International trade and law – geoeconomic developments in a business context
Seminar
Lund University hereby invites you to a seminar on legal and economic issues facing international trade. Participate on site or online via Zoom.
Geoeconomic developments with substantial impact on business
The conditions for international trade and investment are facing considerable changes. The EU’s focus on strategic autonomy, Brexit, serious security concerns in Europe and rising tensions between the US and China are among the challenges that generate significant geoeconomic consequences. These events contribute to an increasingly complex legal and economic framework, the effective navigation of which is crucial to bring goods, services and capital to market, to effectively respond to global developments and to control disputes when they arise.
Purpose of the seminar
The purpose of this seminar is to discuss opportunities and challenges for business in the context of geoeconomic developments and international trade. Our aim is to address key concerns and generate a constructive dialogue between academia, the business community and public institutions. The seminar is a collaboration between Centre for European Studies at Lund University (CFE), Affärsrättsligt centrum vid Lunds universitet (ACLU) and The Swedish Institute for International Trade and Law, an interdisciplinary initiative involving researchers at Lund University. The Institute aims to be an international leader in legal and economic research as well as a forum for dialogue with the business community and government representatives within the context of international trade.
Programme
10.00 – 10.15 Welcome and introduction
Erik Lagerlöf and Christer Ljungwall
10.15 – 10.45 Brexit 7 years on: Tinkering within the TCA or a serious rethink of post Brexit relations?
Sir Ivan Rogers
10.45 – 11.15 Coffee
11.15 – 11.45 What future for the governance of international trade – are the “good old days” gone for good?
Alastair Sutton
11.45 – 12.30 Q&A
Speakers
Sir Ivan Rogers
Sir Ivan Rogers served as the Principal Private Secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair and as Prime Minister David Cameron’s Adviser for Europe and Global Issues and the Head of the European and Global Issues Secretariat, based in the Prime Minister's Office at Number 10. Between November 2013 and January 2017, Sir Ivan was the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union. In addition to his many senior roles within the British civil service, he has also served as Chief of Staff to the European Commissioner for Competition Sir Leon Brittan as well as head of the UK Public Sector Group at Citigroup and Head of the Public Sector Industry Group at Barclays Capital. In recent years, Sir Ivan has become a well-known international commentator on international trade and international affairs.
Alastair Sutton
Alastair Sutton has worked on international trade law for 57 years, with several senior roles within both public institutions and private practice. As a senior official at the European Commission, Alastair negotiated multilateral and bilateral agreements on trade in the GATT (later the WTO) and the EU’s trading partners in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. He was a key member of the EU’s team for the Tokyo Round of international trade negotiations, covering areas such as anti-dumping, subsidies and countervail duties and safeguards. Alastair also served as the legal and external affairs advisor in the Cabinet of Lord Cockfield, then Vice President of the European Commission. For the past 30 years, Alastair has been in private practice and he is now a barrister at Brick Court Chambers. He is advising major multinational corporations and several large and small governments on various matters related to international trade.
Erik Lagerlöf
Erik Lagerlöf is the co-founder of the initiative The Swedish Institute for International Trade and Law. Erik has been involved with EU and international law as an academic, practitioner and an EU civil servant for almost 20 years. With an academic background from Cambridge University, EUI and Harvard Law School, Erik served as legal secretary to both the Swedish and British judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). For the past 8 years. Erik has combined academia and working in private practice. He has published extensively on trade related issues within EU and international law. He has also advised and acted on behalf of major international companies before national courts and authorities, the European Commission, the CJEU and international arbitration tribunals.
Christer Ljungwall
Christer Ljungwall is the co-founder of the initiative The Swedish Institute for International Trade and Law. Christer is a renowned economist and expert in economic development, trade and innovation. He has held several senior positions within academia, international organisations and as a diplomat. Amongst other appointments, he has been Professor at PKU-HSBC Business School in China, Senior Economist at the Asian Development Bank and Head of Office of Science and Innovation at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing. Christer has published widely and is a frequently invited speakers on issues related to economic development, politics and innovation. He also acts as advisor to governments and businesses.
The seminar is arranged by ACLU Affärsrättsligt centrum vid Lunds universitet of which Department of business law is part of. For questions about ACLU at LUSEM please contact Jörgen Hettne, Professor in business law.