Congratulations on an outstanding book on the WTO TBT Agreement! International regulations and standards reflect societies' fundamental choices. Regulating and monitoring them is complex, and the renowned co-authors of this book have well understood the multi-faceted matters at stake. In this book, world experts have seized a unique opportunity provided by the wealth of recent TBT jurisprudence to analyse the different dimensions of the TBT Agreement, a WTO agreement little discussed up to now. WTO experts as well as anyone interested in the reach of WTO law into the balance between national sovereignty and the need for international co-operation must read this book.' - Gabrielle Marceau, WTO, Legal Affairs Division, UNIGE and Graduate Institute, Geneva, SwitzerlandA relatively new frontier for legal and policy analysis, technical barriers to trade (TBT's) have become more common as traditional border barriers have been reduced. This comprehensive Handbook comprises original essays by eminent trade scholars exploring the implications of the WTO's TBT Agreement. The TBT Agreement imposes disciplines on the manner in which WTO member countries adopt and maintain technical measures, recognizing the importance of such measures to advance legitimate domestic policy goals such as health, safety and environmental objectives, but also the potential for technical measures to constitute barriers to trade. The contributors to this volume provide an in-depth examination of the text of the Agreement and how the WTO's dispute settlement system, the TBT Committee, WTO members, and other international organizations have engaged with and been affected by it. The book's comprehensive and accessible approach makes it a first point of reference for all trade law practitioners, policymakers and regulators. For scholars and students, the Handbook will prove essential reading for a deeper understanding of trade law. Contributors: A.E. Appleton, A. Arcuri, M. Cardwell, H. Churchman, M.M. Du, T. Epps, C. Gascoigne, L. Gruszczynski, B. Hazucha, R. Howse, A. Kudryavtsev, P.C. Mavroidis, G. Mayeda, A. Mitchell, D. Prevost, F. Smith, J.P. Trachtman, M.J. Trebilcock, T. Voon, M. Wagner, E.N. Wijkstroem

This timely book addresses the interaction between policies addressing climate change and the rules of the WTO. The authors expertly examine the law and economics behind the application of trade rules in the area of climate, including the implications of WTO rules for domestic climate measures, the unilateral use of trade measures to attempt to force other countries to take climate action, and the role of trade measures in multilateral climate agreements. The book argues that while there is a possibility of conflict between international trade rules and progress on climate change, it need not be the case. Thus the major focus is on the ways in which trade measures can aid in addressing climate change.

Congratulations on an outstanding book on the WTO TBT Agreement! International regulations and standards reflect societies' fundamental choices. Regulating and monitoring them is complex, and the renowned co-authors of this book have well understood the multi-faceted matters at stake. In this book, world experts have seized a unique opportunity provided by the wealth of recent TBT jurisprudence to analyse the different dimensions of the TBT Agreement, a WTO agreement little discussed up to now. WTO experts as well as anyone interested in the reach of WTO law into the balance between national sovereignty and the need for international co-operation must read this book.' - Gabrielle Marceau, WTO, Legal Affairs Division, UNIGE and Graduate Institute, Geneva, SwitzerlandA relatively new frontier for legal and policy analysis, technical barriers to trade (TBT's) have become more common as traditional border barriers have been reduced. This comprehensive Handbook comprises original essays by eminent trade scholars exploring the implications of the WTO's TBT Agreement. The TBT Agreement imposes disciplines on the manner in which WTO member countries adopt and maintain technical measures, recognizing the importance of such measures to advance legitimate domestic policy goals such as health, safety and environmental objectives, but also the potential for technical measures to constitute barriers to trade. The contributors to this volume provide an in-depth examination of the text of the Agreement and how the WTO's dispute settlement system, the TBT Committee, WTO members, and other international organizations have engaged with and been affected by it. The book's comprehensive and accessible approach makes it a first point of reference for all trade law practitioners, policymakers and regulators. For scholars and students, the Handbook will prove essential reading for a deeper understanding of trade law. Contributors: A.E. Appleton, A. Arcuri, M. Cardwell, H. Churchman, M.M. Du, T. Epps, C. Gascoigne, L. Gruszczynski, B. Hazucha, R. Howse, A. Kudryavtsev, P.C. Mavroidis, G. Mayeda, A. Mitchell, D. Prevost, F. Smith, J.P. Trachtman, M.J. Trebilcock, T. Voon, M. Wagner, E.N. Wijkstroem

This book examines and critiques the WTO's Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), asking whether it strikes an appropriate balance between conflicting domestic health protection and trade liberalization objectives. It pays particular attention to situations likely to occur but not yet fully examined either in the literature or in WTO law; most importantly, where public opinion demands regulation in the face of scientific uncertainty as to the existence or otherwise of a health risk. Tracey Epps concludes that the SPS Agreement's science-based framework is capable of dealing with the differing objectives of health and trade, and that it provides countries with more flexibility to respond to scientific uncertainties and public sentiment than many critics contend. This conclusion is strongly influenced by a positive analysis of domestic regulatory decision-making, which finds potential for regulatory capture by domestic protectionist interests and thus emphasizes the importance of ensuring that decisions are made on a sound and principled basis. Including a historical overview of disputes over trade and health since the 1800s, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of and new perspective on an important area of intersection between international trade law and domestic policy. It will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience including legal and non-legal academics, policy makers and analysts in the field of risk regulation, trade law practitioners in governments, and lawyers and analysts in international institutions.