Dispute settlement
Le Règlement des Différends dans le Cadre de l'OMC: Un Différend, une Page
La publication intitulée “Un différend une page” contient un résumé succinct des principales constatations de tous les rapports des groupes spéciaux et le cas échéant des rapports établis ensuite par l'Organe d'appel.
Solución de Diferencias en la OMC: Resúmenes de una Página por Caso
Resúmenes de una página por caso ofrece un breve resumen de las principales constataciones contenidas en cada uno de los informes de los grupos especiales publicados y en el informe del Órgano de Apelación posterior si procede.
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries
"One-Page Case Summaries" provides a succinct summary of all disputes brought to the WTO. It covers the findings of the dispute panel report for each case and the subsequent Appellate Body report in cases where WTO members appealed the original ruling.
WTO Appellate Body Repertory
"The Repertory" covers all rulings of the Appellate Body a seven-member body that hears appeals from WTO members regarding dispute panel findings.
Rapports des Groupes Spéciaux
Le système de règlement des différends de l'OMC suit un calendrier détaillé pour l'examen des affaires portées devant elle. La première étape est l'examen de l'affaire par un groupe de trois membres du jury spécialement sélectionnés pour cette affaire. Leurs conclusions sont publiées dans un rapport auquel les membres concernés peuvent faire appel.
Arbitration Reports
Arbitration reports determine the reasonable period of time for a WTO member to comply with the recommendations and rulings of the Dispute Settlement Body and the level of retaliation that a WTO member may undertake in situations where a WTO member has not complied within the prescribed time.
Informes de Grupos Especiales
El sistema de solución de diferencias de la OMC sigue un calendario detallado para examinar los casos presentados ante la OMC. La primera etapa es el examen del caso por un grupo de tres panelistas seleccionados especialmente para el caso. Sus conclusiones se publican en un informe que puede ser apelado por los miembros interesados.
Rapport de l'Organe d'Appel
Les rapports de groupes spéciaux sont examinés par lOrgane dappel de lOMC composé de sept membres élus pour un mandat de quatre ans. L'Organe d'appel peut confirmer modifier ou infirmer les constatations et les conclusions juridiques d'un groupe spécial. Les rapports de l'Organe d'appel une fois adoptés par l'Organe de règlement des différends (ORD) doivent être acceptés par les parties au différend.
WTO Analytical Index
The "WTO Analytical Index" is a comprehensive guide to the interpretation and application of the WTO agreements by the Appellate Body dispute settlement panels and other WTO bodies. It contains extracts of key pronouncements and findings from tens of thousands of pages of WTO jurisprudence including panel reports Appellate Body reports arbitral decisions and awards and decisions of WTO committees councils and other WTO bodies.
Informes de Arbitraje
Los Informes de arbitraje determinan el período de tiempo razonable para que un miembro de la OMC cumpla con las recomendaciones y resoluciones del Órgano de Solución de Diferencias y el nivel de represalias que un miembro de la OMC puede asumir en situaciones en las que un miembro de la OMC no ha cumplido dentro del tiempo establecido.
Rapports d'Arbitrage
Les Rapports d'arbitrage déterminent le délai raisonnable qu'un membre de l'OMC pour se conformer aux recommandations et décisions de l'Organe de règlement des différends et le niveau de représailles qu'un membre de l'OMC peut engager dans les cas où un membre de l'OMC ne s'est pas conformé dans le délai imparti.
Panel Reports
The WTO's dispute settlement system follows a detailed timetable for examining cases brought to the WTO. The first stage is examination of the case by a group of three panellists who are specially selected for the case. Their findings are published in a report which may be appealed by the members concerned.
Appellate Body Reports
Appeals to panel reports are considered by the WTO’s Appellate Body which consists of seven members elected for a four-year term. The Appellate Body can uphold modify or reverse the legal findings and conclusions of a panel and Appellate Body reports once adopted by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) must be accepted by the parties to the dispute.
Informe del Órgano de Apelación
Los informes de grupos especiales son examinadas por el Órgano de Apelación de la OMC que consta de siete miembros elegidos por un período de cuatro años. El Órgano de Apelación puede confirmar modificar o anular los hallazgos y conclusiones legales de un panel y los informes del Órgano de Apelación una vez adoptados por el Órgano de Solución de Diferencias (DSB) deben ser aceptados por las partes en la controversia.
GATT Disputes: 1948-1995 - Overview and One-Page Case Summaries (Vol. 1)
GATT disputes: 1948-1995 (Volume 1) provides verified and factual information on disputes brought by contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) from 1948 to 1995 when the GATT was superseded by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The publication provides a comprehensive overview of dispute settlement activities under the GATT 1947 and a one-page case summary for each of the 316 GATT disputes brought by contracting parties during this period. Volume 2 of this publication covers GATT dispute settlement procedures. The two volumes offer insights into the evolution of dispute settlement under the GATT 1947 which served as the foundation for the Dispute Settlement Understanding created by the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO.
WTO Appellate Body Repertory of Reports and Awards, 1995–2013, 5th edition
Trade multilateralism in the twenty-first-century century faces a serious test as weakness in the global economy and fast-paced technological changes create a challenging environment for world trade. This book examines how an updated and robust rules-based multilateral framework anchored in the WTO remains indispensable to maximizing the benefits of global economic integration and to reviving world trade. By examining recent accessions to the WTO it reveals how the growing membership of the WTO has helped to support domestic reforms and to strengthen the rules-based framework of the WTO. It argues that the new realities of the twenty-first century require an upgrade to the architecture of the multilateral trading system. By erecting its 'upper floors' on the foundation of existing trade rules the WTO can continue to adapt to a fast-changing environment and to maximize the benefits brought about by its ever-expanding membership.
Solución de diferencias en la OMC: Resúmenes de una página por caso 1995–2018
Esta publicación contiene resúmenes útiles de una página de las principales constataciones contenidas en cada uno de los informes de los Grupos Especiales publicados hasta finales de 2018 así como en los informes correspondientes del Órgano de Apelación publicados en ese período. Cada resumen de una página se compone de los hechos fundamentales las constataciones principales que figuran en los informes y otras cuestiones especialmente importantes. La publicación incluye dos índices en los que se enumeran las diferencias en función de los Acuerdos de la OMC abordados y del Miembro de la OMC demandado.
A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System, 2nd Edition
The WTO dispute settlement system has become one of the most dynamic effective and successful international dispute settlement systems in the world over the past twenty years. This second edition of A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System has been compiled by the dispute settlement lawyers of the WTO Secretariat with a view to providing a practice-oriented account of the system. In addition to describing the existing rules and procedures this accessibly written handbook explains how those rules and procedures have been interpreted by dispute settlement panels and the Appellate Body and how they have evolved over time. The handbook provides practical information to help various audiences understand the day-to-day operation of the WTO dispute settlement system.
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries, 1995-2016
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries provides a succinct summary of the key findings of every dispute panel report up to the end of 2016 and where applicable the subsequent Appellate Body report. Each one-page summary comprises three sections: the core facts; the key findings contained in the reports; and where relevant other matters of particular significance. The disputes are presented in chronological order (by dispute settlement number). Two indexes at the end of the publication list the disputes by WTO agreement and by WTO member responding to the complaint.
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries 1995–2020
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries provides a succinct summary of the key findings of every dispute panel report up to the end of 2019 and where applicable the subsequent Appellate Body report. Each one-page summary comprises three sections: the core facts; the key findings contained in the reports; and where relevant other matters of particular significance. The disputes are presented in chronological order (by dispute settlement number). Two indexes at the end of the publication list the disputes by WTO agreement and by WTO member responding to the complaint.
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries, 1995–2014
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries provides a succinct summary of the key findings of every dispute panel report up to the end of 2014 and where applicable the subsequent Appellate Body report. Each one-page summary comprises three sections: the core facts; the key findings contained in the reports; and where relevant other matters of particular significance. The disputes are presented in chronological order (by dispute settlement number). Two indexes at the end of the publication list the disputes by WTO agreement and by WTO member responding to the complaint.
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries, 1995-2012
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries provides a succinct summary of the key findings of every dispute panel report up to the end of 2011 and where applicable the subsequent Appellate Body report. Each one-page summary comprises three sections: the core facts; the key findings contained in the reports; and where relevant other matters of particular significance. The disputes are presented in chronological order (by dispute settlement number). Two indexes at the end of the publication list the disputes by WTO agreement and by WTO member responding to the complaint.
The WTO Dispute Settlement Procedures, 3rd Edition
The third edition of The WTO Dispute Settlement Procedures collects together the treaty texts decisions and agreed practices relating to the procedures that apply in the settlement of WTO disputes. It affords ready answers to technical questions relating to matters such as: how disputes are initiated and conducted including at the appellate stage; what deadlines apply and how to calculate them; what rules of conduct bind individuals involved in WTO dispute settlement; and what rules of procedure apply to meetings of the Dispute Settlement Body. This highly practical work which includes cross-references and a subject index will prove invaluable to anyone working in WTO dispute settlement including lawyers civil servants working in the field of trade economists academics and students. This edition has been fully updated to take account of revised rules and procedures.
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries 1995–2018
WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries provides a succinct summary of the key findings of every dispute panel report up to the end of 2018 and where applicable the subsequent Appellate Body report. Each one-page summary comprises three sections: the core facts; the key findings contained in the reports; and where relevant other matters of particular significance. The disputes are presented in chronological order (by dispute settlement number). Two indexes at the end of the publication list the disputes by WTO agreement and by WTO member responding to the complaint.
Le règlement des différends dans le cadre de l'OMC: Un différend, une page 1995–2018
La présente publication contient des résumés pratiques d’une page des principales constatations de chaque rapport de groupe spécial publié jusqu’à la fin de 2018 et des rapports pertinents de l’Organe d’appel publiés pendant cette période. Chaque résumé d’une page comprend les faits principaux les constatations clés contenues dans les rapports et d’autres points d’une importance particulière. Deux index énumèrent les différends par Accord de l’OMC et par Membre de l’OMC répondant à la plainte.
GATT Disputes: 1948-1995 - Dispute Settlement Procedures (Vol. 2)
GATT disputes: 1948-1995 (Volume 2) compiles documents regarding dispute settlement procedures under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1947 and other selected documents. It complements Volume 1 which provides a comprehensive overview of dispute settlement activities under the GATT 1947 and a one-page case summary for each of the 316 disputes brought by GATT contracting parties from 1948 to 1995 when the GATT was superseded by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The two volumes offer insights into the evolution of dispute settlement under the GATT 1947 which served as the foundation for the Dispute Settlement Understanding created by the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO.
A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System
The primary purpose of this training guide is to explain the WTO dispute settlement system to an interested person with little or no knowledge of how this system functions. However with its detailed content it could also serve as a very useful “handbook” to experienced practitioners of WTO Law. It explains the historic evolution of the current system and explores the practices that have arisen in its operation since its entry into force on 1 January 1995.
Key Issues in WTO Dispute Settlement
This book examines aspects of the operation of the WTO dispute settlement system during the first ten years of the WTO. It covers a representative cross-section of the issues and situations WTO Members have dealt with under the Dispute Settlement Understanding. The book is unique in that it includes contributions from virtually the entire gamut of actors involved in the day-to-day operation of the WTO dispute settlement system: Member government representatives private lawyers who litigate on behalf of Member governments in the system Appellate Body members Appellate Body Secretariat staff and WTO Secretariat staff. It also includes contributions from several academics who closely follow and carefully scrutinize all that goes on within the system. It therefore provides fascinating insights into how the system has operated in practice and how the lessons of the first decade can be applied to make the system even more successful in the years to come.
WTO Dispute Settlement
Over the past 20 years nearly 500 disputes have been brought to the WTO. About half of these were resolved during bilateral discussions while the other half proceeded to a panel process which in recent years generally takes about 14 months. Appeals are considered by the WTO’s Appellate Body and – excluding exceptionally busy periods – are completed within three months. This makes the WTO’s dispute system one of the fastest in the world. This brochure produced to mark the WTO’s 20th anniversary looks into how the dispute settlement system operates.
Solución de diferencias en la OMC: Resúmenes de una página por caso (1995-2020)
Esta publicación contiene resúmenes útiles de una página de las principales constataciones contenidas en cada uno de los informes de los Grupos Especiales publicados hasta finales de 2020 así como en los informes correspondientes del Órgano de Apelación publicados en ese período.Cada resumen de una página se compone de los hechos fundamentales las constataciones principales que figuran en los informes y otras cuestiones especialmente importantes.La publicación incluye dos índices en los que se enumeran las diferencias en función de los Acuerdos de la OMC abordados y del Miembro de la OMC demandado.
Le règlement des différends dans le cadre de l’OMC : un différend, une page (1995-2020)
La présente publication contient des résumés pratiques d’une page des principales constatations de chaque rapport de groupe spécial publié jusqu’à la fin de 2020 et des rapports pertinents de l’Organe d’appel publiés pendant cette période.Chaque résumé d’une page comprend les faits principaux les constatations clés contenues dans les rapports et d’autres points d’une importance particulière.Deux index énumèrent les différends par Accord de l’OMC et par Membre de l’OMC répondant à la plainte.
The Stages in a Typical WTO Dispute
This chapter explains the various stages of a WTO dispute. In principle there are two main ways to settle a dispute once a complaint has been filed in the WTO: either the parties find a mutually agreed solution particularly during the phase of bilateral consultations; or adjudication takes place followed by the subsequent implementation of the panel and Appellate Body reports which are binding upon the parties once adopted by the DSB.
Standards of review in WTO panel proceedings
Whenever WTO panels are called upon to examine a WTO Member’s measure or law the question of the applicable standard of review arises. In some cases the issue is clear and not argued by the parties. In other cases the substantive outcome of the dispute may well depend on the standard of review applied by the panel. Not surprisingly a routine criticism by WTO Members who have lost disputes in Geneva has been that panels have applied the wrong standard of review because it was either too intrusive or too deferential. Claus-Dieter Ehlermann who served as member and Chairman of the Appellate Body from 1995 until 2002 noted at the end of his term in office that ‘the question of standard of review has become one of the most controversial areas of Appellate Body jurisprudence’.
Acknowledgements
This publication was prepared by Arti Gobind Daswani Roy Santana and János Volkai of the WTO Secretariat with the support of WTO Deputy Director-General Karl Brauner Valerie Hughes (former Director of the WTO’s Legal Affairs Division) Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis (Director of the WTO Market Access Division) and John Adank (Director of the Legal Affairs Division). Special acknowledgment is owed to William Castro of the WTO’s Young Professionals Programme for his contributions to the processing of the data and preparation of the one-page case summaries to WTO staff members Jesse Kreier and Olga Falgueras Alamo from the Rules Division for their contribution to the compilation of relevant documents and to Jesse Nicol from the Appellate Body Secretariat for his comments. The authors are also grateful to Laoise Ní Bhriain Maria Bressi and Bryson Strupp from the Archives Section of the WTO Information Management Services for their active collaboration in checking the archives and identifying relevant information and to Tan Albayrak intern at the Legal Affairs Division for assisting in the final editing of the onepage case summaries.
Implementation of panel and Appellate Body rulings: An overview
This chapter provides a brief overview of the rules governing the implementation of WTO panel and Appellate Body reports. It focuses on the steps that a prevailing complaining party needs to take to secure the implementation of the rulings and recommendations of the panel and the Appellate Body as adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). It is written for the non-specialist who is interested in the general principles of implementation.
Foreword
This updated edition of WTO Dispute Settlement: One-Page Case Summaries has been prepared by the Legal Affairs Division of the WTO with assistance from the Rules Division and the Appellate Body Secretariat. This new edition includes all panel and Appellate Body reports adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body up to 31 December 2020. It also includes a separate section with summaries for panel reports that have been circulated to WTO Members and made available on the WTO website but that have not been adopted by the DSB as they remain subject to pending appeals. Given the unfilled vacancies on the Appellate Body these appeals cannot be advanced or completed in current circumstances.
Jurisdiction in WTO dispute settlement
This chapter addresses jurisdiction of the WTO rules and procedures under the WTO Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU).
Foreword by the Director-General
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade is the world’s first general multilateral trade agreement. It was signed in 1947 and came into force on 1 January 1948. As the contracting parties began to implement what is more widely known as the GATT 1947 it is unlikely they would have foreseen the full magnitude of the political and economic importance of their accord and its enduring impact as a fundamental framework for multilateral trade right up to the present day.