Breaking the Taboo: National Minorities in the EC and the WTO Trade Regimes

Summary:

The main aim of this paper is to highlight the differences between the European Community (EC) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regarding national minorities. This aim is twofold. First, it intends to clarify the relationship between national minorities and international trade regimes. For this purpose the paper focuses on the trade regimes established by the EC and the WTO and their correlation with national minorities.

Second, the EC and the WTO are looked at separately: the idea is to analyse and compare their general and, more specifically, their judicial approach to national minorities and to the issues these minorities face. Hence, after the general framework of the EC and the WTO, respectively, the case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the WTO dispute settlement bodies will be examined with regard to national minorities. The paper thus aims at showing differences between and similarities of the EC and the WTO.

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