The sound of silence: Giving meaning to omissions in provisions of World Trade Organization Agreements

Journal of World Trade

Volumn 37, Issue 2, 2003, Pages 417-427

  Meagher, Niall P ^a  

^a SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 65749103793     PISSN: 10116702     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.54648/trad2003022     Document Type: Article

References (53)

1. Articles 31 and 32 provide, inter alia, that treaty provisions shall be interpreted "in good faith in accordance with the ordinary meaning to be given to the terms of the treaty in their context and in light of its object and purpose".
2. Claus-Dieter Ehlermann, Six Years on the Bench of the "World Trade Court": Some Personal Experiences as Member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization, 36 J.W.T. 4 (August 2002), 605, 617.
3. United States - Countervailing Duties on Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products from Germany WT/DS213/AB/R (28 November 2002) (US - German Steel CVDs AB Report).
4. Canada - Certain Measures Affecting the Automotive Industry, WT/ DS139/AB/R; AT/DS142/AB/R (31 May 2000) (Canada - Autos AB Report).
5. United States - Countervailing Duties on Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products from Germany WT/DS213/R (3 July 2002) ( US - German Steel CVDs Panel Report).
6. Ibid., para. 8.27.
7. Ibid.
8. Id., para. 8.48.
9. This view may be inconsistent with actual US practice, whereby the margins calculated in duty assessment reviews form part of the basis of the determination of margins of subsidization likely to prevail in the event of termination of the measure. See Policies Regarding the Conduct of Five-Year ("Sunset Reviews") of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders; Policy Bulletin, 63 Fed Reg. 18871, 75 (16 April 1998).
10. United States - Anti-Dumping Duty on Dynamic Random Access Memory Semiconductors (DRAMS) Of One Megabit Or Above From Korea, WT/DS99/R (29 January 2002).
11. The issue of whether the de minimis standard of Article 5.8 of the Anti-dumping Agreement should apply to five-year reviews of anti-dumping measures has been raised by Japan in its pending challenge to the US procedures for anti-dumping sunset reviews. United States - Sunset Review of Anti-Dumping Duties on Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products from Japan, Request for the Establishment of a Panel by Japan, WT/DS244/4, claim 2(c).
12. US - German Steel CVDs Panel Report, para. 8.78.
13. Ibid., para. 8.79.
14. Ibid.
15. This was only the third dissenting opinion issued in a dispute settlement proceeding under the DSU (following European Communities - Measures Affecting the Importation of Certain Poultry Products, WT/ DS69/R (12 March 1998)
16. and United States - Import Measures on Certain Products from the European Communities, WT/DS165/R (17 July 2000)).
17. US - German Steel CVDs Panel Report, paras 10.3-5.
18. Ibid., para. 10.8.
19. Japan - Taxes on Alcoholic Beverages, WT/DS8/AB/R, WT/DS10/AB/R, WT/DS11/AB/R (4 October 1996), para. 111.
20. US - German Steel CVDs AB Report, para. 65.
21. Ibid., para. 69.
22. Ibid., para. 72.
23. Ibid., para. 78.
24. Ibid., paras 81-83.
25. The Appellate Body's view of Article 15 may miss the point. Arguably, if de minimis subsidization is deemed under Article 11.9 to be non-injurious per se, then there would be no basis for an injury determination under Article 15 and therefore no need for Article 15 to refer to the de minimis standard.
26. Ibid., para. 84.
27. Ibid., para. 88.
28. Ibid., para. 86.
29. Ibid., para. 91.
30. Ibid., para. 118.
31. Ibid., para. 108.
32. Ibid., paras 113-115.
33. SCM Agreement, Article 3.1 (footnotes omitted).
34. Canada - Certain Measures Affecting the Automotive Industry, WT/ DS139/R; AT/DS142/R (11 February 2000) (Canada - Autos Panel Report), para. 10.221.
35. Ibid.
36. Ibid.
37. US - German Steel CVDs AB Report, para. 138.
38. Ibid.
39. Ibid.
40. Ibid. para. 141,
41. quoting European Communities - Regime for the Importation, Sale and Distribution of Bananas, WT/DS27/AB/R (9 September 1997) (EC - Bananas), para. 233.
42. EC - Bananas, para. 233.
43. Ibid.
44. US - German Steel CVDs AB Report, para. 142.
45. Ibid.
46. US - German Steel CVDs Panel Report, para. 8.27.
47. This is, of course, complicated by the omission of a counterpart to footnote 4, as discussed above.
48. Canada - Autos AB Report, para. 138.
49. US - German Steel CVDs Panel Report, para. 10.8.
50. US - German Steel CVDs AB Report, para. 91.
51. The Ad Hoc Committee of AZ-NM-TX-FL Producers of Gray Portland Cement v. United States, 13 F.3d 398, 401 (Fed. Cir. 1994),
52. citing Russello v. United States, 464 U.S. 16, 23 (1983).
53. US - German Steel CVDs AB Report, para. 90.