Balancing trade and non-trade policy objectives in GATS: Potentials and limits of Article XIV

1. Balancing trade and non-trade policy objectives in GATS:Potentials and limits of Article XIV Markus Krajewski University of Potsdam BIICL Annual WTO Conference

2. Outline • Trade and non-trade policy objectives • Methods of balancing • Potentials of Art. XIV GATS: US – Gambling and Betting • Stretching the limits of Art. XIV GATS • Human rights • Cultural diversity BIICL Annual WTO Conference

3. Trade and non-trade policy objectives • limited references in WTO law • Art. 20 (c) AoA: “non-trade concerns” • EC – Tariff Preferences: “measure of ‘non-trade’ nature” • versus extensive use in WTO literature • but: What are “non-trade” objectives? (“I know it when I see it”?) BIICL Annual WTO Conference

4. Methods of balancing • interpreting „necessary“ to include “weighing and balancing” (Korea – Beef) • deference to national regulatory autonomy (in dubio mitius) (EC –Hormones) • using other international agreements as context of WTO provisions (US –Shrimp) BIICL Annual WTO Conference

5. Potentials of Art. XIV GATS US – Gambling and Betting: Art. XIV (a) • leaves scope for Members to define and apply concepts according to own systems and values • includes • internal security (criminal offences) and • protection of youth and other vulnerable groups BIICL Annual WTO Conference

6. Stretching the limits of Art. XIV GATS • Protection of human rights? • ECJ, Omega Spielhallen: „public policy“ includes protection of human dignity • a model for WTO dispute settlement? • Cultural diversity? • Draft UNESCO convention: deviation from GATS to protect cultural diversity • can it become context of Art. XIV (a)? BIICL Annual WTO Conference

7. Conclusion • Art. XIV „sedes materiae“ for balancing trade and non-trade policy objectives in GATS • but can it be stretched far enough so that GATS is „not more burdensome than necessary“ on non-trade policy objectives? BIICL Annual WTO Conference