Abstract
This chapter explains the contextual interpretation, especially the functions and scope of context. It also explains various contexts, including other parts of the main text and annexes as the context. It discusses the possibility that preambular provisions in a treaty can either be a context or an object-and-purpose. This chapter further discusses the extended contexts of subsequent agreement and practice as well as the relevant rules of international law. It explains the different between the context and the factual context for treaty interpretation purpose.
Notes
- 1.
Briefly about the background of the case: Several states in the United States ban internet gambling and some federal laws restrict the use of technology associated with internet gambling. The United States’ service commitment as reflected in its schedule of specific commitment indicates under the heading of “Other Recreational Services (except sporting)” that there is no limitation on market access. The Panel found that the United States’ schedule of specific commitments has been interpreted to include specific commitments for gambling and betting services under the sub-sector entitled “Other Recreational Services (except sporting)”. The Appellate Body upheld the Panel’s finding with different reasoning that the United States’ Schedule includes a commitment to grant market access in gambling and betting services. The Appellate Body disagreed with the Panel’s designation of two documents (i.e. W/120 and the 1993 Scheduling Guidelines) as “context” for the interpretation of Members’ Schedules and considered these as “preparatory work” (which are supplementary means of interpretation under VCLT Article 32. See the case summary of the WTO at https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds285_e.htm. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.
- 2.
See Oxford Living Dictionaries, at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sport. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.
- 3.
See The Free Dictionary. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gambling. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.
- 4.
Appellate Body Report, United States—Measures Affecting the Cross-Border Supply of Gambling and Betting Services, para. 166, WTO Doc. WT/DS285/AB/R, WT/DS285/AB/R/Corr.1 (adopted 20 Apr 2005) [hereinafter US—Gambling Appellate Body Report].
- 5.
Appellate Body Report, China—Measures Affecting Trading Rights and Distribution Services for Certain Publications and Audiovisual Entertainment Products, paras. 387–388, WTO Doc. WT/DS363/AB/R (adopted 19 Jan 2010).
- 6.
Pane Report, European Communities—Customs Classification of Frozen Boneless Chicken Cuts—Complaint by Thailand, para. 7.105, WTO Doc. WT/DS286/R (adopted 27 Sept 2005).
- 7.
Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Customs Classification of Frozen Boneless Chicken Cuts, para. 176, WTO Doc. WT/DS269/AB/R, WT/DS286/AB/R, WT/DS269/AB/R/Corr.1, WT/DS286/AB/R/Corr.1 (adopted 27 Sept 2005) [hereinafter EC—Chicken Cuts Appellate Body Report].
- 8.
Appellate Body Report, China—Measures Affecting Imports of Automobile Parts, para. 151, WTO Doc. WT/DS339/AB/R, WT/DS340/AB/R, WT/DS342/AB/R (adopted 12 Jan 2009).
- 9.
Appellate Body Report, United States—Definitive Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties on Certain Products from China, para. 325, WTO Doc. WT/DS379/AB/R (adopted 25 Mar 2011) [hereinafter US—Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties (China) Appellate Body Report].
- 10.
EC—Chicken Cuts Appellate Body Report, supra note 7, at para. 193.
- 11.
Appellate Body Report, Canada—Certain Measures Affecting the Renewable Energy Generation Sector/ Measures Relating to the Feed-In Tariff Program, para. 5.57, WTO Doc. WT/DS412/AB/R, WT/DS426/AB/R (adopted 24 May 2013).
- 12.
GATT Article III is about “national treatment” requirement. Article III:8(a) is an exception to the national treatment requirement. It provides: “The provisions of this Article shall not apply to laws, regulations or requirements governing the procurement by governmental agencies of products purchased for governmental purposes and not with a view to commercial resale or with a view to use in the production of goods for commercial sale”.
- 13.
Appellate Body Report, United States – Countervailing Duties on Certain Corrosion-Resistant CarbonSteel Flat Products from Germany, WT/DS213/AB/R and Corr.1 (adopted 19 December 2002).
- 14.
For instance, Footnote 1 of the Agreement on Agriculture is to define the scope of the phrase “any measures of the kind which have been required to be converted into ordinary customs duties” provided in Article 4.2. Footnote 1 reads: “These measures include quantitative import restrictions, variable import levies, minimum import prices, discretionary import licensing, non-tariff measures maintained through state-trading enterprises, voluntary export restraints, and similar border measures other than ordinary customs duties, whether or not the measures are maintained under country-specific derogations from the provisions of GATT 1947, but not measures maintained under balance-of-payments provisions or under other general, non-agriculture-specific provisions of GATT 1994 or of the other Multilateral Trade Agreements in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement”.
- 15.
For instance, regarding the determination of “dumping” under the Anti-Dumping Agreement, footnote 2 in this agreement elaborates the provision in Article 2.2 (which addresses the situation when there are no sales of the like product in the ordinary course of trade in the domestic market of the exporting country or when, because of the particular market situation or the low volume of the sales in the domestic market of the exporting country) and states that: “Sales of the like product destined for consumption in the domestic market of the exporting country shall normally be considered a sufficient quantity for the determination of the normal value if such sales constitute 5 per cent or more of the sales of the product under consideration to the importing Member, provided that a lower ratio should be acceptable where the evidence demonstrates that domestic sales at such lower ratio are nonetheless of sufficient magnitude to provide for a proper comparison”.
- 16.
Panel Report, Australia—Subsidies Provided to Producers and Exporters of Automotive Leather, para. 9.55, WTO Doc. WT/DS126/R (adopted 16 June 1999).
- 17.
Appellate Body Report, United States—Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products, para. 157, WTO Doc. WT/DS58/AB/R (adopted 6 Nov 1998) [hereinafter US—Shrimp Appellate Body Report].
- 18.
Id. at para. 150.
- 19.
Id. at para. 151 (quoting Appellate Body Report, United States—Standards for Reformulated and Conventional Gasoline, at 22, WTO Doc. WT/DS2/AB/R (adopted 20 May 1996) [hereinafter US—Gasoline Appellate Body Report]).
- 20.
US—Shrimp Appellate Body Report, supra note 16, at para. 156.
- 21.
US—Gasoline Appellate Body Report, supra note 18, at p. 25.
- 22.
Panel Report, European Communities—Measures Affecting Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Products, para. 8.236, WTO Doc. WT/DS135/R and Add.1 (adopted 5 Apr 2001) [as modified by Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Measures Affecting Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Products, WTO Doc. WT/DS135/AB/R (adopted 5 Apr 2001)].
- 23.
US—Gasoline Appellate Body Report, supra note 18, at p. 25.
- 24.
Id. at para. 7.353.
- 25.
Id. at para. 7.355.
- 26.
Appellate Body Report, Brazil—Measures Affecting Imports of Retreaded Tyres, para. 239, WTO Doc. WT/DS332/AB/R (adopted 17 Dec 2007).
- 27.
The discussion in this section can be found in the following article in a detailed manner: Lo (2013).
- 28.
Annex 1 (entitled “Terms and Their Definitions for the Purpose of this Agreement”) provides the definitions to the following terms and phrases: technical regulation, standard, conformity assessment procedures, international body or system, regional body or system, central government body; local government body, and non-governmental body.
- 29.
Annex A (entitled “Definitions”) to the SPS Agreement includes definitions on the following terms and phrases: sanitary or phytosanitary measure; harmonization; international standards, guidelines and recommendations; risk assessment; appropriate level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection; pest- or disease-free area; and area of low pest or disease prevalence.
- 30.
US—Gambling Appellate Body Report, supra note 4, at paras. 175, 178.
- 31.
What is the Harmonized System (HS)?. http://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/nomenclature/overview/what-is-the-harmonized-system.aspx. Accessed 21 Aug 2017.
- 32.
EC—Chicken Cuts Appellate Body Report, supra note 7, at para. 195.
- 33.
Appellate Body Report, US—Measures Affecting the Production and Sale of Clove Cigarettes, para. 269, WTO Doc. WT/DS406/AB/R (adopted 24 Apr 2012) [hereinafter US—Clove Cigarettes Appellate Body Report].
- 34.
US—Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties (China) Appellate Body Report, supra note 9, at para. 579.
- 35.
US—Clove Cigarettes Appellate Body Report, supra note 32, at para. 267.
- 36.
Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Regime for the Importation, Sale and Distribution of Bananas (Article 21.5—Ecuador II)/(Article 21.5—US), para. 383, WTO Doc. WT/DS27/AB/RW2/ECU, WT/DS27/AB/RW/USA, WT/DS27/AB/RW2/ECU/Corr.1, WT/DS27/AB/RW/USA/Corr.1 (adopted 11 Dec 2008/22 Dec 2008).
- 37.
Id. at paras. 390–391.
- 38.
US—Gambling Appellate Body Report, supra note 4, at paras. 192–193.
- 39.
EC—Chicken Cuts Appellate Body Report, supra note 7, at paras. 255, 259.
- 40.
Id. at para. 270.
- 41.
Id. at paras. 271–272.
- 42.
Appellate Body Report, European Communities—Measures Affecting Trade in Large Civil Aircraft, para. 841, WTO Doc. WT/DS316/AB/R (adopted 1 June 2011) [hereinafter EC and certain member States—Large Civil Aircraft Appellate Body Report].
- 43.
US—Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties (China) Appellate Body Report, supra note 9, at paras. 307–308, 311, fn. 222.
- 44.
Id. at paras. 312–313.
- 45.
EC and certain member States—Large Civil Aircraft Appellate Body Report, supra note 41, at paras. 844–845.
References
Lo C (2013) The proper interpretation of “disguised restriction on international trade” under the WTO: the need to look at the protective effect. J Int Dispute Settl 4(1):111–137
The Free Dictionary. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gambling. Accessed 21 Aug 2017
What is the Harmonized System (HS)? http://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/nomenclature/overview/what-is-the-harmonized-system.aspx. Accessed 21 Aug 2017
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Lo, Cf. (2017). Means of Taking into Consideration the Context and the Possible Codification. In: Treaty Interpretation Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6866-9_12
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