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More on "Public Body": Where do WTO Terms Come From?

Recall from this post that SCM Agreement Article 1.1(a)(1) refers to a "public body" in the context of defining "financial contribution": (a)(1) there is a financial contribution by a government or any public body within the territory of a Member (referred to
Simon Lester 25 Mar 2011 1 min read

The Appellate Body on the "Essence of Government"

In the U.S. - AD/CVD on Products from China (DS379) report, the Appellate Body dabbled in a bit of political philosophy: 290. ... In this vein, the Appellate Body found, in Canada – Dairy, that the essence of government is that it enjoys the effective power to regulate, control, or
Simon Lester 25 Mar 2011 1 min read

Trade in Everything: War-time Medical Care

Via the IPEZone, I came across this: At least 2,300 Filipino nurses have refused to be evacuated even after the United Nations approved military strikes against Libya. Acting [Filipino] Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the nurses, 2,000 of whom are based in capital Tripoli and 383
Simon Lester 23 Mar 2011 1 min read

Trade and Public Health: Quinoa

From the NY Times: When NASA scientists were searching decades ago for an ideal food for long-term human space missions, they came across an Andean plant called quinoa. With an exceptional balance of amino acids, quinoa, they declared, is virtually unrivaled in the plant or animal kingdom for its life-sustaining
Simon Lester 23 Mar 2011 1 min read

The Appellate Body and the Meaning of "Public Body"

Every now and then, there is a fairly straightforward interpretive disagreement among the various participants and third participants in a dispute.  In this situation, panels and the Appellate Body generally have to pick a side.  They can't make everyone happy.  Unless, of course, they exercise judicial economy, but
Simon Lester 20 Mar 2011 4 min read

(No) Trade in Everything: Violent Video Games

Via a customslawblog tweet, I came across this: The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service has notified Gamespot that gamers in Australia are not even allowed to import the game. Usually Australian gamers would import a copy of a banned game overseas but in this case, it’s illegal and
Simon Lester 20 Mar 2011 1 min read

More on Menthol Cigarettes

Recall that one of the issues in the WTO Clove Cigarettes case is whether clove cigarettes and/or menthol cigarettes act as "starter" cigarettes.  The advisory panel report to the FDA on menthol cigarettes, mentioned in the last post, may be relevant to this issue: Adolescents 12 to
Simon Lester 20 Mar 2011 1 min read

The Health Risks of Menthol Cigarettes

For those of you following the WTO Clove Cigarettes dispute, this will no doubt be of interest and could be discussed in the panel proceedings: Removing menthol cigarettes from sale in the U.S. would benefit public health, members of an advisory panel said in a report that urged more
Simon Lester 18 Mar 2011 1 min read

Norway's EC - Seal Products Panel Request

Norway's panel request in the EC - Seal products case is here.  From the request: The EU seal regime imposes a general prohibition on the importation and sale of processed and unprocessed seal products in the EU, thereby depriving Norway of access to a significant market for its
Simon Lester 16 Mar 2011 1 min read

Multilateralizing Bilateral and Regional FTAs

Here's a tweet from Reuters reporter Doug Palmer, who was covering a speech by WTO DDG Rufus Yerxa: Yerxa says post-Doha the WTO focus should be on multilateralizing the large number of bilateral FTAs I think there are a lot of people (myself included) who would like to
Simon Lester 16 Mar 2011 1 min read

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International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Jamieson Greer on the 30 Year Aberration in U.S. Trade Policy

When he was in Davos last week for the World Economic Forum, U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer talked a bit about U.S. trade policy history and described a recent period during which, in his view, U.S. trade policy shifted away from tariffs/protectionism and towards free trade.
29 Jan 2026 6 min read

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

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