While there are many aspects to the challenges faced by nations and their people, trade is often one of the key issues faced and exemplifies the difficulty of finding a way through complex policy options. International trade has evolved beyond basic questions of tariffs. International trade laws and regulations affect aspects of life from access to healthy food to the protection of the latest innovations in communications and nanotechnology. An important challenge for all nations in the short term is whether the international trading system is configured to ensure sustainable economic growth that is enjoyed by all people of the world. This challenge is complicated by non-trade aspects haunting many nations' effort to improve the future for their citizens. The timely work contains a variety of essays from individuals who presently or in the past have been trade negotiators, worked in the WTO or its predecessor, are serving in legislatures, represent important constituencies, teach aspects of the WTO system or advise clients in the private sector. The essays are grouped into three sections: looking at the ongoing Doha negotiations and/or describing changes to the WTO system or negotiation approach that are needed/viewed as desirable; examining the direction US trade policy should take moving forward; and critically examining the world food crisis and what role the trading system and individual WTO members can take in helping to resolve the crisis.

In recent years the People's Republic of China has experienced rapid economic growth, brought about in large measure by dramatic increases in foreign trade and investment. China's adoption of an "open door" policy in the late 1970s also opened up its banking market to foreigners. As a result, there has been a sharp rise in the number of disputes between Chinese sovereign borrowers and foreign banks, making the availability of appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms for foreign banks a critical factor in the expansion of international finance in China. This text recognizes the need for a unique international dispute forum that addresses intricate political and diplomatic considerations and issues of state sovereignty, issues that typically arise from disputes regarding state contracts between national governments and private foreign parties. The work addresses several problematic private and public international law issues in sovereign debt litigation, including the state immunity theory, the act of state doctrine, forum non conveniens, and the difficulty in enforcing foreign judgments. It offers a comprehensive survey of the many choices open to a foreign bank operator in planning a dispute resolution strategy in China, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each process, and examining a series of case studies by way of illustration. The author argues that the autonomy of each party in international arbitration circumvents potential cultural and conceptual difficulties and offers a flexible, mutually acceptable means of conflict resolution which in some circumstances can prove more effective than litigation. Arbitration and the recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award may be recognized as providing a level playing field for international financial transactions between states and foreign private parties, and the non-adversarial nature of the arbitration process makes it particularly appropriate in the Chinese context.

Global governance emerged as a concept more than two decades ago. Despite its relevance to key processes underlying the major public policy questions of our age, the contours of 'global governance' remain contested and elusive. This Research Review seeks to clarify key trends and challenges in global governance by bringing together the leading scholarship on its different forms. The Research Review discusses key issues in relation to global governance institutions: democracy, legitimacy, accountability, fragmentation, effectiveness and dispute settlement.

International tax practice demands a constantly renewed understanding of tax treaty provisions and how they are applied. Practitioners working with Western European taxation must master the further complexity introduced by the interplay between Community law and national law, especially as it affects the administration of tax law in the various countries. This text is a detailed survey of tax treaty interpretation in the 15 EU states plus Norway. Presented as 16 national reports by authorities from each country, the analysis provided is the result of a conference sponsored by the European Commission and held in Rust, Austria, in January 2001. Each report gives an organized, in-depth summation of the discussion as it related to the country in question, amalgamating the research and commentary brought to the conference by sixty experts in all. "Tax Treaty Interpretation" builds on the 1993 analysis of Klaus Vogel and Rainer Prokisch for the International Fiscal Association (IFA), and takes full account of such developments as the following: court decisions since 1993; the OECD report on partnerships; changes in administrative practice at the national level; and recent Community law affecting taxation and tax practice.

This insightful book proposes taking inspiration from EU competition law structures to inform and implement a more economic approach in WTO law. The book provides a detailed account of the two legal systems regarding likeness, harm, and remedies, in order to draw comparisons. Taking a unique approach in synthesizing law and economics with comparative law methods, it considers WTO law holistically to propose a legal transplant from EU competition law to WTO law. Drawing from EU competition law, the book generates comparative ideas that can improve the understanding of fundamental WTO concepts such as likeness, less favourable treatment, discrimination, trade harm, trade effects, and the level of permissible countermeasures. Based on this analysis, the author offers normative suggestions to improve the efficiency of WTO law through correct implementation of a more economic approach. As part of this approach, the author recommends an increased capacity for all key actors involved in WTO dispute settlement. Exploring key WTO concepts and employing law and economics benchmarks to make comparisons, this thought-provoking book will be of benefit to scholars and students of law and economics, global transnational law and WTO law in particular. It will also prove valuable for practitioners and policy makers involved in international trade law and dispute settlement.

This innovative book proposes a fundamental rethink of the consensual foundation of arbitration and argues that it should become the default mode of resolution in international commercial disputes. The book first discusses the most important arguments against this proposal and responds to them. In particular, it addresses the issue of the legitimacy of arbitrators and the compatibility of the idea with guarantees afforded by European human rights law and US constitutional law. The book then presents several models of non-consensual arbitration that could be implemented to afford neutral adjudication in disputes between parties originating from different jurisdictions' to offer an additional alternative forum in the doctrine of forum non conveniens or to save judicial costs. The first dedicated exploration into the groundbreaking concept of default arbitration, Rethinking International Commercial Arbitration will appeal to scholars, students and practitioners in arbitration and international litigation.

'History has a way of repeating itself in financial matters because of a kind of sophisticated stupidity,' John Kenneth Galbraith once wrote. In this superb new book, Ross Buckley suggests that the stupidity identified by Galbraith can be traced to the persistence of an inadequate legal system for the regulation of international finance − a system rooted in the failure of economists and investors to take the legal demands of real-world finance seriously. Everywhere, trade is glorified while finance tends to be taken for granted. Yet financial flows far exceed trade flows, by a factor of over sixty to one; international financial transactions represent a far greater proportion of the practice of most major law firms than do trade transactions; and international finance, when it goes wrong, brings appalling suffering to the poorest citizens of poor countries. In a powerful demonstration of how we can learn from history, Professor Buckley provides deep analyses of some of the devastating financial crises of the last quarter-century. He shows how such factors as the origins and destinations of loans, bank behaviour, bad timing, ignorance of history, trade regimes, capital flight, and corruption coalesce under certain circumstances to trigger a financial crash. He then offers well-thought out legal measures to regulate these factors in a way that can prevent the worst from happening and more adequately protect the interests of vulnerable parties and victims. In the course of the discussion he covers such topics as the following:A* the roles of the Bretton Woods institutions in the globalisation process;A* global capital flows;A* debtor nation policies;A* the effects of the Brady restructurings of the 80s and 90s;A* fixed versus floating exchange rates;A* the social costs of IMF policies;A* debt-for-development exchanges; andA* the national balance sheet problem.Professor Buckley's far-reaching recommendations include details of tax, regulatory, banking, and bankruptcy regimes to be instituted at a global level.As a general introduction to the international financial system and its regulation; as a powerful critique of the current system's imperfections; and most of all as a viable overarching scheme for an international finance law framework soundly based on what history has taught us, International Financial System: Policy and Regulation shows the way to amending a system that repeatedly sacrifices the lives of thousands and compromises the future of millions.

A comparative lega, economic and political analysis of the impact of constitutional law and of international economic law on the foreign trade laws and policies of the major trading countries. The countries covered include the United States, Japan, EC and EFTA countries, plus regional trade organizations such as the EEC and EFTA. Developments such as the Cadana-US Free Trade Agreement are also covered. As the benefits of constitutionalism and liberal trade do not depend on the nationalities of traders, producers and consumers, the contributions criticize the frequent "double standards" of "fair trade laws" and suggest "constitutionalism reforms" of international and domestic foreign trade laws and policies.

The Contract is the core tool of governance in a free market economy. An EU Contract Law Code is now on the political agenda because all three legislative bodies in the EU and most member states favour it in principle. In its communication of July 2001, the Commission proposed three major options: to enhance the existing EC Contract Law by eliminating inconsistencies; introducing a European Code which substitutes national laws; and introducing a European code which only supplements national laws. This book achieves three things: For the first time, European academia is discussing these three options in an extensive and systematic way - with pros and cons, in a transparent and systematic way, along broad lines and often also important details. The book contains the views of all protagonists - from all those who really drafted the models to all those who illustrated the potential of decentralized rule-making and invented the very idea of an Optional Code. And it is the first book in which the optional Code, which is the alternative most likely to come, is thoroughly analysed at all. The book also contains a full map of design possibilities. It is the executive summary of what European academia thinks of the future of European Contract Law and a European Code. It is the Academic Green Paper on European Contract Law.

Wielded by major economic powers, linkages between trade and such issues as environmental protection and human rights have become a widely used and controversial policy instrument. This volume provides a comprehensive and authoritative analysis, across issue-areas, of the European Union's deployment of trade to advance its normative goals.' - Miles Kahler, Council on Foreign Relations'The EU treaties call for the EU to promote its core values internationally. Trade is one instrument to do so: linking preferential access to the large EU market to convergence towards EU or internationally agreed norms. The volume offers an insightful discussion of the scope for, and the effectiveness of, EU trade linkage strategies to influence the labour, environmental and human rights-related policies of selected trade partners. It advances the state of our knowledge on a controversial and important subject.' - Bernard Hoekman, EUI and CEPR, Italy A 'new generation' of EU trade policies aims to advance public goods such as promoting sustainable development, protecting human rights and enhancing governance in third states. The pursuit of these objectives raises important questions regarding coherence, effectiveness, legitimacy and extraterritoriality. In Global Governance through Trade leading scholars from different disciplines address these topical questions. The book contains a comprehensive analysis of the concept of governing through trade and investigates how the EU 'exports' regulation through conditional market access regulation, bilateral trade agreements and unilateral trade policy. Several case studies complement the general analysis and provide an in-depth assessment of the European Union's new trade policies. This multidisciplinary book will be an enlightening read for a wide-ranging audience encompassing academics, policymakers, policy analysts and students of, amongst others, trade law and policy, global governance, sustainable development, human rights and labor standards. Contributors: L. Bartels, L. Beke, N.A.J. Croquet, C. Damro, D. Geraets, N. Hachez, M. Koekkoek, J. Larik, R. Leal-Arcas, A. Marx, P.C. Mavroidis, B. Natens, C. Ryngaert, J. Soares, G. van Calster, C.M. Wilmarth, J. Wouters, J. Yap

Legal practitioners, academics and energy industry representatives from several European countries contribute towards an appreciation of current and proposed EC energy legislation and policy. Legal and policy issues of EC energy regulation are considered and their practical implications, particularly for the oil and gas industry, highlighted. The increasing role of industry is discussed in the light of current key commercial issues facing the oil and gas industry such as abandonment and the current and future role of novel forms of energy financing. Finally, important considerations in North Sea Joint Operating Agreements and EC gas contracts are analyzed in depth.

In an attempt to reduce barriers to international trade, public procurement agreements have evolved during the last three decades of the 20th-century at both global and regional levels. These agreements give rise to a number of complex, topical issues. Yet apart from studies on European Union procurement rules, there are few books on public procurement, particularly covering regional procurement agreements. This study provides an assessment of these agreements, focusing on the problem of protectionism in government procurement, long recognized as a major barrier to international trade. Procurement lawyers, experts and officials; international economic law professors; public international lawyers; and international organizations should all appreciate this guide to understanding international procurement agreements, including the new tendering rules they impose. It also features coverage of all types of international public procurement regimes, multilateral, regional and bilateral.

In order to understand international economic regulations, it is essential to understand the variation in competing corporations' interests. This book's theoretical findings open a 'black box' in the literature on international political economy and elucidate a source of regulatory differences and similarities. Its counter-intuitive case studies reveal how business and governments actually interact.

By exploring powerful corporations' investment profiles and regulatory strategies, this book explains why globalization sometimes results in a 'race to the bottom', sometimes in higher common regulations, and sometimes in regulations that differ between countries. Uniquely, it then explains which regulatory outcome is likely to occur under specified conditions. The explanation incorporates economics, political science, studies of regulatory capture, and examinations of transaction costs, firms' regulatory strategies, and the roles international institutions.

This title poses a challenge to the consensus on the best way to reform legal systems in order to attract and support foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries. Using detailed examples from Sri Lanka, it shows that the "ideal paradigm" approach to legal reform espoused by multilateral development organizations and bilateral aid donors is not only fundamentally flawed, but misconceived for reasons that we may not fully understand. The author recommends a shift in emphasis from the "global" legal reform agenda to a country-specific approach, based on a rigorous formulation of the common ground where the expectations of investors and the countries in question meet. The crux of this "ideal paradigm" approach resides in the generally accepted belief that a Western-style market-oriented, rule-bound legal system is the sine qua non of successfully attracting and supporting FDI. However, through a wide-ranging survey of Sri Lankan and foreign business people, lawyers, non-legal advisers, NGO workers, diplomats, development workers, and government officials, Perry shows that this is far from the case. Investors are generally insensitive to the nature of the host state legal system when making the decision to invest, and their perceptions and expectations of the host state legal system may be significantly affected by such factors as their nationality, export orientation and size. Perry suggests that the conclusions drawn from this detailed analysis from Sri Lanka, applied on a global scale, have the potential to greatly improve the quality of many developing countries' participation in the world economy. The positive and forward-looking thesis of this book will be of great value to policymakers in international organisations and donor government agencies, to law firms handling international business transactions, and to academics in development and other areas of international finance, as well as to investors everywhere.

Regulating subsidies in international trade is crucial to the efficient and equitable allocation of resources and ultimately to global welfare. Much of the serious instability that persists in today's interdependent world may be traced to government interventions that dilute or defy such regulation. In this in-depth analysis of subsidies and State aids, Gustavo Luengo details the regulatory elements that reveal how governments undertake the granting of support to their national industries. Although in theory such support is aimed at two overriding economic objectives - the elimination of harmful distortions, and the correction of market failures - he shows that in practice it is political contexts that determine the principles and objectives of the regulation of subsidies. The analysis focuses on two mature regulatory systems, those of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the European Communities (EC). The author describes both legal frameworks, and then proceeds to examine the differences and conflicts between the two systems, along with their reasons, consequences, and possible solutions. Significant aspects of the regulation of subsidies that emerge from the analysis include the following: the role of 'countervailing measures'; the EC notion of 'State aid' as developed by the European Commission and the European Court of Justice; procedures for controlling subsidies under both systems and the consequences of granting subsidies in violation of applicable rules; the elements of 'financial contribution' and 'benefit' under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM); actionable and non-actionable subsidies; agricultural subsidies in both systems; and, the role of WTO dispute settlement procedures. Both for its clear and comprehensive overview of the regulation of subsidies and State aids and for its insightful recommendations, this book will be welcomed as a major contribution to the field of international economic law. Practitioners, policymakers, officials, and academics will all find it enormously valuable for its analytic depth and its direct applicability to the need to develop fair and enforceable regulation of subsidies and State aids.

Understanding Investment Law in Zambia deals with both the domestic law and international legal norms pertaining to foreign direct investment. A wide array of topics is covered in this book, including the contractual, legislative and treaty-based protections available to investors as they consider entrusting their capital to another jurisdiction. These protections are considered through the prism of the Zambian investment climate, and give a glimpse into both historical and current issues.

There is no question that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) greatly enhanced trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico. Still, despite the Agreement's title, a sizeable portion of trade between the three countries is not 'free' at all. Likewise, notwithstanding successive multilateral trade deals and dozens of bilateral free trade agreements concluded individually by the NAFTA countries with other countries, a great deal of trade between the NAFTA countries and non-NAFTA countries remains subject to various restrictions. These restrictions include trade remedies, i.e. antidumping duties, countervailing duties, and safeguards. The aim of this timely book is to bring together in a single detailed work the law and practice of trade remedies in all three NAFTA countries, including the role of legal and economic analysis in trade remedy determinations, in light of the relevant international trade rules at the bilateral, NAFTA and WTO levels and their economic and political underpinnings.

In this volume 21 experts from all over the world examine the UNIDROIT Principles from the perspective of their respective countries, focusing, among others, on the similarities and differences between the UNIDROIT Principles and domestic law, and the use of the UNIDROIT Principles in actual practice (contract negotiation, arbitration proceedings, model for law reform projects, etc.). These national reports are critically analysed in the General Report by Professor M.J. Bonell, Chairman of the Working Group for the preparation of the UNIDROIT Principles.

This "Liber Amicorum" is written in honour of Richard M. Buxbaum to celebrate his 70th birthday. It pays tribute to his writings, teachings, editorial and administrative work, which have contributed immensely to the development of the international legal order. The contributions are from international experts in the field of commercial and economic law, corporate law, intellectual property and business law, and give an interesting and valuable account of current economic trends and academic thinking.

Law relating to trade in financial services is examined here, with a particular focus on the rules contained in Chapter 14 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). After a detailed analysis of the relevant provisions and their effect on financial institutions in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the author examines the impact of the NAFTA rules on the legal position of banks operating in countries outside NAFTA, particularly in the context of the WTO financial services provisions. The book concludes with a chapter on the effects of a potential NAFTA expansion. The book aims to contribute to the development of a new legal and regulatory framework distinct from those of trade and financial services law, and offers an insight into how trade in financial services within a regional trade agreement develops its own legal dynamic.

Is Free Trade desirable? Does it primarily benefit the wealthy? And what are its impacts on individual autonomy and human dignity? These are some of the fundamental questions that acclaimed trade law expert, Michael Trebilcock, sets out to answer in this pithy and insightful journey through the past, present and future of international trade agreements and trade policy. Exploring both the historical and contemporary conflicts and controversies surrounding the free trade vs fair trade debate, from the perspective of both developed and developing countries, the book illuminates the nuances of such issues as trade deficits, currency, subsidies, intellectual property rights, health and safety and environmental standards and competition policy. Navigating the Free Trade - Fair Trade Fault-lines completes the journey by bringing us squarely into our times with a discussion on the implications of worldwide pandemics for international trade, and with an additional focus on the current trade conflict between the US and China. Packed with insight and reasoned analysis, this short but powerful book will be an essential read for seasoned experts and newcomers alike. The book offers thought-provoking guidance to policy makers, lawyers, economists, scholars and anyone with a stake in the future of the international trading system.

The topic of harmonisation of European private law, and European contract law in particular, is rapidly gaining in importance. The topic is not only widely studied by academics and students all over Europe (and even beyond), it is also on the political agenda of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Council. The most important achievement in this field is no doubt the Principles of European Contract Law (PECL), drafted by the Commission on European Contract Law. The European Commission considers the PECL to be a serious option for further harmonisation of European contract law within the European Union. This publication is the first to provide a systematic overview of the PECL in comparison with Dutch contract law as a whole. The book is concise and because of its structure it is easily accessible. Amongst the contributors there are many highly distinguished contract law specialists. It may be used at universities in courses on Comparative Law, European Private Law, and European Contract Law. It may also be used by international practitioners, foreign students, and academics interested in Dutch contract law who do not have access to Dutch contract law because they have no knowledge of the Dutch language. Last but not least, the book will be of interest to all jurists interested in the harmonisation of the European Private Law.

Governments spend huge amounts of money buying goods and services from the private sector. How far should their spending power be affected by social policy? Arguments against the practice are often made by economists - on the grounds of inefficiency - and lawyers - on the grounds of free competition and international economic law.Buying Social Justice analyzes how governments in developed and developing countries use their contracting power in order to advance social equality and reduce discrimination, and argues that this approach is an entirely legitimate and efficient means of achieving social justice. The book looks at the different experiences of a range of countries, including the USA, the UK, and South Africa. It also examines the impact of international and regional regulation of the international economy, and questions the extent to which the issue of procurement policy be regulated at the national, European or international levels. The role of EC and WTO law in mediating the tensions between the economic function of procurement and the social uses of procurement is discussed, and the outcomes of controversies concerning the legitimacy of the integration of social values into procurement are analyzed.
Buying Social Justice argues that European and international legal regulation of procurement has become an important means of accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative in both the social and economic uses of procurement.

Brazil, experiencing its largest economic expansion in three decades, is increasingly at the centre of international trade negotiations. As the world grapples with one of the most severe financial recessions of all time, Brazil is using this opportunity to harness its authority regionally and globally. The country's already booming exports, recent offshore oil discoveries, macroeconomic stabilization, efficient government policies, and strategic ties to other emerging powers such as China are combining to transform Brazil into an economic superpower. Domestically, Brazil has almost instantaneously been given added political clout, which it can use as leverage in international bargaining. Brazil's growing prominence on the world stage, both as an investor and as a beneficiary of investments, merits attention to its behaviour regarding contingent protection measures and its strategically active use of WTO law and mechanisms. This book provides a thorough analysis of current Brazilian trade policy in regard to both the country's historical economic situation and its commitments as a member of the World Trade Organization. Among the aspects that come under analysis are the following: Brazil's use of antidumping, countervailing measures, and safeguards; the lingering tendency towards protectionism in Brazil's traditional industrial sector; interaction between trade and competition policies; the strategic partnership between Brazil and China; resolution of Sino-Brazilian trade disputes; Brazil's regional free trade agreements; measures taken by Brazil as an importing country; measures taken by other WTO members against Brazil; and investigations conducted by foreign trade investigating authorities involving Brazilian exports. Replete with case studies and analyses of relevant proposals and initiatives, this incomparable resource offers the most comprehensive treatment available in one place of Brazil's role and activity in the global trade regime. It is sure to be widely read not only by lawyers and legal academics but by the entire spectrum of those interested in the present and future of the world trade system.

An established trademark provides recognition valuable to trade and sales promotion, and acts as an indication of quality. These undeniable functions of the trademark must be coupled with adequate protection to avoid jeopardizing these essential aspects. The need for unification, at least at the European level, can no longer be disregarded. The Community Directive and Regulation are the response to this need. This commentary provides the texts of essential legislation and offers an analysis of the Directive and Regulation, also in their "historical" context, as seen through the eyes of leading European experts in the field. Issues such as grounds for refusal, entitlement, registration procedures, jurisdiction and procedure in legal actions and the impact of the Community Trade Mark on applicants from non-member countries are addressed. This commentary is intended for both practitioners and scholars, as well as marketing managers, for interpreting the Community provisions in this specialized and important area. Moreover, since the Council Directive and the Commission Regulations have been transformed into national laws in many Member States of the EU, this commentary should be of use in the interpretation and analysis of national European trademark laws. This work is neither too scholarly nor too elementary, but couples the strong theoretical background and practical experience of contributors stemming from diverse legal and practical cultures.