International Trade Law - JUS5850
Detailed course outline and suggested reading
Responsible for course: Ole Kristian Fauchald, e-mail: o.k.fauchald@jus.uio.no
Please note that this outline is preliminary and will be subject to revision. .
Please note that the teaching will be based on the assumption that you have read the mandatory readings and relevant case law and that you have worked on the exercises prior to classes.
Powerpoints for lectures will be published prior to or soon after teaching dates.
Please note that "supplementary reading" is not mandatory, and that you will not be expected to demonstrate knowledge acquired through such readings during the exam.
Group work ("study groups"): You can sign up to one or more study groups according to your own schedule and priorities. Groups are expected to meet to prepare presentations before the relevant class. The groups shall make oral presentations of approximately 20 minutes (unless informed otherwise) and make the presentation (for example a PowerPoint presentation) accessible to the other students.
Preparation of case law: You should read through the relevant parts of the cases before class, and be prepared to discuss them and answer questions.
There will be a four hour written exam with one practical and one theoretical exercise. Here are some useful links to prepare you for the exam:
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Previous exam with comments: 2011
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Rules on auxiliary materials, for rules concerning notations, see section 4. Notation example.
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Mock exam: Deadline for submitting the mock exam is November 15 at 15.00. Please send your reply as an attachment by e-mail to o.k.fauchald@jus.uio.no. For more information, see bottom of this page.
Class 1: The basics of international trade law
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 80-162 or Trebilcock et al. pages 1-53.
Web-pages of interest:
- WTO resources
- WTO disputes
- Trade law news - International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development
- Trade law news - WorldTradeLaw.net
Main scientific journals (free Access through this link):
Class 2: Methodology in WTO law
Main topics:
- What distinguishes the methodology of WTO law from the methodology of general international law?
- The relationship between WTO law and other fields of international law
- The history and future of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 164-303 or Trebilcock et al. pages 172-226 (pages on NAFTA can be omitted).
- Supplementary: Amrita Bahri.‘Appellate Body Held Hostage’: Is Judicial Activism at Fair Trial?’ Journal of World Trade vol. 53,no. 2 (2019): 293–316.
- Supplementary: Gabrielle Marceau. Evolutive Interpretation by the WTO Adjudicator, Journal of International Economic Law, Volume 21, Issue 4, December 2018, Pages 791–813.
Primary materials:
- The Dispute Settlement Understanding
- List of definitions of key terms relevant for the WTO dispute resolution
Case law of particular interest:
- Appellate Body report: United States – Measures affecting the cross-border supply of gambling and betting services, 7 April 2005, WT/DS285/AB/R, part V of the case (paras. 158-213). The US GATS Schedule
Web-pages of interest:
- Introduction to the WTO dispute settlement system
- Analytical index: interpretative material of relevance to the WTO, please note that the index is not fully updated and cannot be relied on as an exhaustive list of available case-law
- GATT Analytical Index
Exercises for study group no. 1:
- Why is there a crisis of the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO?
- What are the proposals for resolution of the crisis?
- Which are the implications of the crisis for how we approach sources of law in the WTO context?
Class 3: Tariffs and trade in goods
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 415-476 or Trebilcock et al. pp. 258-287.
- Supplementary: Lorand Bartels, The WTO Legality of the EU’s GSP+ Arrangement, 10 Journal of International Economic Law (2007) pp. 869-886
Primary materials:
- GATT Articles I, II, XXIII, XXVIII and XXVIII bis
- The Agreement on Rules of Origin
- The Doha Ministerial Declaration
Case law of particular interest:
- Appellate Body report: EC – Conditions for the granting of tariff preferences to developing countries, WT/DS246/AB/R, part IV of the case (paras. 79-125)
- Appellate Body report: China – Measures Affecting Imports of Automobile Parts, WT/DS339/AB/R, paras. 148-166
- GATT Panel Report: Spain — Tariff treatment of unroasted coffee (BISD 28S/102)
Web-pages of interest:
Exercise study group no. 2
Class 4: Non-discrimination
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 305-325 and 341-399 or Trebilcock et al. pages 54-82 and 136-171.
- Supplementary: Ole Kristian Fauchald, “Flexibility and Predictability under WTO’s Non-Discrimination Clauses”, in 37 Journal of World Trade 3 (2003), pp. 443-482.
Primary materials:
- GATT Articles I, III and XXIV
- GATS Articles II and XVII
- TBT Agreement Article 2.1
Case law of particular interest:
- Appellate Body report: Japan – Alcoholic beverages II, WT/DS8/AB/R, sections F (page 15) – H (page 34)
- Appellate Body report: EC – Asbestos, WT/DS135/AB/R, section IV.A-C (paras. 84-103)
- Appellate Body report: EEC – Bananas III, WT/DS27/AB/R, pages 71-94
- Appellate Body report: United States – Measures concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products, WT/DS381/AB/R, paras. 200-300
Exercise study group no. 3
Class 5: Non-tariff barriers to trade
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 478-498 and 883-934 or Trebilcock et al. pages 287-332.
Primary materials:
- GATT Articles III, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XVII and XX
- The TBT Agreement
Case law of particular interest:
- EC – Trade Description of Sardines, WT/DS231/AB/R (2002) paras. 171-291
- United States – Measures concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products, WT/DS381/AB/R (2012) paras. 178-243 and 301-342
- United States – Measures Affecting the Production and Sale of Clove Cigarettes, WT/DS406/AB/R (2012) paras. 84-200
Exercise study group no. 4
Class 6: General exceptions in GATT
Topics:
- Trade liberalization / market access / non-discrimination vs. other societal values
- When can Art. XX GATT justify an otherwise GATT inconsistent measure?
- Specific exceptions and the chapeau
- Trade and environment
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 544-605 or Trebilcock et al. pages 656-715 and 716-755.
- Supplementary: A. Cosby & P.C. Mavroidis, ‘Heavy Fuel: Trade and Environment in the GATT/WTO Case Law’ (2014) 23(3) Review of European Community & International Environmental Law 288-301 (available via UiO Library)
Web-page of interest:
Primary materials:
- GATT Preamble and Article XX
Case law of particular interest:
- United States – Import prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products (US – Shrimp), WT/DS58/AB/R (1998), paras. 111-188 (application of Art. XX)
- United States — Standards for Reformulated and Conventional Gasoline (US – Gasoline), WT/DS2/AB/R, pages 13-22 (application of Art. XX(g))
- Brazil - Measures Affecting Imports of Retreaded Tyres, WT/DS332/AB/R (2007) paras. 139-160 and 170-183 (two-tier test, Art. XX(b), necessity, alternatives, balancing)
Exercise study group no. 5
Class 7: WTO disciplines on subsidies and dumping
Main topics:
- The balance between free trade and unfair trade practices
- What constitutes dumping? Which subsidies are covered by the SCM Agreement?
- What are the ‘normal price’ and ‘export price’ under the ADA?
- How do we determine the ‘margin of dumping’ and ‘domestic injury’?
- Which subsidies are prohibited?
- The conduct of subsidies / anti-dumping investigations and the imposition of countervailing / anti-dumping duties
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 696-867 and 877-881 or Trebilcock et al. pages 333-399.
- Supplementary: WTO E-learning: Detailed presentation of subsidies and countervailing measures in the WTO
Web-page of interest:
Primary materials:
- GATT Articles III, para. 8 (b), VI, Ad Article VI, XVI, Ad Article XVI (Interpretive Note)
- Antidumping Code (Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994) Articles 1-5, 7-11, 13-14, 17
- Subsidy Code (Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures) Articles 1-11, 13, 15-21, 23, 25, 30
Case law of particular interest:
- United States - Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Products from Japan, 27 July 2001, WT/DS184/AB/R, paras. 50-62 (standard of review) and 216-236 (causal link)
- United States - Laws, Regulations and Methodology for Calculating Dumping Margins (zeroing), 18 April 2006, WT/DS294/AB/R, paras. 123-135 (anti-dumping duties)
- China-GOES, 18 October 2012, WT/DS414/AB/R, paras. 133-154 (interpretation of Arts. 3.2 ADA and 15.2 SCMA)
- Canada - Measures Affecting the Export of Civilian Aircraft, 2 August 1999, WT/DS70/AB/R, paras. 149-161 (the concept of 'benefit' under the SCM Agreement)
Exercise study group no. 6
Classes 8 and 9: Trade in services
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 325-340, 399-414, 517-534 and 605-628 or Trebilcock et al. pages 472-513.
- Supplementary: Markus Krajewski. “Public Services and Trade Liberalization. Mapping the Legal Framework”, 6 Journal of International Economic Law (2003) pp. 341-367.
- Supplementary: Rudolf Adlung, “Public Services and the GATS”, 9 Journal of International Economic Law (2006) pp. 455-485.
- Supplementary: Panagiotis Delimatsis, “Due Process and “Good” Regulation embedded in the GATS – Disciplining Regulatory Behaviour in Services Through Article VI of the GATS”, 10 Journal of International Economic Law (2007) pp. 13-50.
Primary materials:
- GATS Articles I, II, VI, XIV, XVI, XVII and XXVIII
- Norway's schedule
- UN Central Product Classification (CPC)
Case law of particular interest:
- Appellate Body report: United States – Measures affecting the cross-border supply of gambling and betting services, 7 April 2005, WT/DS285/AB/R, part VI, paras. 214-265
Exercise:
Class 10: Regionalism and developing country perspectives
Main topics:
- A surge of Preferential and Regional Trade Agreements?
- Regionalism vs. multilateralism. Exceptions for customs unions and free trade areas
- Exceptions and flexibilities for developing countries
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 671-695 or Trebilcock et al. pp. 83-135 and 605-655.
- Supplementary: A.C.M. de Mestral, ‘Dispute Settlement Under the WTO and RTAs: An Uneasy Relationship’ (2013) 16 Journal of International Economic Law 777
- Supplementary: B.S. Chimni, ‘Developing Countries and the GATT/WTO System: Some Reflections on the idea of Free Trade and Doha Round Trade Negotiations’ (chapter 2) in Ch. Thomas and J.O. Trachtman (eds), Developing Countries in the WTO Legal System (OUP, 2009, available as e-book via UiO library)
Web-page of interest:
Primary materials:
- Article XXIV(5)-(8)GATT
- Understanding on the interpretation of Article XXIV GATT
Exercise study group no. 8
Class 11: Mock exam discussion
You should try to solve the mock exam on your own within the time limits indicated (total of four hours).
It would be good if you could get together with other students to discuss the mock exam after having submitted.
For the class: please be prepared to present your approach and answers to the questions raised in the mock exam, and to raise issues that you would like us to discuss in plenary.
Comments to the mock exam will be made available.