<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">This study examines the legal and policy objectives of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) with specific reference to international standards and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The study sets out the history and development of the TBT Agreement and the relationship between the TBT Agreement and selected WTO Agreements. The study also explores the application and interpretation of the TBT Agreement under the WTO dispute settlement system. More importantly, the study addresses the legal, policy and practical implications of the TBT Agreement for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa. A central argument put forward in this study is that, albeit international standards have been recognised as an important tool for LDCs in Africa to gain access to foreign markets, there is no significant &lsquo / political will&rsquo / and commitment from the key players in standardisation work, that is, the national governments, the private sector and the ISO. At the same time, some developed and developing countries tend to use their influence and involvement in the activities of the ISO as a means of promoting the use and adoption of their homegrown standards. The study proposes, among others, that a more participatory approach which encompasses representatives from consumer groups, the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from these LDCs in Africa, should be adopted.</p> </font></p>

<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">This study examines the legal and policy objectives of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) with specific reference to international standards and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The study sets out the history and development of the TBT Agreement and the relationship between the TBT Agreement and selected WTO Agreements. The study also explores the application and interpretation of the TBT Agreement under the WTO dispute settlement system. More importantly, the study addresses the legal, policy and practical implications of the TBT Agreement for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa. A central argument put forward in this study is that, albeit international standards have been recognised as an important tool for LDCs in Africa to gain access to foreign markets, there is no significant &lsquo / political will&rsquo / and commitment from the key players in standardisation work, that is, the national governments, the private sector and the ISO. At the same time, some developed and developing countries tend to use their influence and involvement in the activities of the ISO as a means of promoting the use and adoption of their homegrown standards. The study proposes, among others, that a more participatory approach which encompasses representatives from consumer groups, the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from these LDCs in Africa, should be adopted.</p> </font></p>

Magister Legum - LLM / This study examines the legal and policy objectives of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) with specific reference to international standards and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The study sets out the history and development of the TBT Agreement and the relationship between the TBT Agreement and selected WTO Agreements. The study also explores the application and interpretation of the TBT Agreement under the WTO dispute settlement system. More importantly, the study addresses the legal, policy and practical implications of the TBT Agreement for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa. A central argument put forward in this study is that, albeit international standards have been recognised as an important tool for LDCs in Africa to gain access to foreign markets, there is no significant ‘political will’ and commitment from the key players in standardisation work, that is, the national governments, the private sector and the ISO. At the same time, some developed and developing countries tend to use their influence and involvement in the activities of the ISO as a means of promoting the use and adoption of their homegrown standards. The study proposes, among others, that a more participatory approach which encompasses representatives from consumer groups, the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from these LDCs in Africa, should be adopted

歐美葡萄酒貿易協定於2006年3月10日經歐美雙方簽署後，對於延宕多年之數項關於雙方葡萄酒貿易上之爭議，達成了一定程度之妥協。然雙方所妥協之內容均與WTO協定之規範有衝突之處；然從另一方面觀之，該協定卻有助於美國在其葡萄酒產品使用歐盟地理標示之爭議上，朝向與TRIPS協定較為合致之方向去修正。 歐美葡萄酒貿易協定最主要之爭議可分為兩大部分，一為歐盟關於葡萄酒釀造製程上之規範；另一是美國葡萄酒產品使用歐盟地理標示，本文主要將針對此二議題與WTO協定間之合致性進行探討，以了解該協定所妥協之部分與WTO協定間之合致性。由於歐盟與美國係為WTO內最具影響力之兩大會員，本文最後將探討該協定對於WTO多邊架構以及爭端解決機制上之所衝擊與影響。 / The EU-US agreement on trade in wine was signed on March 10, 2006, marking the end of a first phase in wine trading discussions began in 1983. The Agreement addresses several key issues, such as oenological practices, import certification, the use of European geographical indication on the wine label which produced in US and other labeling issues. This thesis is to analyze the most controversial parts of this agreement. This agreement compromises 17 provisions, there are two parts most controversial: one is the mutual acceptance of the EU-US oenological practice regulations, which would facilitate the trading of wine between the two parties. And the other is that finally U.S. agreed to prohibit new brands from using these names on non-European wine and grandfather those existing uses. The oenological regulation of EU is more strictly and conservative compare to the related international standard. Moreover, EU ban the import of wine which is not conform with its oenological regulation unless the exporting country meet the Derogation requirement to allow the wine to be imported and circulated in the territory of EU. This article is to analyses the consistency of the EU oenological regulation with the TBT agreement, and the MFN treatment with this derogation. And the U.S. had allowed the use of specific EU geographical indications, which is called semi-generic names in U.S. regulation, on the wine label for the wine producing in the U.S in its labeling regulation. According to the TRIPS Agreement, the use of EU’s GI is in a continuous matter before 1994 can be excepted from the regulation of additional for GI. This thesis would like to clarify which part of the use of those semi-generic names may or may not except from the context of TRIPS agreement about GI. Since the wine agreement settle down several issues which violate the WTO agreement, this thesis would like to discuss the impact of the wine agreement to the WTO multilateral system.

近年來，由於消費者對於產品安全的重視程度與日俱增，各式各樣的私營標準開始蓬勃發展。這些私營標準雖不具備法律強制力，其所導致的市場排擠效應仍使生產者不得不積極使其產品取得各項私營標準的認證，引發私營標準是否具有實質上強制力並進而影響國際間自由貿易之疑慮。隨著開發中國家自2005年開始於SPS委員會中提出全球良好農業慣例標準對國際自由貿易之負面影響，私營標準之相關法律議題於WTO場域中益發重要，實有研究討論之必要。鑒於私營標準種類、數量之眾，本論文以於WTO下被具體指謫之全球良好農業慣例標準為例，探討全球良好農業慣例標準是否有落入WTO法規範管轄範疇之可能，並透過涉及私營標準議題之食品衛生檢驗與動植物檢疫措施協定、技術性貿易障礙協定與關稅及貿易總協定相關條文的解釋與分析，討論全球良好農業慣例標準與該些規範之關連性及適法性，既而於WTO下甚至WTO以外之國際場域，探究尋求相關貿易衝擊因應之道的可行性，希冀能為私營標準對國際自由貿易體系所帶來的影響及其與WTO之關係進行審視並作出建議。 / In recent years, all kinds of private standards have started to develop prosperously because consumers consider product safety more and more important. Although these private standards are not mandatory, the crowding out effect of markets causing by these standards still makes producers have to achieve relevant certification as far as possible. This situation causes anxiety about the possibility that private standards are de facto mandatory and create trade barriers. While developing countries have stated that GlobalGAP Standard makes bad influence on international trade in the SPS Committees since 2005, the legal issues about private standards become more and more important under WTO regime and need to be studied and discussed. In view of the fact that there are too many kinds of private standards, the thesis takes GlobalGAP Standard for example to discuss whether private standards shall be subject to the rules of WTO Agreements. In order to conduct careful examining and come up with suggestions of the influence on international trade which caused by private standards and the relationship between private standards and WTO, it is necessary to research into the connection between GlobalGAP Standard and WTO rules and the legality of this standard through explaining and analyzing relevant rules which involves the issue of private standards under the SPS Agreement, TBT Agreement, and GATT and to discuss the feasibility of finding the solution to relevant trade impact under WTO regime or other international fields.