Conference - A Mid-term Review: European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA Committee): achievements, challenges & prospects

Thanks to the Lisbon Treaty’s reforms with regard to the EU’s international agreements’ and trade policies, the European Parliament’s INTA Committee evolved as a visible trade policy actor. This development must also be seen in the context of a widespread “politicisation” of trade policy, which came along with an impressive widening of the political agenda, and includes a number of “non-trade” issues, such as sustainable development, climate change, labor conditions, or human rights.

This Conference aims to explore and discuss these developments from an academic as well as a practical point of view, taking into account the substance of the Committee’s work as well as its working methods.

The Conference will begin with a keynote by Bernd Lange MEP, the Chair of the Committee, to be followed by comments of the Parliament’s institutional co-players: the Commission and the Council (Panel 1). As it fits particularly well to the setting of the conference, Panel 2 will provide first reflections on the work of the Committee and on its use of scientific knowledge and advice. Panels 3 and 4 will address topics particularly relevant to the work of the INTA Committee: sustainable development (Panel 3) and the participation of the civil society (Panel 4).

The Conference will also provide an opportunity for the participants to learn about the newest edition of the Commentaries on World Trade Law, with introductions from the publication's two general editors: Peter-Tobias Stoll and Holger Hestermeyer as well as a discussion with a distinguished panelist the European Unions' Chief Trade Enforcement Officer Denis Redonnet. 

Programme:

8 November 2022

15:00 - 15:45 Registration with coffee and refreshments 

15:45 - 16:00 Welcome address by the head of Representation of Lower-Saxony to the EU - Michael Freericks

16:00 - 17:30 Panel 1  INTA in Perspective: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects
Chair: Peter-Tobias Stoll
Keynote by Bernd Lange MEP (S&D), Chair of the INTA Committee
Panel Debate introduced by: Heidi Hautala MEP (Greens), Vice President of the European Parliament and Leopoldo Rubinacci, Deputy Director-General, European Commission, DG Trade

18:00 - 19:30 Book Launch: Commentaries on World Trade Law
Introduction: Peter-Tobias Stoll and Holger Hestermeyer
Panelists: Denis Redonnet, Chief Trade Enforcement Officer, European Commission, DG Trade

9 November 2022

9:45 - 10:00 Registration 

10:00 - 11:30 Panel 2: INTA Committee: a first reflection
Chair: Andreas Maurer
Presentations by Iana Dreyer (Borderlex), Camille Nessel (Ghent), Luca Cabras (Innsbruck/Milan) and Steve Woolcock (LSE).
Panel debate introduced by: Gisela Grieger, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS)

11:45 - 13:15 Panel 3 Trade and sustainable development 
Chair: Gustavo Prieto
Presentations by Patrick Abel (Passau) and Anna Marhold (Leiden)
Panel debate introduced by Helmut Scholz MEP (The Left)

13:15 - 14:45 Light lunch provided by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

14:45 - 16:15 Panel 4 Civil society and Interest Groups participation in the area of the EU’s trade policies
Chair: Elisa Baroncini
Presentation by Alessandra Arcuri (Rotterdam), Jan Orbie (Ghent): Domestic Advisory Groups in EU Trade Agreements - a study commissioned by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

16:30 Closing Remarks
Elisa Baroncini, Andreas Maurer, Peter-Tobias Stoll

This is a Conference of the Interest Group on International Economic Law of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) in cooperation with the Jean Monnet Chair for EU Integration Studies at Innsbruck University, convened by

• Prof. Dr. Elisa Baroncini, Bologna University

• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Maurer, MA / D.E.E.A., Jean Monnet Chair for EU Integration Studies.

• Prof. Dr. Peter-Tobias Stoll, University of Göttingen

As the event will take place at the official venue of the Representation of Lower Saxony to the EU, participants will be required to present a valid ID and a confirmation of registration.

*This is a hybrid event, please select the right type of ticket* 

In person registration closes on 2 November

By registering and in the absence of an explicit dissent sent to the organisers all participants  agree to video and audio transmission required to conduct the event in hybrid format and to taking pictures for marketing purposes by the organising and hosting institutions.