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.
Powerpoints for lectures will be published prior to or soon after teaching dates. We will also try to make podcasts of the lectures available in Fronter.
Please note that "supplementary reading" is not mandatory, and that you are not expected to demonstrate knowledge acquired through such readings.
Group work will be organised through Fronter. You can sign up to one or more study groups according to your own schedule and priorities. Groups are expected to meet to prepare their presentations on the Friday before the relevant class at 14.15-16.00, unless the group decides otherwise. We intend to restrict the number of participating students for each group. Those who have registered for fewer groups will be prioritized. 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 of the class in Fronter.
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.
Exam:
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Previous exams 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 will be announced. The paper must be handed in through Fronter. For more information, see bottom of page.
Class 1: The basics of international trade law
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 74-155 or Trebilcock et al. pages 1-53.
Web-pages of interest:
- WTO resources
- WTO disputes
- Trade news - International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development
- Trade news - WorldTradeLaw.net
Main scientific journals (free Access through this link):
Class 2: Methodology in WTO
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 156-314 or Trebilcock et al. pages 172-226 (pages on NAFTA can be omitted)
- Supplementary: Mavroidis, No Outsourcing of Law? WTO Law as Practiced by WTO Courts, American Journal of International law, Vol. 102, 2008 No. 3, p. 421-475.
- Supplementary: Pauwelyn, Joost. "The Role of Public International Law in the WTO: How far can we go?." American Journal of International Law (2001): 535-578.
- Supplementary: Van Damme, Isabelle. "Treaty interpretation by the WTO appellate body." European Journal of International Law 21.3 (2010): 605-648.
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
To be discussed:
- Questions and Assignments 3.5 in Bossche & Zdouc p. 194 (study group no. 1)
Class 3: Tariffs and trade in goods
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 418-478 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
- Supplementary: Anwarul Hoda: Tariff Negotiations and Renegotiations under the GATT and the WTO, Procedures and Practices, in Guzman & Pauwelyn, International Trade Law (2012), pp. 171-173
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. 158-166
- GATT Panel Report: Spain — Tariff treatment of unroasted coffee (BISD 28S/102)
Web-pages of interest:
To be discussed:
- Exercise 6 in Bossche & Zdouc pp. 477-478 (study group no. 2)
Class 4: Non-discrimination
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 315-335 and 349-403 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
To be discussed:
- Exercise 5 in Bossche & Zdouc pp. 416-417 (study group no. 3)
Class 5: WTO disciplines on subsidies and dumping
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 673-835 or Trebilcock et al. pages 333-399.
Web-page of interest:
Primary materials:
- GATT Articles III, para. 8 (b), VI, Ad Article VI, XVI, Ad Article XVI (Interpretive Note)
- Subsidy Code (Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures) Articles 1-11, 13, 15-21, 23, 25, 30
- Antidumping Code (Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994) Articles 1-5, 7-11, 13-14, 17
Case law of particular interest:
- Canada - Measures Affecting the Export of Civilian Aircraft, 2 August 1999, WT/DS70/AB/R, paras. 149-180
- United States - Subsidies on Upland Cotton, Appellate Body Report, 3 March 2005, WT/DS267/AB/R, paras. 395-414United States - Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Products from Japan, 27 July 2001, WT/DS184/AB/R, paras. 50-62, 111-130 and 216-236
- United States - Laws, Regulations and Methodology for Calculating Dumping Margins (zeroing), 18 April 2006, WT/DS294/AB/R, paras. 123-135
To be discussed:
- Exam spring 2011 (study group no. 4)
- Exercise 11 in Bossche & Zdouc pp. 742-743
- What are the rules of your country with regard to investigations leading to countervailing measures and antidumping duties?
Class 6: Non-tariff barriers to trade
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 479-497 and 850-893 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
To be discussed:
- Exercise 13 in Bossche & Zdouc pp. 892-893 (study group no. 5)
Class 7: General exceptions in GATT
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 543-582 or Trebilcock et al. pages 656-715 and 716-755
Primary materials:
- GATT Preamble and Article XX
Case law of particular interest:
- Appellate Body report: United States – Import prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products (US – Shrimp), WT/DS58/AB/R (1998), 28 ILM 118 (1999), paras. 111-188
- Appellate Body report: United States — Standards for Reformulated and Conventional Gasoline (US – Gasoline), WT/DS2/AB/R
- Appellate Body report: Brazil - Measures Affecting Imports of Retreaded Tyres, WT/DS332/AB/R (2007) paras. 118-252
To be discussed:
- Exam spring 2010 (study group no. 6)
Classes 8 and 9: Trade in services
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 335-345, 403-414, 514-541, and 583-594 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
To be discussed:
- Exercise 7 in Bossche & Zdouc pp. 541-542 (study group no. 7)
- Questions
Class 10: Regionalism and developing country perspectives
Reading:
- Mandatory: Bossche & Zdouc pages 648-672 or Trebilcock et al. pp. 83-135 and 605-655.
- Supplementary: James McCall Smith (2000). The Politics of Dispute Settlement Design: Explaining Legalism in Regional Trade Pacts. International Organization, vol. 54(1), pp. 137-180
Class 11: Mock exam discussion
You should try to solve the mock exam on your own, only using the treaty collection, and within the time limits indicated.
It would be good if you could subsequently get together with other students to discuss the mock exam.
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 have been uploaded to the fronter room.