Typical Structure of WTO TradeEnvironmentConflict

1
Typical Structure of WTO Trade/Environment-Conflic
t

• 1. Restriction to trade
• 2. Violation of Art. III or/and XI GATT
• 3. Justification of restriction by Art. XX (b) or
  (g) GATT

2
Shrimp-Turtle Case (1)

• I. Violation of Art. XI GATT ()
• II. Justification by invoking Art. XX (g) GATT
• 1. measure ()
• 2. relating to the conversation of exhaustible
  natural resources
• a. exhaustible (resource)
• aa. view of India, Pakistan, Thailand (-)
• arg. reasonable interpretation of the term
  exhaustible is that the term only refers to
  finite resources such as minerals rather than
  biological or renewable resources
• gt justification (-)

3
Shrimp-Turtle Case (2)

• bb. View of Appellate Body ()
• arg. living species, though in principle
  capable of reproduction and, in that sense,
  renewable are in certain circumstances indeed
  susceptible of depletion, exhaustion and
  extinction
• especially regarding sea turtles all 7 species
  listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on
  International Trade in Endangered Species of
  Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)
• b. resource
• special problem resources national resources?
• solution of Appellate Body sea turtles are
  highly migratory species and all sea turtles
  covered by US Section 609 occuring in US Waters

4
Shrimp-Turtle Case (3)

• c. relating to conservation ()
• no blanket ban, but aimed at specially harmful
  methods of harvesting
• 3. in conjunction with restrictions on domestic
  production or consumption ()
• in conjunction with ban on national production
  methods (even- handedness)
• 4. Chapeau (no arbitrary of unjustifiable
  discrimination...)
• a. unjustifiable discrimination ()
• arg. special treatment for some countries
  (consultations, phase-in period etc.)
• b. arbitrary discrimination ()
• arg. no inquiry of US authorities into the
  special conditions of different countries

5
Shrimp-Turtle Case (4)

• 5. result justification based on Art. XX (g)
  GATT (-)
• III. Final result Violation of GATT ()