International Trade Law

‘International trade and Finance Essay’

Instructions for completion and submission of written assignment

Submission of your assignment must be in accordance with the University regulations.

You should note the following:

• This assessment is worth 100% of the marks for the module;
• Students should submit their assignment electronically by the deadline into the Turnitin Assignment Submission Folder on MyBeckett
• You must include your student number (not your name) on your assessment and submit your assessment electronically on MyBeckett using the Turnitin icon;
• The maximum number of words permitted is 4000 words. There is no permitted excess. Any part of your assignment which exceeds 4000 words will not be marked;
• The number of words must be declared on the front sheet and at the end of the submitted script. The declaration may be checked against the electronic copy you submit on MyBeckett. A false declaration will be treated as an assessment offence according to University regulations;
• You should only use footnotes for referencing. Footnotes which are only references are not included in the word count. Footnotes which are attempting to make points or explain the law are included in the word count.
• Words included in the bibliography are not included in the word count;
• You need not include cases or legislation in the bibliography provided they have been properly referenced in the text or footnotes;
• Books, journals, reports etc. should be included in the bibliography, using Harvard style referencing system—students can refer to Quote Unquote guide to Harvard Referencing Guide on MyBeckett
• The text of your assessment must be displayed using a 12-point (or larger) Arial or Verdana font and with a line spacing of at least 1.5.

• You should keep a copy of your research notes and drafts, in case you are called upon to discuss your work as part of an Academic Integrity investigation

• Important note re submission of your work via Turnitin

Please make sure to request a digital receipt for your submission.  You will be required to produce this receipt in the event of any issues arising in relation to the submission of your work.

Assessment criteria

You will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

For guidance on how these criteria will be applied please see the marking grid at the end of this assessment paper. 

Main sit assignment question

Rastor Ltd trades sparkling white wines from their base in Country B into Country A (both countries are Member States of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)), as well as to many other countries.  The Country A’s South West region is well known for its quality sparkling white wines.  The soil there is very dry and limits the volume of the wine that can be produced, and as a result Country A’s South West sparkling wines are rather expensive.

Country A’s government requires all local authorities to purchase wine for special events from the South West region.  In June 2020 a new domestic law was introduced so that any sparkling white wine imported into Country A  is required to have a special label with ‘export’ printed on the bottle, so that those wines can be clearly distinguished from wines produced in the South West. Country A described this requirement as a

‘consumer protection’ measure.  Any import of sparkling white wines must be inspected, at a cost to the importer, to check the new labelling requirements.  Rastor Ltd have decided to halt exports into Country A, as inspection costs and the new labelling requirements make its wine no longer competitive. Rastor Ltd points out that these requirements by Country A towards Country B’s wines are not imposed in other WTO member states.

In July 2020, Country A decided to increase its customs tariff on wine imported from Country B from 10% to 20%.  Country B notes that wine imported into Country A from other WTO Member States still only pay 10% custom tariff.  In addition, Country A has prohibited import and sale of soft cheeses from Country B, suggesting that soft cheese is a danger to human health because of its potential to hold a greater number of bacteria, particularly if it is not consumed within 14 days of manufacturing. Soft cheeses from Country B currently have a 21 day ‘best before’ date of manufacturing. Country A does not produce soft cheese and only imports soft cheese from Country B.

Advice Country A whether they had breached any WTO rules on free movement of goods, supporting your answer with the relevant provisions of the WTO agreements and WTO disputes.