Asbestos Poisons World Trade Organization Atmosphere

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Kazan-Allen

In September 2000, a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel published its findings in the dispute between Canada and the European Union/France over France's ban on the import and use of chrysotile (white asbestos). The panel upheld the French ban, established that the use of chrysotile is a health risk and the idea of “controlled use” a fallacy, and used (for the first time) an exception clause in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade that permits trade-restrictive measures to protect human life or health. At the same time, the panel concluded that the French ban violated international trade laws by treating chrysotile products less favorably than domestically produced alternatives. Some WTO watchers believe that with asbestos as the precedent for bans on toxic substances, the regulation of other, much less well-established, toxic exposures could prove much more difficult. Now the French ban has been upheld, chrysotile producers will increasingly target developing countries. Canada is appealing the WTO decision.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Anggi Mariatulkubtia

Indonesia's success at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in demanding the European Union (EU) to drop its biodiesel anti-dumping policy in 2018, as well as EU’s compliance with the decision, is a unique case when faced with the perception that international institutions tend to be inclined towards developed countries and disadvantaging developing countries. Utilizing Robert O. Keohane's liberal institutional functionalism theory, this paper describes how the WTO acted as a facilitator in resolving biodiesel disputes between the two parties. This paper argues that the WTO not only provides a dispute settlement mechanism and helps balance information biases, but also raises the cost of reputation and credibility that EU must pay if it chooses to defect the ruling. This research is not intended to show that the WTO, or international institutions and regimes in general, is an antidote for any disputes between developed and developing countries, or that it can always successfully mediate disputes between countries in general. Instead, this paper shows that international institutions can provide a platform for developing countries when facing developed countries, as long as the said actor acts rationally and makes careful calculations about its bargaining position and possible steps to be taken by its opponent.Keywords: WTO, European Union, Indonesia, anti dumping, liberal institutions, international regime, biodiesel. Kemenangan Indonesia di World Trade Organization (WTO) terhadap tuntutan penghapusan bea masuk anti dumping biodiesel Uni Eropa pada tahun 2018, serta kepatuhan Uni Eropa pada keputusan WTO tersebut, dapat dikatakan sebagai sebuah anomali ketika dihadapkan pada persepsi bahwa institusi internasional cenderung condong kepada negara maju dan merugikan negara berkembang. Tulisan ini menjabarkan bagaimana WTO berperan sebagai fasilitator dalam upaya penyelesaian sengketa biodiesel di antara kedua pihak, dengan menggunakan teori fungsionalisme institusi liberal Robert O. Keohane. WTO tidak hanya memberikan platform dan menyeimbangkan bias informasi lewat mekanisme penyelesaian sengketanya, namun juga menaikkan biaya reputasi dan kredibilitas yang harus dibayarkan Uni Eropa jika ia mengabaikan putusan institusi perdagangan internasional tersebut. Penelitian ini tidaklah ditujukan untuk menunjukkan bahwa WTO, atau institusi dan rezim internasional secara umum, dapat menjadi penawar bagi tiap-tiap pertikaian antara negara maju dan negara berkembang, atau menengahi pertikaian antar negara secara umum. Tulisan ini menunjukkan bahwa institusi internasional dapat memberikan wadah bagi negara berkembang ketika dihadapkan dengan negara maju, selama aktor bertindak rasional dan membuat perhitungan yang matang mengenai posisi tawarnya serta langkah-langkah yang akan ditempuh oleh lawannya.Keyword: WTO, Uni Eropa, Indonesia, anti dumping, institusi liberal, rezim internasional, biodiesel.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-77
Author(s):  
Pamela Torres Rodríguez ◽  

The requirement for maximum levels of cadmium in cocoa and derived products established in subsection 3.2.7 of the Annex to the European Union (EU) Regulation No. 488/2014 shall be in accordance with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) rules. Thus, through the dogmatic method it is analysed whether it is a SPS measure that affects international trade and if it complies with the basic principles of the SPS Agreement as if the measure: was issued under the sovereign right of the European Union (EU) Member States (MS) to adopt SPS measures, was adopted to protect human life or health, had scientific basis, and does not imply arbitrary or unjustified discrimination.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Victor Crochet ◽  
Marcus Gustafsson

Abstract Discontentment is growing such that governments, and notably that of China, are increasingly providing subsidies to companies outside their jurisdiction, ‘buying their way’ into other countries’ markets and undermining fair competition therein as they do so. In response, the European Union recently published a proposal to tackle such foreign subsidization in its own market. This article asks whether foreign subsidies can instead be addressed under the existing rules of the World Trade Organization, and, if not, whether those rules allow States to take matters into their own hands and act unilaterally. The authors shed light on these issues and provide preliminary guidance on how to design a response to foreign subsidization which is consistent with international trade law.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gracia Marín Durán

AbstractSince the Canada – Renewable Energy (2013) dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) has been the focal point of academic debate on the trade-environment interface, with a growing consensus that WTO subsidy rules need to be revisited with a view to securing ‘policy space’ for government support for renewable energy. This article explores whether, as suggested by some scholars, the European Union (EU)’s system of justifications for renewable energy aid could serve as a source of inspiration for the WTO. While this proposition may appear attractive at first sight, it is hardly conceivable, or even desirable, that the EU's approach to sheltering government support for renewable energy could be transposed to the WTO. This is because the two systems of subsidy control are fundamentally different in both substantive and procedural terms and, importantly, these differences reflect distinct objectives and political/institutional contexts. Nonetheless, this comparative analysis sheds light on where the key challenges lie for the WTO in ensuring that international trade rules and climate change mitigation objectives are mutually supportive. It is argued that the case for reviewing the SCM Agreement cannot be made by simply forging parallels with the EU's regulatory model, but needs to be carefully construed on the basis of a proper understanding of whether and how green policy space is actually constrained under the current WTO subsidy and trade remedy rules. However, this requires better information on existing WTO members’ practice in relation to renewable energy subsidies, as well as on their environmental effectiveness and possible trade-distortive impact. In this sense, the most valuable lesson that the WTO can draw from the EU's regulatory experience is the imperative of improving the transparency and knowledge-enhancing elements of its subsidy control system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-236
Author(s):  
Sekar Wiji Rahayu ◽  
Fajar Sugianto

AbstractThe creation of free trade provides a large advantage and role in driving the economic growth of a country, especially for developing countries that have abundant natural resources. One of the systems in free trade carried out by countries in the world in buying and selling produce is known as an export-import system. Where the seller is usually referred to as an exporter and the buyer is referred to as an importer. Like the general trading system, in international trade there are also obstacles that can be detrimental to one party and / or several parties in conducting international trade. These obstacles can be in the form of tariff barriers and / or non-tariff barriers. Non-tariff barriers can take the form of certain discriminations imposed by a particular country, both to protect the value of its production and to redevelop the product into something of even higher value. Both are pursed on one thing, hedging. Discrimination is also imposed by the European Union against the ban on imports of Palm Oil from Indonesia on the grounds that Palm Oil has a negative impact on the environment. Bearing in mind the European Union is one of the countries active in Environmental Health campaigns. Discrimination is also carried out by Indonesia to stop all exports of Nickel Ore and / or other minerals to the European Union with the consideration to hedge minerals that have not been downstreamed. Based on the discrimination actions, the two countries plan to submit complaints and complaints to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a form of the two countries' objections to the policies taken.Keywords: international trade; mineral downstreaming; oil palmAbstrakTerciptanya perdagangan bebas memberikan keuntungan serta peran yang besar dalam mendorong pertumbuhan ekonomi suatu negara, khususnya bagi negara-negara berkembang yang memiliki Sumber Daya Alam (SDA) yang melimpah. Salah satu sistem dalam perdagangan bebas yang dilakukan oleh negara-negara di dunia dalam melakukan jual-beli hasil produksi dikenal sebagai sistem ekspor-impor. Dimana pihak penjual lazimnya disebut sebagai eksportir dan pihak pembeli disebut sebagai importir. Selayaknya sistem perdagangan pada umumnya, di dalam perdagangan internasional juga terdapat hambatan-hambatan yang dapat merugikan satu pihak dan/atau beberapa pihak dalam yang melakukan perdagangan internasional. Hambatan tersebut dapat berupa hambatan tarif dan/atau hambatan non tarif. Hambatan non tarif dapat berupa diskriminasi-diskriminasi tertentu yang diberlakukan oleh suatu negara tertentu, baik untuk melindungi nilai produksinya maupun untuk mengembangkan kembali produk tersebut menjadi sesuatu yang lebih tinggi lagi nilainya. Keduanya mengerucut pada satu hal, yakni lindung nilai. Diskriminasi tersebut juga diberlakukan oleh Uni Eropa terhadap pelarangan impor Kelapa Sawit dari Indonesia dengan alasan bahwa Minyak Kelapa Sawit menimbulkan dampak yang buruk terhadap lingkungan. Mengingat Uni Eropa merupakan salah satu negara yang aktif dalam kampanye-kampanye kesehatan lingkungan. Aksi diskriminasi juga diberlakukan oleh Indonesia untuk menghentikan seluruh ekspor Bijih Nikel dan/atau mineral lainnya kepada Uni Eropa dengan pertimbangan untuk melakukan lindung nilai terhadap mineral-mineral yang belum di hilirisasi. Atas tindakan-tindakan diskiriminasi tersebut, kedua negara berencana untuk mengajukan keluhan dan gugatan ke World Trade Organization (WTO) sebagai bentuk keberatan kedua negara terhadap kebijakan-kebijakan yang diambil.Kata kunci: hilirisasi mineral; kelapa sawit; perdagangan internasional


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