LSE International Trade Policy Unit / ECIPE Seminar

Seminar in London, Dec 9, 2009 

Personal invitation: SEMINAR ON EU TRADE-POLICY PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW COMMISSION

EU trade policy faces new and old challenges. “Unfinished business” includes the Doha Round of the WTO, FTA negotiations in Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, EPAs with the ACP countries, and the bilateral trade-and-investment relationship with China. “New business” includes containing the spread of emerging protectionism in the wake of the global economic crisis and dealing with the trade implications of the climate-change agenda. Also, the EU’s Single Market is under stress from national responses to the global economic crisis, for example from state aids and the threat of “financial mercantilism”. How will that affect EU trade policy? Finally, EU trade policy-making is set to change with the advent of the Lisbon Treaty.

In this broad context, what are the trade-policy priorities for the new Commission? That is the agenda for this LSE ITPU/ECIPE seminar.

Program:

13:30-13:35 Welcome Remarks

Stephen Woolcock and Razeen Sally

13:35-15:00 Session One: EU Trade Policy – General Themes

Moderator: Razeen Sally

Panel:

• Claire Durkin (BERR), “The UK’s Priorities for EU Trade Policy” (TBC)
• Fredrik Erixon (ECIPE), “EU Trade-Policy Priorities After the Crisis”
• Stephen Woolcock (LSE), “EU Trade Policy and the Lisbon Treaty”

15:00-15:25 Break

15:25-16:55 Session Two: EU Trade Policy – Specific Issues

Moderator: Stephen Woolcock

Panel:

• John Cooke (IFSL): “EU Priorities for Trade in Services” (TBC)
• Brian Hindley (ECIPE): “The EU and Trade Remedies”
• Razeen Sally (ECIPE/LSE): “EU Trade Policy in Asia”

16:55-17:00 Concluding Remarks

The European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) is an independent and non-profit policy research think tank dedicated to trade policy and other international economic policy issues of importance to Europe. Launched in 2006, ECIPE has quickly established itself as one of the leading European policy-research institutes in the fields of the world economy.

The International Trade Policy Unit (ITPU) aims to serve the needs of the academic, policy, business, and civil society community. We conduct research, evaluation, and educative and capacity building projects that address the numerous and complex policy and business implications of trade agreements at the multilateral, regional and national levels.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is one of the foremost social science universities in the world.

Limited seats available. RSVP to itpu@lse.ac.uk