The WTO Law of Subsidies

The WTO Law of Subsidies PDF Author: Marc Benitah
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403503343
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 728

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Book Description
Subsidies are arguably the dominant theme in International Economic Law. A prolific case law has been elaborated by WTO Panels and Appellate Body in response to the multitude of complaints lodged in the past two decades (Softwood Lumber, Airbus, Boeing, etc.) Unfortunately, it is possible to be overwhelmed by the complexity of this case law. This book provides a comprehensive approach in response to this complexity. First, it avoids unnecessary legal jargon, making it accessible to a large public. Second, it adopts a comprehensive and progressive approach where legal subtleties are not avoided but presented at the right moment and the right place. The reader is therefore not overwhelmed from the outset by a multitude of details. The first Part of the book adopts the perspective of a WTO Member seeking to counter an alleged subsidy granted by another Member. To this end, this first Part scans and analyzes in detail all WTO Agreements, containing cumulative disciplines and remedies relating to subsidies. Therefore, it is not only the SCM Agreement that is scanned and analyzed but also the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), GATT 1994, and even the 1980 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft (ATCA). The second Part of the book adopts the perspective of a WTO Member accused of granting subsidies violating subsidies disciplines.To this end, an original classification is offered of the various strategies that can be used by this Member. For this purpose, a distinction is made between the “threshold strategy” where the existence of a challengeable subsidy is recused from the outset, the “denying violation of disciplines strategy,”the “exemption or exception strategy,” the “procedural and evidentiary strategy,” and finally the “implementing strategy.” The last Part of this book, which could turn out to be the most useful for the community of agents concerned by subsidies, offers an original examination of pending legal issues. To this end, a relevant distinction is established between pending legal issues partially answered by present case law and pending legal issues not still answered by present case law. This case law and the norms disciplining subsidies in WTO Agreements are of utmost importance first for International Trade Ministries, Parliaments, and International Institutions (OECD, CNUCED, FAO, etc.). However, Non-Governmental Organizations (World Wide Fund, etc.) are also directly concerned by this topic regarding, for example, fisheries subsidies and their impact on overexploitation of marine resources. The private sector (fishing fleets, fishermen, extractive industries, etc.) is also affected by this topic particularly regarding future investments.Law firms involved in subsidies cases are naturally at the forefront of the community of agents concerned by this topic.

The WTO Law of Subsidies

The WTO Law of Subsidies PDF Author: Marc Benitah
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9403503343
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 728

Get Book

Book Description
Subsidies are arguably the dominant theme in International Economic Law. A prolific case law has been elaborated by WTO Panels and Appellate Body in response to the multitude of complaints lodged in the past two decades (Softwood Lumber, Airbus, Boeing, etc.) Unfortunately, it is possible to be overwhelmed by the complexity of this case law. This book provides a comprehensive approach in response to this complexity. First, it avoids unnecessary legal jargon, making it accessible to a large public. Second, it adopts a comprehensive and progressive approach where legal subtleties are not avoided but presented at the right moment and the right place. The reader is therefore not overwhelmed from the outset by a multitude of details. The first Part of the book adopts the perspective of a WTO Member seeking to counter an alleged subsidy granted by another Member. To this end, this first Part scans and analyzes in detail all WTO Agreements, containing cumulative disciplines and remedies relating to subsidies. Therefore, it is not only the SCM Agreement that is scanned and analyzed but also the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), GATT 1994, and even the 1980 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft (ATCA). The second Part of the book adopts the perspective of a WTO Member accused of granting subsidies violating subsidies disciplines.To this end, an original classification is offered of the various strategies that can be used by this Member. For this purpose, a distinction is made between the “threshold strategy” where the existence of a challengeable subsidy is recused from the outset, the “denying violation of disciplines strategy,”the “exemption or exception strategy,” the “procedural and evidentiary strategy,” and finally the “implementing strategy.” The last Part of this book, which could turn out to be the most useful for the community of agents concerned by subsidies, offers an original examination of pending legal issues. To this end, a relevant distinction is established between pending legal issues partially answered by present case law and pending legal issues not still answered by present case law. This case law and the norms disciplining subsidies in WTO Agreements are of utmost importance first for International Trade Ministries, Parliaments, and International Institutions (OECD, CNUCED, FAO, etc.). However, Non-Governmental Organizations (World Wide Fund, etc.) are also directly concerned by this topic regarding, for example, fisheries subsidies and their impact on overexploitation of marine resources. The private sector (fishing fleets, fishermen, extractive industries, etc.) is also affected by this topic particularly regarding future investments.Law firms involved in subsidies cases are naturally at the forefront of the community of agents concerned by this topic.

WTO Disciplines on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures

WTO Disciplines on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures PDF Author: Dominic Coppens
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139916017
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 695

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Book Description
Does the WTO leave appropriate policy space to its Members to pursue legitimate objectives, such as the economic development of developing countries, the conversion to a greener economy, or recovery in times of a global economic downturn? This legal and normative analysis of the WTO rules on subsidies and countervailing measures sheds light on why governments resort to subsidization and, by tracing the historical origins of the SCM Agreement and the Agreement on Agriculture, on why they have been willing to gradually confine their policy space. This sets the stage for a systematic and comprehensive legal analysis of both agreements, which integrates the vast amount of case law and proposals tabled in the Doha round. A separate case study explores the complex rules on export credit support, and the book closes with an in-depth normative assessment of these WTO rules on subsidies and countervailing measures.

WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures

WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures PDF Author: Wolfgang Müller
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108279511
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 1181

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Book Description
Panels and the WTO Appellate Body have rendered a large number of complex and lengthy rulings on the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. The reasoning behind these rulings is often intimately linked to the underlying facts of a particular case and the methods of litigation adopted by the parties. Without guidance, it is difficult to find and research a specific subsidy issue quickly. This book provides an essential article-by-article commentary on the Agreement and sets out the law as it emerges from this body of rulings, providing the legal basis for further analysis of subsidy disciplines within the realms of economics and political science. It also includes a useful summary of the negotiating history and the links to other WTO Agreements such as GATT 1994. This important reference work will appeal to international trade lawyers, government officials, researchers, students of international trade law, business associations and NGOs.

The Law of Subsidies Under the GATT/WTO System

The Law of Subsidies Under the GATT/WTO System PDF Author: Marc Benitah
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 904119827X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
This work on the law of subsidies has been long-awaited by many actors in international trade. With its introduction of the concept of 'attenuation' of entitlement, Marc Benitah's utterly new analysis alters our understanding of the international economic law of subsidies - and its future invocation and jurisprudence - forever. The issue of subsidies is arguably the predominant theme, at this moment, in international economic law, and a consistent approach to the legal treatment of subsidies is urgently needed. In Professor Benitah's view, the answer lies in the recognition that entitlements granted to a party seeking to defend itself against the `adverse effects' of subsidies must be `attenuated' in order to avoid undesirable economic and social consequences. In the various techniques of attenuation - thoroughly described and analyzed in this book - may be found the unifying thread on which a logical, coherent law of subsidies may be strung. Why techniques of attenuation are intimately linked to the birth of past and future legal disputes relating to subsidies Why significant techniques of attenuation (e.g. taking into account the positive impact of a subsidy on consumers) have not arisen in the GATT/WTO context Why much recent theoretical debate on the concept of 'distortion' has not led to a breakthrough in the law of subsidies Why attenuations favouring developing countries are surprisingly legally vulnerable in practice Why deliberate recourse to techniques of attenuation necessitates their continuing clarification through a case law process. By referring to the legal materials of both the GATT 1947 and the WTO systems at each point in his demonstration, Professor Benitah lays a substantial groundwork for determining innovative WTO norms.

The Definition of Subsidy and State Aid

The Definition of Subsidy and State Aid PDF Author: Luca Rubini
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199533393
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 497

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Book Description
This book presents a conceptual analysis of the definitions of state aid and subsidy in EC and WTO law. It provides a comparative analysis of the regulation of subsidy in both systems, examining the coherence of the conceptual understanding of subsidy and the grounds for legitimate state intervention.

The Law and Economics of Contingent Protection in the WTO

The Law and Economics of Contingent Protection in the WTO PDF Author: Petros C. Mavroidis
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1848440146
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 633

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Book Description
All three parts [of the book] are without question extremely detailed and thorough treatises of the three different instruments of contingent protection. The case law of the DSB as well as policy proposals put forward in the Doha Round are referred to and analysed extensively. Every part of the book is an excellent and very thoughtful work on the respective instrument and will be helpful for everyone working in the field. Christoph Herrmann, Common Market Law Review Although the legal landscape is littered with literature about the WTO, antidumping, safeguards, subsidies and countervailing measures, the missing piece has been a comprehensive text tying together the law and economics of these topics. Mavroidis, Messerlin and Wauters fill this gap. The authors form an unparalleled triumvirate who successfully draw on their complementary legal-economic experiences from policymaking, practitioner expertise and academic scholarship to comprehensively examine contingent protection. In a single book, they manage to explain the economics to the lawyers, the law to the economists, and the increasing importance of contingent protection policies to everyone. Chad P. Bown, Brandeis University, US The new book by Petros Mavroidis, Patrick Messerlin and Jasper Wauters, The Law and Economics of Contingent Protection in the WTO, fills a gap in the international trade literature by providing a comprehensive, interdisciplinary (law and economics) treatment of three of the most arcane and least well-understood trade protection regimes permitted under the GATT/WTO, i.e., anti-dumping, countervailing duties, and safeguards. The authors expertly weave together both a comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the complex legal rules and case law with an economic critique of the law governing each of these three regimes. The book is a tour de force and will become the standard reference work for scholars, policy makers, and practitioners specializing in these areas. Michael Trebilcock, University of Toronto, Canada Trade barriers that are contingent on the existence of specific conditions dumping by, or subsidization of, exporters, and injury of domestic firms have historically been used intensively by many OECD countries and are now increasingly applied by developing countries. This volume provides an excellent discussion and accessible analysis of WTO rules on contingent protection and the rapidly expanding case law. The authors have done a major service to both legal practitioners and trade policy analysts with an interest in this area. Bernard Hoekman, The World Bank, US In this important book, three of the leading authors in the field of international economic law discuss the law and economics of the three most frequently used contingent protection instruments: anti-dumping, countervailing measures, and safeguards. When discussing countervailing measures, the authors also discuss legal challenges against prohibited and/or actionable subsidies. The authors choice is mandated by the fact that the effects of a subsidy cannot always be confined to the market of the WTO Member wishing to react against it. Assuming there are effects outside its market, an injured WTO Member can challenge the scheme as such before a WTO Panel. Taking the three agreements for granted as a starting point, the book provides comprehensive discussion of both the original contracts, and the case law that has substantially contributed to the understanding of these agreements. The agreements discussed by the authors provide generally worded disciplines on Members and leave a lot of discretion to the investigating authorities of such Members. A great number of the many questions that arise in the course of a domestic trade remedies investigation are not explicitly addressed in these agreements. In such a situation, the authors highlight the important role that the judge has to play. Much like domestic investigating authorities adopt a line which is either more liberal

The Regulation of Subsidies Within the General Agreement on Trade in Services of the WTO

The Regulation of Subsidies Within the General Agreement on Trade in Services of the WTO PDF Author: Pietro Poretti
Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN: 9041131620
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
"The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) extends the multilateral trading system to services. Little is said In the GATS about subsidies, beyond stipulating that subsidies are subject to the existing provisions, including the most-favoured-nation and national-treatment principles, and that Members shall enter into negotiations with a view to developing the disciplines necessary to avoid the trade distorting effects of subsidies." "This timely book provides a comprehensive analysis of services subsidies under the GATS. It begins with a description of services and trade in services, and of the salient characteristics that make regulation of services subsidies more complex than those associated with agricultural and industrial goods. It then analyzes the economic arguments underpinning the need for regulation, as well as the need for governments to retain sufficient latitude to implement non-trade-related policy measures. A description of the information available on services subsidies is followed by a classification of services subsidies according to their distortive effects, and by a detailed analysis of those elements that may form a definition of services subsidies for the purpose of a future regulatory framework." "A key section is devoted to the analysis of those existing provisions of the GATS that may exert a certain measure of discipline on services subsidies, and to the question of the desirability and technical feasibility of countervailing measures. Rules on services subsidies contained in regional trade agreements and the need for special and differential treatment for services subsidies by developing countries are also discussed. Finally, and prior to the conclusion, two sectoral studies deal with the question of subsidies aimed at attracting foreign direct investment and subsidies to the audiovisual sector." "This work represents the first extensive and comprehensive analysis of the issue of services subsidies in the context of the GATS, and includes numerous references to relevant European Union State Aid legislation and jurisprudence." --Book Jacket.

Regulation of Subsidies and State Aids in WTO and EC Law

Regulation of Subsidies and State Aids in WTO and EC Law PDF Author: Gustavo E. Luengo Hernández de Madrid
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Foreign trade regulation
Languages : en
Pages : 624

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Book Description
Preliminary Remarks --Economic Analysis of Subsidies --Evolution of the Regulation of Subsidies in International Trade: From the GATT to the WTO --The Regulation of Subsidies in the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures --The Regulation of Subsidies in the Agreement on Agriculture --Subsidies in the WTO: The 'Foreign Sales Corporations' Case --Evolution of the State Aid Rules in the EC --The Notion of 'State Aid': Article 87.1 of the EC Treaty --State Aids Compatible with the Common Market --Procedural Issues: Control of State Aids in the EC and Recovery of State Aids --Agricultural Subsidies in the EC --Comparison of the WTO and EC Rules on Subsidies and State Aids --Conformity of the EC State Aid Rules With the WTO: Suggestions --Final Remarks.

Subsidies in the Context of the WTO's Free Trade System

Subsidies in the Context of the WTO's Free Trade System PDF Author: Gurwinder Singh
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319624229
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
This book analyses subsidies from various perspectives and creates a model that determines whether or not their use is justified. Further, it analyses the various causes of trade distortion, trade-discriminatory practices, and other issues associated with unregulated subsidies. In addition, the book considers how these issues fall within the scope of subsidies described under the SCM Agreement. The primary discussion from the perspective of WTO objective concerns the trade practice of awarding subsidies, for exports and also for protectionist purposes. Here, the terms justifiable and non-justifiable are used as hypothetical parameters to determine the extent of state support, considering the country classification based on economic and technological criteria, and their objectives for development. These parameters are distinct from Prohibited, Actionable, and Non-Actionable subsidies, as classified under the SCM Agreement. Subsidies awarded for the purposes of development and for welfare are considered as justifiable, whereas subsidies for the promotion of exports or state measures adopted for protectionist purposes are non-justifiable. Lastly, the book addresses the implications of such subsidies on the core objectives of the WTO and in connection with fair trade values.

State Aid, Subsidy and Tax Incentives Under EU and WTO Law

State Aid, Subsidy and Tax Incentives Under EU and WTO Law PDF Author: Claire Micheau
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789041145550
Category : Foreign trade regulation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This book provides an analysis of the multi-level regulation of State aid and subsidy in the regulatory context of taxation. Starting from a review of the substantive provisions of tax incentives as provided for in European law and in WTO law, the author moves on to examine how these legal frameworks are enforced at national levels. The book covers practical elements in the following areas: legal regimes of State aid and subsidy (including rules on compatibility with the internal market, classification of subsidies and analysis of prohibited subsidies in taxation); definitions of state aid and subsidy; analysis of the criteria for tax selectivity and specificity; administrative and judicial review; rights of taxpayers as private parties in State aid and subsidy litigations; remedies (including recovery, withdrawal and countervailing duties); overlaps between EU and WTO rules; liabilities in situations of conflict; case law of the Court and WTO adjudicating bodies.