Since the inception of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947, traditional trade barriers like tariffs and quotas were no longer at the heart of trade disputes under the multilateral trade framework. The economic interdependence trend has brought a number of social issues to the forefront of the international scene, and the conflict between trade values and social values have soon become the new theme of trade conflicts at the current stage. Hence, international trade rules were urged to address issues other than economic concerns, such as environmental protection, cultural value preservation and human rights. Clashes between trade liberalization and social values are harshly criticized for their alleged negative impacts on issues like equality, freedom, social justice, environment and culture. The World Trade Organization (WTO), as the only multilateral trade regime, is arguably extending its competence in dealing with conflicts other than trade issues. However, the conflicts are made more incomprehensible due to the absence of a clear and reconciled order in both substantive and procedure senses. This research is based on the aforementioned concerns, and focuses on the relationship between trade liberalization and a specific spot among the enormous range of social values: Trade in Culture. Departing from domestic regime, the research is going to critically evaluate domestic state of law and policies under the realm of WTO rules, in order to carry out their interactions with WTO regime. By analyzing to what extent they collide with each other, and the possible alternatives to develop cultural trade, the research considers the development of cultural trade in the way that is more responsive to the real problems of current restraints presented at the domestic level, so that implications to the WTO legal framework can be drawn.

The WTO is one piece in a complex network of international, regional and domestic legal systems and regulatory frameworks. The influences on the development of WTO law extend far beyond its own Members and institutions: domestic legal instruments have provided the inspiration for numerous WTO obligations while the rights and obligations under the covered agreements are frequently incorporated into the legal systems of the Membership. The WTO is home to numerous committees and working groups that also engage with other international bodies and their domestic counterparts. Transnational actors seek to take advantage of these networks, encouraging WTO law to develop in their favour. The interactions involved, however, are highly complex and unpredictable. By drawing on different models of causal explanation, it is possible to offer a perspective on the development of WTO law that accepts its role as part of a larger globalized process. Three different causal influences are identified: instrumental, systemic and constitutive. Together, they offer a prism through which to examine the development of WTO law as it responds to the behaviour of transnational actors, bridging gaps between international relations and law and, it is hoped, offering a convincing explanatory rationale for the way in which WTO law develops.

Agriculture in the Law of World Trade Organization Regulation on international agricultural trade is one of the most sensitive fields of international trade regulation by the agreements of the WTO. The current law is contained in the Agreement on Agriculture and it is the first regulation of the foreign trade in agricultural products in the WTO scheme. The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the important aspects of the current law. The thesis also addresses the context in which the Agreement on Agriculture takes effect, especially from the viewpoint of its influence on developing countries. Various chapters also briefly deal with the possible content of the future Agreement on Agriculture according to the most recent results of the Doha development round negotiations. The thesis is divided into seven chapters. The introductory chapter is dedicated to the beginnings of international agricultural trade regulation and to the negotiations of the Uruguay round that resulted in the establishment of the World Trade Organization and in the conclusion of the Agreement on Agriculture. The second chapter analyzes general provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture and the relations of the Agreement with other agreements that form the basis of the World Trade Organization. The third chapter deals with the...

Regulation of border and behind-the-border measures in the oil and gas sectors presents the ‘resource access’ challenge with immense economic ramifications for export markets, yet their status under the multilateral trading regime remains obscure. Recent developments that could reshape the trading regime and market dynamics for oil and gas have seen the call for a global energy governance gain momentum in recent years. But the complex relationships between national laws, institutional norms, and the multilateral trading regime regulating energy presents an ideological ‘conflict in applicable law’. They reveal a conflict between regulatory privileges enshrined in energy resource-focused institutions namely: OPEC as a producer-only treaty, the ECT as a sector-specific multilateral energy treaty, national energy laws on the heel of the PSNR principle as a customary international law; versus international obligations under the GATT rules relevant to energy. These regimes have the trappings of nationalism, regionalism, and institutionalism in energy regulation, thereby creating an ambiguous path to global energy governance. This research revisits the institutional and regulatory architecture of oil and gas regimes from the perspective of quota measures and trade-related investment measures (TRIMs) implemented through the instrumentality of national laws, acts of NOCs (in the oil sector) and acts of non-state undertakings (in the gas sector). It therefore charts an uncommon territory and brings a new dimension to the discipline of energy and trade, with a robust examination of how regulation of quota measures and trade-related investment in the oil sector (with export restriction issues) differs from their regulation in the gas sector (with underlying competition issues) and how their varying trade effects shape their future in international economic law. Given the inherent conflicts between the legal, policy, and regulatory design of these regimes governing energy, this research first explores and applies the principle of conflict of norms to energy governance. This paves way for a hands-on approach to examining the applications of these measures under the auspices of these regimes aimed at a ‘co-operative energy governance’ between the resource-focused regimes and the GATT rules relevant to energy on the basis of their trade effects. I argue that an understanding of ‘quota measures’ and ‘TRIMs’ in the oil sector compared to their implementations in the gas sector is compelling in making a case for a systemic energy cooperation that would serve economic interests of all affected states without diminishing the normative value of each regime in each sector.

La diplomatie commerciale de la Chine résulte d’un processus complexe. Étant donné que d’une part, elle est liée à son histoire, à sa culture et à sa géographie. D’une autre part, elle est vivement rattachée à son régime politique, à l’état de son économie et à son système juridique. Ce qui implique la mise en place d’importantes mesures d’encadrement juridiques et réglementaires émises par l’autorité législative de l’État. Cette thèse tente d’analyser la diplomatie commerciale de la Chine depuis 1978, à travers sa construction, ses règlements et ses pratiques, tout en privilégiant une approche juridique. L’enjeu principal de cette démarche est de mettre en œuvre une étude comparative entre le régime juridique commercial chinois et celui de l’OMC, afin de saisir le fondement juridique de la diplomatie commerciale chinoise. Ainsi, cette recherche se base principalement sur trois dimensions de la diplomatie commerciale chinoise : la dimension multilatérale (l’intégration dans l’OMC), la dimension régionale (la participation dans les organisations régionales comme l’ASEAN) et la dimension bilatérale (la conclusion des accords commerciaux bilatéraux). Enfin, une telle approche permet de mettre en exergue les avantages et les inconvénients de chacune de ces dimensions tout en tenant compte du contexte économique international difficile. / Commercial diplomacy of China is the result of a complex process. Given that on the one hand, it is linked to its history, culture and geography. On the other hand, it is strongly linked to its political system, the state of its economy and its legal system. Which implies the implementation of important measures of legal and regulatory framework emitted by the legislative authority of the state. This thesis tries to analyze the commercial diplomacy of China since 1978, through its construction, its regulations and practices, while favoring legal approach. The main issue of this approach is to implement a comparative study of Chinese commercial law regime and the WTO in order to take the legal basis for China's trade diplomacy. Thus, this research is based on three dimensions of Chinese commercial diplomacy: multilateral dimension (integration into the WTO), the regional dimension (participation in regional organizations such as ASEAN) and the bilateral dimension (the concluding bilateral trade agreements). Finally, such an approach allows to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each of these dimensions while considering the difficult international economic environment.

Les dernières décennies ont témoigné d’un important accroissement des concentrations transnationales dans le monde et d’une multiplication des systèmes de contrôle des concentrations. Alors que les enjeux économiques revêtent désormais une dimension internationale, les mécanismes juridiques de régulation demeurent cantonnés à une échelle nationale ou régionale. En effet, la soumission d’une même opération de concentration à différents régimes de contrôle engendre plusieurs problématiques juridiques, dont le risque d’être confronté à des décisions contradictoires ou incohérentes rendues par différentes autorités de la concurrence. Ceci dit, il nous semble que des mécanismes juridiques pour réguler les concentrations transnationales s’imposent. S’agissant d’une réalité au niveau européen, la « régionalisation » du droit de la concurrence apporte une aide précieuse à ces problématiques. Au niveau mondial, différentes approches de solution sont envisageables. Cette thèse soutient, à court terme, la convergence des règles et des pratiques, afin de réduire les inconvénients associés au contrôle des concentrations transnationales, accompagnée, à long terme, par l’adoption de certaines règles contraignantes au sein de l’OMC. / In the past decades, the number of transnational mergers worldwide has significantly increased. Merger control systems follow the same trend and have proliferated during this period. While economic issues are globalized, legal mechanisms remain national or regional. The notification of one single merger to different merger control systems raises several legal issues, in particular with respect to the risk of achievingcontradictory or incoherent decisions from different competition agencies. Thus, revised legal mechanisms are required in order to adequately regulate transnational mergers. A“regionalization” of merger control, as set by the European experience, offers useful insights towards proposals to deal with these issues. In a global perspective, several alternative approaches are possible. This thesis supports, on the short-term, a permanent convergence of rules and practices to reduce problems related to transnational merger control, followed, on the long-term, by the adoption of certain binding rules within the WTO.

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