EU, WTO, and International Trade Law - Law 917

Goal of the Course

- The course will focus on the conduct and regulation of trade between the EU and U.S. The EU is the U.S.’s largest trading partner, China notwithstanding. The course will also focus on the World Trade Organization which had it origins in the GATT in 1947 and evolved into a type of international court whose rulings all members have agreed to obey. The Boeing/Airbus and Chiquita International disputes are examples of recent disputes in the WTO. Finally, students will learn how to draft a sophisticated international trade agreement.

Class Format

– This class will be conducted entirely online. Each week at any time you may view assigned materials, post your answers to questions, and post your comments on the class TWEN site. During the week questions from the professor about the reading assignment will lead to virtual discussion among students and the professor. Some of the discussion will center around student presentations on assigned topics.

Textbook

– There will be no textbook or casebook to purchase. Instead, all assignments will be posted on the TWEN site. Most assignments will be from the websites of the European Union, World Trade Organization and U.S. International Trade Representative.

Grade

– Students will participate in TWEN site discussions based on class assignments and individual student assignments (brief posted commentaries on an assigned topic). Participation will constitute fifty percent of the grade. During the final weeks of the class students will write a draft, then complete a final copy of a comprehensive distribution agreement between a U.S. manufacturer and a European distributor. Successful completion of the drafting exercise will constitute the remaining fifty percent of the grade.

Experience of Professor

– For more than twenty years I have conducted research on the European Union and the World Trade Organization in Brussels, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, and Geneva. In 1994 I published the book for international practitioners, “Handling Business Opportunities in the European Union.” I have taught International Trade Law or European Union Law at Chase, William Mitchell College of Law, and the University of Salzburg. In 2004 I was fortunate to win appointment as Fulbright Distinguished Professor of International Trade Law at the University of Salzburg College of Law. I continue to teach there in the Summer.