The world’s biggest nickel producer and owner of the largest nickel reserve, Indonesia, has banned the export of its nickel ore two years ahead of schedule in 2020. This action prompted the...Show moreThe world’s biggest nickel producer and owner of the largest nickel reserve, Indonesia, has banned the export of its nickel ore two years ahead of schedule in 2020. This action prompted the European Union to file a complaint at the World Trade Organization in November 2019. Two years later, the Panel has ruled in favor of the European Union. Specifically, Indonesia’s export prohibition and domestic processing requirement on nickel ore were deemed inconsistent with the prohibition of export prohibitions and restrictions under the purview of Article XI:1 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Instead of backing down, Indonesia has now appealed the Panel Report to the Appellate Body. This thesis draws from International Compliance Theory and combines the management approach and enforcement approach. Through descriptive qualitative analysis utilizing primary and secondary resources, it aims to investigate the reasons behind Indonesia's non-compliance. Indonesia’s appeal and persistent downstreaming efforts are deeply rooted in its ambition to reach high-income status by 2045, thus shedding light on the political-economic significance of the nickel sector. Lack of clarity on exemptions regarding export restrictions and inactive Appellate Body further provides an opportunity to prolong non-compliance with WTO Ruling.Show less
Since the ratification of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the United States has moved towards a policy of trade liberalization that endeavors to retain its leading position in the...Show moreSince the ratification of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the United States has moved towards a policy of trade liberalization that endeavors to retain its leading position in the global economy. Partly due to the self-interest of the United States, the Doha Round has failed. This essay elaborates on the foreign trade relations of the United States and discusses the chronology, objectives and failure of the Doha Round. Three arguments are presented for why the United States' trade liberalization policy has changed and caused the Doha Round to fail. The first argument explains the protectionist strategy of the United States regarding its agricultural sector. The second argument goes into the emerging economies that are threatening the leading position of the United States. The third and final argument points out alternative negotiations on trade, for example the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that have partly replaced the objectives of the Doha Round on a regional level.Show less
This thesis examines the performance of the Russian agricultural sector between 2005 and 2015. This is done by analysing the outcomes of the predictions made by Professor Grigory Ioffe in 2005.
“There’s no automaticity about the decision [to grant China market-economy treatment]. We need to make a formal decision and table a law.” Source: Interview with Cecilia Malmström, Wall Street...Show more“There’s no automaticity about the decision [to grant China market-economy treatment]. We need to make a formal decision and table a law.” Source: Interview with Cecilia Malmström, Wall Street Journal 2014 This quote by the European Union’s (EU) trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmström in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2014 represents the current state of affairs regarding the upcoming query on whether to grant China market economy status (MES) in 2016. Art. 15 (d) of China’s accession protocol to the World Trade Organization (WTO) stipulates that the ongoing non-market economy status (NMES) is no longer applicable after 2016. This pressures the EU to draft a proper decision on whether 2016 will be the year in which it recognizes China’s economy as a market economy, making it significantly more difficult to initiate anti-dumping duties against Chinese imports. This justifies the need to better understand the concept of MES and its influence on anti-dumping disputes between Europe and China. The WTO classifies dumping in Art. 2 of its anti-dumping agreement (ADA) and Art. VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 as “[introducing a product] into the commerce of another country at less than its normal value”. By definition the ‘normal value’ refers to a “comparable price in the ordinary cause of trade” between international traders which determine whether competition is fair. Thus, it ensures that products are not ‘dumped’ on another economy for less than the domestic price in its country of origin. In that regard, MES becomes an important tool because it determines the ‘ordinary cause of trade’. Accordingly, a comparison between different markets can only be fair, if they operate under similar conditions: that of a market economy.Show less
This paper analyzes the impact of acquisition of membership of international organization (in this case, WTO) on member states' domestic trade laws reforms. For this end, multilevel governance...Show moreThis paper analyzes the impact of acquisition of membership of international organization (in this case, WTO) on member states' domestic trade laws reforms. For this end, multilevel governance theory is used to pinpoint the conductive roles of state authority, industry and local norm system in the indigenization of international laws.Show less
