Follow Email Should the system of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) be reformed? That is the question being considered by the United Nations Commission on Trade Law (UNCITRAL). ISDS provisions are contained in about 3,000 investment treaties and investment chapters of free trade agreements. The provisions permit a foreign investor in the form of a company or individual to bring a claim directly against a State where the investor...
GSP is Back! What To Do
Follow Email GSP is back! As of April 22, 2018 importers can once again take advantage of the retroactive renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. This means: Entering GSP-eligible products without having to pay duties; and Claiming refunds for duties paid while the program was lapsed (January 1, 2018 – April 21, 2018) Entering GSP-Eligible Products Products eligible for duty-free entry into the United States...
Trump Trade Agenda
Follow Email The Trump trade agenda is in the news. Since January (2018), the Trump Administration has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, started a trade war with China, and re-negotiated the 6-year old Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). The Administration also continues NAFTA re-negotiations and most recently is considering having the U.S. re-join the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement left within three days of Trump...
Trade Watch 2018: NAFTA Renegotiations
Follow Email The threat to “Kill NAFTA” was a consistent promise of Trump as a presidential candidate. Instead, while the threat remains, on May 18, 2017 the Trump Administration announced its intention to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). To what end? And what is the status of NAFTA renegotiations? As of February, 2018, the three parties – Canada, Mexico, and the United States – have completed six...
Trade Watch 2018: The World Trade Organisation, Part II
Follow Email – In Part I we discussed the weak and divided outcomes from the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference. Institutional Concerns Several institutional factors explain the weak and divided outcomes from the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference. The WTO’s consensus approach to decision-making means that nothing is decided until all Members agree. Each of its 164 (as of July 2016) members has one vote. This governance structure slows...
Trade Watch 2018: The World Trade Organisation – Part I
Follow Email Do the weak and divided outcomes of the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference signal that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is becoming another example of failed multilateralism? Launched in 1995 as the world’s rulemaking organization on international trade, the stated primary purpose of the WTO is “to open trade for the benefit of all”. It seeks to act as a forum for negotiating agreements aimed at reducing obstacles to...
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