set the context for the subsequent parts of the Report, which looks at the policies introduced at both the international and national level to address climate change. The part on international policy responses to climate change describes multilateral efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the effects of climate change, and also discusses the role of the current trade and environment negotiations in promoting trade in technologies that aim to mitigate climate change. The final part of the Report gives an overview of a range of national policies and measures that have been used in a number of countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to increase energy efficiency. It presents key features in the design and implementation of these policies, in order to draw a clearer picture of their overall effect and potential impact on environmental protection, sustainable development and trade. It also gives, where appropriate, an overview of the WTO rules that may be relevant to such measures. (author)

Bo Xilai :China will honor its World Trade Organization(WTO) commitments. Banking and telecommunications market sectors would be opened in time

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

@@ Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai promised on September 4 that China will honor its WTO commitments. At a ceremony to mark China's five-year WTO partnership, Bo Xilai promised this to commercial leaders of Europe present again. Bo said all market sectors would be opened in time, referring especially to banking and telecommunications.

How to model a negligible probability under the WTO sanitary and phytosanitary agreement?

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Mark R

2013-06-01

Since the 1997 EC--Hormones decision, World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Panels have wrestled with the question of what constitutes a negligible risk under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement. More recently, the 2010 WTO Australia--Apples Panel focused considerable attention on the appropriate quantitative model for a negligible probability in a risk assessment. The 2006 Australian Import Risk Analysis for Apples from New Zealand translated narrative probability statements into quantitative ranges. The uncertainty about a "negligible" probability was characterized as a uniform distribution with a minimum value of zero and a maximum value of 10(-6) . The Australia - Apples Panel found that the use of this distribution would tend to overestimate the likelihood of "negligible" events and indicated that a triangular distribution with a most probable value of zero and a maximum value of 10⁻⁶ would correct the bias. The Panel observed that the midpoint of the uniform distribution is 5 × 10⁻⁷ but did not consider that the triangular distribution has an expected value of 3.3 × 10⁻⁷. Therefore, if this triangular distribution is the appropriate correction, the magnitude of the bias found by the Panel appears modest. The Panel's detailed critique of the Australian risk assessment, and the conclusions of the WTO Appellate Body about the materiality of flaws found by the Panel, may have important implications for the standard of review for risk assessments under the WTO SPS Agreement. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

Preferential Trade Agreements and the Law and Politics of GATT Article XXIV

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alavi, Amin

2010-01-01

The tasks Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) perform are expressed in their scope and covered issues, thus in order to be WTO compatible these aspects of PTAs should comply with the relevant WTO rules. This paper examines which aspects of PTAs can violate these rules and therefore can be challe...... be challenged before the WTO Dis-pute Settlement Body, who may initiate such cases and why there hasn´t been more cases dealing with this im-portant issue....

A Strategic Analysis of Import of the WTO Accession on China's Telecommunications Industry

OpenAIRE

Lei, Zhang

2007-01-01

The dissertation is divided into two parts, namely, an overview of China's telecommunications industry and the strategic analysis of the influence of China's telecom industry accession to the WTO. Based on the several strategic management classical frameworks, the main aim of this piece of research is to analyze the external and internal environment of China's telecommunication industry and the impact of China's entry into WTO on this industry. Specifically, this aim is decomposed into the fo...

The Challenges Facing the Multilateral Trading System in Addressing Global Public Policy Objectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Bellmann

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Despite a record-breaking 14.5 per cent increase in world merchandise exports, the effects of the financial crisis and global recession are still hampering faster economic recovery. Relatively high oil prices combined with persistent unemployment and measures designed to reduce budget deficits have undermined short-term growth prospects. While South–South trade continues to explode, trade imbalances – i.e. the gap between exports and imports – widened in 2010 compared to 2009 (though smaller than pre-crisis levels. Meanwhile, trade negotiations under the Doha Round have reached an impasse, generating uncertainties about the future of the World Trade Organization (WTO as a negotiating forum. Under these circumstances, should the system rethink its decision-making process founded upon the predominance of member states, the principle of consensus and the notion of single undertaking, as some critics have suggested? And, if so, how could such a reform agenda be initiated at the WTO? Moreover, beyond the negotiating function of the WTO, the paralysis of the system also raises urgent questions about the ability of the system to respond to pressing challenges of our times, such as trade and climate change, or food security and price volatility.

The hidden hyperbolic geometry of international trade: World Trade Atlas 1870-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Pérez, Guillermo; Boguñá, Marián; Allard, Antoine; Serrano, M Ángeles

2016-09-16

Here, we present the World Trade Atlas 1870-2013, a collection of annual world trade maps in which distance combines economic size and the different dimensions that affect international trade beyond mere geography. Trade distances, based on a gravity model predicting the existence of significant trade channels, are such that the closer countries are in trade space, the greater their chance of becoming connected. The atlas provides us with information regarding the long-term evolution of the international trade system and demonstrates that, in terms of trade, the world is not flat but hyperbolic, as a reflection of its complex architecture. The departure from flatness has been increasing since World War I, meaning that differences in trade distances are growing and trade networks are becoming more hierarchical. Smaller-scale economies are moving away from other countries except for the largest economies; meanwhile those large economies are increasing their chances of becoming connected worldwide. At the same time, Preferential Trade Agreements do not fit in perfectly with natural communities within the trade space and have not necessarily reduced internal trade barriers. We discuss an interpretation in terms of globalization, hierarchization, and localization; three simultaneous forces that shape the international trade system.

International trade disputes in modern regulatory paradigm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamara Gordeeva

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This article studies the latest trends observed in the area of contradictory relations between countries with regard to international trade, which cause changes in the paradigm of international trade disputes. It has been found out that any state of inconsistent relations between the countries is recently characterized as a «trade war». It has been analyzed the notions of «dispute», «conflict», «war» according to international regulatory documents and determined the applicability of these terms depending on a number of criteria. It has been studied the evolution of the objects of international trade disputes since the time of ancient Greece until today, and new trends based on this have been revealed with regard to use of trade policy instruments that cause disputes between countries. Several specific examples of international trade disputes and causes of their occurrence have been considered. A quantitative analysis of international trade disputes in general and in relations between the leading countries in terms of a number of the trade disputes in which they were involved has been performed.

Education Imports and Exports in the Framework of the World Trade Organization and Adjustments of Education Legislation and Policy Making in China

Science.gov (United States)

Mansheng, Zhou

2009-01-01

Commitments on trade in education services constitute a vital part of China's promises after securing World Trade Organization (WTO) membership. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the forms of educational imports and exports in the framework of WTO and examines the Chinese government's efforts to adjust education legislation and policy…

The Russian Trade-Remedy System : peculiarities and future prospects / Sherzod Shadikhodjaev

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Shadikhodjaev, Sherzod

2010-01-01

Venemaa kaubanduse parandusmeetmete süsteemi iseärasused võrreldes WTO reeglitega. Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994, Marrakesh Agreement). Russian Trade-Remedy Law (2003)

[International experience in the legal regulation of the circulation of medicines through the prism of the law of the world trade organization].

Science.gov (United States)

Pasechnyk, Olena V; Hendel, Nataliia V

2018-01-01

Introduction: The development of international legal cooperation in the field of health has largely been driven by the trade interests of states. The aim: The article analyzes the legal regulation of the circulation of medicines through the prism of the law of the World Trade Organization. Materials and methods: Using the historical legal method has allowed to analyze the genesis of legal regulation of the circulation of medicines through the prism of the law of the World Trade Organization. The dialectical method is widely used, in particular, when it comes to the issue of the ratio of market regulation of medicines circulation and public health protection, the formal logic method, in particular, in formulating the general principles, principles and methods of legal regulation in the field of medicines, as well as the systemic method, in particular, in defining the institutional component of legal regulation in the field of medicines. Review: The activities of the WTO include several areas related to health protection: international control over infectious diseases, international legal regulation of food safety (food security), tobacco control, environmental protection, international legal aspects of access and treatment of medicinal and pharmaceutical products, international legal regulation of medical services provision. Conclusions: It is proved that the right to health is a right to access to medicines. However, for many developing countries, it is problematic to obtain patents for the production of necessary medicines or to pay a license fee, which creates a barrier to the realization of the right to health.

International trade and specialisation between Europe and Asia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Henning Otte

2016-01-01

and organizations. The analyses combine international trade theories with trade statistics and in this way results and conclusions are presented. The analyses show that international trade with fur skin products between Asia and Europe has increased remarkably during the recent decades. Europe accounts for a major......, that there is a major international trade of both fur skin and fur garments between Europe and Asia, and that the international specialisation in this sector is high.......The objective of this paper is to analyze, quantify and explain trade patterns and international specialisation within fur skin and fur garments focusing on Europa and Asia as two major trading partners. Data is provided from international trade statistics, national statistical institutions...

Culture as a Determinant of Competitive Advantage in Trade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dekuwmini Mornah

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Culture plays a role in international trade much as it does in any other human activity. Attitudes and ways of life do matter even when a lucrative business opportunity exists, especially across national borders. This paper examines which aspects of culture give countries competitive edge in terms of bilateral trade performances. Specifically, do relatively higher scores in certain cultural dimensions have a deterministic effect on bilateral trade performance (terms of trade or bilateral trade balance? Methodology: We adopt empirical econometric estimation methods on trade data covering 59 countries and 29 years combined with the nine "Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE" culture dimensions, Our estimations were based on Robust Regression Analysis and Ordinary Least Squares methods. Findings: We find that indeed, certain aspects of culture enhance bilateral trade performance/competitiveness. Performance Orientation, Future Orientation, Institutional Collectivism, Gender Egalitarianism, Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance improve bilateral trade performance while Assertiveness, Humane Orientation and In-Group Collectivism impair it. Research limitations: Direct measures of international competitiveness are not readily available. So we had to adopt proxies for measuring international competitiveness. Implications: Many countries want to boost international competitiveness. However, in the current world order with multilateral trade agreements under the WTO and increased transferability of technology, governments are clipped in terms of available trade policy options. By understanding which aspects of culture promote bilateral competitiveness and performance, governments could take steps to maximize their competitiveness. For instance, when negotiating trade treaties, policy makers may benefit from the knowledge of culture's impact on competitive advantage when selecting partners. Originality/value: To

The General Agreement on Trade in Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francina Esteve García

1995-07-01

Full Text Available The conclusion of GATS and its inclusion as an annex in the constitutive Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO responds to the need for disposing of a stable juridical instrument which, given the current economic interdependence between States, can be applied to the international trade in services.One of the main new features of this agreement is its field of application given that it includes all service sectors (except those provided for in the name of governmental authorities and the four forms of carrying out trade in services and, as regards the principle of market access and that of national treatment, will be regulated according to those respective obligations which the Members have assumed.In exchange for not accepting the exclusion of any service sector, the negotiations concerning some fundamental sectors could not be totally closed and deadlines were extended in order to unblock the most controversial themes.One of the fundamental principles of the GATS is the most favoured nation clause of inconditional character but its consecration has been attenuated by the possibility of maintaining important exceptions in its application. The principle of transparency is also essential in the field of services, given that this sector is characterised by large public interventionism in access regulation and the exercise of the different economic activities which form it.The balance of the GATS is globally positive given that it includes a multilateral framework of principles and disciplines which is administered in the headquarters of the WTO, which have been accepted by a great majority of States within the international community and which remain subject to the WTO’s mechanism for the solution of differences.However, the opening of the market and the suppression of restrictions which derive from internal regulations have not been achieved given that, orientating itself around the objectives of national politics, liberalization is

International Trade Students’ Stereotypes

OpenAIRE

Kamila Matysová

2017-01-01

The goal of the present paper is to detect stereotypes of students studying International Trade at the University of Economics Prague and, if need be, propose didactic measures for intercultural education at the university. In our study, 293 International Trade students described six ethnic and national groups (Roma, Ukrainians, Vietnamese, Russians, Germans and Czechs) in terms of explicit stereotypes. The following hypothesis was formulated in the study: On the one hand, stereotypes of the ...

Development in Children's Thinking about International Trade.

Science.gov (United States)

Schug, Mark C.; Lephardt, Noreen

1992-01-01

Presents study results of how children reason about international trade. Explains that open ended questions were posed to students in grades 1-11 asking why nations trade, the benefits of trade, and their understanding of barriers to trade. Concludes that teaching fundamentals of international trade can be introduced as early as grade six. (DK)

International nuclear trade and nonproliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potter, W.C.

1990-01-01

The purpose of this book, the culmination of one phase of an ongoing international research project on nuclear suppliers and nonproliferation, is to explore the international political and economic dimensions of nuclear trade, especially as they pertain to the behavior of eleven emerging nuclear-supplier states. More specifically, the book sets forth a conceptual framework for analyzing international nuclear trade; details the domestic and external factors that shape the nuclear export policies of Argentina, Brazil, India, Israel, Japan, Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, South Korea, South Africa, Spain and Taiwan; and identifies and assesses alternative strategies for containing the new proliferation risks posed by these emerging suppliers. The book also describes an innovative effort to utilize a computer-based system for tracking international nuclear trade

Direct taxation and the WTO Agreements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Karsten Engsig

2002-01-01

Pursuant to the report published in the dispute concerning the US tax treatment of foreign sales corporations (FSC) the articles analyses the implication of the report for the tax systems of the WTO Members. Furthermore a parallel is drawn between the development with the WTO and within the Europ...

Entropy of international trades

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Chang-Young; Lee, D.-S.

2017-05-01

The organization of international trades is highly complex under the collective efforts towards economic profits of participating countries given inhomogeneous resources for production. Considering the trade flux as the probability of exporting a product from a country to another, we evaluate the entropy of the world trades in the period 1950-2000. The trade entropy has increased with time, and we show that it is mainly due to the extension of trade partnership. For a given number of trade partners, the mean trade entropy is about 60% of the maximum possible entropy, independent of time, which can be regarded as a characteristic of the trade fluxes' heterogeneity and is shown to be derived from the scaling and functional behaviors of the universal trade-flux distribution. The correlation and time evolution of the individual countries' gross-domestic products and the number of trade partners show that most countries achieved their economic growth partly by extending their trade relationship.

Global Trade Alert | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Global Trade Alert (GTA) will provide information in real time on national measures taken during the current global economic downturn that are likely to discriminate against foreign commerce. GTA will complement and go beyond World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Bank monitoring initiatives by identifying affected ...

International standards in mitigating trade risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Thiermann, A B

2011-04-01

This paper describes the role of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), as a science-based and democratic standard-setting organisation that provides guidance on preventing the spread of animal diseases, including zoonoses, in international trade. The World Trade Organization is identified as the international institution with the legal power to encourage adherence to international standards and mediate trade disputes. The importance of assuring good governance and the credibility of national Veterinary Services through a process of official certification is identified as an essential component in the safety of trade. Private-public partnerships and the evolution of responsibilities are also identified as essential for the implementation of health guarantees such as compartmentalisation. The rapid emergence of private standards is described as a potential complement to the implementation of sanitary standards, as long as they are applied globally and in support of the OIE standards. Ultimately, the biggest challenge is for the international community to create the incentives and generate the political will for fair trade and for the universal recognition and application of the established international sanitary standards.

The hidden hyperbolic geometry of international trade: World Trade Atlas 1870–2013

Science.gov (United States)

García-Pérez, Guillermo; Boguñá, Marián; Allard, Antoine; Serrano, M. Ángeles

2016-01-01

Here, we present the World Trade Atlas 1870–2013, a collection of annual world trade maps in which distance combines economic size and the different dimensions that affect international trade beyond mere geography. Trade distances, based on a gravity model predicting the existence of significant trade channels, are such that the closer countries are in trade space, the greater their chance of becoming connected. The atlas provides us with information regarding the long-term evolution of the international trade system and demonstrates that, in terms of trade, the world is not flat but hyperbolic, as a reflection of its complex architecture. The departure from flatness has been increasing since World War I, meaning that differences in trade distances are growing and trade networks are becoming more hierarchical. Smaller-scale economies are moving away from other countries except for the largest economies; meanwhile those large economies are increasing their chances of becoming connected worldwide. At the same time, Preferential Trade Agreements do not fit in perfectly with natural communities within the trade space and have not necessarily reduced internal trade barriers. We discuss an interpretation in terms of globalization, hierarchization, and localization; three simultaneous forces that shape the international trade system. PMID:27633649

National Versus International Mergers and Trade Liberalization

OpenAIRE

Yildiz, Halis Murat

2003-01-01

This paper uses an endogenous merger formation approach in a concentrated international oligopoly to examine the effects of trade liberalization on the nature of merger incentives (national vs. international). The effects of unilateral trade liberalization on a country’s industry structure are found to be depending on the other country’s trade policy regime. If the other country practices free trade, unilateral liberalization by a country yields international mergers whereas if it practices a...

Global trade and health: key linkages and future challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Bettcher, D W; Yach, D; Guindon, G E

2000-01-01

Globalization of trade, marketing and investment has important implications for public health, both negative and positive. This article considers the implications of the single package of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements for public health research and policy, focusing on three themes: commodities, intellectual property rights, and health services. The main aims of the analysis are as follows: to identify how trade issues are associated with the transnationalization of health risks and possible benefits; to identify key areas of research; and to suggest policy-relevant advice and interventions on trade and health issues. The next wave of international trade law will need to take more account of global public health issues. However, to become more engaged in global trade debates, the public health community must gain an understanding of the health effects of global trade agreements. It must also ensure that its own facts are correct, so that public health is not blindly used for political ends, such as justifying unwarranted economic protectionism. "Healthy trade" policies, based on firm empirical evidence and designed to improve health status, are an important step towards reaching a more sustainable form of trade liberalization.

The Level of African Engagement at the World Trade Organization from 1995 to 2010.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joan Apecu

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the level of individual and collective participation of African World Trade Organization (WTO Members in the Organization over a 15 year period, from 1995 to 2010. Specifically, it compares participation levels in three core areas of the WTO: regular committee work; Doha multilateral negotiations; and, dispute settlement. Primary data are collected and examined. Analysis showed that individual and collective participation by African WTO Members was nominal, minimal and largely ineffectual in relation to the group's significant membership share, in areas identified as priority, and compared to members' participation from other regions. The results of the analysis strongly suggest that the described level of participation of African countries is explained by the continuing inertia of a “special and differential exemption orientation”; misalignment in coordinating capital-driven domestic trade policy and economic reforms with the African WTO "Geneva frontline"; misallocation of negotiators across the core areas of work; a small trade share; and, to a lesser extent, specialised capacity handicaps. Furthermore, analysis indicated that the degree of engagement of participation of African WTO Members could be explained by levels of personal commitment and professional engagement of individual negotiators, regardless of capacity constraints and weaknesses. There were evident relationships between the level of African participation and the governance and institutional structures from which negotiators originated. Negotiators from systems with fragile democracies and weak governance structures tended to be tentative, largely inactive, inconsistent in participation and ineffectual in engagement. Within this overarching explanatory framework, specific variables have intervened in different combinations in the three areas of work to influence the levels of engagement, such as trade share levels, specific commercial interests, and

Introduction to International Trade.

Science.gov (United States)

Intercom, 1986

1986-01-01

Focusing mainly on United States-Japan relations, this issue provides 11 lesson plans and student handouts dealing with international trade topics such as protective tariffs, currency exchange rates, unofficial trade barriers, causes of unemployment, the balance of payments and the internationalization of the automobile industry. (JDH)

The Southern African Development Community Trade Legal Instruments Compliance with Certain Criteria of GATT Article XXIV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Saurombe

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT lays down the legal principles with which regional trade agreements have to conform. Based on these principles, WTO members have the mandate to determine the legality of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs under the GATT. Article XXIV permits both regional and bilateral preferential trade agreements leading to the formation of customs unions and free trade areas, and seeks to integrate them in the multilateral trading system envisioned for the world. SADC is an RTA created under this Article. Notwithstanding the controversies surrounding the provisions and interpretation of Article XXIV, this paper seeks to establish the extent to which the SADC Protocol on Trade and free trade area comply with WTO rules. An analysis of selected Article XXIV provisions and the SADC Trade Protocol provisions will be undertaken in trying to establish this compliance.

Methodological aspects on international biofuels trade: International streams and trade of solid and liquid biofuels in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinimoe, J.

2008-01-01

The use of biomass for fuel is increasing in industrialised countries. Rapidly developing biomass markets for energy purposes along with weak information on biofuels trade that statistics offer have been incentives for several recently published studies investigating the status of biofuels trade. The comparison of the studies is often challenging due particularly to the various approaches to the indirect trade of biofuels and the diverse data sources utilised. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the Finnish situation with respect to the status of the streams of international biofuels trade. Parallel to this, the study aimed to identify methodological and statistical challenges in observing international biofuels trade. The study analysed available statistical information and introduced a procedure to obtain a clear overview on import and export streams of biofuels. In Finland, the total direct import and export of biofuels, being mainly composed of wood pellets and tall oil, is tiny in comparison with the total consumption of biofuels. Instead, the indirect trade has remarkable importance. Large import volumes of industrial raw wood make Finland a net importer of biofuels. In 2004, approximately 22% (64 PJ) of wood-based energy in Finland originated from imported wood. The study showed that the indirect trade of biofuels may be a significant sector of global biofuels trade. In the case of Finland, a comprehensive compilation of statistics on energy and forestry enabled the determination of the trade status satisfactory. However, national and international statistics should be further developed to take better into consideration international trade and to support continuously developing biofuels markets. (author)

World Trade Organization: U.S. Experience in Dispute Settlement System: The First Five Years

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2000-01-01

... of multilateral trade rules. In addition, the Uruguay Round agreements established a new dispute settlement system, replacing that under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the predecessor to the WTO...

International trade and environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Posada L, Luis Guillermo

2000-01-01

Topics are presented as economic theory and theory of the international trade, international dimension of the environmental problems, economic prosperity, environmental quality and lineament are given for an alternative, among others

The Impact of Transport on International Trade Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlović Duško

2016-09-01

Full Text Available International trade implies transport of specific quantity of goods to (frequently large distances, the success of which depends on the safety and speed of delivery. These are greatly conditioned by the quality of means of transport and infrastructure. This is why international trade development is affected by transport, and the development of means of transport and infrastructure is, to a great extent, influenced by demand for international delivery of various commodities. This paper looks at the interdependence of international trade and transport, showing how transport played a very significant role in international trade development in the past as it does today, commensurate to the role of international trade in the development of carriers and transport infrastructure.

The trade regime and the climate regime. Institutional evolution and adaptation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brewer, Thomas L.

2003-01-01

This article addresses concerns that the multilateral trade regime centered in the WTO and the emerging climate regime may conflict in ways that could be damaging to either or both. The article discusses the institutional and diplomatic context of these concerns, and it identifies the kinds of issues that are in question. The analysis suggests that there are opportunities for win-win outcomes in the interactions of the two regimes, for instance in the possibility of reducing fossil fuel subsidies. However, there are also problematic areas where they intersect. A core issue-and as yet an unresolved one-is whether and how emission credit trading and other activities envisioned by the Kyoto Protocol would be subject to WTO rules. The resolution of this issue will affect many other issues as well. Additional specific issues about the interactions of particular provisions in WTO agreements and the Kyoto Protocol are analyzed in a subsequent companion article in Climate Policy

Measuring Gravity in International Trade Flows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Young Song

2004-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is two-fold. One is to clarify the concept of gravity in international trade flows. The other is to measure the strength of gravity in international trade flows in a way that is consistent with a well-defined concept of gravity. This paper shows that the widely accepted belief that specialization is the source of gravity is not well grounded on theory. We propose to define gravity in international trade as the force that makes the market shares of an exporting country constant in all importing countries, regardless of their sizes. In a stochastic context, we should interpret it as implying that the strength of gravity increases i as the correlation between market shares and market sizes gets weaker and ii as the variance of market shares gets smaller. We estimate an empirical gravity equation thoroughly based on this definition of gravity. We find that a strong degree of gravity exists in most bilateral trade, regardless of income levels of countries, and in trade of most manThe purpose of this paper is two-fold. One is to clarify the concept of gravity in international trade flows. The other is to measure the strength of gravity in international trade flows in a way that is consistent with a well-defined concept of gravity. This paper shows that the widely accepted belief that specialization is the source of gravity is not well grounded on theory. We propose to define gravity in international trade as the force that makes the market shares of an exporting country constant in all importing countries, regardless of their sizes. In a stochastic context, we should interpret it as implying that the strength of gravity increases i as the correlation between market shares and market sizes gets weaker and ii as the variance of market shares gets smaller. We estimate an empirical gravity equation thoroughly based on this definition of gravity. We find that a strong degree of gravity exists in most bilateral trade, regardless of

Trade Facilitation in Ethiopia:

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tilahun_EK

so doing, it attempts to examine how Ethiopia's WTO Accession and trade facilitation ... the more expensive imports, exports and production becomes rendering. Ethiopian ..... can reserve the right to refuse requests of importers for the fifth valuation method to ..... units may find it easier to deal with post clearance audit. In the ...

Preferences, country bias, and international trade

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Roy (Santanu); J.M.A. Viaene (Jean-Marie)

1998-01-01

textabstractAnalyzes international trade where consumer preferences exhibit country bias. Why country biases arise; How trade can occur in the presence of country bias; Implication for the pattern of trade and specialization.

76 FR 10082 - Office of International Trade; State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Grant Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-23

... translation fees, The design of international marketing products or campaigns, An export trade show exhibit... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Office of International Trade; State Trade and Export Promotion... Administrator of the Office of International Trade (OIT) that does not duplicate the services of other SBA...

The role of the World Trade Organization and the 'three sisters' (the World Organisation for Animal Health, the International Plant Protection Convention and the Codex Alimentarius Commission) in the control of invasive alien species and the preservation of biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, S; Pelgrim, W

2010-08-01

The missions of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) include the design of surveillance and control methods for infectious transboundary animal diseases (including zoonoses), the provision of guarantees concerning animal health and animal production food safety, and the setting of standards for, and promotion of, animal welfare. The OIE role in setting standards for the sanitary safety of international trade in animals and animal products is formally recognised in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement). While the primary focus of the OIE is on animal diseases and zoonoses, the OIE has also been working within the WTO framework to examine possible contributions the organisation can make to achieving the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity, particularly to preventing the global spread of invasive alien species (IAS). However, at the present time, setting standards for invasive species (other than those connected to the cause and distribution of diseases listed by the OIE) is outside the OIE mandate. Any future expansion of the OIE mandate would need to be decided by its Members and resources (expertise and financial contributions) for an extended standard-setting work programme secured. The other international standard-setting organisations referenced by the SPS Agreement are the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). The IPPC mandate and work programme address IAS and the protection of biodiversity. The CAC is not involved in this field.

48 CFR 252.225-7045 - Balance of Payments Program-Construction Material Under Trade Agreements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

.... Designated country means— (1) A World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA) country... another country, has been substantially transformed in a Free Trade Agreement country into a new and... Program-Construction Material Under Trade Agreements. 252.225-7045 Section 252.225-7045 Federal...

Community Resources for International Trade Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco, Virgil H.; Channing, Rose M.

1985-01-01

Describes Middlesex Community College's involvement in education and training programs aimed at encouraging local business involvement in international trade and the activities of its National Resource for International Trade Education (e.g., information dissemination; consulting services; seminars and workshops; a speakers bank; research; staff…

GLOBALIZATION AND TRADE LIBERALIZATION: “A THREAT OR AN OPPORTUNITY”?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrei-Stefan Enghiş

2006-07-01

Full Text Available The present paper attempts to evaluate the global economic system through the perspective of neoliberalism, which advocates for the continuous liberalization of trade and the progressive opening of the markets in different economic sectors. Seeking to observe the neoliberal vision on the world economy, the study relies on two speeches delivered by the former European Union’s Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy in a time span of four years, between 2000 and 2004, a period marked by two important WTO Ministerial Conferences: the Doha 2001 WTO Ministerial Conference and the Cancun 2003 WTO Ministerial Conference. Nonetheless, in order to provide a balanced analysis of the world economic system, the study provides a brief introspection into the other theoretical vision, alterglobalism, which advocates for a different understanding of the relations between trade liberalization, state intervention in the economy and the reduction of the existent economic disparities. The analysis is divided into three sections: the first section portrays the two antithetical visions, neoliberalism and alterglobalism, while the second one focuses exclusively on the person of Pascal Lamy and on the speeches that represent the core of this study. The third section consists in a comparative analysis of the two divergent economic perspectives, trying to identify the main opposing points, as well as those points on which the two economic perspectives may converge. The conclusion looks closely at the relations between globalization and trade liberalization and the criticism brought about by alterglobalism, the archrival of neoliberalism and trade liberalization. It also considers the relation between the two neoliberal speeches of the former EU Trade Commissioner, attempting to identify potential links or divergent attitudes between the two.

International Trade In Forest Products

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffrey P. Prestemon; Joseph Buongiomo; David N. Wear; Jacek P. Siry

2003-01-01

The 21st century continues a trend of rapid growth in both international trade of forest products and a concern for forests. These two trends are connected. Forces causing trade growth are linked to the loss of native forest resources in some countries and the accumulation of nonnative forest resources in other countries. Factors increasing trade...

50 CFR 300.182 - HMS international trade permit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false HMS international trade permit. 300.182... FISHERIES REGULATIONS International Trade Documentation and Tracking Programs for Highly Migratory Species § 300.182 HMS international trade permit. (a) General. An importer, entering for consumption fish or...

International trade of CITES listed bird species in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Linlin; Jiang, Zhigang

2014-01-01

Commercial trade of wild birds may devastate wild bird populations. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) controls the trade of wild species listed in its appendices to avoid these species being threatened by international trade. China used to be one of the major trading countries with significant bird trade with foreign countries; on the other hand, China is a country with unique avian fauna, many Important Bird Areas and critically endangered bird species. What is the role of the country in world wild bird trade? What kind of insights can we extract from trade records for improving future management of wild bird trade in the country? We retrieved and analyzed international trade records of the CITES listed bird species of China from 1981 to 2010 from the CITES Trade Database maintained by United Nations Environment Program and World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). We found that: (1) International trade of live birds in China peaked during the late 1990s, then decreased to the level before the surge of trade in a few years, the trade dynamics of wild birds may be affected by governmental policy and the outbreak of avian influenza during the period. (2) Most frequently traded CITES Appendix listed birds in China were parrots, most of which were exotic species to the country. (3) Birds were mainly traded for commercial purpose. Exotic birds in trade were mainly captive-bred while the most Chinese birds traded internationally were captured from the wild. Since many bird species in international trade are threatened to extinction, China should take stricter measures on importing of wild-captured birds and should collaborate with the countries of original in the international bird trade to avoid unsustainable harvesting of wild birds. It is urgent for China to carry out population surveys on those domestic bird species once in significant international trade and to make better conservation decisions based on

International Trade of CITES Listed Bird Species in China

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Linlin; Jiang, Zhigang

2014-01-01

Commercial trade of wild birds may devastate wild bird populations. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) controls the trade of wild species listed in its appendices to avoid these species being threatened by international trade. China used to be one of the major trading countries with significant bird trade with foreign countries; on the other hand, China is a country with unique avian fauna, many Important Bird Areas and critically endangered bird species. What is the role of the country in world wild bird trade? What kind of insights can we extract from trade records for improving future management of wild bird trade in the country? We retrieved and analyzed international trade records of the CITES listed bird species of China from 1981 to 2010 from the CITES Trade Database maintained by United Nations Environment Program and World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). We found that: (1) International trade of live birds in China peaked during the late 1990s, then decreased to the level before the surge of trade in a few years, the trade dynamics of wild birds may be affected by governmental policy and the outbreak of avian influenza during the period. (2) Most frequently traded CITES Appendix listed birds in China were parrots, most of which were exotic species to the country. (3) Birds were mainly traded for commercial purpose. Exotic birds in trade were mainly captive-bred while the most Chinese birds traded internationally were captured from the wild. Since many bird species in international trade are threatened to extinction, China should take stricter measures on importing of wild-captured birds and should collaborate with the countries of original in the international bird trade to avoid unsustainable harvesting of wild birds. It is urgent for China to carry out population surveys on those domestic bird species once in significant international trade and to make better conservation decisions based on

The Logistics Performance Effect in International Trade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azmat Gani

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The continuous growth in world trade depends on the efficiency of trade support structures such as the logistics services. Despite logistics integral role in supporting commercial activities, there has generally been a low level of analysis and trade policy research focus from trade practitioners. This paper explores the effect of logistics performance in international trade. The analysis draws on overall logistics performance as well as disaggregated measures of logistics specificities data for a large sample of countries. The empirical analysis involved the estimation of standard export and import equations incorporating measures of logistics performance. The findings show that the overall logistics performance is positively and statistically significantly correlated with exports and imports. The analysis is also extended by investigating if logistics specificities mattered for international trade. The findings reveal that several dimensions capturing logistics performance have statistically significant and positive effect, mostly on exports. The main policy implication is that continuous investment in logistics infrastructure and services can positively impact international trade.

The Effect of International Trade on Rule of Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junsok Yang

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we look at the relationship between international trade and the rule of law, using the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, which include index figures on human rights, limits on government powers, transparency and regulatory efficiency. Based on regression analyses using the rule of law index figures and international trade figures (merchandise trade, service trade, exports and importsIn this paper, we look at the relationship between international trade and the rule of law, using the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, which include index figures on human rights, limits on government powers, transparency and regulatory efficiency. Based on regression analyses using the rule of law index figures and international trade figures (merchandise trade, service trade, exports and imports as percentage of GDP, international trade and basic human rights seem to have little relationship; but trade has a close positive relationship with strong order and security. Somewhat surprisingly, regulatory transparency and effective implementation seems to have little or no effect on international trade and vice versa. International trade shows a clear positive relationship with the country’s criminal justice system, but the relationship with the civil justice system is not as clear as such. For regulatory implementation and civil justice, services trade positively affect these institutions, but these institutions in turn affect exports more strongly than services trade. Finally, the effect of trade on rule of law is stronger on a medium to long term (10-20 year time horizon.

75 FR 80038 - Notice of Meetings of the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade and the Agricultural...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-21

...Notice is hereby given that the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade (APAC) and the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees for Trade (ATAC) will hold closed meetings on January 13, 2011. The advisory committees are administered by USDA and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The meetings are closed to the public in accordance with the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2155(f)(2), and the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4) and (6). USTR has determined that public access to this meeting would seriously compromise the development by the U.S. Government of trade policy priorities, negotiating objectives, or bargaining positions with respect to the operation of trade agreements and other matters arising in connection with the development, implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United States. Topics will include Doha Round negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), WTO accession negotiations, and negotiations in bilateral and regional free trade agreements.

Protection of industry competitiveness, climate policy, and WTO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cros, Ch.

2007-01-01

This report analyses the possibilities left by the WTO to its members to compensate an additional cost which would result from a policy of struggle against climate change. In a first part, the author identifies the existing possibilities within WTO rules themselves: rules based of production processes, border tax adjustments, subsidies. In a second part, he questions the exception regime established by the GATT's article X X which allows under some circumstances some measures to be implemented which are not compliant with WTO rules

The Algerian Foreign Trade between the Multilateral Trading System and the Regionalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khayreddine Belaaze

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This contribution aims at highlighting a major challenge facing global trade and trade in developing countries. Indeed, regional and preferential trade agreements are now more than ever inconsistent and incoherent and one of the principles of the World Trade Organization, the clause of the most favored nation requiring eliminated all forms of discrimination between trading parties, but what we see in regional trade agreements that the preferential tariffs based on a principle of discrimination. All regional trade agreements granting preferential tariffs between member countries, these preferences do not include the remains of non-member countries (rest of world. On the other hand, preferential tariffs are lower than MFN rates. Meanwhile, the number of regional agreements has doubled since 1995 date creation of the WTO, and Algeria like other developing countries considered one of countries which have not benefit a lot from this situation.

The EU as an actor at the WTO: its strengths and weaknesses throughout history

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana GARCIANDÍA GARMENDIA

2012-06-01

Full Text Available During the last decade, many reforms took place in the European Union legal and policy framework. Some of those reforms were motivated by the participation of the European Union and its member States in the World Trade Organization. This paper aims to analyze the role of the European Union as an actor in that organization, paying special attention to its mixed legal nature – EU and Member States. With that purpose, the evolution of the relationship between the EU member States and the EU itself as simultaneous actors at the WTO is studied. The division of competences is also reviewed. Finally, the analysis of the EU position in different negotiation rounds (Uruguay, Doha for the agricultural sector is reviewed as an example of the evolution in the protection of European interests. The paper shows that some changes in the Treaty of Lisbon have strengthened the legal framework for the EU to be heard with a unique voice in the WTO

Latin American think tank helps trade talks smarten up | CRDI ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The Latin American Trade Network (LATN) was created to fill an obvious gap, recalls economist Andrés Rius. Latin American governments needed good research to be able to participate effectively in negotiations then under way at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and elsewhere. Those talks were shaking up the ways ...

Open Day at the World Trade Organization

CERN Multimedia

2009-01-01

On Sunday 6 September, the World Trade Organization will open its doors to the public. Throughout the day there will be guided tours of the building, which will reveal the many works of art donated by countries over the years; on the main terrace, food stands will give visitors a flavour of the worldwide membership of the WTO and provide the opportunity to sample regional specialities; and children can have fun with face painting, a bouncy castle and a drawing contest on the theme "Draw me globalization" and/or "Draw me the WTO". The full programme of activities

Trade-related Electronic Commerce Issues in the OECD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang-In Yoon

1998-12-01

Full Text Available The trade committee of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD has begun the study of the trade related to electronic commerce since 1997. The scale of the study on one hand has avoided the fact of copy and duplication of WTO and its organizational principles, on the other hand it has played a supplementary and supportive function. At present, digital-related product, such as computers, software and travel is the key point to the trade which resorts to electronic commerce. It is predicted that this trend will go on. The study on electronic commerce could be summed up into three main components: First, according to the phase of the trade, it could be divided into advertisement, purchase, delivery and payment. Second, issues on electronic commerce in the international trade; such as the issue that leads to the unfairness and non-neutrality of the searching engine in international service trade. Besides, domain name, trademarks and the issue of middleman which exist at the moment in the electronic commerce are activated and will also be discussed. Third, issues of the trade policy related to the electronic commerce. For instance, the kernel principles which support the multi-trade regulation, including transparency, indiscrimination, anti-dumping, flexible trade, government arrangement, tariff and competition policy and so on. Under this background, we should explore way in formulating hypotheses with preconceived issues, validating the electronic commerce trade on the spot, actualizing the study on the application of electronic commerce coming with the GATS regulation, seeking the countermeasure in the future trade policy, such as benefit policy to the electronic commerce department and electronic commerce strategy approach of certain enterprises, etc.

International Trade and Labor Market Discrimination

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R. Chisik (Richard); J.E. Namini (Julian Emami)

2016-01-01

textabstractWe embed a competitive search model with labor market discrimination, or nepotism, into a two-sector, two-country framework in order to analyze how labor market discrimination impacts the pattern of international trade and also how trade trade affects discrimination. Discrimination, or

A FRAMEWORK FOR TRANSPARENCY IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernal Turnes, Paloma

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to cover the gap in literature about transparency in the context of international trade facilitation. It focuses on the importance of transparency in achieving growth in international trade and the differences between non-transparent practices and corruption in global trade. Managing the disclosure of information about rules, regulations and laws is not the only trade policy instrument where transparency becomes important. To build a framework on levels of transparency we developed a matrix classifying the transparency of each country based on ease of doing business and levels of bribery. Four different strategies are explained based on the different scenarios of transparency in international trade. The main conclusions reflect that disclosure of information is not enough to guarantee transparency and monitoring of transparency must be improved.

US files WTO complaints against Brazil over requirement for "local working" of patents.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, R

2000-01-01

At the end of May 2000, the US (later joined by the European Communities) filed a complaint against Brazil at the World Trade Organization (WTO), alleging Brazil was in violation of its obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement) and the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Brazilian legislation that came into force in 1997 establishes that, in order to enjoy exclusive patent rights in Brazil, the holder of a patent on an invention must satisfy a "local working" requirement. In other words, the patent holder must "work" the patent in Brazil to enjoy full patent protection. If it fails to do this, the law says it shall be subject to the possibility of the government issuing a compulsory license, allowing someone else to use the invention and pay a royalty fee to the patent holder.

Implementation of International Standards in Russia's Foreign Trade Statistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia E. Grigoruk

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the basic documents of international organizations in recent years, which have become the global standard for the development and improvement of statistics of foreign economic relations of most countries, including the Russian Federation. The article describes the key features of the theory and practice of modern foreign trade statistics in Russia and abroad, with an emphasis on the methodological problems of its main parts - the external trade statistics. It shows their interpretation in the most recent recommendations by UN statistical apparatus and other international organizations; considers a range of problems associated with the implementation of the national statistical practices of countries, including Russia and the countries of the Customs Union, the main international standard of foreign trade statistics - UN document "International Merchandise Trade Statistics". The main attention is paid to methodological issues such as: the criteria for selecting the objects of statistical accounting in accordance with international standards, quantitative and cost parameters of foreign trade statistics, statistical methods and estimates of commodity exports and imports, the problems of comparability of data; to a comparison of international standards in 2010 with documents on key precursor methodology of foreign trade statistics, characterized by the practice of introducing these standards in the foreign trade statistics of Russia and the countries of the Customs Union. The article analyzes the content given in the official statistical manuals of Russia foreign trade and foreign countries, covers the main methodological problems of World Trade in conjunction with the major current international statistical standards - System of National Accounts, Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services and other documents; provides specific data describing the current structure of Russian foreign trade and especially its

Does corruption discourage international trade?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, E. de; Bogmans, C.W.J.

2011-01-01

We use measures of trade-related corruption to investigate the effects of corruption on international trade and compare the results with those of corruption in general. We distinguish corruption in an exporting economy from that in an importing economy. Both distinctions appear to be important.

WTO uks läks Venemaa ees lukku

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2008-01-01

Pärast Gruusia konflikti USA kaubandusministri Carlos Gutierreze Venemaa WTO-sse astumise vastast avaldust ütles Venemaa lahti mitmest WTO-ga sõlmitud lepingust ning on juba varemgi loobunud läbirääkimiste käigus järeleandmiste tegemisest

Effects of WTO on the Textile Industry on Developing Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Abdul Sattar Shah

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The current investigates the Effects of WTO on the Textile Industry on Developing Countries. Data were collected from various secondary sources and data is analyzed by using SPSS-20 version statistical software. It was revealed that WTO more industrialized countries consented to export fewer textiles while less industrialized countries enjoyed increased quotas for exporting their textiles. Bangladesh was expected to suffer the most from the ending of the MFA because it was expected to face more competition, particularly from China, it has tried to maintain its competitiveness in the post-quota era. It was further revealed that It has also been examined that all over the world textile industries are facing high inflation which is the hottest issue due to which the cost of doing business is going higher and higher day by day. The Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi textile manufacturers are also out of those affected ones whose major issues are associated with increased cost of production. China’s dominance of the global garments trade has also been affected due to the rise in the costs of material, labour, energy, environmental protection and high interest rate. Furthermore, the environmental standard is also a barrier to many Chinese enterprises; even most of the Chinese enterprises have inputted environmental Standard.

Opportunities of Trade in Services between the EU and Ukraine: the Case of Telecommunications Services under the GATS and the Association Agreement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Batura, Olga; Kretova, Olga A.

This working paper studies the legal and regulatory conditions for trade in ser- vices between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine on the example of tele- communications services that are important carrier services for various busi- ness activities in the cross-border trade. The paper outlines...... the general frame- work for trade in services under the GATS as expressed in the commitments undertaken by Ukraine and examines the detailed provisions of the EU- Ukraine Association Agreement on trade liberalisation and regulatory approx- imation that is a WTO-extra agreement. It also provides an overview...... – the internal mar- ket treatment – is difficult to reach due to unclear and complicated rules on regulatory approximation. Key words: EU, Ukraine, trade in services, telecommunications services, liber- alisation, regulatory approximation...

75 FR 23223 - Meetings of the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade and the Agricultural Technical...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-03

...Notice is hereby given that the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade (APAC) and the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees for Trade (ATACs) will hold closed meetings on May 6, 2010. The advisory committees are administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The meetings are closed to the public in accordance with the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2155(f)(2), and the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4)(6). USTR has determined that public access to the meetings would seriously compromise the development by the U.S. government of trade policy priorities, negotiating objectives, or bargaining positions with respect to the operation of trade agreements and other matters arising in connection with the development, implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United States. Topics will include Doha Round negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), WTO accession negotiations, and negotiations in bilateral and regional free trade agreements.

Search Results | Page 847 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Results 8461 - 8470 of 8491 ... Redesigning the World Trade Organization for the Twenty-First Century. Rather than simply analyzing the current functioning of the WTO, its problems and challenges, this volume is also a call to action. It lays out proposals that are likely to become a blueprint for reform of the WTO as an ...

An examination of the International Natural Gas Trade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazighi, A.

2003-01-01

Recent developments in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, particularly the ongoing projects of liquefaction and regasification and the increasing number of LNG-carriers to be delivered in forthcoming years, have led some specialists to argue that LNG is today a crossroads between regionalisation and globalisation. Other specialists think that, by LNG's share of the total international trade of natural gas will be predominant, compared to that of pipelines. All these assumptions are based on an examination of the duration and ongoing international gas projects. The objective of our article is to examine the historical patterns of the international natural gas and discuss the conditions for the globalisation of LNG trade. Using some evidence on the international trade of natural gas from 1970 to 1997, we show the A strong correlation exists between the international trade of gas by pipeline and LNG becomes predominant, we need a delinking of these two means of trading gas. Globalisation of the LNG trade is not only linked to an increase in the relative share trade; it is also and primarily linked to an increase in the inter-area trade of LNG. There is a negligible change in the pattern of inter-area and intra-area trade of even during the late 1990s; this is due to the contracted nature of the LNG international that resulted in a stickiness of LNG routes. The emergence of a global LNG market requires the satisfaction of four conditions: economic, technical and institutional conditions - therefore, it will certainly take more years to make ING a global commodity. (author)

Developments in international bioenergy trade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Junginger, Martin; Faaij, Andre; Wit, Marc de; Bolkesjoe, Torjus; Bradley, Douglas; Dolzan, Paulo; Piacente, Erik; Walter, Arnaldo da Silva; Heinimoe, Jussi; Hektor, Bo; Leistad, Oeyvind; Ling, Erik; Perry, Miles; Rosillo-Calle, Frank; Ryckmans, Yves; Schouwenberg, Peter-Paul; Solberg, Birger; Troemborg, Erik

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present a synthesis of the main developments and drivers of international bioenergy trade in IEA Bioenergy Task 40 member countries, based on various country reports written by Task 40 members. Special attention is given to pellet and ethanol trade. In many European countries such as Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, imported biomass contributes already significantly (between 21% and 43%) to total biomass use. Wood pellets are currently exported by Canada, Finland and (to a small extent) Brazil and Norway, and imported by Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK. In the Netherlands and Belgium, pellet imports nowadays contribute to a major share to total renewable electricity production. Trade in bio-ethanol is another example of a rapidly growing international market. With the EU-wide target of 5.75% biofuels for transportation in 2010 (and 10% in 2020), exports from Brazil and other countries to Europe are likely to rise as well. Major drivers for international bioenergy trade in general are the large resource potentials and relatively low production costs in producing countries such as Canada and Brazil, and high fossil fuel prices and various policy incentives to stimulate biomass use in importing countries. However, the logistic infrastructure both in exporting and importing countries needs to be developed to access larger physical biomass volumes and to reach other (i.e. smaller) end-consumers. It is concluded that international bioenergy trade is growing rapidly, far beyond what was deemed possible only a few years ago, and may in the future in some Task 40 countries surpass domestic biomass use, especially for specific applications (e.g. transport fuels). (author)

After Doha: Evolution or Revolution in the Trading System?

OpenAIRE

Hufbauer, Gary; Pischedda, Costantino

2007-01-01

We forecast a six-month extension of the Trade Promotion Authority, until December 2007, so that the Doha Development Round can be brought to a conclusion. With an extension of TPA, we expect shallow results will be achieved in the DDR during the rest of 2007, with many of the negative consequences described in our first scenario. To keep the WTO in the game and to keep hope alive, we predict that, at the end of DDR negotiations, WTO ministers will announce a series of plurilateral talks for ...

Trade-related Electronic Commerce Issues in the OECD

OpenAIRE

Chang-In Yoon

1998-01-01

The trade committee of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has begun the study of the trade related to electronic commerce since 1997. The scale of the study on one hand has avoided the fact of copy and duplication of WTO and its organizational principles, on the other hand it has played a supplementary and supportive function. At present, digital-related product, such as computers, software and travel is the key point to the trade which resorts to electronic commerce...

International trade in nuclear fuel cycle services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

May, D.

1989-01-01

This paper analyses and discusses general trends in international trade in nuclear fuel cycle services with particular emphasis on the development of trading patterns between Europe, North America and the Far East. The paper also examines the role of collaborative ventures in the development of the nuclear industry. Barriers to international trade, the effect of government regulations and restrictions and the impact of non-proliferation issues are discussed. (author)

The Use of Decompositions in International Trade Textbooks.

Science.gov (United States)

Highfill, Jannett K.; Weber, William V.

1994-01-01

Asserts that international trade, as compared with international finance or even international economics, is primarily an applied microeconomics field. Discusses decomposition analysis in relation to international trade and tariffs. Reports on an evaluation of the treatment of this topic in eight college-level economics textbooks. (CFR)

A theory of global trade law and the WTO

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Delimatsis, Panagiotis

2015-01-01

Trade regulation may never have been in more flux than it is now. Other than the emergence of ‘megaregionals’ (such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership-TTIP or the Trans-pacific Partnership-TPP) and the difficulties in finalizing the Doha Development Agenda, increased heterogeneity

FEATURES OF WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT. THE STANDING OF THE EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Costin Horia Rogoveanu

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The WTO has an innovative system of dispute settlement, with the following features: sui-generis, integrated, resolving the disputes according to the WTO agreements, excluding unilateral solutions, interstate system. These features are detailed in the present article. Another level of analysis concerns the standing of the EU in the WTO, in general, and in the Geneva proceedings for dispute settlement, in particular. Generated by the quality of the European Communities statute as an original member of the Organisation, the EU has become one of the main users of the WTO dispute settlement system. One of the main challenges of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism is the implementation of decisions. In view of the cases assessed, while the execution record of the EU is a quite satisfactory one, it is apparent that implementation of decisions in more intricate cases creates difficulties at the Union level.

Extension Resources for International Trade

Science.gov (United States)

Seal, Susan D.

2016-01-01

With the opening of additional trade partnerships, the reduction of global transportation and communication costs, and the increase in demand for U.S. agricultural products and services, international trade is an area of great importance to more and more Extension clients and stakeholders. This article provides information about the primary…

The "institutional factor" in the theory of international trade: new vs. old trade theories

OpenAIRE

Parrinello, Sergio

2000-01-01

Abstract The New Trade Theory presents novel perspectives compared to the Old Theories of international trade. Increasing returns and different institutional arrangements can explain the international specialization and trade flows even between countries which are identical in terms of factor endowments, technology and preferences for private goods. In this context the pattern of trade cannot be determined by a price/cost comparison of isolated countries. Comparative advantages can be affe...

Minimum quality standards and international trade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baltzer, Kenneth Thomas

2011-01-01

This paper investigates the impact of a non-discriminating minimum quality standard (MQS) on trade and welfare when the market is characterized by imperfect competition and asymmetric information. A simple partial equilibrium model of an international Cournot duopoly is presented in which a domes...... prefer different levels of regulation. As a result, international trade disputes are likely to arise even when regulation is non-discriminating....

WTO Accession, Foreign Bank Entry, and the Productivity of Chinese Manufacturing Firms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lai, Tat-kei; Qian, Zhenjie; Wang, Luhang

2016-01-01

After China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2001, foreign banks are allowed to enter the Chinese banking market in phases. Using firm-level data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China which cover all state-owned and non state-owned manufacturing firms...... with sales over 5 million RMB, we examine the relationship between foreign bank entry and the industry-level productivity growth of China’s manufacturing sector. Our empirical results suggest that (a) on average, opening up a region for foreign bank entry has no impact on aggregate productivity growth, (b...

International Government-Procurement Obligations of the United States: An Overview

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tatelman, Todd B

2005-01-01

.... The most notable agreements are contained in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement and the procurement chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA...

Search Results | Page 826 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Results 8251 - 8260 of 8531 ... Assessment of the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA) and its effects ... Labour market integration in ASEAN, and labour market reforms being undertaken ... Customs Union : implications for trade and WTO accession ... in the ECU include impacts of the common external tariff on its trade ...

77 FR 30355 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-22

... already a designated country under the WTO GPA. Although the rule now opens up Government procurement to... Korea is already party to the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement. DATES... note)). The Republic of Korea is already party to the World Trade Organization Government Procurement...

Prospects of international trade in irradiated foods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loaharanu, P.

1990-01-01

Irradiation is gaining recognition as a physical process for reducing food losses, enhancing hygienic quality of food and facilitating food trade. At present, 36 countries have approved the use of irradiation for processing collectively over 40 food items either on an unconditional or restricted basis. Commercial use of irradiated foods and food ingredients is being carried out in 22 countries. Technology transfer on food irradiation is being intensified to local industry in different regions. Worldwide, a total of 40 commercial/demonstration irradiators available for treating foods have been or are being constructed. Acceptance and control of international trade in irradiated foods were discussed at the International Conference on the Acceptance, Control of and Trade in Irradiated Food, jointly convened by FAO, IAEA, WHO and ITC-UNCTAD/GATT in Geneva, Switzerland, 12-16 December 1988. An ''International Document on Food Irradiation'' was adopted by consensus at this Conference which will facilitate wider acceptance and control of international trade in irradiated foods. (author)

77 FR 40553 - High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act; Identification and Certification Procedures...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-10

.... obligations under applicable international trade law, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement... CONTACT: Laura Cimo, Trade and Marine Stewardship Division, Office of International Affairs, NMFS, at (301... organizations calling for international restrictions on the fishing activities or practices described in the...

Fair trade international surrogacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Humbyrd, Casey

2009-12-01

Since the development of assisted reproductive technologies, infertile individuals have crossed borders to obtain treatments unavailable or unaffordable in their own country. Recent media coverage has focused on the outsourcing of surrogacy to developing countries, where the cost for surrogacy is significantly less than the equivalent cost in a more developed country. This paper discusses the ethical arguments against international surrogacy. The major opposition viewpoints can be broadly divided into arguments about welfare, commodification and exploitation. It is argued that the only valid objection to international surrogacy is that surrogate mothers may be exploited by being given too little compensation. However, the possibility of exploitation is a weak argument for prohibition, as employment alternatives for potential surrogate mothers may be more exploitative or more harmful than surrogacy. It is concluded that international surrogacy must be regulated, and the proposed regulatory mechanism is termed Fair Trade Surrogacy. The guidelines of Fair Trade Surrogacy focus on minimizing potential harms to all parties and ensuring fair compensation for surrogate mothers.

INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL TRADE WITH POTATOES (2009 - 2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dragoş Mihai MEDELETE

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The paper refers to the situation related to the potato world trade, 2009-2011. Defining aspects of this issue begin by presenting the sequence of continental entities defined by the FAO (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania, and then presents the study of global imports and exports, and positioning Romania in performing acts of international exchange - in the context of those mentioned above. During the material, given the composition of the trade balance of international trade presents strict export and import situation - in terms of value, subject to quantitative aspects of other scientific approaches. This (look value is more relevant to what is happening on the international market.

Using the WTO/TBT enquiry point to monitor tendencies in the regulation of environment, health, and safety issues affecting the chemical industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Pio Borges Menezes, Rodrigo; Maria de Souza Antunes, Adelaide

2005-04-01

The growing importance of technical regulation affecting the use and sale of chemical products is a topic of interest not only for the chemical industry, but also for governments, nongovernmental organizations, consumers, and interested communities. The results of such regulation on behalf of the environment, health and safety of individuals, as well as its economic effects on industrial activity, are well understood in the United States and recently in the European Union. In less developed countries, however, the general level of public understanding of these issues is still minimal. It is common knowledge that the so-called "regulatory asymmetry" between countries at different levels of development contributes to the establishment of technical barriers to trade. Such asymmetries, however, also have other impacts: the displacement of polluting industrial sectors to countries which have less demanding regulations, the concentration of unsafe and harmful environmental conditions in certain parts of the globe, and the competitive disadvantage for industries located in countries where control is more rigid. This study analyses information on a wide range of technical regulations issued by World Trade Organization (WTO) members, and focuses on those regulations that affect the chemical industry. This information is available through the WTO Enquiry Points, organizations created in each country to administrate the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (TBT). This article consists of an analysis of 4,301 notifications of technical regulations by WTO member states in the 7-year period following the establishment of the WTO in 1995. Starting from this mass of information, 585 notifications that affect the circulation or use of chemical products were isolated. Of this group, 71% refer to only 15 countries. This group of notifications was further classified according to their motivation (the environment, health, safety), by the type of product affected (medications, fuels

Evolution of international trade and investment networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shuhong; Wang, Lin; Liu, Zhixin; Wang, Xiaofan

2016-11-01

In this paper, an evolving two-layer international economy network (IEN) consisting of international trade network (ITN) and international investment network (IIN) as layers, is constructed to investigate the world economy from 2001 to 2010. First, the structure analysis shows that the average partner numbers for both trade and investment are increasing year by year, and the average volume has a significant decrease in 2008 for investment and 2009 for trade. The IIN has longer average path length and dramatically lower edge density compared with the ITN, yet its clustering coefficient is larger in all years. Then, the regional relativity indicates that the longer the distance between two countries, the smaller trade and investment volumes they carry in are general, and the impact of the geographical distance gradually reduces as time goes on. Furthermore, the countries and regions are ranked by Pagerank in ITN, IIN and IEN to illustrate the roles they played. And finally, community structures are detected to visualize the global economic landscape, with countries and regions in the same community ranked according to the total volume of trade or investment.

A WORLD-SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE OF THE WTO DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND

OpenAIRE

Panagakou Georgopoulou, Ilia

2013-01-01

The following study is an historical analysis of the WTO Doha Round negotiations using a world-systems perspective. The thesis tries to answer the following research question: why is the Doha Development Round not producing the desired and expected results? To answer this question, this study has used primary material from the WTO online archives, especially from the biennial sessions of the Ministerial Conference, in order to assess WTO member states’ positions on the topics discussed, as we...

121 | Page WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION (WTO): TRADE ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Fr. Ikenga

third world states belong to the class of developing countries. .... cuts in tariff on agriculture and manufacturing.18 In many instances, this proved ..... will be accepted for reasons of international standards such as safety and packaging which for.

The world trade organisation, human rights and development

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

M The Political Economy of the World Trading System: The WTO and Beyond .... enhancement of immunizations programmes and other strategies for controlling ... many African countries faced the “problem of poverty” which rendered them ... attendant opportunistic infections typically cost almost 15 times as much as their.

The trading relationship between the EU and Mercosur: the mediatory role of Brazil

OpenAIRE

Santos, Filipa Daniela Gomes dos

2015-01-01

Dissertação de mestrado em European and Transglobal Business Law The global multilateralism has been the option for the expansion of trade and economic investments. The objectives of free trade exceeded the traditional notion of trade in goods liberalization to include contemporary topics such as services, investment and intellectual property and to be consistent with the rules established by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The interest of developing countries to impleme...

Rules-of-trade for international nuclear commerce

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, W.R.

1978-07-01

The rules-of-trade are those treaties, laws, executive agreements, and implementing regulations that apply to international transfers of nuclear materials, equipment, technology, or skilled personnel. The rules-of-trade are a key element in assuring the international commerce that facilitates deployment of nuclear energy will not also facilitate the manufacture of nuclear explosive devices. But the rules must be pertinent, enforceable, and understandable. The two principal problems of current rules-of-trade concern their enforceability and their flexibility; these are discussed at some length. The following additional concerns are described briefly: fast breeder reactors, spent fuel management, nonconforming parties, eligibility for international financing, fair competition and equity, and pre-existing facilities

Do Austerity Measures Harm International Trade?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorin Iulian CHIRIŢOIU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the trade relations between Romania and the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain in order to verify whether the exports of Romania have been positively or negatively affected by the austerity measures adopted by these Eurozone periphery countries, thus diminishing Romania’s export performance in such markets. Hence, our main research question is whether austerity measures harm or affect in any way the inflows and outflows of international trade in the studied countries. To assess this hypothesis, we focused on the external trade relations, and their linkages with the macroeconomic environment, rather than the competitiveness of a state explained by a detailed sectoral analysis. In this respect, we use comparative and descriptive statistics in order to observe the consequences of the internal devaluation, and implicitly austerity measures, on the PIIGS-Romanian trade relations. Our findings suggest that the effects of austerity measures are not homogenous because they depend on the scale of trade exchanges and on the way in which the austerity measures were applied.

Search Results | Page 912 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Results 9111 - 9120 of 9602 ... ... "Bali package" on the issues that are currently engaging WTO Members. ... SUPPLY CHAIN EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES SURVEYS ... Border Transportation Agreement (CBTA), two important initiatives for ... Trade costs and impacts of trade facilitation on manufacturing exports by Thailand.

The Correlation between Game Theory and International Trade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona-Valeria TOMA

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The Correlation between Game Theory and International TradeAbstract:Game theory, in its most basic form, considers two or more players and analyses the different strategies that they can use and the effect that these strategies will have on each player. International trade allows countries to use better their resources (labor, technology or capital. Since countries have different capital or natural resources, some of them will produce a good more efficiently than others and therefore could sell it cheaper than other countries. By using game theory in international trade we could determine if the Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model is correct and what would be the best specialization for each country. The aim of this paper is to test if game theory could be successfully used in a thorough analysis of international trade specialization.

Trade and health: an agenda for action

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Richard D; Lee, Kelley; Drager, Nick

2009-01-01

The processes of contemporary globalisation are creating ever-closer ties between individuals and populations across different countries. The health of a population, and the systems in place to deliver health care, are affected increasingly by factors beyond the population and health system. The Lancet’s Series on trade and health has provided an overview of these links between international trade, trade liberalisation, and health, and raised the key issues that face the health community. In this final paper in the Series, we call for a substantial and sustained effort by those within the health profession to engage with issues of trade, to strengthen institutional capacity in this area, and to place health higher on the agenda of trade negotiations. The rapid rise of trade agreements and treaties, as well as trade that occurs beyond these institutional boundaries, means that further action is required by a range of actors, including WHO, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), regional agencies, foundations, national governments, civil society, non-governmental organisations, and academics. The stewardship of a domestic health system in the 21st century requires a sophisticated understanding of how trade affects, and will affect, a country’s health system and policy, to optimise opportunities to benefit health and health care while minimising the risks posed though the assertion of health goals in trade policy. To acheive this will place a premium on all those engaged in health to understand the importance of trade and to engage with their counterparts involved in trade and trade policy. We hope that this Series has prompted the reader to become involved in these efforts. PMID:19167056

Trade and health: an agenda for action.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Richard D; Lee, Kelley; Drager, Nick

2009-02-28

The processes of contemporary globalisation are creating ever-closer ties between individuals and populations across different countries. The health of a population, and the systems in place to deliver health care, are affected increasingly by factors beyond the population and health system. The Lancet's Series on trade and health has provided an overview of these links between international trade, trade liberalisation, and health, and raised the key issues that face the health community. In this final paper in the Series, we call for a substantial and sustained effort by those within the health profession to engage with issues of trade, to strengthen institutional capacity in this area, and to place health higher on the agenda of trade negotiations. The rapid rise of trade agreements and treaties, as well as trade that occurs beyond these institutional boundaries, means that further action is required by a range of actors, including WHO, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), regional agencies, foundations, national governments, civil society, non-governmental organisations, and academics. The stewardship of a domestic health system in the 21st century requires a sophisticated understanding of how trade affects, and will affect, a country's health system and policy, to optimise opportunities to benefit health and health care while minimising the risks posed though the assertion of health goals in trade policy. To acheive this will place a premium on all those engaged in health to understand the importance of trade and to engage with their counterparts involved in trade and trade policy. We hope that this Series has prompted the reader to become involved in these efforts.

Trade Facilitation Indicators and their Potential Impact on Trade Between the Countries of South-Eastern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toševska-Trpčevska Katerina

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper we base our analysis on previous OECD findings and analysis of trade facilitation indicators for assessing relative economic and trade impact of specific trade facilitation measures for the countries of South-Eastern Europe. In the analysis we plan to include all CEFTA-2006 members, except Moldova, and other countries which are part of this region: Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. We plan to construct twelve trade facilitation indicators (TFIs that correspond to the main policy areas under negotiations at the WTO. The indicators are composed from seventy-eight variables, whose values are drawn from publicly available data. We plan to use these indicators in gravity model in order to estimate the impact of those policy areas on trade volumes between the countries of the region. The use of individual trade facilitation indicators should also enable countries to better assess which trade facilitation measures deserve priority.

Biotrade1: international trade in renewable energy from biomass

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agterberg, A.E.; Faaij, A.P.C.

1998-01-01

This paper discusses international trade in renewable energy from biomass. Main objective is to compare options for international trade in energy from biomass and to compare these options with non-trade options like domestic use of biomass and afforestation. Aspects that are taken into account are

The Role of Psychic Distance in International Trade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Håkanson, Lars

2014-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance to international trade of impediments related to, first, geographic distance, such as freight and other costs related to the movement of physical goods, and second, “psychic distance”, such as the costs and difficulties of transferr......Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance to international trade of impediments related to, first, geographic distance, such as freight and other costs related to the movement of physical goods, and second, “psychic distance”, such as the costs and difficulties...... of transferring and interpreting the information necessary to effect international transactions. Design/methodology/approach – The paper highlights that psychic distance perceptions between countries are not symmetric and that both exporters’ and importers’ perceptions are important. The empirical analysis covers...... international trade in three categories of goods among 25 major trading nations for the period 1962-2008, employing structural equation modeling, incorporating the mutual interdependence of the distance measures. Findings – Exporters’ perceptions are more important for trade in differentiated products than...

Which Antidumping Cases Reach the WTO?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kokko, Ari; Tingvall, Patrik Gustavsson; Videnord, Josefin

the different levels of disputes, as cases proceed from notifications to requests for consultations and third party adjudication at the WTO. The US is the main user of AD measures, as well as the main target for complaints at the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body. However, emerging markets have increasingly started...... using AD law to protect their domestic firms. We find that the typical AD notification is submitted by an upper middle-income country, and it focuses on a medium low-technology industry with differentiated products, but low relationship-specificity. The most typical complainant at the WTO is also...

The Government's Role in Facing the Injustice of Global Trade

OpenAIRE

Sood, Muhammad

2013-01-01

Despite the controversy about the liberalization of trade, however the government of Indonesia has ratified the WTO provisions by the discharge of the Act Number 7 Year 1994 concerning the Agreement on establishment of the World Trade Organization. This is a fact of law that formed base on the political will of the Indonesian government to encourage the free trade system as an impact of the circulation of the vital flow of goods, services, capital and labor among countries in both the regiona...

WTO og skatteret

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Karsten Engsig

2005-01-01

Artiklen analyserer hvordan WTO-retten, særligt GATT-, GATS- og subsidieaftalen, kan påvirke indholdet af national skatteret. Udover en drøftelse af princippet om national behandling og mest begunstigelsesprincippet drøftes hvordan subsidieaftalen kan påvirke de nationale principper om global con...... contra territorial beskatning og reglerne om transfer pricing....

Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis

OpenAIRE

Daniel Drache

2011-01-01

A fundamental change is taking place in the global economy, and the standoff in the Doha Round has raised many questions about the World Trade Organization’s troubled architecture (Khor, 2009). So far, the quest for renewed policy coherence in the rules-based multilateral system has produced stalemate rather than reform. The analysis that follows explores the proposition that, without the metaphoric ‘knife at its throat’ to shock it to its senses, the WTO will continue in the short term to be...

Foreign experience of regulating international trade transactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klymenko L. V.

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the international experience of state regulating international trade transactions; nature, directions and contradictions of contemporary processes of globalization are defined; components of regulatory and incentive means in system of state supporting foreign trade activity of commodity producers are considered; general provisions for the improvement of state regulation mechanisms of export-import activities in Ukraine are determined.

INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNANCE AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henri L.F. de GROOT

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Ineffective institutions and bad governance increase transaction costs and reduce international transport flows. In this paper, we empirically investigate this basic notion, and we show that it can account for several, so far, somewhat puzzling results in the empirical literature estimating gravity equations of bilateral trade. More specifically, we show that differences in the quality and effectiveness of institutions offer an explanation for the tendency of OECD countries to trade disproportionately with each other, and with non-OECD countries, as well as for the positive effect of GDP per capita on bilateral trade.

International trade agreements: a threat to tobacco control policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, E R; Brenner, J E; Houston, T P

2005-08-01

International covenants establish a role for governments in ensuring the conditions for human health and wellbeing, which has been recognised as a central human right. International trade agreements, conversely, prioritize the rights of corporations over health and human rights. International trade agreements are threatening existing tobacco control policies and restrict the possibility of implementing new controls. This situation is unrecognised by many tobacco control advocates in signatory nations, especially those in developing countries. Recent agreements on eliminating various trade restrictions, including those on tobacco, have expanded far beyond simply international movement of goods to include internal tobacco distribution regulations and intellectual property rules regulating advertising and labelling. Our analysis shows that to the extent trade agreements protect the tobacco industry, in itself a deadly enterprise, they erode human rights principles and contribute to ill health. The tobacco industry has used trade policy to undermine effective barriers to tobacco importation. Trade negotiations provide an unwarranted opportunity for the tobacco industry to assert its interests without public scrutiny. Trade agreements provide the industry with additional tools to obstruct control policies in both developed and developing countries and at every level. The health community should become involved in reversing these trends, and help promote additional measures to protect public health.

The politics behind the implementation of the WTO Paragraph 6 Decision in Canada to increase global drug access.

Science.gov (United States)

Esmail, Laura C; Kohler, Jillian Clare

2012-04-03

The reform of pharmaceutical policy can often involve trade-offs between competing social and commercial goals. Canada's Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR), a legislative amendment that permits compulsory licensing for the production and export of medicines to developing countries, aimed to reconcile these goals. Since it was passed in 2004, only two orders of antiretroviral drugs, enough for 21,000 HIV/AIDS patients in Rwanda have been exported. Future use of the regime appears unlikely. This research aimed to examine the politics of CAMR. Parliamentary Committee hearing transcripts from CAMR's legislative development (2004) and legislative review (2007) were analysed using a content analysis technique to identify how stakeholders who participated in the debates framed the issues. These findings were subsequently analysed using a framework of framing, institutions and interests to determine how these three dimensions shaped CAMR. In 2004, policy debates in Canada were dominated by two themes: intellectual property rights and the TRIPS Agreement. The right to medicines as a basic human right and CAMR's potential impact on innovation were hardly discussed. With the Departments of Industry Canada and International Trade as the lead institutions, the goals of protecting intellectual property and ensuring good trade relations with the United States appear to have taken priority over encouraging generic competition to achieve drug affordability. The result was a more limited interpretation of patent flexibilities under the WTO Paragraph 6 Decision. The most striking finding is the minimal discussion over the potential barriers developing country beneficiaries might face when attempting to use compulsory licensing, including their reluctance to use TRIPS flexibilities, their desire to pursue technological development and the constraints inherent in the WTO Paragraph 6 Decision. Instead, these issues were raised in 2007, which can be partly accounted for by experience in

The politics behind the implementation of the WTO Paragraph 6 Decision in Canada to increase global drug access

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esmail Laura C

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The reform of pharmaceutical policy can often involve trade-offs between competing social and commercial goals. Canada's Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR, a legislative amendment that permits compulsory licensing for the production and export of medicines to developing countries, aimed to reconcile these goals. Since it was passed in 2004, only two orders of antiretroviral drugs, enough for 21,000 HIV/AIDS patients in Rwanda have been exported. Future use of the regime appears unlikely. This research aimed to examine the politics of CAMR. Methods Parliamentary Committee hearing transcripts from CAMR's legislative development (2004 and legislative review (2007 were analysed using a content analysis technique to identify how stakeholders who participated in the debates framed the issues. These findings were subsequently analysed using a framework of framing, institutions and interests to determine how these three dimensions shaped CAMR. Results In 2004, policy debates in Canada were dominated by two themes: intellectual property rights and the TRIPS Agreement. The right to medicines as a basic human right and CAMR's potential impact on innovation were hardly discussed. With the Departments of Industry Canada and International Trade as the lead institutions, the goals of protecting intellectual property and ensuring good trade relations with the United States appear to have taken priority over encouraging generic competition to achieve drug affordability. The result was a more limited interpretation of patent flexibilities under the WTO Paragraph 6 Decision. The most striking finding is the minimal discussion over the potential barriers developing country beneficiaries might face when attempting to use compulsory licensing, including their reluctance to use TRIPS flexibilities, their desire to pursue technological development and the constraints inherent in the WTO Paragraph 6 Decision. Instead, these issues were raised in 2007

Publications | Page 196 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Multilateralism in crisis (restricted access). There is a crisis in multilateralism. This paper examines multilateralism by looking at the two most important current efforts to devise new multilateral rules binding all nations; the negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) of trade rules and the negotiations under the ...

First test of WTO mechanism for procuring generic medicines under compulsory licence, via Canada's Access to Medicines Regime.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Richard

2007-12-01

In July 2007, Rwanda became the first nation to initiate use of a procedure under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that is supposed to let developing countries import lower-cost, generic medicines produced in other countries under compulsory licences. And two months later, based on Rwanda's initiative, Canada's Commissioner of Patents issued the first compulsory licence under this system to permit the production of a patented AIDS drug to that country.

The informal economy employment impacts of trade liberalization & increased competition in export markets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Morocco and United States. The overall logic of such measures was that liberalization and privatization would stimulate trade, support the requested modernization of the production systems and infrastructures, and enhance public administrations and services as well. Positive impacts on income, employments...... and privatization processes were implemented at the international level by the WTO's, at regional level by the establishment of free trade agreements between individual states on the southern and eastern Mediterranean rim and the EU [under the Barcelona Process] and by bilateral agreements as the one signed between...... to focus on the impacts of restructuring in the formal textile and clothing sectors (TC) which is the major employer in three Maghrib countries: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The textile and clothing sectors have been particularly exposed to increased competition in foreign and/or domestic markets...

Trade in services: examples for SADC | Lehloenya | Journal for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Notwithstanding the adverse conditions, opportunities exist in the legal framework developed under the WTO for developing countries to participate more meaningfully in trade in service. These include, inter alia, the possibility of collaborating with foreign firms and benefiting from their experience, as well as establishing ...

The Application of Simulated Experimental Teaching in International Trade Course

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Tao; Chen, Wen

2009-01-01

International Trade Practice is a professional basic course for specialty of International Economy and Trade. As the core of International Trade Practice, it is extremely related to foreign affairs and needs much practical experience. This paper puts forward some suggestions on how to improve the performance of teaching in order to educate the…

Globalization and new policy concerns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Carsten; Swinbank, Alan

2015-01-01

The transfer of some decision-making authority from the domestic to the supranational arena as a result of the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 potentially changed domestic policy dynamics. The WTO agreements reflect the trade policy concerns addressed in the Uruguay...... Round in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This article applies and adapts historical institutionalism to explain how international organizations may constrain and facilitate certain domestic policy options. It demonstrates that, while the WTO legal framework has become more receptive of environmental...

African Countries and WTO´s Dispute Settlement Mechanism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alavi, Amin

2007-01-01

The WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism was designed, inter alia, to secure the 'rule of law' within international trade and provide all members with opportunities to exercise their rights under multilateral trade agreements. But, after ten years, no sub-Saharan African country has yet used the option...... to initiate a dispute. This article examines what prevents the WTO Africa Group from using the system and critically reviews the solutions they have proposed to remedy this. It concludes by discussing how this reflects broader problems concerning African participation in WTO, and puts forward some alternative...

Environmental Regulation and International Trade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulatu, A. [London School of Economics, London (United Kingdom); Florax, R.J.G.M.; Withagen, C.A. [Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2004-07-01

We empirically investigate the responsiveness of international trade to the stringency of environmental regulation. Stringent environmental regulation may impair the export competitiveness of 'dirty' domestic industries, and as a result, 'pollution havens' emerge in countries where environmental regulation is 'over-lax.' We examine the impact of pollution abatement and control costs on net exports in order to grasp this phenomenon. Theoretically, our analysis is related to a general equilibrium model of trade and pollution nesting the pollution haven motive for trade with the factor endowment motive. We analyze data on two-digit ISIC manufacturing industries during the period 1977-1992 in Germany, the Netherlands and the US, and show that trade patterns in 'dirty' commodities are jointly determined by relative factor endowments and environmental stringency differentials.

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS INTO SVERDLOVSK AREA IN THE CONTEXT OF RUSSIAN CONNECTION TO WTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.M. Kapustina

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Dynamics and structure of the foreign investments involved in economy of Sverdlovsk area are analyzed in the article. Consequences of Russian connection to WTO from the view point of foreign investments volumes change are considered. Directions of multilateral regulation of investment measures on the basis of the international arrangements are certain.

Competitive Strength of Nations: Doing Business in a Global Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nisar Ahmad

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper is designed to study strength and capability of nations to do business under a competitive system devised and monitored by the World Trade Organization. The main objective in this attempt is to review and evaluate the impact of WTO’s policies on the economic welfare of the developing countries and to see how far the producers on the one side and consumers on the other side have benefitted in general. The study while reviewing historical experiences of countries under laissez-faire policies, examined the effectiveness of the negotiations carried out by the WTO for enhancing international trade. The study found that under the infant industry argument, many of the WTO member countries are still protecting their businesses and violating the laid down principles of free trade. Since the WTO is to promote international trade and watch the interest of the producers, the consumers seem to have been left unattended. As a result of which the corporate sector continues to maintain its hold in protecting their monopolies in various forms. The study strongly recommends consumer protection rather than producer protection as the fundamental goal for the WTO to keep in view in its policy prescriptions.

Subsidy Agreements

OpenAIRE

Kyle Bagwell; Robert W. Staiger

2004-01-01

International disputes over subsidies are increasingly disrupting the world trading system. The creation of the WTO was nearly prevented by disputes in the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations over the issue of negotiating disciplines on agricultural subsidies, an issue which continues to plague the ongoing Doha Round of WTO negotiations. Ongoing disputes over subsidies that violate existing WTO rules have led to the largest amount of authorized retaliation in GATT/WTO history. Yet the internat...

Networks of military alliances, wars, and international trade.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Matthew O; Nei, Stephen

2015-12-15

We investigate the role of networks of alliances in preventing (multilateral) interstate wars. We first show that, in the absence of international trade, no network of alliances is peaceful and stable. We then show that international trade induces peaceful and stable networks: Trade increases the density of alliances so that countries are less vulnerable to attack and also reduces countries' incentives to attack an ally. We present historical data on wars and trade showing that the dramatic drop in interstate wars since 1950 is paralleled by a densification and stabilization of trading relationships and alliances. Based on the model we also examine some specific relationships, finding that countries with high levels of trade with their allies are less likely to be involved in wars with any other countries (including allies and nonallies), and that an increase in trade between two countries correlates with a lower chance that they will go to war with each other.

Coverage of the WTO's Agreement on Government Procurement: Challenges of Integrating China and other Countries with a Large State Sector into the Global Trading System

OpenAIRE

Wang Ping

2007-01-01

The WTO's plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is a significant WTO instrument to develop disciplines regulating government procurement. A recent major review of the GPA has led to a revised text, likely to enter into force in 2007. In the meanwhile, China, a country with a large state sector, has promised to initiate GPA accession negotiations by the end of 2007.The article provides a critical assessment of the extent to which the recent review of the coverage of the GPA ha...

Canada's Sub-Central Coverage Under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement

OpenAIRE

Collins, D. A.

2008-01-01

Discusses Canada's failure to include its provincial governments in its commitments to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Canada is one of the only developed states that has not opened government contracts to international competition. This may be linked to a strong sense of regionalism where government contracts are typically awarded to contractors within each province as well as a reluctance of governments to privatize traditional state purchasing generally.

The Next Generation Information Infrastructure for International Trade

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henningsson, Stefan; Gal, Uri; Bjørn-Andersen, Niels

2011-01-01

that are in control of their business. Trusted traders are entitled to trade facilitations, faster border crossing, and fewer physical inspections. To enable the use of trusted traders, changes are required to the information infrastructure (II) of international trade. This article complements existing works on e......-Government interoperability by a theoretically driven approach with theoretical development of the II concept and how II can be modified as additional focus. Following the principles of IS design research, this paper presents a design proposition for the II of international trade. Using theories of II development and change......Regulators and actors in international trade are facing a difficult challenge of increasing control and security while at the same time lowering the administrative burden for traders. As a tentative response, the European Commission has introduced the concept of “trusted traders”: certified traders...

Ethiopia's accession to the world trade organisation: lessons from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article examines the experiences of least developing countries (LDCs) acceded to World Trade Organisation (WTO) in relation to their accession process, terms of accession and implementation of commitments with a view to drawing lessons which could be relevant to Ethiopia to devise successful strategies and avoid ...

Cultural similarity and international trade in a panel of nations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E-G Hwang

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Using a gravity model and the data of a panel of eight nations, we present evidence that supports the views that geographical influence on trade had increased from 1985 to 1997. In both years, linguistic influence on trade is found to exist in export but not in import. The estimated results show a positive relation between religious similarity and international trade for the year 1985 but not for the year 1997. However, there is an indication that, for 1997, the religious dissimilarity tends to discourage international trade with low-income countries and regions and to encourage international trade with high-income countries. We also find that, for low-income trade partners, religious dissimilarity retards imports more than exports; by contrast, for high-income trade partners, it encourages exports more than imports.

75 FR 11986 - Public Comments for Multilateral Negotiations in the World Trade Organization on Expansion of the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-12

... the World Trade Organization on Expansion of the Lists of Pharmaceutical Products Receiving Zero... members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The specific information being sought is described in the... World Health Organization (WHO). (Table 1 currently includes INNs from WHO lists 1-93.) Prefixes and...

Exchange rate volatility and international trade: The option approach

OpenAIRE

Franke, Günter

1986-01-01

Usually it is argued that an increase in exchange rate volatility reduces the volume of international trade since trading firms are risk averse. This paper shows for risk neutral firms that the expected international trade volume in standardized commodities grows with exchange rate volatility. The firms adjust their trade volume to the exchange rate level. The more favorable the exchange rate is, the higher is the export volume. If the rate drops below some level, exports are stopped. Thus in...

Monitoring the impact of trade agreements on national food environments: trade imports and population nutrition risks in Fiji.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravuvu, Amerita; Friel, Sharon; Thow, Anne-Marie; Snowdon, Wendy; Wate, Jillian

2017-06-13

Trade agreements are increasingly recognised as playing an influential role in shaping national food environments and the availability and nutritional quality of the food supply. Global monitoring of food environments and trade policies can strengthen the evidence base for the impact of trade policy on nutrition, and support improved policy coherence. Using the INFORMAS trade monitoring protocol, we reviewed available food supply data to understand associations between Fiji's commitments under WTO trade agreements and food import volume trends. First, a desk review was conducted to map and record in one place Fiji's commitments to relevant existing trade agreements that have implications for Fiji's national food environment under the domains of the INFORMAS trade monitoring protocol. An excel database was developed to document the agreements and their provisions. The second aspect of the research focused on data extraction. We began with identifying food import volumes into Fiji by country of origin, with a particular focus on a select number of 'healthy and unhealthy' foods. We also developed a detailed listing of transnational food corporations currently operating in Fiji. The study suggests that Fiji's WTO membership, in conjunction with associated economic and agricultural policy changes have contributed to increased availability of both healthy and less healthy imported foods. In systematically monitoring the import volume trends of these two categories of food, the study highlights an increase in healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables and whole-grain refined cereals. The study also shows that there has been an increase in less healthy foods including fats and oils; meat; processed dairy products; energy-dense beverages; and processed and packaged foods. By monitoring the trends of imported foods at country level from the perspective of trade agreements, we are able to develop appropriate and targeted interventions to improve diets and health. This

PHILIPPINE COCONUT INDUSTRY AND THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE

OpenAIRE

Oniki, Shunji

1992-01-01

This study explores effects of Philippines' coconut policies on the performance in the international market. Analysis of the coconut sector found that the Philippine government successfully changed the structure of the coconut industry during the 1970's using a fund collected as coconut levies. Since the Philippines dominated the international trade market of coconut products, it could exercise dominant market power in the world trade, by integrating the domestic sector. However, the industri...

International trade agreements: hazards to health?

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, Ellen R; Brenner, Joseph E

2004-01-01

Since the 1980s, neoliberal policies have prescribed reducing the role of governments, relying on market forces to organize and provide health care and other vital human services. In this context, international trade agreements increasingly serve as mechanisms to enforce the privatization, deregulation, and decentralization of health care and other services, with important implications for democracy as well as for health. Critics contend that social austerity and "free" trade agreements contribute to the rise in global poverty and economic inequality and instability, and therefore to increased preventable illness and death. Under new agreements through the World Trade Organization that cover vital human services such as health care, water, education, and energy, unaccountable, secret trade tribunals could overrule decisions by democratically elected officials on public financing for national health care systems, licensing and training standards for health professionals, patient safety and quality regulations, occupational safety and health, control of hazardous substances such as tobacco and alcohol, the environment, and affordable access to safe water and sanitation. International negotiations in 2003 in Cancun and in Miami suggested that countervailing views are developing momentum. A concerned health care community has begun to call for a moratorium on trade negotiations on health care and water, and to reinvigorate an alternative vision of universal access to vital services.

Does human migration affect international trade? A complex-network perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Fagiolo, Giorgio; Mastrorillo, Marina

2014-01-01

This paper explores the relationships between international human migration and merchandise trade, using a complex-network approach. We firstly compare the topological structure of worldwide networks of human migration and bilateral trade over the period 1960-2000. Next, we ask whether the position of any pair of countries in the migration network affects their bilateral trade flows. We show that: (i) both weighted and binary versions of the networks of international migration and trade are strongly correlated; (ii) such correlations can be mostly explained by country economic/demographic size and geographical distance; and (iii) pairs of countries that are more central in the international-migration network trade more. Our findings suggest that bilateral trade between any two countries is not only affected by the presence of migrants from either countries but also by their relative embeddedness in the complex web of corridors making up the network of international human migration.

Analysis of international negotiations and trade agreements

OpenAIRE

Górriz Gonzalo, Verónica

2014-01-01

This study aims to analyze international trade agreements and negotiations. For that purpose, two agreements made by the United States are chosen to be analyzed. In the first place, the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) agreement, that was signed by the United States, Canada and Mexico in 1994 in order to create a free trade area. In addition, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will be analyze, an agreement that is still being negotiated between the United Stat...