The Dispute Settlement Reports of the World Trade Organization (WTO) include Panel and Appellate Body reports, as well as arbitration awards, in disputes concerning the rights and obligations of WTO members under the provisions of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. These are the WTO authorized and paginated reports in English. An essential addition to the library of all practising and academic trade lawyers, and needed by students worldwide taking courses in international economic or trade law. Volumes IV to VIII report on European Communities - Measures Affecting the Approval and Marketing of Biotech Products.

The interrelation of products, the human body, and the environment presents a fundamental challenge to the international trade regulatory system. In an ever more integrated global market, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other increasingly prevalent methods of processing food and pharmaceuticals give rise not only to trade issues, but also to health, safety, and security concerns. Product-related cross-border issues such as the spread of disease, the use of riskrelevant substances or components, and safety-related construction issues are increasingly on the agenda for governments and international organizations. A promising response to this challenge - presented in this book - is offered by a harmonization of the multiplicity of rules, standards, guidelines, and recommendations that characterizes the current system of international trade regulation.

Can states adopt protectionist cultural policies? What are the limits, if any, to state intervention in cultural matters? A wide variety of cultural policies may interfere with foreign investments, and a tension therefore exists between the cultural policies of the host state and investment treaty provisions. In some cases, foreign investors have claimed that cultural policies have negatively affected their investments, thereby amounting to a breach of the relevant investment treaty. This study maps the relevant investor-state arbitrations concerning cultural elements and shows that arbitrators have increasingly taken cultural concerns into consideration in deciding cases brought before them, eventually contributing to the coalescence of general principles of law demanding the protection of cultural heritage.

'Ruhmkorf's thought-provoking book has a powerful message: that we cannot rely on the discretion of business to promote CSR voluntarily. Through the devastating example of the Rana Plaza disaster, Ruhmkorf shows that we must get beyond business rhetoric and develop a multidimensional approach to the regulation of global supply chains. Whilst recognising the existing limitations of private law, his book highlights the potential contribution of private law to the development and promotion of CSR. The task is not an easy one, but by adopting a pluralistic approach to corporate law and by employing contract law, consumer law and tort law more dynamically, English private law could fill many of the regulatory gaps. The message is urgent and strong. This is a must read book for anyone concerned with CSR, supply chains and the law.' - Charlotte Villiers, University of Bristol, UK 'This book fills an important gap in discussions of international CSR standards. It is all very well to say that states must protect and companies should respect human rights, but when breaches of human rights do occur, it is remedies that matter. Ruhmkorf explores the limits of private law avenues for seeking such remedies. In so doing, he provides a valuable understanding of obstacles to fuller realization of the three-pillared ''Protect, Respect and Remed'' Framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. - Alice de Jonge, Monash University, Australia Current debate surrounding social responsibility has neglected to fully comprehend the important role of national private law in achieving socially responsible conduct in business. This insightful book demonstrates how private law makes a significant contribution to the promotion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and how it could be improved. Based on the analysis of four substantive areas (company law/corporate governance, contract law, consumer law and tort law), this inclusive book covers a full range of issues that are important for CSR. These include directors duties, corporate reporting, the incorporation of CSR policies into the supply chain, consumer rights and the tortious liabilities of companies. The book discerns how national private law in the home state of multinational enterprises can legally affect their socially responsible conduct worldwide. Andreas Ruhmkorf demonstrates that private law already promotes and, with certain amendments, could better promote CSR in the regulation of global supply chains. The book's findings are applied to the collapse of the Rana Plaza Building in Bangladesh, which offers a supportive empirical insight. As an up-to-date and comprehensive survey of CSR and global supply chains, this work will benefit researchers and practitioners interested in the fields of CSR, private law, international law, political economy, international labor standards and sustainable supply chains.

This book examines the responsibility of States and international organizations for complicity (aid or assistance) in an internationally wrongful act. Despite the recognition of responsibility for complicity as a rule of customary international law by the International Court of Justice, this book argues that the effectiveness and utility of this form of responsibility is fraught with systemic and operational limits. These limits include a lack of clarity in its constituent elements, its co-existence with primary rules prohibiting complicity and the obligations of due diligence, its implementation and the underlying causal tests, its uncertain relationship to other forms of shared and indirect responsibility, and its potential as a form of attribution of conduct. This book submits that the content and elements of this form of responsibility need adjustments to respond more effectively to the phenomenon of complicity in international affairs. Awarded The Paul Guggenheim Prize in International Law 2017!

The impact of the European Community and European Community law on taxation is becoming increasingly important. EC law influences not only national tax law but also tax treaties. This book focuses on the question of whether anti-abuse provisions in tax treaties may be in conflict with EC law, especially the fundamental freedoms contained in the EC Treaty. This issue is dealt with from the perspective of Austria, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. Though most problems arise with regard to the limitation on benefits clauses contained in the tax treaties concluded between EC Member States and the United States, the book also addresses the compatibility with EC law of other anti-abuse clauses and assesses the consequences of a possible conflict. EUCOTAX (European Universities Cooperating on Taxes) is a network of fiscal institutes of European universities - nine in 1998. This network aims at initiating and co-ordinating both comparative education and comparative research on taxation. The comparative education is structured by various means, e.g. organizing winter courses and guest lectures. Comparative research is realised by means of joint research projects, international conferences and exchange of researchers from various countries.

This work focuses on the EU's participation in the Dispute Settlement Proceedings (DSP) of the WTO for matters of non-conferred competences. The underlying thesis is that the joint membership of the EU and its Member States is fallacious, in that it could cause the EU to become responsible for violations of the WTO regulations on the part of the Member States. Such fallacies are rooted in the blurred nature of the distribution of powers in the EU polity.In order to tackle the issue of international responsibility, the analysis is based on the facts of a real-world case. Based on the tenets of public international law, the law of mixed agreements and the EU constitutional principles, the book puts forward a model for the EU's participation in the DSP, and for the reallocation of burdens to the respective responsible entity. This proposition deconstructs the joint responsibility regime and endorses a solution that could address the issue of responsibility in mixed agreements without a declaration of powers.

This book discusses the relationship between democracy and the financial order from various legal perspectives. Each of the nine contributions adopts a unique perspective on the legal and political challenges brought to the fore by the Global Financial Crisis. This crisis and the ensuing sovereign debt crisis in Europe are only the latest in a long series of financial crises around the globe in recent decades. By their very existence, but also as a result of the political turmoil they have created, these financial crises testify to the well-known tensions between democracy and a market-based economic and financial order. However, what is missing in this debate is an analysis of the role of law for reconciling democracy with a market-based financial order. To fill this lacuna, the book focuses on the controversy surrounding the concept of law, thereby adding another variable to the debate on the relation between democracy and capitalism. Each chapter addresses the concept of law from a particular theoretical angle, be it a full-grown legal theory or an approach in political economy that has a particular view of the law.

Social justice and the market economy often seem to be on a collision course. Human dignity and equal treatment are of little commodity value. More and more, however, labour law theorists are insisting that, without more serious attention to human rights in the workplace, the dominance of market-driven economics will continue to engender grave and potentially explosive social problems. This collection of essays -- composed in honour of the leading labour law and social security jurist Ruth Ben-Israel -- offers incisive perspectives on this vital aspect of today's post-industrial society. Featuring the most recent views of a virtual who's who of major labour law authorities, the book includes in-depth analyses of such important aspects of the field as the following: + workplace representation; + safety and health at work; + labour conflicts; + labour courts; + the ILO supervisory system; + right to strike; + employee privacy; + enterprise reorganisation; and + treatment of blue collar vs. white collar workers. All issues are treated from a comparative legal viewpoint, with valuable contributions from Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, and Japan. Ruth Ben-Israel is notable for her commitment -- as teacher, writer, and international advisor - to the continuity and expansion of social justice as the welfare state has increasingly succumbed to the pressure of the corporate-driven global economic model. Her extensive body of work emphasizes collective bargaining, strikes and lockouts, workers' participation, equal employment opportunity (especially for women), and unfair dismissal. Labour Law, Human Rights and Social Justice is a faithful and fitting tribute from her colleagues to her determination and eloquence in pursuing this most worthy of goals.

Over the past five decades, the European Union (EU) has developed into the most legally and politically authoritative regional organization in the world, wielding significant influence across a wide range of issue areas. European Union and Environmental Governance focuses on the growing global role of EU environmental and sustainable development policies in Europe and around the world.

Written in a concise and accessible manner, this book introduces and examines the major European and global environmental issues, debates, and policies and provides a critical, evidence-based evaluation of the achievements and shortcomings to date in EU environmental and sustainability governance. Providing both an historical overview and a discussion of the major future legal, political and economic challenges to the realization of EU goals related to better environmental governance, the authors offer a comprehensive introduction to this key issue.

This book will be useful reading for students of global environmental politics, comparative environmental politics and policy, international organizations, European politics, and environmental studies.

This book presents a complete and coherent view of the subject of Common European Sales Law from a range of European perspectives. The book offers a comparison of the CESL with the CISG, as well as pre-existing instruments, including the Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR) and the Principles of European Contract Law (PECL). It analyses the process of enactment of CESL and its scope of application, covering areas such as the sale of goods, the supplying (licensing) of digital content, the supply of trade-related services, and consumer protection. It examines the design of the CESL bifurcating businesses into large and small-to-medium sized enterprises, and the providing of rules covering digital content and the supply of trade-related services. Lastly, it studies the field of application of the CESL combined with the already existing EU consumer protection laws, as well as nation-specific laws.

This book analyses how the complementarity regime of the ICC's Rome Statute can be implemented in member states, specifically focusing on African states and Nigeria. Complementarity is the principle that outlines the primacy of national courts to prosecute a defendant unless a state is 'unwilling' or 'genuinely unable to act', assuming the crime is of a 'sufficient gravity' for the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is stipulated in the Rome Statute without a clear and comprehensive framework for how states can implement it. The book proposes such a framework and argues that a mutually inclusive interpretation and application of complementarity would increase domestic prosecutions and reduce self-referrals to the ICC. African states need to have an appropriate legal framework in place, implementing legislation and institutional capacity as well as credible judiciaries to investigate and prosecute international crimes. The mutually inclusive interpretation of the principle of complementarity would entail the ICC providing assistance to states in instituting this framework while being available to fill the gaps until such time as these states meet a defined threshold of institutional preparedness sufficient to acquire domestic prosecution. The minimum complementarity threshold includes proscribing the Rome Statute crimes in domestic criminal law and ensuring the institutional preparedness to conduct complementarity-based prosecution of international crimes. Furthermore, it assists the ICC in ensuring consistency in its interpretation of complementarity.

The law of outer space is rapidly evolving to adapt to changes in the economic drivers as well as advancements in technological capabilities. The contents of this book are a reflection of this changing environment as evidenced in the writings of the second and third generations of space lawyers. Theoretical aspects of space law are explored by chapters relating to fundamental concepts central to the corpus juris spatialis. Practical aspects of space law are probed by examinations into international and domestic regulation of commercial activities, with particular emphasis on African, Asian, and European perspectives. International policy considerations are scrutinized in relation to military uses of outer space. The scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is the subject of a concise history of the discipline vis-a-vis the role of the SETI Permanent Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and also of a study of the policy and other ramifications of social media in the event of the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial beings. The book concludes with the republication of the seminal and highly influential Relations With Alien Intelligences The Scientific Basis of Metalaw by Dr. Ernst Fasan, first published in 1970. Scholar, author, and attorney Ernst Fasan was among the original space lawyers, a small, pioneering group of visionaries who recognized that the movement of man into space must be accomplished without the shackles of history and in an environment free from the threat of the use of space as an instrument of armed aggression. The influence of Dr. Fasan has extended beyond the international legal community to the broader scientific community, especially to the field of astrobiology, as he pursued groundbreaking investigations into what could be the ultimate in legal relationships - metalaw - the interaction of sentient beings from different planets. The contributors to this Liber Amicorum are among those who can trace their own work to the foundations of space law placed in part by Ernst Fasan.

This provocative study investigates the question of whether, and to what extent, stringent EC process or production standards affect regulatory standards in the US and Canada through their effects on trade. Four highly controversial issues - animal trapping methods, beef growth hormones, genetically modified foods and food products, and protection of personal information in data transfers - are examined in great detail. The author combines legal research (EC regulations and directives, WTO cases, national and international regulatory standards and exceptions, records of negotiation and arbitration, and other sources), political and economic analysis, and information and insights gained from 67 personal interviews with officials and representatives of several types of interest groups. The result is a forceful and convincing portrayal of how the major powers are dealing with this most fundamental and complex problem affecting international trade today. This timely study is of extraordinary value in its potential to elucidate comparable manifestations of this fundamental problem in a wide variety of cases, issue areas, and countries, and in its interdisciplinary approach. As such it will be valuable to all lawyers, policymakers, and scholars in the field of international trade and regulatory politics.

Most of the world s redundant ships are scrapped on the beaches of the Indian sub-continent, largely by hand. As well as cargo residues and wastes, ships contain high levels of hazardous materials that are released into the surrounding ecology when scrapped. The scrapping process is labour-intensive and largely manual; injuries and death are commonplace.

Ship breaking was a relatively obscure industry until the late 1990s. In just 12 years, action by environmental NGOs has led to the ratification of an international treaty targeting the extensive harm to human and environmental health arising from this heavy, polluting industry; it has also produced important case law.

Attempts to regulate the industry via the "Basel Convention" have resulted in a strong polarization of opinion as to its applicability and various international guidelines have also failed because of their voluntary nature. The adoption of the "Hong Kong Convention" in 2009 was a serious attempt to introduce international controls to this industry."

The subject of this book is human rights law, focusing on historic achievement of a common standard viewed from a perspective of Pengchun Chang's contributions to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This is an original research, integrating different research methods: inter-disciplinary approaches, historical and comparative methods, and documentary research and so on. The research findings can be described briefly as follows: Chinese wisdom has played an important role in achieving a common standard for the establishment of the international human rights system, which can be seen by exploring P. C. Chang's contributions to the drafting of the UDHR. The target readers are global scholars and students in law, politics, philosophy, international relations, human rights law, legal history, religion and culture. This book will enable these potential readers to have a vivid picture of the Chinese contributions to the international human rights regime and to have a better understanding of the significance of the traditional Chinese culture and P. C. Chang's human rights philosophy of pluralism.

This topical and important book identifies the short to medium-term economic, financial and social consequences of Brexit. Containing perspectives from leading thinkers across legal, economic and financial fields, it considers both the general effect of UK withdrawal on the European integration process, and the specific impact on the free movement of capital, goods and people. Addressing the main areas within both the UK and the EU that can and will be affected by Brexit, including the financial sector, immigration, social rights and social security, After Brexit: Consequences for the European Union will make fascinating reading for all those currently engaged in the study and practice of Law, Economics, Finance, Political Science, Philosophy, History and International Affairs.

Controversy over Iranian nuclear policy has been mounting in both legal and political circles since the early 2000s. Most recently, the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), tasked with verifying compliance of Member States with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has been expressing concern that Iran's nuclear efforts are directed not solely toward peaceful uses, but also for military purposes. In response, various States have tried, individually and collectively, to engage Iran in agreed frameworks of action that would include an Iranian self-imposed restraint regarding its nuclear development. This volume documents the Iranian nuclear issue, tracing the evolution of international interest and concern with Iran's nuclear policy since the 1970s, when Iran began earnest efforts to acquire nuclear capabilities. Emphasis is nonetheless placed on events since 2002-2003, when it was established that Iran had concealed certain aspects of its nuclear activities from the IAEA. Alongside reports of the IAEA and Security Council documents, the volume covers diverse sources rather than relying solely on UN organs and agencies, international organizations, or dedicated ad hoc bodies.

This book aims to identify what components are needed for economic diplomacy in today's rapidly changing world, looking at the nature, focus and tenets of economic diplomacy, and the differences between economic diplomacy and commercial diplomacy. Further, it considers the new kind of diplomacy that will be required for emerging markets, in contrast to maintaining the traditional techniques used for economic diplomacy between states. The author emphasises the negotiating techniques necessary for successfully engaging in economic diplomacy in the current diplomatic atmosphere. Importantly, it also discusses how to pursue economic diplomacy at international fora and with regard to private foreign investments. Lastly, it addresses the role of non-governmental organisations in economic diplomacy. Given its scope, the book will benefit not only practicing diplomats, but also graduate students.

This book argues that the trade-distorting effects of advantages associated with SOEs are more severe from an economic perspective, and the behavior of SOEs after receiving advantages is of more concern, compared to private-owned enterprises (POEs). The premise is that the existence of SOEs per se is not the essential problem; rather, the underlying problems are (i) the disproportionate granting of advantages to SOEs (compared to POEs) and (ii) the behavior of SOEs once they receive advantages. The book offers a systematic analysis focusing on the various advantages granted to SOEs and their subsequent behavior. Its detailed analysis reveals the inadequacy of current WTO rules and is complemented by a number of concrete proposals.

This book discusses the moral and legal issues relating to military drones, focusing on how these machines should be judged according to the principles of just war theory. The author analyses existing drones, like the Predator and Reaper, but also evaluates the many types of drones in development. The book presents drones as not only morally justifiable but having the potential to improve compliance with the principles of just war and international law. Realizing this potential would depend on developing a sound regulatory framework, which the book helps to develop by considering what steps governments and military forces should take to promote ethical drone use. It also critically evaluates the arguments against drones to show which should be abandoned and which raise valid concerns that can inform regulations.

Despite its growing significance, the legal scrutiny of RTAs remains an underdeveloped academic field. This book considers how the interplay between multilateral and preferential liberalisation of trade in services increasingly raises concerns, both from the perspective of the beneficiaries of such liberalisation and that of regulators. With the application of a thorough article-by-article analysis, the author shows how these concerns lead to vast underutilisation of, and often prejudice against, the benefits of services liberalisation. The book meticulously analyses and compares the EU's obligations under the GATS and the services chapters of several RTAs to finally assess the merits of the various concerns. This book will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of law and related subjects. It will also be of interest to government officials looking for a detailed analysis of the topic, and practitioners looking for a framework for analysing RTA provisions.

Treaties in Force contains information on treaties and other international agreements to which the United States has become a party. The treaties presented here cover a wide range of subjects, including agricultural commodities, economic and technical cooperation, defense, education, general relations, relief supplies and packages, postal matters, extradition, and more. The appendix contains a consolidated tabulation of documents affecting copyright relations of the United States. Bilateral treaties and agreements are listed by country or entity while multilateral treaties and agreements are arranged by subject.

Today there are more than 2,500 bilateral investment treaties (BITs) around the world. Most of these investment protection treaties offer foreign investors a direct cause of action to claim damages against host-states before international arbitral tribunals. This procedure, together with the requirement of compensation in indirect expropriations and the fair and equitable treatment standard, have transformed the way we think about state liability in international law. We live in the BIT generation, a world where BITs define the scope and conditions according to which states are economically accountable for the consequences of regulatory change and administrative action. Investment arbitration in the BIT generation carries new functions which pose unprecedented normative challenges, such as the arbitral bodies established to resolve investor/state disputes defining the relationship between property rights and the public interest. They also review state action for arbitrariness, and define the proper tests under which that review should proceed. "State Liability in Investment Treaty Arbitration" is an interdisciplinary work, aimed at academics and practitioners, which focuses on five key dimensions of BIT arbitration. First, it analyses the past practice of state responsibility for injuries to aliens, placing the BIT generation in historical perspective. Second, it develops a descriptive law-and-economics model that explains the proliferation of BITs, and why they are all worded so similarly. Third, it addresses the legitimacy deficits of this new form of dispute settlement, weighing its potential advantages and democratic shortfalls. Fourth, it gives a comparative overview of the universal tension between property rights and the public interest, and the problems and challenges associated with liability grounded in illegal and arbitrary state action. Finally, it presents a detailed legal study of the current state of BIT jurisprudence regarding indirect expropriations and the fair and equitable treatment clause.

Ecological degradation has been an object of concern for the international community since the early 1970s, but legal approaches that have been employed to improve the protection of ecosystems have failed to halt this decline. Ecological Governance explores how the law should respond to this rapid global deterioration of ecosystems by examining the foundational scientific and ethical considerations for designing laws that are effective for ecological protection. Based on these analyses, it argues that developed states should prioritise the reduction of the ecological stresses for which they are responsible in decision-making on their future courses. The author also proposes structures for governance and associated legal frameworks that would enable the formulation and implementation of policies for ecological sustainability.