Interpreting WTO Agreements: Problems and Perspectives

The case law of the World Trade Organization is extensive, now running into some three hundred decided cases and thousands of pages. The interpretative process involved in this jurisprudence constitutes a form of legislative activity, and is therefore of great significance not only to the parties to disputes, but to the membership of the WTO. Qureshi identifies some of the underlying problems of interpreting WTO agreements, and examines the conditions for the interpretation of these agreements. Since the first edition of this book, the case law has grown, and the interpretation evolved further. This second edition addresses these developments and engages in the contemporary discourse on the subject. Also included is a new section on issues of interpretation relating to preferential trade agreements and the WTO. This book is an essential tool for WTO trade specialists, as well as government and judicial officers concerned with interpreting these agreements.

Introduction; 1. Interpreting principles of treaty interpretation in the WTO; 2. Interpreting institutional aspects of the WTO agreements; 3. National dimension to interpretation in the framework of the WTO; 4. Interpreting exceptions in WTO agreements; 5. Interpreting WTO agreements for the development objective; 6. Interpreting 'in' external concerns; 7. Interpreting the agreements on trade remedies; 8. Interpreting the relationship between WTO and preferential trade arrangements in the interpretative process; Conclusion.