The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade A Commentary - Oxford Commentaries on International Law. Oxford Commentaries on the GATT/WTO Agreements

This commentary provides a clear explanation and analysis of the legal provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Even since the formation of the WTO, the GATT remains a central document in international trade law, and many of its provisions are referred to in the various WTO agreements. Mavroidis examines relevant case law, both to elaborate and to reduce (and sometimes remove) the ambiguities inherent in the primary law. The commentary is divided in four parts which discuss the core disciplines, the rules, the exceptions, and the remaining provisions of the GATT. The analysis explains the amount of sovereignty that nations lose by joining the World Trade Organization and the gains that ensure from the resulting cooperation. The policy aspects of the interface between national regulatory interventions and international disciplines are explored. The text of the 1947 and 1994 GATT agreements are included as appendices.