Simon Lester

The Trump administration has caused a lot of controversy by proposing a "sunset clause" for the NAFTA, under which the agreement would expire automatically after five years unless the parties agree to renew it. That proposal has come under a lot of criticism, and personally I think it

The U.S. has a new proposal to crack down on WTO Members who do not provide notifications on time: 4. It is broadly recognized that compliance with the notification requirements of the various WTO Agreements is inadequate. For example, the most recent report by the WTO Secretariat for the

Here's one more post on the original GATT negotiations from Roy Santana of the WTO: _______________________________ GATT 1947 and the grueling task of signing [something…]  The negotiations of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade were formally concluded on 30 October 1947. To mark the occasion U.N. press

Here's some info on a conference on international investment law to be held at Boston College Law School on October 25: The law school is hosting an international conference on the ferment surrounding international investment law and how this crisis can be an opportunity to reform the system

Jenny Leonard of Inside US Trade reports the following statements by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer after the NAFTA press conference earlier this week: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday said he was seeking to shake up the congressional voting landscape for free trade deals, suggesting a

From the SIEL and Hart Publishing: Submissions for the new SIEL/Hart Prize in International Economic Law are now open! ABOUT THE PRIZE The SIEL/Hart Prize is a brand new prize awarded every two years to an outstanding unpublished manuscript by an early career scholar in the field of

This is from the Indonesia - Chicken WTO panel report, circulated yesterday: Fn. 318. We note that Indonesia's defence under Article XX(b) raises a food safety issue. We observe that the SPS Agreement, according to its Preamble, "elaborates rules for the application of the provisions of the

Here are two posts on the original GATT negotiations, from Roy Santana of the WTO: CLASH OF THE GATT NEGOTIATORS September 1947: Following months of good progress in Geneva, GATT negotiators had entered a delicate phase where the most difficult issues had to be tackled, chief amongst which was the

After NAFTA Round 4 wrapped up today, there were some strong words at the press conference. I can't find the full transcript of her remarks, but here is a news report on what Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland had to say: Freeland said the "unconventional" demands