Roger Alford is pushing forward with the debate on whether withdrawal of GSP benefits can be used to enforce investment arbitration awards, with another blog post on the issue. Let me push back a bit. Roger says: the Enabling Clause requires GSP benefits to be conferred in a non-discriminatory manner

Having followed Rob's coverage of the Seal Products Appellate Body hearing, there is an issue that puzzles me: What is the scope of the "technical regulations" covered by the TBT Agreement?  I'm finding that I have no idea how to think about this question.

From the Jerusalem Post: Israel Hayom may have to look for a new business model if a bill outlawing free daily newspapers passes into law. The text of the bill, proposed by MKs Eitan Cabel (Labor), Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beytenu), Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi), Elazar Stern (Hatnua), Ariel Attias (Shas)

From the ASIL/IEcLIG: CALL FOR PAPERS American Society for International Law International Economic Law Interest Group (IEcLIG) in partnership with the University of Denver Sturm College of Law Sutton Colloquium 2014 Biennial Research Conference: REASSESSING INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC LAW AND DEVELOPMENT: NEW CHALLENGES FOR LAW AND POLICY University of Denver

Today at the Seal Products Appellate Body hearing, the discussion focused on Canada’s claim that there is a philosophical consistency test included in the law of the WTO. Canada’s argument is that under the law of the WTO, the EU should not be able to regulate to protect

Canada and Norway have been attacking the EU anti-cruelty ban by focusing, at this stage exclusively, on its exceptions.  Of what relevance are these to TBT 2.2 (as opposed to 2.1)? I think the answer lies largely in the US-Tuna II case.  Recall that the AB in reversing

This afternoon( left just before the coffee break) saw the panel struggling with how within the text of TBT 2.2 to frame or imagine the EU measure, which is animated by moral concerns about seal welfare and about complicity with excessive   suffering of seals, but balanced by other concerns.

AB Division Member Chang has raised the issue that there is one estimate in the Cowie Report that suggests largest amount of seal products that entered the EU at the time the EU measure was imposed were for processing and transit, which are permitted under the scheme.  He is pressing

So if the Appellate Body were to complete the analysis and do its own assessment of the EU measure under TBT, what might its concerns be?Some hints come from a few questions from the Division yesterday afternoon.One concern seemed to be whether the EU measure is being effectively