Trade Law Norms on International Migration

In contrast to the Treaty Establishing the European Community, the World Trade Organization (WTO) does not aspire to the abolition, as between Member States, of obstacles to the free movement of goods, persons, services, or capital. The WTO asserts a much less ambitious goal in its preamble, namely, “reciprocal and mutually advantageous arrangements directed to the substantial reduction of tariffs and other barriers to trade and to the elimination of discriminatory treatment in international trade relations”. In accordance with the WTO rules, each member government retains a great deal of latitude to determine how substantially its trade barriers should be reduced and how much market freedom to permit. Nevertheless, joint action to undo obstacles to the movement of goods, persons, services, and capital defines the current competence of the WTO…