General provisions

Determined on June 2, 2006 by the Teaching committee of the Faculty of Law, Uppsala University, by virtue of Chapter 2, Section 6 of the Statute of Higher Education (högskolelagen) and Chapter 6, Section 7 of the Decree for Higher Education (högskoleförordningen). Enters into force on June 2, 2006.

The course corresponds to 10 points and is included as a specialised course for the Master of Laws degree according to the local plan of education adopted on 11 December 1991 by the board of the Faculty of Law at Uppsala University.

Entry requirements

Swedish students must have fulfilled the qualifications for admission to level 2 of the present study regulation. Foreign students must be qualified to study at university level.

All students must have a strong command of the English language.

If special reasons exist, the board of exemption may grant exemption from the acceptance requirements.

Aims

The purpose of the course is to give the students broader and deeper knowledge of the principles, regulations and rules governing international trade today.

After completion of the course, the students will have

- a sound understanding of the structure, organisation and decision-making procedures of the WTO

- a sound general knowledge of all the GATT Agreements

- a detailed knowledge of some of the GATT Agreements

- a detailed knowledge of the dispute settlement system of the WTO, including its system of sanctions

- a sound general knowledge of the policy implications of WTO's activities

- a detailed and advanced understanding of the WTO's contribution to the development of customary international law.

Content

The World Trade Organisation ("WTO") is the leading international body in the field of international trade. In the globalised economy of today it plays a very important role both from a legal perspective and from a policy perspective. The WTO is the modernized successor to GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade).

The general purpose of the course is to introduce the student to the organisation and structure of WTO, its decision-making procedures and the substantive regulation of international trade. Special attention will be given to the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO. The policy dimension of the activities of WTO will also be studied. The WTO's contribution to the development of public international law will also be addressed during the course.

Instruction

All teaching and course materials are in English.

Teaching will take place in the form of introductory lectures (very few), seminars and mini-mock arbitrations/negotiating sessions. Students are thus required to actively prepare for each class and actively participate in seminars and mini-mock sessions.

Attendance at all seminars is compulsory unless exceptions are granted by the course director.

The course will include the following aspects of the WTO:

- Introduction

- History and background of GATT and WTO

- Organisational structure and decision-making procedures

- The GATT Agreements

- The Dispute Settlement Understanding, including the role of the Appellate Body

- Leading cases from the WTO jurisprudence

- The role of public international law for the activities of the WTO

Assessment

A written exam will be given at the end of the course. The exam is an "open book" exam. Students are allowed to bring all course materials to the exam, as well as dictionaries.

The grades given are Fail (U), and the passing grades are Pass (B), Pass with credit (BA) and Pass with distinction (AB).