Abstract
So far, World Trade Organization (WTO) panels have been composed of trade diplomats, lawyers or economists. WTO trade disputes, including those raising complex scientific or technical questions, have thus been resolved by groups of persons skilled in law, politics or economics, but lacking expert knowledge in science or technology. This article aims at showing that WTO panels cannot, even with the support they get from the WTO Secretariat and outside experts, appropriately handle trade disputes, which are at the crossroads of law, science and technology. These disputes may —as, for example, illustrated by the Hormones, GMO and Asbestos cases— have far–reaching social and economic implications and can be the object of enormous public scrutiny. It is therefore paramount to the credibility of the WTO that they be properly dealt with. In this perspective, I propose that science and technology–related WTO disputes be adjudicated by panels comprising not only trade diplomats, lawyers or economists, but also scientists or technicians.
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