General Agreement on Tariff and Trades

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), 15 756 18 158, 198, 540 General Area Detector Diffraction System (GADDS), 26 431-432 General Electric... 

Developments to Date. It often has been stated that the basic policy objective of efforts to harmonize the U.S. and European laws is the achievement of consistent and effective protection of health and the environment. However, economic considerations — in particular, the avoidance (or minimization) of non-tariff trade barriers — constitute the principal force behind virtually all of these multilateral efforts. The trade in chemicals and chemical products constitutes a significant part of the overall trade between Western industrialized nations. Specifically, the U.S. enjoys a favorable balance in its chemicals trade, and this is particularly significant given the current recession. Thus, any unnecessary barriers to this trade may impose substantial burdens upon certain segments of the American chemical industry, and may constitute violations of the international General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). 

In September, 1986, the United States raised the EU hormone ban in the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). In 1987, after a series of informal bilateral discussions, the United States invoked dispute settlement under the Tokyo Round Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. Formal bilateral consultations were held on two occasions without a satisfactory resolution. The United States then requested that the matter be referred to a group of technical experts. The European Union blocked the formation of the technical expert group, and the dispute went unresolved. 

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade numbered 23 Members when it was formed in 1947. By the time the Uruguay Round concluded, and GATT was replaced by the wto, it had 117 Members. As of May 2002, the wto has 144 Members and 28 applicants are negotiating accession. 

Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. Marrakesh, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 1994, Annex 1 C, Article 39. 

Interim Commission for International Trade Organization (ICITO) is responsible for publication of its documents, which are unrestricted, and those of Contracting Parties to General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) (nearly all restricted at time of issue). ICITO and GATT unrestricted documents may be purchased from I.D.S. There are no depository libraries as such, but some libraries receive documents free on request. 

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