A SELF-CONTAINED REGIME? NOTES ON THE LAW APPLICABLE TO THE CONTENTIOUS CASES WITHIN THE WTO

Abstract

In a scenario of intensification of interstate relations, along with the increasing number of international rules and tribunals, the discussion over the so-called self-contained regimes, uniquely specialized, and their relation with other norms of general international law grows along. The scope of this paper is to analyze the position of the World Trade Organization (WTO) within this context, and proposes the question of whether said institution can be considered to be a self-contained regime. To that end, this work initially brings the scholar concepts of the idea of a self-contained regime, so as to verify if it is possible, according to these doctrinal studies, to consider WTO law as such. After this first section, the relevant legal provisions of the WTO treaties will be brought about. Finally, some contentious cases brought upon the dispute settlement system of the institution will be studied, in order to aid investigating proposed problem. Thus, this work verifies the existence of an interaction of WTO law with general public international law and, therefore, concludes that the organization is not a completely isolated and autonomous regime.