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Are Complainants Abandoning TBT Agreement Article 2.2?

This is from a paper about WTO dispute settlement published on the ICTSD website as part of the E15 process: there is evidence that the existing ... perception that claims under Article 2.2 of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) are extremely difficult to win is having
Simon Lester 20 Apr 2015 1 min read

Could the Uruguay Round Be Completed Today?

This is from Pierre Sauvé and Marta Soprana: The ASCM, like the Uruguay Round of which it formed a part, was quite clearly the byproduct of a peculiar, “end of history” moment. It is doubtful that such disciplines could easily be replicated today given the vastly more questioning attitudes that
Simon Lester 20 Apr 2015 1 min read

The Tuna 21.5 WTO Panel Report: Timing of the Discrimination Analysis

This is from the Tuna 21.5 WTO panel report: 7.448. Before concluding, the Panel must deal with the United States' argument that with regard to the access to the dolphin-safe label, no tuna product of a Member has a right to the label. The United States contends
Simon Lester 17 Apr 2015 2 min read

The Tuna 21.5 WTO Panel Report: Unilateralism

This is from the Tuna 21.5 WTO panel report: 7.466. Before concluding, we note that in its second written submission, Mexico argues that what it considers to be the United States' unilateral action in designing and applying the dolphin-safe labelling conditions and requirements of the amended tuna
Simon Lester 17 Apr 2015 2 min read

ESIL Annual Conference 2015, Oslo

From the University of Oslo: The 11th Annual Conference of the European Society of International Law (Oslo, September 10-12, 2015) will be hosted by the University of Oslo’s PluriCourts Center on the Legitimate Roles on the Judiciary in the Global Order. The conference is entitled “The Judicialization of International
Simon Lester 17 Apr 2015 1 min read

Is the Tuna Case About Imposing Additional Costs on Domestic Producers?

I was struck by this paragraph of the WTO panel report in the Article 21.5 tuna case: 7.197. ... Mexico appears to accept that, as the Appellate Body found, the system currently in place in the ETP fully addresses the risks posed to dolphins by setting on dolphins in
Simon Lester 15 Apr 2015 1 min read

The Tuna/Dolphin 21.5 Decision: An Affront to the Authority of the Appellate Body, A Corruption of the DSU,A Menace to the Legitimacy of the WTO

In its ruling in the Tuna/Dolphin case, US-Tuna II, the WTO Appellate Body found that the role of the United States authorities in ensuring the integrity and honesty of a voluntary industry-based ecolabeling scheme violated the TBT Agreement in one narrow aspect.  The Appellate Body held that while the
Rob Howse 14 Apr 2015 5 min read

MFN in the ChAFTA

I'm a little confused by this aspect of the China - Australia FTA, still under negotiation: AUSTRALIA'S biggest-ever bilateral trade deal is set to grow much bigger, with China agreeing to a special ratchet clause that will ensure that future benefits conferred to other countries will
Simon Lester 14 Apr 2015 1 min read

The Tuna 21.5 WTO Panel Report

The panel report is out. Here are the key findings: 8.2. With respect to Mexico's claims under Article 2.1 of the TBT Agreement, the Panel concludes that: a. the eligibility criteria in the amended tuna measure do not accord less favourable treatment to Mexican tuna and
Simon Lester 14 Apr 2015 2 min read

Regulatory Space in International Trade and Investment Law

This is from a new paper by Markus Wagner on regulatory space in trade and investment law: The situation with respect to the TBT Agreement has recently been clarified to a certain extent through a number of WTO decisions.  These disputes arose in quick succession after a relative dearth of
Simon Lester 13 Apr 2015 2 min read

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International Economic Law and Policy Blog

International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Is this the end of MFN as we know it? The EU submission on WTO reform and the meaning of development

With the release of the EU submission on WTO reform, it has become clear that the MFN principle’s central role within the WTO architecture is under challenge. As a keystone, it risks the entire bridge falling. Even if the foundations are retained but deemed outdated or unusable, and a
23 Jan 2026 3 min read

Can "Geopolitical" Tariffs Be Dealt With through Trade Deals?

Last Friday, U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer was asked about Trump's initial suggestion of tariffs related to the goal of taking over Greenland
20 Jan 2026 4 min read

Is Foreign Antitrust Enforcement "Discriminatory" and "Anti-American"?

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust held a hearing in December on "Anti-American Antitrust: How Foreign Governments Target U.S. Businesses." There was a lot of talk at the hearing about how foreign regulations and regulators "discriminate" against American companies.
05 Jan 2026 5 min read

Pennsylvania Court Finds Mexican Government Guilty of "Discrimination" Due To Its Subsidies

I'm always interested in how courts apply the concept of "discrimination" in the context of international trade, so I've been eagerly awaiting a Pennsylvania court decision in a case against Mexico.
12 Dec 2025 8 min read

Economic Security in Trade Agreements: My Response to Geoff Gertz

Thanks to Geoff for laying out his vision of why economic security should be in trade agreements and how to bring it in. It won't surprise anyone to hear I have some additional comments and questions in response!
04 Dec 2025 10 min read

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