Content

This is an introductory course to the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which focuses both on the substantive and the institutional law of the WTO, and the position of the WTO within the wider framework of global economic governance. More specifically, the following topics will be dealt with:

• international trade theory and policy

• international economic law and its institutions

• the institutional framework of the WTO

• essential principles of WTO law: most-favoured nation, national treatment and market access

• the WTO dispute settlement mechanism

• tariffs, customs classification

• non-tariff barriers, including technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary measures

• general exceptions (escape clauses): trade and the protection of human health, the environment, public morals, ...

• anti-dumping, subsidies, countervailing duties, other trade defence instruments

• General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)

• TRIPS: intellectual property rights and trade

• Regionalism and its effects on the multilateral system

• Contentious issues in trade: Brexit, steel safeguards, trade wars, ...

Course material

Course materials comprise of a reader with three parts: legal texts (WTO Agreement including the relevant annexes), case law (Reports by GATT Panels, WTO Panels and the WTO Appellate Body) and literature (relevant journal articles and book excerpts).

Language of instruction: more information

The course will be given in English.

Format: more information

The course includes 13 lectures. There will be a number of guest lectures given by experts and practitioners from the European Commission, Sidley Austin LLP and Van Bael & Bellis.