Transparency in the WTO SPS and TBT Agreements

Marianna B. Karttunen has worked as a Policy Analyst at the OECD Regulatory Policy Division, focusing on international regulatory co-operation since February 2016. In this position, she carried out innovative policy work on international regulatory co-operation, including leading the first in-depth country reviews on the subject. Previously, she held a position as Policy Adviser at the OECD G8-G20 Sherpa Office and conducted research at the Trade and Environment Division of the WTO. Karttunen has a Ph.D. in Law from the European University Institute and has published in leading journals on international trade law.

Introduction; Part I. Why The SPS and TBT Agreements? A Legal Discipline Favouring Regulatory Quality: 1. Legal discipline on domestic regulations in SPS and TBT agreements: finding a balance between regulatory autonomy and free trade; 2. Transparency as a core discipline under the SPS and TBT agreements; 3. Regulatory co-operation under the SPS and TBT agreements; Part II. Regulatory Co-operation under the SPS and TBT Agreements: 4. The steps in the pyramid from domestic measures to disputes; 5. The content of the pyramid: what do members need to know to prevent disputes from rising?; Part III. Transparency as a Complement for Dispute Settlement: Information and Dialogue To Favour a Mutually Acceptable Solution: 6. Transparency and disputes: where is the difference?; 7. The challenge of climbing the 'pyramid' leading up to disputes; 8. The 'transparency staircase' to climb the dispute settlement pyramid; 9. Is the current interaction between transparency and dispute settlement optimal?; Conclusion.