Trade, Health, and the Burden of Proof in WTO Law

Trade, Health, and the Burden of Proof in WTO Law
Author: Joachim Ahman
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
Total Pages: 547
Release: 2011-12-05
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9041142916

Most of us do not immediately think of health protection measures as trade barriers. Yet to the trade liberalization interest they are often exactly that--"hidden protectionism" some would say. When the conflict between trade and health hardens into a confrontation, allocation of the burden of proof becomes the critical factor in determining the outcome. And the outcome of such a WTO dispute may affect a very large number of people. This important book examines the WTO provisions applicable to health protection measures from a burden of proof perspective, with an up-to-date and thorough analysis of all relevant case law. It clearly demonstrates and explains the following and more: how burden of proof decisions, following from the burden of proof concept as it has developed in national legal systems and in general international law, may favour or disfavor different interests; the problems that may occur when risk-related facts have to be proved;how the legal facts in the WTO provisions specifically regulating the adoption of health protection measures have been interpreted in case law; and how the burden of proof concept can be used to balance the conflicting interests in ways other than those used so far. No other source offers such a comprehensive analysis of WTO provisions applicable to health protection measures. This book's burden of proof perspective makes it an especially valuable resource for trade law experts, WTO member representatives, and interested NGOs seeking to understand and discuss the balancing of health protection and trade liberalization.

The World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization
Author: Mitsuo Matsushita
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 942
Release: 2015
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199571856

This is a comprehensive overview of the law and practice of the World Trade Organization. It begins with the institutional law of the WTO, moving eventually to the consequences of globalization. New chapters on Trade in Agriculture and on Government Procurement and Trade.

Evidence, Proof, and Fact-Finding in WTO Dispute Settlement

Evidence, Proof, and Fact-Finding in WTO Dispute Settlement
Author: Michelle T. Grando
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 446
Release: 2009-12-24
Genre: Law
ISBN: 019957264X

This book examines how a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel formulates its conclusions with respect to the facts of a dispute brought before it. It does so by discussing the legal concepts which shape the process of fact-finding, analysing the approach taken by panels thus far and offering suggestions for improvement.

International Trade and Health Protection

International Trade and Health Protection
Author: Tracey Epps
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1848443870

This detailed and fully referenced text is a valuable resource both for practitioners and academics. Michael Blakeney, International Trade Law and Regulation Interspersing law with societal context, this volume by Dr Epps stands out among WTO analysis. The author offers a delightfully balanced view on the nature and origin of SPS measures (including references to history) whilst at the same time mastering the hard law of the SPS Agreement in detail. Practitioners will enjoy the detailed analysis of WTO dispute settlement. A reference book for practice and academia, and also a very, very good read. Geert Van Calster, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium This book examines and critiques the WTO s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), asking whether it strikes an appropriate balance between conflicting domestic health protection and trade liberalization objectives. It pays particular attention to situations likely to occur but not yet fully examined either in the literature or in WTO law; most importantly, where public opinion demands regulation in the face of scientific uncertainty as to the existence or otherwise of a health risk. Tracey Epps concludes that the SPS Agreement s science-based framework is capable of dealing with the differing objectives of health and trade, and that it provides countries with more flexibility to respond to scientific uncertainties and public sentiment than many critics contend. This conclusion is strongly influenced by a positive analysis of domestic regulatory decision-making, which finds potential for regulatory capture by domestic protectionist interests and thus emphasizes the importance of ensuring that decisions are made on a sound and principled basis. Including a historical overview of disputes over trade and health since the 1800s, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of and new perspective on an important area of intersection between international trade law and domestic policy. It will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience including legal and non-legal academics, policy makers and analysts in the field of risk regulation, trade law practitioners in governments, and lawyers and analysts in international institutions.

The WTO

The WTO
Author: Merit E. Janow
Publisher: Juris Publishing, Inc.
Total Pages: 31
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1578232325

This volume brings together essays by world-renowned leaders in the field of international trade examining the operation of the WTO and its dispute settlement system. The experts who have contributed to this book include policymakers, scholars, lawyers and diplomats. Two major areas of inquiry are undertaken. The first half of this volume examines the governance and operation of the WTO and the international trading system. It pays particular attention to issues that affect developing country members of the WTO. The second half of this volume contains a detailed examination of the performance, operation, and challenges of the WTO's dispute settlement system. This book is an outgrowth of a conference held at Columbia University in New York in the spring of 2006. The conference was the last of a series of five regional gatherings held around the world to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the WTO and its dispute settlement system. This volume includes essays that shed further light on some of the themes raised in those discussions, as well as edited transcripts from that conference.

Trade and Public Health

Trade and Public Health
Author: Benn McGrady
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 341
Release: 2011-03-31
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1139499505

Non-communicable diseases, associated with risk factors such as tobacco consumption, poor diet and alcohol use, represent a growing health burden around the world. The seriousness of non-communicable diseases is reflected in the adoption of international instruments such as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health; and the WHO Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. In line with these instruments, states are beginning to use measures such as taxes, restrictions on marketing, product regulation and labeling measures for public health purposes. This book examines the extent to which the law of the World Trade Organization restricts domestic implementation of these types of measures. The relationship between international health instruments and the WTO Agreement is examined, as are the WTO covered agreements themselves.

Practical Aspects of WTO Litigation

Practical Aspects of WTO Litigation
Author: Marco Tulio Molina Tejeda
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
Total Pages: 661
Release: 2020-07-08
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9041185976

Global Trade Law Series Volume-54 The World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) entered into force in 1995. Since then, it has spawned an extensive body of jurisprudence, making it a highly complex system to navigate. This book provides the first in-depth practical guide to resolving a dispute at the WTO, edited by an international lawyer, who has on-hands experience in WTO litigation. Contributors of individual chapters include government officials responsible for WTO dispute settlement from developing and developed countries, WTO Secretariat officials, a former member of the Appellate Body, academics specializing in international trade and related fields, and lawyers from major law firms specializing in WTO law. Contributors explain, in a detailed manner, the numerous procedural steps and practices developed over the past twenty-five years, on: preparing for WTO litigation; recognizing the importance of WTO consultations; presenting a case before a panel; panel requests and panels’ terms of reference; the role and assistance of the WTO Secretariat; the panel process; rules of evidence; confidentiality and transparency; additional working procedures for the treatment of confidential information; legal remedies to redeem a violation; general considerations for appeal; determining the reasonable period of time for compliance; retaliation proceedings; and use of non-WTO international law. Each contributor identifies the best practices and some of them also suggest potential areas for improvement of the dispute settlement mechanism from their respective points of view. Lawyers and advisors working on WTO law and stakeholders from the private sector, civil society and academia, interested in WTO litigation, will find in one source a deeply informed description of existing dispute resolution practices (some of them previously undocumented) including the most recent jurisprudence clarifying the scope of many procedural rules. With its real-life account of WTO dispute settlement procedures and its key insights and advice from WTO insiders, this book constitutes an expert assessment of a cornerstone of the rules-based multilateral trading system and will prove of enormous value to all stakeholders in international trade.

Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation - Intersections between Public Health, Intellectual Property and Trade

Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation - Intersections between Public Health, Intellectual Property and Trade
Author: World Intellectual Property Organization
Publisher: WIPO
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2013
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9280523082

This study has emerged from an ongoing program of trilateral cooperation between WHO, WTO and WIPO. It responds to an increasing demand, particularly in developing countries, for strengthened capacity for informed policy-making in areas of intersection between health, trade and IP, focusing on access to and innovation of medicines and other medical technologies.