Regulating Health and Environmental Risks under WTO Law

The last sixty years witnessed an unprecedented expansion of international trade. The system created by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and later by the World Trade Organization (WTO) has proved to be an efficient instrument for the elimination of trade and tariff barriers. This process coincided with increased national regulatory controls, which were particularly visible in the area of risk regulation. Governments, responding to the demands of their domestic constituencies, have adopted a wide range of regulatory measures aimed at protecting the environment and human health. Although, for the most part, the new regulatory initiatives served legitimate objectives, it has also turned out that internal measures might become an attractive vehicle for protectionism, taking the place that was traditionally occupied by tariff barriers. The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) is an attempt by the international community to limit possible abuses while assuring WTO Members of an extensive margin of regulatory discretion.Insightful analysis of an agreement which is of importance not just to international trade lawyers, but to all those concerned about trade-related risks to human health and the environmentThorough examination of all the crucial cases in this field, including Beef Hormones and EC BiotechFeatures a comprehensive and detailed discussion of the central provisions of the SPS Agreement, including those which have not yet been interpreted in the case lawClear layout, structured analysis, and extensive referencing enable the reader to find information easily