This Colloquium focuses on a key challenge facing the international trading system, namely the rapidly eroding trust in trade liberalisation and economic integration, as embodied in the rules of the World Trade Organization and the European Union. The ability of these regimes not only to strike a fair and sustainable balance between trade liberalisation and other societal values and interests, but also to deliver welfare to the benefit of all is increasingly called into question. This waning trust is manifested in defining politico-economic developments of our time, most notably Brexit and the current US administration's unilateral trade policies. This colloquium aims to generate informed debate on how to restore trust in the liberalised trade regime, which is essential to halt the spread of economic nationalism and prevent beggar-thy-neighbour policies.

The Colloquium uniquely presents the insights of renowned experts from the WTO Secretariat, the WTO Appellate Body, the European Commission, and academia, as well as challenging ‘young voices’, in presenting a critical look at what has gone wrong with the international trade regime and how it can be addressed.

In doing so, this Colloquium aims to pay tribute to the invaluable contribution Professor Peter Van den Bossche has made to the field of international trade law during his 25 years as a member of the Law Faculty of Maastricht University, and in particular to the development of a ‘trust-worthy’ rules-based multilateral trading system, as an academic, legal advisor and adjudicator in the highest judicial organ of the World Trade Organization.

Please click here for the printable version of the programme.
 

PRESENTATION SLIDES

Please download here the available presentation slides or other documents:

Mary Footer (09h20-10h40)

Anke Moerland (09h20-10h40)

Anselm Kampermann Sanders (11h15-12h55)

Giorgio Sacerdoti (1) (14h40-15h40)

Giorgio Sacerdoti (2) (14h40-15h40)

Thomas Cottier (14h40-15h40)

Jens Hillebrand Pohl (16h20-17h20)

Giovanni Gruni & Marco Bronckers (16h20-17h20)
 

RECORDINGS

Please click on the links below to view the recordings of the presentations.

Panel 1

Panel 2

Panel 3

Panel 4

Closing session