Multiplicity of courts and jurisdictions in international trade law and solutions to deal with it

Subject Areas : International Legal Research

Mir Shahbiz Shafi ¹ (Assistant Professor, Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran)
mahdi delgir ² (PhD student of International Law, Faculty of Law, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran(Author).)

Received: 2022-05-30 Accepted : 2022-08-09 Published : 2022-09-23

Keywords: Proliferation of Courts and Tribunals, Conflicting Jurisdictions, World Trade Organization (WTO), Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Dispute Settlement Mechanisms, Cooperative Interactions,

Abstract :

Field and Aims: Proliferation of international tribunals and jurisdictions is a rather new phenomenon that has emerged in international public law, generally and in international trade law, specifically. However, this phenomenon signals preparation on the part of states to use courts and tribunals for settling their disputes peacefully, it may raise problems when courts arrive at divergent or event conflicting rulings in an international legal order that lacks hierarchy. This article aims to address whether proliferation of tribunals and jurisdictions has emerged in international trade law; and if so, what is its consequences for international trade law and which possible solutions may be suggested to deal with its negative consequences.Method: This Research is prepared by a descriptive-analytical method.Finding and Conclusion: Given to reasons for proliferation of tribunals and jurisdictions that are addressed in this article, the answer to the question of emergence of proliferation in international trade law is positive. Thus, the consequences of proliferation in international trade law are presented. Then, in regard with exclusive jurisdiction of World Trade Organization (WTO) for international trade disputes and its exceptions by Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), practical instances of conflicting jurisdictions in international trade law jurisprudence are recognized. Finally, possible tools for solving conflicting jurisdictions between WTO and FTAs disputes settlement mechanisms, and also possible solutions for improvement of cooperative interactions between these mechanisms are suggested.

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