International Economic Law and Policy Blog
  • Home
  • About
  • WorldTradeLaw.net
Sign in Subscribe

PPMs in the Tuna Panel Report

There's still lots to uncover in the Tuna panel report.  Here's something on PPMs: 7.369 Finally, Mexico contends that the US measures unilaterally exert pressure on the Mexican fleet to change fishing areas and/or fishing methods, which Mexico argues is evidence of the de
Simon Lester 03 Oct 2011 2 min read

Trade in Everything: Flying Pigs

From the Daily Mail: An entire Boeing 747 has been hired at £330,000 per trip to fly pigs in more comfort on the 5,500-mile journey than humans often have in economy class. It is an extraordinary turn of events for a country of 1.3 billion once
Simon Lester 03 Oct 2011 1 min read

US Tuna Panel report again: technical regulations and int'l standards

Dear all, I am intrigued by the US Tuna Panel’s approach to the question of whether the US used the AIDCP standards (which incidentally are resolutions passed by contracting parties to the Agreement on International Dolphin Conservation Program) as a basis for its dolphin-safe labelling provisions. At one
Melaku Desta 01 Oct 2011 2 min read

Why Aren't BITs Controversial?

From a State Department press release: The United States Senate approved the United States-Rwanda Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) on September 26 by unanimous consent. The Department of State applauds the Senate’s approval of the treaty and is pleased that the Senate’s longstanding tradition of bipartisan support for
Simon Lester 29 Sep 2011 1 min read

Call for Papers for International Arbitration Conference (Reminder)

As noted previously, the Institute for Transnational Arbitration has issued a call for papers for its First Annual Winter Forum: THE INSTITUTE FOR TRANSNATIONAL ARBITRATION 1st Annual Winter Forum Stanford Court Renaissance San Francisco Hotel San Francisco, California February 2-3, 2012 CALL FOR PAPERS In collaboration with the Academic
Simon Lester 29 Sep 2011 2 min read

The Other WTO Non-Discrimination Dispute: Philippines - Spirits

It's easy to get distracted with all of the interesting aspects of Clove Cigarettes and Tuna, but let's not forget that there is another non-discrimination case going on:  Philippines - Distilled Spirits.  This case deals with GATT Article III:2.  Here is the Philippines' notice
Simon Lester 27 Sep 2011 2 min read

From Tuna to Seals

This paragraph from the Tuna panel report seems like it could have some relevance for the Seal Products dispute: 7.442 As established above, the US dolphin-safe provisions aim at protecting dolphins.  That this particular piece of legislation does not afford protection to other animals or marine species should
Simon Lester 27 Sep 2011 1 min read

Brazil's Exchange Rate Proposal

From Brazil's recent submission (Word doc) to the WTO on "THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXCHANGE RATES AND INTERNATIONALTRADE" The bearing of wide currency fluctuations on the delicate balance of commitments and concessions resulting from negotiations at the WTO must be better understood and be properly dealt with.
Simon Lester 27 Sep 2011 1 min read

Technical Regulations vs. Standards in the Tuna Panel Report

One interesting part of the recent Tuna-Dolphin panel report is the different views of the panelists on whether the U.S. dolphin-safe labelling measure is a "technical regulation" under the TBT Agreement.   The panel majority found that the the measure is a "technical regulation"
Simon Lester 22 Sep 2011 5 min read

The Boundaries of Using WTO Dispute Settlement

This is from some Congressional testimony by economist Phil Levy: In the absence of new agreements, there is a temptation to seek satisfaction through the aggressive use of venues such as the WTO dispute settlement mechanism -- litigation in lieu of negotiation. This poses a serious long-term threat to the
Simon Lester 22 Sep 2011 1 min read

Sign up for email notifications

jamie@example.com
Subscribe

Featured

Why Section 338 Does Not Work in a GATT/WTO World: Lessons from Trade Law History

On July 21, 2026, President Trump exercised his authority under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (hereinafter Section 338) to impose the maximum amount of additional tariffs (fifty per cent) on Canadian cars, alcohol, and dairy, owing to his determination of Canada’s discriminatory treatment of US exports.
23 Jul 2026 10 min read

EU WTO Reform Proposal Seeks To Extend Accession-Based State Enterprise Rules To All Members

In a new WTO reform paper entitled "Further Reflections on Disciplines, Subsidies and Industrial policy," the EU argues for stronger WTO disciplines on the behavior of state enterprises.
17 Jul 2026 5 min read

Governments Make Their Case Against Section 301 Forced Labor Tariffs

Last month, USTR made a determination in its Section 301 investigation into "Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies Related to the Failure To Impose and Effectively Enforce a Prohibition on the Importation of Goods Produced With Forced Labor."
10 Jul 2026 5 min read

How Should the EU Get Tough with China? Unilateral Action vs. WTO Complaints

I've seen several recent calls for the EU to get tougher in its economic relations with China, along with arguments that it has been too slow to act against the Chinese economic threat.
06 Jul 2026 4 min read

Trump Administration Decides Not To Extend USMCA for Another Term: What Does That Mean Exactly?

Today, as part of the first joint review of the USMCA, the three governments held a virtual meeting.
01 Jul 2026 4 min read

Topics

2008 Presidential Election

25 posts

2012 Republican Primary

6 posts

2020 Democratic Primary

22 posts

2020 Presidential Campaign

6 posts

2024 Presidential Campaign

9 posts

2024 Republican Primary

9 posts

Announcements

28 posts

Appellate Body

72 posts

CAFTA

5 posts

CETA

8 posts

Currency Disputes

60 posts

Development

23 posts

Digital Trade

61 posts

Domestic Trade Powers

10 posts

Dormant Commerce Clause

3 posts

DSU 25 Interim Appeals

43 posts

DSU Article 11

13 posts

Economic Integration

8 posts

Economic Statecraft

12 posts

EU-China Trade Relations

3 posts

EU-UK Trade Negotiation

5 posts

Exceptions

19 posts

Exchange Rates

7 posts

Export Restrictions

13 posts

Food Aid

5 posts

Foreign Investment

21 posts

FTA Negotiations

14 posts

FTAs - General

22 posts

Gambling Dispute

52 posts

Global Governance

9 posts

Globalization

13 posts

Government Procurement

5 posts

Green Steel Deal

14 posts

IEEPA

9 posts

IEL in Domestic Courts

20 posts

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

5 posts

Industrial Policy

20 posts

Investor-State Arbitration

93 posts

Jamieson Greer

19 posts

Katherine Tai

66 posts

NAFTA

19 posts

NAFTA Chapter 11

15 posts

NAFTA Chapter 19

5 posts

National Security

38 posts

Non Appeal Pact

3 posts

Non-Discrimination Standards

62 posts

Non-Market Economies

7 posts

Non-Violation Nullification or Impairment

19 posts

Precedent

25 posts

Public Views of Trade

9 posts

Robert Lighthizer

19 posts

Russia Trade Sanctions

17 posts

Sanctions

15 posts

Section 301

17 posts

Sovereignty

10 posts

SPS/TBT

5 posts

Standards of Review

7 posts

State Enterprises

9 posts

Sub-National Trade Issues

5 posts

Subsidies

83 posts

Tariffs

4 posts

Terms of Trade Manipulation

7 posts

Trade Agreements

24 posts

Trade and Competition

14 posts

Trade and Development

21 posts

Trade and Environment

119 posts

Trade and Health

20 posts

Trade and Human Rights

9 posts

Trade and Income Inequality

1 post

Trade and Intellectual Property

26 posts

Trade and Labor

28 posts

Trade and Peace

4 posts

Trade and Security

35 posts

Trade and the Stock Market

2 posts

Trade Balance

14 posts

Trade in Everything

65 posts

Trade in Services

21 posts

Trade Law and International Law

10 posts

Trade Preferences/GSP

23 posts

Trade Remedies

64 posts

Trans Pacific Partnership

9 posts

Trump Administration

60 posts

U.S. Trade Policy

32 posts

U.S. Trade Politics

60 posts

US-China Trade Relations

29 posts

USMCA

20 posts

USMCA Dispute Settlement

34 posts

USMCA Sunset/Review Clause

25 posts

USTR

16 posts

WTO - General

25 posts

WTO Accessions

8 posts

WTO Disputes

178 posts

WTO DS Reform

13 posts

WTO Jurisprudence

28 posts

WTO Negotiations

31 posts

Zeroing

29 posts
Powered by Ghost