Burden of Proof in Environmental Disputes in the WTO

Burden of Proof in Environmental Disputes in the WTO
Author: Henrik Horn
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:

This paper discusses allocation of burden of proof in environmental disputes in the WTO system. Besides laying down the natural principles that (i) the complainant carries the burden to (ii) make a prima facie case that its claim holds, WTO adjudicating bodies have said little of more general nature. The paper therefore examines the case law of relevance to environmental policies, to establish the rules concerning burden of proof that are likely to be applied in such disputes. Evaluating this case law, the paper makes two observations,: First, in cases submitted under the GATTWTO, adjudicating bodies have committed errors regarding the required amount of evidence (the burden of persuasion); and second, such errors, as well as errors concerning the determination of the party to carry the burden of providing this evidence (the burden of production), have been committed in disputes submitted under the TBT/SPS Agreements. These errors largely seem attributable to the general absence of methodology regarding the interpretation of some key substantive provisions featuring in the three Agreements.

The WTO Dispute Settlement System

The WTO Dispute Settlement System
Author: Kati Kulovesi
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2011-09-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9041142800

Tensions between economic interests and environmental protection have assumed crisis proportions in awareness at every level of society. In particular, the World Trade Organization has become entangled in controversies related to legitimacy, democracy, environmental protection, and fragmentation of international law, fuelling a contentious debate on the use (or abuse) of environmental norms at the WTO. To a greater degree than any comparable treatment, this book focuses on the role of the WTO dispute settlement system in addressing trade-environment conflicts. Highlighting the ways in which environmental issues challenge the legitimacy of WTO jurisprudence, it considers such relevant core issues as the following: challenges posed to the WTO by so-called "linkage" issues, such as environmental protection, labour, and investment; to what extent the WTO can apply rules of international law (e.g., environmental ones) that are not contained in the WTO agreements; and concerns over the Dispute Settlement System's lack of democratic accountability in matters of great public interest. The study analyses in detail the role of international environmental law in three key WTO cases, namely the Shrimp-Turtle, Hormones and Biotech disputes. This deeply informed and thoughtful book is of special importance for its proposals on how the WTO dispute settlement system can improve its legitimacy while respecting the limits of its mandate. It will be welcomed by international trade attorneys, environmental lawyers, concerned academics and students, and government officials in both trade and environmental policy.

Environment and Trade

Environment and Trade
Author: Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder
Publisher: Earthscan
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2012
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1849771154

International trade rules have significant impacts on environmental law and policy, at the domestic, regional and global levels. At the World Trade Organization (WTO), dispute settlement tribunals are increasingly called to decide on environment- and health-related questions. Can governments treat products differently based on environmental considerations? Can they block the import of highly carcinogenic asbestos-containing products or genetically modified crops? Does the WTO allow governments to protect dolphins or endangered sea turtles through the use of import restrictions on certain products? How can civil society participate in WTO dispute settlement? This Guide, authored by five world leaders on international environmental and trade law at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), is an accessible, comprehensive, one-of-a-kind compendium of environment and trade jurisprudence under the WTO. Providing an overview for both experts and non-experts of the major themes relevant to environment and trade, it also analyses how WTO tribunals have approached these themes in concrete disputes and provides selected excerpts of the most significant cases.

Wto And Environment-related International Trade Disputes, The: Biosecurity And Ecosystem Services Risks

Wto And Environment-related International Trade Disputes, The: Biosecurity And Ecosystem Services Risks
Author: Robert Fraser
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2019-10-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1786347792

'This well-written and highly readable book makes a major contribution to advancing our understanding of the contribution that economics can make to analysing the impact of international trade policies for environmental risks … Regardless of the likelihood that the current WTO dispute settlement procedures can be changed in the way suggested by the authors of this book, it is essential reading for those interested in the contribution that economics can make to advancing our understanding of the implications of international trade law for environmental issues.'Journal of Agricultural EconomicsWe live in a world that is increasingly dependent on international trade in a context of substantial regional/national political tensions. Adding to this is an emerging understanding and concern about the social impact of biosecurity and ecosystem services risks associated with such trade. As the key international trade 'arbiter', the World Trade Organization (WTO) has never before faced such complexity within its decision-making remit.With increasing numbers of bilateral and regional agreements, as well as new developments emerging such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) initiated by multi-national corporations in 2018, the WTO needs to implement ways of reinforcing its legitimacy and enhancing its relevance.This book provides an original analysis of these linked developments and delivers a timely contribution to resolving environment-related international trade disputes. It provides a clear roadmap for improving WTO trade dispute resolution procedures so both biosecurity and ecosystem services risks are considered in evaluating the social, economic and environmental impacts of international trade proposals. In so doing, the WTO should deliver enhanced multilateral social welfare.

The Impact of the WTO

The Impact of the WTO
Author: Trish Kelly
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2007
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Provides an analysis of the nine environmental and health disputes that have been adjudicated at the WTO since 1995. This book appeals not only to academics, be they economists, lawyers, political scientists, and academic libraries, but also practitioners, policymakers, and members of consumer, environmental, and business organizations.

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.

Environmental Sovereignty And the WTO

Environmental Sovereignty And the WTO
Author: Bradly J. Condon
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2006
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1571053662

The growing body of WTO jurisprudence is of profound significance for the development of the general body of international law. With this in mind, Environmental Sovereignty and the WTO succinctly examines how the WTO law can contribute to achieving coherence between general international law, international environmental law and international trade law and avoid conflicts between trade liberalization and global environmental protection. Professor Condon argues that these three branches of law are generally consistent with each other in the area of international law where they intersect. However, WTO jurisprudence can benefit from a more explicit analysis, provided here, of the way that panel decisions fit into the general framework of international law. No law reforms are currently needed to facilitate this task. As the text shows, it is a matter of using the current WTO rules to resolve conflicts between treaties such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and to determine the circumstances in which unilateral trade measures should be permitted. The topics addressed in Environmental Sovereignty and the WTO will be of considerable interest to a broad audience given the global political controversy over American unilateralism, the fairness of WTO rules to poor countries, and the effect of trade rules on efforts to protect the global environment. However, the book addresses these controversial issues without sacrificing academic rigour and will appeal to a scholarly and professional audience seeking new approaches to addressing the problems raised by the globalization of law. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

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.

Litigating the Environment

Litigating the Environment
Author: Justine Bendel
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2023-06-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1789901332

Providing an insightful contribution to literature on the topic, this book scrutinises how international courts and tribunals may respond procedurally to an ever-growing list of environmental disputes. In a time of environmental crisis, it lays crucial groundwork for strengthening the application of international environmental law, a topic of increasing relevance for global civil society.