Environmental Protection in the WTO DSB Litigation

The World Trade Organization (WTO) was created by the Marrakesh Agreement of April 15, 1994 to replace the GATT of 1947. The main objective of the WTO is to conduct trade relations between member states by removing obstacles to free trade. It ensures the effective application of the Marrakesh agreements in the various areas of international trade. Its forum is a place where future trade negotiations are undertaken. The serious damage caused to the environment by trade activities is certain and visible to all, and it is in this sense that the WTO as the main economic organization has integrated environmental concerns into its trade policy. It has taken these considerations into account at the normative and contentious levels. At the normative level, certain legal provisions contained in some trade agreements are devoted to environmental protection. The WTO's protection of the environment is also reflected in the litigation of a number of trade cases with environmental implications that have been resolved by the DSB.