ABSTRACT
This chapter argues for a relatively conservative view of the case for the harmonisation or convergence of domestic regulatory policies. It stands in sharp contrast to the view of some commentators that the mandate of the World Trade Organization (WTO) should be dramatically broadened to encompass multilateral regulations over the environment, labour, and competition policy. The Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement and the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures negotiated during the Uruguay Round embody these two non-discrimination principles. The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement negotiated during the Uruguay Round requires all members of the WTO to adopt domestic international property laws that provide minimum substantive and procedural protection to intellectual property rights largely equivalent to the standards prevailing in developed countries. A new link between trade and domestic policy that is emerging in international forums is in the realm of trade competition.
