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Examine dispute settlement decisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with the aid of extensive annotations, in-depth analysis, and comprehensive summaries of case histories. The extensive index in each volume enables access to particular topics.Legal precedents and conclusions are detailed in the legal annotations and conclusions sections. Find case and treaty citations in one of two tables and gather current information on the overall status of all disputes before the WTO in one of two dispute settlement update tables. Discover current interpretations of the various treaties that govern international trade law with the full text decisions. Retrieve information more quickly and thoroughly with this first-of-its-kind series.

This publication contains data on world trade in 2004 (as well as a number of long-term time series), and also considers trends for the year 2005. It provides comparable statistics of trade by region; and sector, including agricultural and mining products, manufacturing and commercial services. The appendices contain detailed tables, including data on merchandise trade by product, region and major trading partner for the major trading economies. Overall, the report finds that the year 2004 witnessed strong economic growth across most major regions, with trade and GDP particularly buoyant in South and Central America and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). China and India recorded outstanding economic growth levels (9.5 per cent and 7.3 per cent respectively) and trade expansion for a second year in a row.

Dispute settlement decisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are presented with the aid of extensive annotations, in-depth analysis, & comprehensive summaries of case histories. The extensive index in each volume enables access to particular titles. Legal precedents & conclusions are detailed in the legal annotations & conclusions sections. Case & treaty citations, along with current information on the overall status of all disputes before the WTO are presented in two tables. Current interpretations of the various treaties that govern international trade law contain full text decisions.

In five chapters, the annual report of the WTO covers trade policy, research results, the regular activities of the organization and details of its current structure, staff and budget.

The WTO dispute settlement system plays an important role in clarifying and enforcing the legal obligations contained in the WTO Agreement. It has gained a strong practical relevance as more than 300 disputes have been brought from 1 January 1995 through October 2003. While dispute settlement is certainly not the only activity taking place within the WTO, it has become an important part of the practical reality of the Organization. WTO dispute settlement has also become an important tool in the management by WTO Members of their international economic relations at large. The objective of this handbook is to give the reader a good understanding of the practical operation of this system. Working through this guide, the reader will be introduced to all elements of the dispute settlement process, from the initiation of a case through to the implementation of the decision.