Environmental Process And Production Methods Ppms In Wto Law

This book examines the conditions under which PPM measures may be adopted under WTO law de lege lata and de lege ferenda. It analyses in detail the complex case law in this field and its evolution in the last 25 years, as well as the many doctrinal debates around PPM measures and their relevance in the light of the evolution of case law, both under the GATT and the TBT Agreement. Further, it also suggests an original approach to the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the GATT and the TBT Agreement in the context of PPM measures. The PPM issue has been one of the most debated topics in the trade and environment debate. Even though the US–Shrimp case showed that PPM measures are not prohibited per se under the GATT, many questions remain unanswered when it comes to the precise conditions under which environmental PPM measures are justifiable under WTO law, for example in the field of trade measures relating to climate change mitigation efforts, natural resources management policies and biodiversity conservation measures.

Despite a decades-long debate, starting with the 'Tuna-Dolphin' disputes of the 1990s, questions on the status of national regulatory measures linked to processes and production methods in WTO law have yet remained unsolved. Likewise, labelling requirements relating to unincorporated aspects of a product's life cycle remain strongly contested. These ongoing disputes at the WTO as well as global social and environmental challenges related to economic activities show how topical and important the search for adequate answers still is. Processes and Production Methods (PPMs) in WTO Law identifies and comprehensively analyses the key legal problems concerning such measures, setting them in the context of the current debate and its economic and regulatory background. Christiane R. Conrad develops a new approach to this debate which draws on the objectives and established economic rationales of the WTO Agreements.

This book explores the legal regime of non-product related process and production methods (NPR PPMs) in the context of trade-restrictive environmental measures, eco-labelling requirements and sanitary measures under the WTO. These issues serve as concrete, representative examples that raise broader questions about the legitimacy of the WTO dispute settlement system and help to explore the true position of WTO members in this complex legal regime. NPR PPMs are process and production methods that do not affect the product as such, meaning that there is no discernible difference in two products with different NPR PPMs. This work examines WTO states’ attempts to regulate in this regard and create product distinctions on the basis of NPR PPMs. To do so, it scrutinizes historical, institutional, substantive and case-law issues related to NPR PPMs, environmental policy and the WTO. Further, the book addresses the issues of legitimacy, regulatory space and reform, contributing to the lively debate on the future of the WTO.

Despite a decades-long debate, starting with the 'Tuna-Dolphin' disputes of the 1990s, questions on the status of national regulatory measures linked to processes and production methods in WTO law have yet remained unsolved. Likewise, labelling requirements relating to unincorporated aspects of a product's life cycle remain strongly contested. These ongoing disputes at the WTO as well as global social and environmental challenges related to economic activities show how topical and important the search for adequate answers still is. Processes and Production Methods (PPMS) in WTO Law identifies and comprehensively analyses the key legal problems concerning such measures, setting them in the context of the current debate and its economic and regulatory background. Christiane R. Conrad develops a new approach to this debate which draws on the objectives and established economic rationales of the WTO Agreements.

Despite an increasing global awareness of environmental concerns, setting internationally binding and ambitious commitments has proven exceedingly complex. As states are seeking alternative methods to support global environmental protection, this book takes a closer look at the possibility of using national trade measures that make market access conditional on the environmental impact of the production process abroad.

The purpose of this book is to conduct a legal reasoning on eco-taxes in the WTO, as a way to find solutions-short-term and long-term ones-for environmental problems, especially focusing on those from pollution-causing processes and production methods (PPMs). More fundamentally, it can contribute to a potential transformation of the WTO into a true regime for "sustainable development," which is stipulated as an objective of the WTO in the Preamble to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement). The term "sustainable development" means "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In other words, this concept may be simply understood as a compromise or sustainability between economic development and environmental protection, or between free trade and the environment. Throughout this book, all the legal analysis and reasoning lead to a conclusion that a 'relevant and considerate' imposition of eco-taxes, especially those to address pollution-causing PPMs, can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and environmental protection under the 'current' WTO system. The meaning of being 'relevant and considerate' will be elaborated through the analysis of the relevant provisions of the WTO Agreements and the Panel and Appellate Body reports concerned. Also, the meaning of being 'current' will be clarified by categorizing the solutions into short-term and long-term ones.

The growing body of WTO jurisprudence is of profound significance for the development of the general body of international law. With this in mind, Environmental Sovereignty and the WTO succinctly examines how the WTO law can contribute to achieving coherence between general international law, international environmental law and international trade law and avoid conflicts between trade liberalization and global environmental protection. Professor Condon argues that these three branches of law are generally consistent with each other in the area of international law where they intersect. However, WTO jurisprudence can benefit from a more explicit analysis, provided here, of the way that panel decisions fit into the general framework of international law. No law reforms are currently needed to facilitate this task. As the text shows, it is a matter of using the current WTO rules to resolve conflicts between treaties such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and to determine the circumstances in which unilateral trade measures should be permitted. The topics addressed in Environmental Sovereignty and the WTO will be of considerable interest to a broad audience given the global political controversy over American unilateralism, the fairness of WTO rules to poor countries, and the effect of trade rules on efforts to protect the global environment. However, the book addresses these controversial issues without sacrificing academic rigour and will appeal to a scholarly and professional audience seeking new approaches to addressing the problems raised by the globalization of law. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

Reference tool to facilitate broader understanding and awareness of relationship between environment and trade which can then become the basis on which fair and environmentally sustainable policies and trade flows are built.