Plurilateral agreements in the WTO context allow sub-sets of countries to agree to commitments in specific policy areas that only apply to signatories, and thus allow for 'variable geometry' in the WTO. Plurilateral agreements share a number of features with preferential trade agreements (PTAs)...

This paper discusses the Fedon case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which involved a claim for compensation by Fedon (an Italian producer of eye glass cases) from the EU for the imposition of WTO-authorized retaliatory trade barriers by the United States following the failure by the...

Canada-Renewable Energy presented the WTO Panel and Appellate Body (AB) with a novel Number: at the heart of the dispute was a measure adopted by the province of Ontario whereby producers of renewable energy would be paid a premium relative to conventional power producers. Some WTO Members...

This paper provides a legal-economic analysis of the unappealed WTO Panel Report in China – Certain Measures Affecting Electronic Payment Services (WT/DS413/R). The core Number was whether China’s measures that resulted in there being only one dominant supplier of electronic payment services...

Reducing public sector deficits and high debt burdens in part will require an increase in net exports – which is only possible if the countries concerned are able to produce goods and services that are 'competitive' on world markets. Policies aimed at enhancing competitiveness may be offset by...

In 2011 the World Bank Group (WBG) issued a new trade strategy. This identifies the primary axes for WBG engagement and support activities and areas where action is likely to have the greatest positive impact in terms of helping developing countries to integrate further into the world economy...

Liberalization of trade and investment in services through trade agreements has progressed less than trade in goods. We review the limited progress achieved to date in the WTO and major regional agreements on services and possible explanations why trade agreements have not been more effective at...

A matter of long-standing policy concern is the limited extent to which many countries in Africa have been able to diversify their economies. The global phenomenon of supply chain trade in principle generates opportunities for specialization in processing activities and labour- or...

In 2011 the World Bank Group (WBG) issued a new trade strategy. This identifies the primary axes for WBG engagement and support activities and areas where action is likely to have the greatest positive impact in terms of helping developing countries to integrate further into the world economy...