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In the current globalized and interdependent world where every issue is somehow connected to the other, there is a much-needed necessity for increasing the communication between the different fields when dealing with the same matter. This reality is obvious when one examines, for instance, the fragmentation of international law due to the growing technicalities of each discipline and the need for a deep understanding of all the mechanisms shaping the developments of the global legal frameworks. Not only that, but there is also a necessity for understanding the interaction between these highly fragmented global legal frameworks and the domestic regulations established by each member state and which reflects a completely different legal system that is based on the interests of this state. Thus, in this environment of highly complex regulations that are being imposed on a yearly basis, it is inevitable that at one point a conflict between the different laws shall take place either in the form of a clash between several international regulations or between a global rule and a domestic legislation reflecting a state’s approach to a particular issue or matter which is also based on other factors such as the economy or geopolitical situation. In this context, and among the several conflicts that are currently taking place, one can mention for instance the clash between the different domestic rules that are dealing with health issues and the international regulations that are promoting the trade in agri-food products. Indeed, these conflicts have created a lot of controversy among different scholars. Generally speaking, there are policy-makers that are dealing with health measures imposed in order to restrict the importation of certain food and agriculture products with the aim of protecting the citizen’s health. But also, there is a second category of policy-makers that is looking toward increasing the international trade of agri-food products. In the Chapter “Health Protection Measures as Barriers to EU Exports to China in the Framework of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures,” the author Denis Prevost have examined the above-mentioned clash between the different rules that are reflecting competing interests and the existence of a completely different set of priorities. Thus, the author has tried to provide an overview of the main legal arguments that are being advocated by both parties in this regard and the legal basis that is currently used on the international level to solve these kinds of conflicts. In particular, the author discussed health measures that are being imposed by the Chinese state and which are restricting the imports of agri-food products from several places in the world especially the European Union (EU). In this context, the rules of the multilateral trade system were examined as these regulations constitute the basis for solving such conflicts. Mainly, there was a need for the analysis of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) which would be applicable in this situation. Thus, this chapter offers much-needed insights on a very important and controversial matter related to the interplay between health measures and trade in agri-food products.
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